ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The Fighting Illlini men's tennis team defeated the No. 14 Michigan Wolverines on Saturday morning in Ann Arbor. The Illini are now 13-9 overall this season and 6-2 in Big Ten play.
Doubles play saw the Illini drop the doubles point for the first time in five matches. Michigan earned two quick wins on courts one and two for an early 1-0 advantage.
In singles action, the Illini quickly bounced back in the match. No. 6-ranked Aleks Vukic defeated Michigan's No. 69-ranked Jathan Malik, 6-2, 6-2 on court one. Michigan retook the lead, 2-1, with Lin's 6-2, 6-3 win against freshman Zeke Clark on court six. Fellow-freshman Noe Khlif evened the match at 2-all with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Kevin Wong at the No. 5 position.
On court four, freshman Aleks Kovacevic dropped the first set, 6-1, but earned a 7-4 tiebreak in the second set to force a third against Runhao Hua. The New York native took the third set, 6-3 to give Illinois a 3-2 advantage. Junior Aron Hiltzik split sets with Alex Knight on court one, 6-2, 3-6. The two would go back-and-forth in the third set with Knight going up a break, 5-4 and serving for the match. Hiltzik broke back and took the next two games to clinch the Illinois victory.
Up next, the Illini will take on the Michigan State Spartans at 11 a.m. CT on Sunday in East Lansing, Mich.
Head Coach Brad Dancer's Thoughts
"It's always tough to get road wins in the Big Ten, so we take those and move on.
Michigan dismantled us in doubles. There is really nothing left to say about that. In singles, we had some guys stay very focused today (Aleks Vukic and Noe Khlif) and that helped put up a quick two points. That gave a bit of breathing room for the other guys and Kova [Aleks Kovacevic] turned his match around with a gritty performance. I am proud of Aron [Hiltzik] for continuing to give himself a chance when he was nowhere his best. That match was all mental for him today and he gutted one out for the team.
The guys on the team want to say a huge thanks to all the fans and supporters that came out. Made it feel like a home match on the road. THANK YOU. On to Sparty"
Final Results
Illinois 4, Michigan 2
Doubles-Order of Finish: 1, 2*
- #17 Malik/Johnston (UM) def. Hiltzik/Vukic (Illinois) 6-1
- Hua/Knight (UM) def. Jesse/Kovacevic (Illinois) 6-2
- Clark/Gomes (Illinois) vs. Schalet/Wong (UM) 3-5, unf.
Singles- 1, 6, 5, 4, 2*
- #6 Aleks Vukic (Illinois) def. #69 Jathan Malik (UM) 6-2, 6-2
- #31 Aron Hiltzik (Illinois) def. Alex Knight (UM) 6-2, 3-6, 7-5
- Gui Gomes (Illinois) vs. #92 Myles Schalet (UM) 7-6(6), 3-6, 5-5, unf.
- Aleks Kovacevic (Illinois) def. Runhao Hua (UM) 1-6, 7-6(4), 6-3
- Noe Khlif (Illinois) def. Kevin Wong (UM) 6-2, 6-2
- Carter Lin (UM) def. Zeke Clark (Illinois) 6-2, 6-3
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