May 13, 2011

Box Score | Photo Gallery

URBANA, Ill. - The Illini men's tennis team (17-10) improved to 12-1 all-time in NCAA first-round matches when hosting with a 4-0 victory over Drake (21-3) Friday afternoon at the Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex. Illinois advances to the second round of the NCAA Championships and will battle 16th-seeded North Carolina on Saturday at 2 p.m. The Tar Heels defeated Eastern Kentucky, 4-0, in the first match of the day.

In a thrilling finish to doubles on court three, sophomores Stephen Hoh and KU Singh overcame a 7-4 deficit, rattling off five straight games to defeat Robin Goodman and Cesar Bracho, 9-7, and helped give the Illini a 1-0 advantage. The momentum carried over into singles, where the Illini secured the first three matches to clinch a 4-0 victory. Picking up wins on the day were Singh and juniors Roy Kalmanovich and Dennis Nevolo.

"We saw some resiliency out there today in some different guys, which was great," head coach Brad Dancer said. "Roy had good movement and energy today, KU had some really good moments. Bruno and Abe played through some nerves and Johnny maybe lost his focus a little bit, but I think Roy and KU were the highlights today."

Saturday's match will mark the first meeting between Illinois and North Carolina since 1966. The Tar Heels' last appearance in the round of 16 was in 2008, while the Illini have advanced 10 times in the past 12 years, with the most recent appearance coming in 2009.

Match Results
#17 Illinois 4, #63 Drake 0

Singles competition
1. #15 Dennis Nevolo (ILL) def. Mauricio Ballivian (DU) 7-5, 6-1
2. KU Singh (ILL) def. Anis Ghorbel (DU) 6-0, 7-6 (7-3)
3. #122 Roy Kalmanovich (ILL) def. Jean Erasmus (DU) 6-2, 6-2
4. #81 Abe Souza (ILL) vs. James McKie (DU) 1-6, 6-3, 3-2, unfinished
5. #104 Johnny Hamui (ILL) vs. Robin Goodman (DU) 6-2, 3-6, 2-1, unfinished
6. Bruno Abdelnour (ILL) vs. Jonathan Hadash (DU) 6-4, 4-1, unfinished

Doubles competition
1. Mauricio Ballivian/Anis Ghorbel (DU) def. #78 Johnny Hamui/Abe Souza (ILL) 8-3
2. Dennis Nevolo/Brian Alden (ILL) def. James McKie/Jean Erasmus (DU) 8-5
3. KU Singh/Stephen Hoh (ILL) def. Robin Goodman/Cesar Bracho (DU) 9-7

Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (3,2,1)