Box Score 

URBANA, Ill. – The Fighting Illini men's tennis team topped the Purdue Boilermakers, 4-1 in the Big Ten Tennis Tournament quarterfinals on Friday night. Illinois redeemed an early season loss to Purdue at the Schwartz Tennis Center behind strong singles play.

In doubles, Purdue earned an early advantage with wins on courts two and three. The Illini would bounce right back in singles led by junior Aron Hiltzik, who defeated Ricky Medinilla, 6-2, 6-3 on court two. Fellow-junior Aleks Vukic was next off the court with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over No. 104-ranked Gergely Madarasz. Vukic extends his singles winning streak to 19 matches, good for second all-time in program history.

The Illini freshmen would complete the match down the stretch. Zeke Clark defeated Renan Hanayama, 6-4, 6-2 on court five. Aleks Kovacevic clinched Illinois's berth into the semifinals with a 6-3, 7-5 win on court three.

Up next, the Orange and Blue will take on the Michigan Wolverines on Saturday afternoon at the Schwartz Tennis Center. First serve between the two Top-25 teams is set for 1 p.m. CT.

Head Coach Brad Dancer's Thoughts

"We lost to Purdue earlier this year and it was a devastating loss for our program. That has put us in a tough situation as to where our national ranking is. We looked at that and knew this match was going to be tough. We came out and they took it to us during the doubles point. We responded in singles. I thought Aron Hiltzik was an absolute star today. He was great. When he plays like that, we are different team. He was a big leader for us today. Zeke (Clark) sort of got his mojo going today and I think we are a good team. We just haven't proven it this year. I think if we can get our guys going, we are going to be in really good shape down the stretch."

Final Results

Illinois 4, Purdue 1

Doubles-Order of Finish: 2, 1*

1. Jesse/Kovacevic (Illinois) vs. Madarasz/Bennett (Purdue) 5-5, unf.
2. Medinilla/Koenigfest (Purdue) def. Budic/Vukic (Illinois) 6-4
3. Ugarte/Hanayama (Purdue) def. Gomes/Hiltzik (Illinois) 6-4

Singles-Order of Finish: 2, 1, 5, 3*  

1. #5 Aleks Vukic (Illinois) def. #104 Gergely Madarasz (Purdue) 6-3, 6-1
2. #39 Aron Hiltzik (Illinois) def. Ricky Medinilla (Purdue) 6-2, 6-3
3. Aleks Kovacevic (Illinois) def. Benjamin Ugarte (Purdue) 6-3, 7-5
4. Gui Gomes (Illinois) vs. Stephan Koenigsfest (Purdue) 4-6, 6-2, 1-1, unf.
5. Zeke Clark (Illinois) def. Renan Hanayama (Purdue) 6-4, 6-2
6. Noe Khlif (Illinois) vs. Athell Bennett (Purdue) 4-6, 6-2, 0-1, unf.

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