Box Score 

NORMAN, Okla. – The No. 16 Fighting Illini men's tennis team defeated the No. 18 Oklahoma Sooners, 4-1, on Sunday afternoon to earn a spot in the ITA National Indoor Championships in February. The Illini are now 2-0 in 2018.

The Illini secured an early lead in the match after doubles wins on courts two and three. Sophomore Zeke Clark and Aleks Kovacevic picked up a win over OU's No. 43-ranked pairing of Bertsch and Oetzbach, 6-3. The deciding match came down to the freshmen, Alex Brown and Caleb Chakravarthi, on court three for the second-straight match. Brown and Chakravarthi topped Bakshi and Davis, 7-5 in a tiebreaker to clinch the point.

In singles play, senior Aron Hiltzik led the way with a dominating, 6-2, 6-0 win over No. 17-ranked, Ferran Calvo on court two to put Illinois ahead, 2-0. OU earned a point on court four, but the Illinois freshmen would again put team points on the board for the Orange and Blue. Chakravarthi defeated Max Stewart, 6-2, 6-4 on court six. Brown clinched the match for UI on court three with a 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 win against Adrian Oetzbach.

In the past two matches, the freshmen have clinched both doubles points and an Illinois win.

Up next, the Illini are back on the road next Friday and Saturday. Illinois will take on Duke at 5 pm CT on Friday and then compete against North Carolina on Saturday at 5 pm CT. 

Head Coach Brad Dancer's Thoughts 

"I was impressed by the young guns this weekend. The freshmen followed the lead of senior Aron Hiltzik and played with ownership of their respective matches. It was great to see Aron in dual match action. When he puts the "I" on, he raises himself. He's a special young man that just bleeds Orange and Blue. 

It was also a great weekend for Mario and Luigi (freshmen Alex Brown and Caleb Chakravarthi). I've got to spend a lot of time with them this year. They couldn't be more opposite, but have enjoyed every minute it. They are passionate young men with big visions. They see themselves being great and expect themselves to perform. This weekend they did.

I enjoy Seattle a bunch. We will have a great group of supporters out there. We can't wait to touch base with our west coast fan base. Probably the best thing about this weekend was how much we can improve at certain positions. Zeke (Clark), Aleks Kovacevic and Aleks Vukic were not all themselves. So, we will work this week and be better next weekend. There will be some great challenges ahead."

Final Results

#16 Illinois 4, #18 Oklahoma 1

Doubles-Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3*

1. Calvo/van Emburgh (OU) def. Budic/Vukic (Illinois) 6-1
2. Clark/Kovacevic (Illinois) def. #43 Bertsch/Oetzbach (OU) 6-3
3. Brown/Chakravarthi (Illinois) def. Bakshi/Davis (OU) 7-6(5)

Singles-Order of Finish: 2, 4, 6, 3*

1. Aleks Vukic (Illinois) vs. Alex Bakshi (OU) 6-4, 1-6, 4-3, unf.
2. Aron Hiltzik (Illinois) def. #17 Ferran Calvo (OU) 6-2, 6-0
3. Alex Brown (Illinois) def. Adrian Oetzbach (OU) 6-3, 2-6, 6-3
4. Jake van Emburgh (OU) def. Aleks Kovacevic (Illinois) 6-1, 7-6(3)
5. Zeke Clark (Illinois) vs. Jochen Bertsch (OU) 3-6, 6-4, 3-0, unf.
6. Caleb Chakravarthi (Illinois) def. Max Stewart (OU) 6-2, 6-4

Records: Illinois (2-0) | Oklahoma (6-1)

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