University of Illinois
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Illinois Set for ITA National Indoor Championships
February 15, 2018 | Men's Tennis
2018 ITA National Indoor Championships
| Date | Friday - Monday |
| Location | Seattle Tennis Club | Seattle, Washington |
| Live Links | Live Scoring | Championship Central |
| 2018 Information | Match Notes | Record Book |
The No. 10 Illinois men's tennis team begins play in Seattle, Washington at the ITA National Team Indoor Tennis Championships on Friday morning. The Illini will open the 16-team tournament with No. 7 UCLA at 11 am CT. Illinois is 2-6 all-time against the Bruins, but has not competed against UCLA since the 2009 National Team Indoor Championships in Chicago.
Illinois at ITA National Team Indoor Championships
- UI will compete at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships for the first time since 2016.
- The Illini have won the team championship twice in program history (2003, 2004).
- Teams competing in 2018: Baylor, Columbia, Duke, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Stanford, Texas A&M, UCLA, USC, Wake Forest, Washington
Brown Earns Big Ten Tennis Athlete of the Week Award
Fighting Illini freshman Alex Brown earned the Big Ten Tennis Athlete of the Week award on February 13. Brown went 4-0 against No. 23 California and No. 5 Stanford. Brown and fellow-freshman Caleb Chakravarthi are now 6-0 in doubles play this season, clinching three doubles points for the Illini. Alex is the first Illinois freshman to win the award since seniors Aron Hiltzik and Aleks Vukic each earned the honor in 2015.
Vukic Named Big Ten Tennis Athlete of the Week
Fighting Illini senior Aleks Vukic was named the Big Ten Tennis Athlete of the Week on February 6. On February 2, Vukic picked up his first singles dual match win over Duke's Catalin Mateas, 7-5, 6-2, helping Illinois defeat Duke, 6-1. Teaming up with fellow-senior Aron Hiltzik, the duo topped UNC's No. 3-ranked pairing of William Blumberg and Robert Kelly, 7-6(5) to help the Orange and Blue clinch its fourth-straight doubles point. The Sydney, Australia native, then defeated No. 3 William Blumberg in a three-set, come-from-behind victory, 2-6, 7-6(5), 6-1.
Illinois Earns Berth in ITA National Team Indoor Championships
The Illini earned went 2-0 at the ITA Kickoff Weekend to earn a spot in this month's ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Seattle, Washington. Illinois opened the dual match season with a 4-0 sweep of Georgia Tech. UI followed that win with a 4-1 win over No. 18 Oklahoma. Illinois will compete in the National Indoor Championships for the first since since 2016.
Freshmen Shine in Dual Match Debuts
Illinois freshmen Alex Brown and Caleb Chakravarthi debuted in the Illinois singles and doubles lineup at the ITA Kickoff Weekend. Brown and Chakravarthi teamed up in doubles play and clinched both doubles points for Illinois. Chakravarthi clinched Illinois's 4-0 win over Georgia Tech and Brown clinched UI's win over Oklahoma.
Hiltzik, Vukic Earn First Professional Titles
Returning seniors Aron Hiltzik and Aleks Vukic won their first professional titles during the offseason. Vukic earned the singles title at the Champaign Futures in late July and has since reached an ATP career-high singles ranking of 459. Hiltzik teamed up with former Illini All-American, Dennis Nevolo, to win the doubles title at the Houston Futures in October.
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