University of Illinois
Kentucky
No. 7 Illinois Travels to Kentucky for Sunday Matchup
February 23, 2018 | Men's Tennis
Match 10: Illinois at Kentucky
| Date | Sunday, February 25 - 12 pm CT |
| Location | Boone Tennis Complex | Lexington, Kentucky |
| Live Links | Live Scoring |
| 2018 Information | Match Notes | Record Book |
The No. 7 Fighting Illini men's tennis team travels to Lexington, Kentucky for a Sunday matchup with the Kentucky Wildcats. First serve is set for 12 pm CT. Illinois has not won in Lexington since 2014. The Wildcats boast a record of 6-3 on the season. UI is coming off an eight-match stretch where the Illini faced eight Top-25 opponents, going 5-3 during that span. Illinois is currently riding a two-match winning streak.
ITA National Team Indoor Championships Recap
The Illini earned a 2-1 record at the 2018 ITA National Team Indoor Championships last weekend in Seattle. Illinois opened the tournament by dropping a 4-2 decision to then-No. 7 UCLA. The Orange and Blue bounced back with a 4-1 win over Duke, where strong singles play from on courts three through six gave Illinois the victory. On Sunday, Illinois swept then-No. 10 Florida by taking the doubles point and securing wins at the No. 1, 5 and 6 positions. The win over UF was the first for UI since February 12, 2011.
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.
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