Chambana Sun

Illinois' 2025 tennis recruiting class has been ranked second nationally by the Tennis Recruiting Network, according to an announcement made on Monday. The University of Illinois’ Fighting Illini's four-player Class of 2025 is currently the highest-ranked in the Big Ten Conference, with only Vanderbilt ahead.

The most recent addition to Illinois' esteemed class is Hayden Jones from Australia, who signed with the team in April. Jones has achieved a career-high ITF junior ranking of No. 8 and holds ATP rankings of No. 970 in singles and No. 602 in doubles. He earned wild-card entries into singles qualifying for the Australian Open in both 2024 and 2025 and was honored as the 2024 Australian Tennis Junior Male Athlete of the Year.

Another significant recruit is Sasha Colleu from Florida, ranked as a blue-chip recruit and positioned at No. 16 among Americans in the Tennis Recruiting Network's Class of 2025 rankings. Colleu has won two junior doubles titles at J100 Quebec City and J100 Mexico City tournaments, along with five singles titles on the ITF juniors circuit, including a recent victory at J100 Delray Beach on April 26.

David Bakonyi and Adam Jilly also joined Illinois after signing in November, contributing to what was previously a ninth-ranked class according to TRN's winter recruiting rankings. Both Hungarian players have played together on the junior circuit; Bakonyi has achieved a career-high ITF junior ranking of No. 182 with three junior singles and thirteen junior doubles titles, while Jilly holds a career-best ITF junior ranking of No. 111 with four junior singles and nine junior doubles titles. Together, they have secured eight junior doubles titles, including three during the 2024 season.

Illinois is one of three Big Ten teams represented in Tennis Recruiting Network's Class of 2025 rankings, standing alongside Michigan at No. 15 and Northwestern at No. 16.