University of Illinois
California
Illini Open Home Slate Against Pac-12 Opponents
February 8, 2018 | Men's Tennis
Match 5 and 6: Illinois vs. California, Stanford
| Date | Friday - 6 pm vs. California | Saturday - 6 pm vs. Stanford |
| Location | Atkins Tennis Center | Urbana, Ill. |
| Live Links | Live Scoring and Video |
| 2018 Information | Match Notes | Record Book |
The No. 10 Illinois men's tennis team opens the 2018 home slate against a pair of Top-25, Pac-12 opponents. Illinois will host No. 23 California on Friday night and the Illini welcome No. 5 Stanford on Saturday night. Both matches will begin at 6 pm. California has not played a match in Urbana since May 20, 1920. Illinois is coming off a 1-1 weekend in North Carolina where the Orange and Blue defeated Duke, 6-1 and fell to UNC, 4-3.
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 Tuesday afternoon. On Friday night, 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 on Saturday night. 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.
Fennell Joins Dancer's Staff
Fennell joins the Fighting Illini after completing two playing seasons at the University of South Carolina after transferring from Penn State following his sophomore season. Alex earned an 80-62 overall singles record during his playing career at South Carolina and Penn State. Fennell graduated with a degree in psychology. Fennell will serve as the volunteer assistant coach for 2017-18.
Follow the Illini
FightingIllini.com | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
