Box Score 

EVANSTON, Ill. – The No. 6 Fighting Illini men's tennis team opened Big Ten play with a sweep of the Northwestern Wildcats on Friday night at the Combe Tennis Center. Illinois extends its winning streak to four matches and improves to 10-4 overall this season.  

In doubles play, Illinois freshmen Alex Brown and Caleb Chakravarthi extended their winning streak to six matches with a 6-1 win against Ephron and Fasano on court three. At the No. 1 position, seniors Aron Hiltzik and Aleks Vukic topped Northwestern's No. 50-ranked Stary and Vandixhorn, 6-3 to clinch the point.

Brown was first off the court with a dominating 6-1, 6-1 win against No. 110-ranked Fasano. Fasano held serve only once during the match. Chakravarthi then defeated Joshi, 6-2, 6-2 on court six. Hiltzik clinched the match, 6-4, 6-3 at the No. 2 position to give Illinois the sweep.

Up next, the Illini take a 10-day break before their next contest in Winston-Salem, N.C. against the current No. 1-ranked Wake Forest Demon Deacons on March 20.

Illini Quotes

"Really pleased to start Big Ten play 1-0 with a win over the Wildcats. It is always great to come to Evanston and play in front of our great Chicago fan base. Obviously, we are looking forward to a break from matches and a small reset. Wake Forest poses a big challenge for us and we are excited for that." - head coach Brad Dancer

Illini Notes

• Brown and Chakravarthi both extended their singles winning streaks to four matches.
• UI is now 12-1 in Big Ten openers under head coach Brad Dancer.
• The Illini clinched the doubles point for the sixth-straight match. The Orange and Blue have already matched the number of doubles point won (11) during the entire 2017 season.
  • Illinois had not won the doubles point against Northwestern since January 23, 2016 (three matches).
• Brown and Chakravarthi extended their doubles winning streak to six matches and hold a team-best 12-2 overall doubles record.
• Illinois has won four-straight matches, good for a season-long winning streak.

Final Results

#6 Illinois 4, Northwestern 0

Doubles-Order of Finish: 3, 1*

1. #67 Hiltzik/Vukic (Illinois) def. #50 Stary/Vandixhorn (Northwestern) 6-3
2. Clark/Kovacevic (Illinois) vs. Brookes/Lorenzini (Northwestern) 4-4, unf.
3. Brown/Chakravarthi (Illinois) def. Ephron/Fasano (Northwestern) 6-1

Singles-Order of Finish: 3, 6, 2*

1. #17 Aleks Vukic (Illinois) vs. Dominik Stary (Northwestern) 6-3, 5-6, unf.
2. #100 Aron Hiltzik (Illinois) def. Nick Brookes (Northwestern) 6-4, 6-3
3. #50 Alex Brown (Illinois) def. #110 Antonioni Fasano (Northwestern) 6-1, 6-1
4. Aleks Kovacevic (Illinois) vs. Ben Vandixhorn (Northwestern) 3-6, 6-3, unf. 
5. Zeke Clark (Illinois) vs. Jason Seidman (Northwestern) 6-3, 4-2, unf.
6. Caleb Chakravarthi (Illinois) def. AJ Joshi (Northwestern) 6-2, 6-2

Records: Illinois (10-4) | Northwestern (4-9)

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