Chambana Sun

The University of Illinois men's tennis team has released its home schedule for the 2026 season. The team will host 12 matches at Atkins Tennis Center, with seven contests against Big Ten opponents.

Seven of the visiting teams reached the 2025 NCAA Tournament, including TCU, which finished as national runner-up. Illinois opens its home matches on January 16 against Mississippi State, a squad that was seeded twelfth in last year's NCAA Tournament and finished tenth in the final ITA poll after reaching the quarterfinals.

On January 30, Illinois faces Duke, who ended their previous season in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. In their last meeting, Illinois lost to then-ranked number seven Duke on January 31.

The schedule continues with five consecutive home games: North Carolina (February 22), Baylor (February 27), and TCU (February 28) conclude nonconference play before Big Ten action begins with Oregon (March 6) and Washington (March 8). Baylor, TCU, and Washington all participated in the most recent NCAA Tournament. TCU advanced to the national championship match as a number two seed.

Illinois will also host Michigan (March 20), Michigan State (March 22), Indiana (April 3), Purdue (April 5), and Northwestern (April 18) during conference play.

The Illini roster for this season includes five returning players and five newcomers. Head coach Brad Dancer enters his twenty-first year leading the program. Last season, Illinois recorded a record of fifteen wins and twelve losses and made its eighteenth appearance in the NCAA Tournament under Dancer's guidance.

"Illinois will host seven teams that made the 2025 NCAA Tournament, including national runner-up TCU, during the 2026 campaign," according to information provided by team officials.

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