Chambana Sun

The University of Illinois men's tennis team began their Big Ten schedule with a 4-1 victory over Nebraska on Friday night at the Atkins Tennis Center. This win improved Illinois' home record to 4-0 for the season.

Head coach Brad Dancer expressed satisfaction with the team's start, saying, "1-0 in the Big Ten. That's honestly all we care about." He acknowledged some challenges faced by the team, including new doubles pairings and players dealing with illnesses. "Despite the circumstances and everything else, we had a bunch of guys who did a really good job of figuring their way out through their matches," he added.

In doubles play, Illinois secured victories at positions No. 2 and No. 3 to claim the doubles point. William Mroz and Zach Viiala won their match against Nebraska's Leo Linquet and Joan Torres Espinosa with a score of 6-4 after recovering from being broken in the ninth game. Mathis Debru and Jeremy Zhang also contributed by winning a tiebreaker at No. 3 doubles against Anton Shepp and Henry Bilicic.

Mroz further extended Illinois' lead with a straight-set win at No. 2 singles over Anton Shepp, achieving scores of 6-4, 6-1. Viiala continued his success in singles at position No. 6 by defeating Colson Wells with scores of 6-3, 6-4.

Although Nebraska managed to secure a victory on Court 4, Illinois clinched overall victory shortly after when Debru triumphed over Leo Linquet at No. 5 singles with scores of 7-6(3), 6-3.

The Fighting Illini will next face Wisconsin on Sunday as they continue their homestand at Atkins Tennis Center.