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URBANA, Ill. – Fighting Illini junior Aleks Vukic earned All-America honors in singles, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) announced on Thursday afternoon. The All-America nod is the second of Vukic's career and 31st in Illinois tennis history.
"You always want to be careful speaking in hyperbole, especially with the student-athletes that built this program, but clearly Alek's season is one of the best in program history," said head coach Brad Dancer. "He took on all challenges and was a great leader for our team. He is an outstanding representative of the university, our team and especially his own family. Being a two-time All-American is a befitting honor for him."
The Big Ten Athlete of the Year compiled an overall singles record of 24-3 in 2017, including an unblemished 12-0 mark against Big Ten opponents. The junior became the first player in Illinois tennis history to win 21-straight dual singles matches. The winning streak is good for 2nd all-time in program history and included 11 wins over ITA-ranked opponents. Two of those wins came against the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked players in the nation, who were previously undefeated.
A unanimous First-Team All-Big Ten selection, Vukic, finished the 2017 campaign ranked No. 7 in the final singles ranking. The Sydney, Australia native was instrumental in Illinois' 4-3 comeback victory against the No. 10 Oklahoma State Cowboys on May 13 in the NCAA Second Round. The junior defeated No. 26-ranked Julian Cash with two tiebreaks to earn Illinois' second team point. The win punched the Illini's ticket to Athens, Ga. where the Orange and Blue were the only unseeded team to advance to the championships site.
Vukic has amassed an overall career singles record of 94-13 that includes a 28-1 mark against Big Ten opponents. The rising senior also finished the season ranked in doubles with Aron Hiltzik (47) and Vuk Budic (84).
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