University of Illinois
Indiana
Kovacevic Clinches as No. 7 Illini Defeat Hoosiers
March 23, 2018 | Men's Tennis
URBANA, Ill. – The No. 7 Illinois Fighting Illini defeated the Indiana Hoosiers, 5-2 on Friday night at the IU Tennis Center. Illinois improves to 11-5 overall this season and 2-0 in Big Ten play.
The Illini jumped out to an early lead on Friday night. Sophomore Vuk Budic and senior Aron Hiltzik won their first match as a doubles pair, 7-5 at the No. 1 position. Freshmen Alex Brown and Caleb Chakravarthi clinched the point for the Orange and Blue, 7-5 on court three.
In singles play, Hiltzik gave Illinois a 2-0 advantage with a 6-2, 6-3 victory against Antonio Cembellin at the No. 2 position. Indiana grabbed a point on court five, but the Illini would answer with Chakravarthi's 7-5, 6-1 win on six. Sophomore Aleks Kovacevic clinched the match, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 over Keivon Tabrizi.
Up next, the Illini return to Atkins Tennis Center on Sunday for a matchup against the Purdue Boilermakers. First serve is scheduled for noon.
Illini Notes
- UI has won seven-straight matches against the Hoosiers.
- Illinois clinched the doubles point for the 12th time this season. The Orange and Blue are 10-2 when clinching the doubles point.
- Brown and Chakravarthi clinched their team-leading six doubles point.
- Chakravarthi extended his singles winning streak to five matches.
Illini Quotes
"I am proud of our guys for staying focused on tennis tonight. No question we had guys that dialed it in when necessary." - head coach Brad Dancer
Final Results
#7 Illinois 5, Indiana 2
Doubles-Order of Finish: 2, 1, 3*
- Budic/Hiltzik (Illinois) def. Crane/Tabrizi (Indiana) 7-5
- Cembellin/Salgado (Indiana) def. Clark/Kovacevic (Illinois) 6-3
- Brown/Chakravarthi (Illinois) def. Brodney/Manji (Indiana) 7-5
Singles-Order of Finish: 2, 5, 6, 3*, 4, 1
- Raheel Manji (Indiana) def. Alex Brown (Illinois) 6-7(6), 7-6(5), 1-0(3)
- Aron Hiltzik (Illinois) def. Antonio Cembellin (Indiana) 6-2, 6-3
- Aleks Kovacevic (Illinois) def. Keivon Tabrizi (Indiana) 6-2, 4-6, 6-2
- Zeke Clark (Illinois) def. Bennett Crane (Indiana) 7-6, 7-5
- Zac Brodney (Indiana) def. Noe Khlif (Illinois) 6-3, 7-5
- Caleb Chakravarthi (Illinois) def. Afonso Salgado (Indiana) 7-5, 6-1
Records: Illinois (11-5) | Indiana (9-8)
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