Feb. 18, 2005
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For the fourth straight time the University of Illinois men's tennis team advanced to the semifinal round at the USTA/ITA National Men's Team Indoor Championships. At this year's event in Chicago, Ill. at the Mid-Town Tennis Club hard court surfaces, hosted by Illinois; two time defending champion and third-ranked (fifth-seeded) Illinois advanced to the semifinal with a win over fourth-ranked and fourth-seeded Georgia, 4-0.
Illinois once again displayed its dominance indoors as the Orange and Blue are now 23-8 at the event and 6-1 in quarterfinal action. Illinois picked up its fourth victory against the Bulldogs all-time and improved its season mark to 6-0 while the Bulldogs fell to 5-1.
"I thought they played great. I guess they're going to stop being surprised (about winning)," head coach Craig Tiley. " We knew the doubles was key and they converted there. In singles they all came out and just believed they could win. They all played that way - we were up in every match right away. I'm happy because now we've got a good sense of where we're at, beating a very good Georgia team. We're still by far the youngest team in the country (with four of six starters (freshmen), but we've got ourselves in a position where we're playing the best team in the country and defending NCAA champions (Baylor). It's going to be fun. They're a very good team and tough to beat, but we'll go out,have some fun and see what happens."
The Orange and Blue won the doubles points behind strong performances at No. 2 and No. 3. At No. 2 the Illinois duo of GD Jones and Ryan Rowe improved to 4-1 behind an 8-5 victory over Strahinja Bobusic and Colin Purcell. Illinois' Pramod Dabir and Evan Zeder gave Illinois the 1-0 lead with a victory against Ricardo Gonzales and Matic Omerzel, 8-6 at No. 3. After dropping the first two doubles points of the season Illinois has now taken four of its last five.
South African Kevin Anderson has been one of Illinois' most consistent players since his arrival in early January. In his last four matches, Anderson has beaten four ranked opponents, while losing only one set. Tonight was his most impressive performance as he breezed through his match against 28th-ranked Matic Omerzel, 6-1, 6-0 improving to a perfect 10-0 in his collegiate career.
Junior and second-ranked DeHeart gave Illinois the commanding 3-0 lead at No. 1. DeHeart beat 54th-ranked Antonio Ruiz, 6-2, 6-2, improving his mark to 24-5 on the season. With the victory over No. 54, the junior is now 14-5 against ranked opponents and 19-1 when he wins his first set. The Illini capped the 4-0 quarterfinal win at No. 4. Freshman Monte Tucker finished off the Bulldogs; defeating No. 49 Strahinja Boubusic, 6-4, 6-4; improving to 13-5.
Illinois will face top-ranked Baylor, who beat No. 8 Duke today 4-0, tomorrow at 3 p.m. Tomorrow's match will pit last year's national indoor champion (Illinois) and last year's NCAA outdoor champion (Baylor) as well as the last two outdoor champions (Illinois - 2003 & Baylor - 2004). Illinois will have history on its side in the match, where the Illini have beaten the Bears, two out of their three meetings and the Orange and Blue are a perfect 5-0 in the semifinal round at the indoor championships.
Today's Results
No. 3 Illinois 4, No. 4 Georgia 0
Doubles:
1. #10 Isner/Ruiz (GEO) vs. DeHeart/Anderson (ILL) 7-6 (abandoned)
2. Jones/Rowe (ILL) def. #25 Bobusic/Purcell (GEO) 8-5
3. Zeder/Dabir (ILL) def. Gonzalez/Omerzel (GEO) 8-6
Order of finish: 2, 3
Singles:
1. #2 Ryler DeHeart (ILL) def. #54 Antonio Ruiz (GEO) 6-2, 6-4
2. #42 GD Jones (ILL) vs. #18 John Isner (GEO) 7-6 (4), 1-0 (abandoned)
3. Kevin Anderson (ILL vs. #28 Matic Omerzel (GEO) 6-1, 6-0
4. Monte Tucker (ILL) vs. #49 Strahinja Bobusic (GEO) 6-4, 6-4
5. Ryan Rowe (ILL) vs. #35 Matias Ormaza (GEO) 6-3, 3-4 (abandoned)
6. Ruben Gonzales (ILL) vs. Colin Purcell (GEO) 3-6, 6-2 (abandoned)
Order of finish: 3, 1, 4
