Chambana Sun

No. 20 Illinois is set to open its Big Ten tennis schedule with home matches against Nebraska and Wisconsin at the Atkins Tennis Center in Urbana, Illinois. The Fighting Illini will face the Cornhuskers on Friday at 5 p.m. CT and the Badgers on Sunday at 12 p.m. CT.

Illinois enters conference play with a 6-4 record, aiming for a third consecutive win in their Big Ten opener. In their last match, Illinois lost to No. 3 Ohio State, 4-0, despite winning the first doubles match of the night through Mathis Debru and Jeremy Zhang.

Nebraska arrives in Champaign-Urbana with a 7-3 record and has been successful on the road this season, defeating teams like Oklahoma State and Ole Miss. The Cornhuskers have one ranked singles player, No. 81 Calvin Mueller, and a ranked doubles team comprising Lars Johann and Anton Shepp.

Wisconsin will begin its conference play against Northwestern before facing Illinois. The Badgers hold a 6-2 record but do not currently have any players in the ITA rankings.

Historically, Illinois leads Nebraska with a 13-2 all-time series advantage but lost their most recent encounter during the 2024 Big Ten Tournament. Against Wisconsin, Illinois holds a commanding lead of 66-31 in their series history dating back to 1909.

Illinois features two ranked singles players: Kenta Miyoshi at No. 12 and William Mroz at No. 48.

Promotions for fans attending include free tacos and drinks for the first hundred attendees on Friday against Nebraska and a post-match kids clinic on Sunday after facing Wisconsin.