University of Illinois
RD32: [4] Aleks Vukic vs. Rishab Agarwal (Miss. St.)
@IlliniMTennis Sends Two Into NCAA Singles R16
May 26, 2016 | Men's Tennis
Tulsa, Okla. - Fighting Illini men's tennis athletes Jared Hiltzik and Aleks Vukic advanced to the Round of 16 in the NCAA Singles Championships Thursday, securing All-America honors. Hiltzik earns the third All-America laurel of his career, joining Amer Delic and Kevin Anderson as the only three-time All-Americans in program history. Vukic and Hiltzik will compete in the Round of 16 Friday, marking the first time the Illini have had two athletes represented in the Round of 16 since 2005.
No. 16 Hiltzik punched his ticket to the Round of 16 for the second consecutive season with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over No. 52 Shane Vinsant (Texas A&M). The No. 4 seeded Vukic battled from down match point at *5-3 in the third set to claim a thrilling 7-6(8), 4-6, 7-6(6) win over No. 54 Rishab Agarwal (Mississippi State).
"Yesterday it was Jared survive and advance. Today it was Vuki," head coach Brad Dancer said of Vukic's play. "Agarwal played so well and deserved the match but Vuks hung really tough and picked up his game down match point. It was gritty in every sense of the word. He's a mentally strong young man and that showed today."
"Jared has played Shane a number of times before and he has a ton of respect for him," Dancer said of Hiltzik's play. "One of the better sets of tennis I've seen Jared play in the second. Just zeroed in with virtually no loose points."
Hiltzik will look to reach the Quarterfinals for the second straight year tomorrow when he takes on Petros Chrysochos of Wake Forest at 11:30 a.m. CT. Chrysochos has advanced with wins over No. 9-16 seeded Julian Lenz (Baylor) and Alfredo Perez (Florida).
"I'm really happy with how I played in the second set," Hiltzik said. "It set a tone for how the rest of the match would be and I stuck with it. Happy to get the win and excited to compete tomorrow."
The sophomore Vukic will face Ronnie Schneider of North Carolina Friday at 10 a.m. CT. Schneider defeated Santtu Leskinnen (UNC Wilmington) in the first round and Ben Lock (Florida State) in the Round of 32.
"I don't know how I won today but I'm glad I did," Vukic said. "Credit to Rishab as he was outplaying me. If I want to not be in this position again, I have to do a better job of playing my game. Happy to advance."
.@Vuki_SMASH23 wins third set tiebreaker to advance to @NCAATennis R16!! ?????? #ILLINI
— Illini M Tennis (@IlliniMTennis) May 26, 2016
2nd Round ?
All-American ? pic.twitter.com/ugzyLpFtw5
.@JaredHiltzik punches ticket to @NCAATennis R16 for second straight year!! ?????? #ILLINI
— Illini M Tennis (@IlliniMTennis) May 26, 2016
2nd Round ?
All-American ? pic.twitter.com/z9gwvrqdHy
Senior @JaredHiltzik secures his THIRD All-America honor and a trip to @NCAATennis Round of 16!! #ILLINI pic.twitter.com/ePSSgRKrkC
— Illini M Tennis (@IlliniMTennis) May 26, 2016
Sophomore @Vuki_SMASH23 secures spot in @NCAATennis Round of 16 and All-American status!! #ILLINI #NCAATennis pic.twitter.com/NGGai7xcoS
— Illini M Tennis (@IlliniMTennis) May 26, 2016
