Oct. 25, 2010

CHAMPAIGN, Ill - Since completing his career-best run at the 2010 US Open in early September, former Illini Kevin Anderson has continued to climb up the world tennis rankings. With a runner-up finish this past weekend at the Samsung Securities Cup in Seoul, South Korea, Anderson jumped five spots to a career-high No. 58 and garnered the highest ranking ever for a former Illinois men's tennis player.

In four tournaments since the US Open, three of which were ATP World Tour events, Anderson has picked up seven wins, with four coming at last week's Challenger tournament. The South Africa native opened the year ranked No. 161, before breaking inside the top 100 for good in April.

Next month, tennis fans will once again have an opportunity to watch some of the top up-and-coming players on the ATP tour when the 15th annual JSM Challenger rolls into town, Nov. 13-20 at Atkins Tennis Center. More details and the complete tournament field will be announced in the coming weeks.