ATHENS, Ga. – Fighting Illini junior Aron Hiltzik was defeated in the NCAA Singles Championships Round of 64 on Wednesday morning. Hiltzik fell to Florida's No. 6-seed Alfredo Perez, 6-4, 6-1 at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga.

"Alfredo [Perez] is a really good player and we knew it would be a tough first round match," said head coach Brad Dancer. "Aron [Hiltzik] has been tremendous all season in staying tough mentally when things are not going his way. Today was no different, but Perez kept enough pressure on to make him uncomfortable. Despite the loss, I'm confident about the summer in store for Aron and how he can grow. I'm looking forward to him starting fresh in a few weeks and playing the style of tennis that invigorates him."

The pair traded eight service holds in the opening set to begin the match. After holding at 5-4, Perez would take a no-ad point to earn the first break in the match and win the first set, 6-4. The Gator cruised in the second set to a 5-0 lead, but Hiltzik would hold to bring the match to 5-1. Perez served out the match on a no-ad point to win the second set, 6-1 and take the match 6-4, 6-1.

Hiltzik completes his junior campaign with a 19-7 overall singles record and a 12-5 dual match record. The Wilmette, Ill. native defeated five ITA-ranked singles opponents during 2017. Playing primarily at the No. 2 position, Hiltzik clinched two Top-20 wins for the Orange and Blue against Big Ten opponents, Northwestern and Michigan.

Illinois returns 10 players from the 2017 lineup after losing redshirt-seniors, Alex Jesse and Julian Childers to graduation. The 10 returning players will be joined by four incoming freshmen that are set to join the Orange and Blue squad in the fall. The incoming class is currently ranked No. 4 in the nation by TennisRecruiting.com.  

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