2003 National Championship Recap  | Triple Crown Recap 

In 2003, the Illinois men's tennis team completed a feat few have accomplished in college tennis history. By winning the NCAA Team, Singles and Doubles Championships, the Illini earned the coveted Triple Crown. The Orange and Blue became just the fourth team to do so and the first and only to do it with three different players in the singles and doubles tournaments. Since the Illini's Triple Crown in 2003, no team has accomplished the feat in 15 years. 

First Leg | NCAA Team Championship

The 2003 Illinois men's tennis team completed the perfect season. With a record of 32-0, the Illini won the 2003 NCAA Team Championship, 4-3, over the Vanderbilt Commodores on May 20. Illinois became the first school other than USC, Stanford, UCLA or Georgia to win the national title. 
 

Entering the NCAA Tournament, the Illini had already won the ITA National Indoor Championship, the Big Ten regular-season title and the Big Ten Tournament crown. Illinois shutout 15 of its 26 regular-season opponents and began NCAA play with a 26-0 mark. 

The Illini's run to the title began at the Atkins Tennis Center with sweeps of Butler and Clemson to advance to the Championships site in Athens, Georgia. At the Dan Magill Tennis Complex, No. 1 Illinois topped No. 12 Washington, 4-2, in the Round of 16. Quarterfinal action saw Illinois down No. 8 Ole Miss, 4-1. 17-time NCAA Champion, Stanford, awaited UI in the semifinal round, where Illinois made quick work of the No. 4 Cardinal, 4-2. 

The National Championship match was set. Illinois vs. Vanderbilt. 

After dropping the doubles point, freshman Rajeev Ram put the Illini on the board with a 6-3, 6-4 win on court three. Vanderbilt pushed its advantage to 3-1 with wins on one and two. However, the Illini began mounting a comeback. Michael Calkins got it started with a three-set victory on five. No. 20 Phil Stolt tied the match at the No. 4 position and in the end, sophomore Chris Martin clinched the match on six, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.

The first leg of the NCAA Triple Crown was complete. 
 

Second Leg | NCAA Singles Championship 

After completing a run to the NCAA title, the Illini immediately shifted into the NCAA Individual Championships. Junior Amer Delic dropped just two sets on his way to a six-match run that led to the NCAA Singles Championship.

The opening round saw No. 3 Delic defeat Ole Miss's Catalin Gard, 7-6(5), 6-4. Following Delic's victory over Marcus Berntson, 6-1, 7-5 in the Round of 32, Delic was final Illini in the singles draw. 
 

In the Round of 16, Delic topped Tennessee's No. 17 Daniel Klemetz, 6-2, 6-4. Florida's Hamid Mirzadeh took the first set in the quarterfinal match, but the Illini junior came fighting back and took the remaining sets, 6-1, 7-6(3). Much like the quarterfinal match, Delic needed three sets in the semifinals to top No. 10 Alex Vlaski of Washington, 7-6(1), 3-6, 6-2. 

The Singles National Championship match featured No. 3 Delic and Baylor's No. 2 Benedikt Dorsch.  In a match that lasted 59 minutes, Delic captured the singles crown, 6-4, 6-3. The Bosnia native became Illinois's first singles champion.

Delic finished the 2003 season as an All-American in singles, Big Ten Athlete of the Year, First-Team All-Big Ten selection and Illinois's Dike Eddleman Athlete of the Year. 

Second leg: complete. 
 

Final Leg | NCAA Doubles Championships 

Moments after Delic captured the NCAA Singles title, freshman Rajeev Ram and junior Brian Wilson entered the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in the NCAA Doubles final. The freshman-junior tandem entered the doubles tournament unseeded and went on to become just the eighth unseeded doubles team to win the title since 1977.  

In the opening round, No. 9 Ram and Wilson defeated Arizona State's No. 28-ranked Charroin and Stewart, 7-5, 6-3. The Round of 16 saw the Illini pair take on the first of the Top-3 seeded teams that the Illinois duo would face. Ram and Wilson made quick work of Duke's No. 3-ranked King and Yani, 6-3, 6-4. 

Tulsa's Livesay and Taylor were defeated in the quarterfinals in come-from-behind fashion, 5-7, 6-4, 6-1. The semifinal matchup pitted Illinois against the No. 1 seeded pairing from Rice, Richard and William Barker. Ram and Wilson continued their dominance and advanced to the final round with a 7-6(1), 7-5 victory. 
 

In the finals, the Illinois tandem needed three sets to down the No. 2 seeds from San Diego State, Oliver Maiberger and Ryan Redondo, 6-4, 5-7, 6-1. Ram and Wilson were the second Illinois doubles pair to win the NCAA Doubles Title. The first came in 2000 when Graydon Oliver and Cary Franklin captured the title. 

Ram and Wilson each earned All-America honors during the 2003 season and finished the campaign with a 24-5 dual match record. Both were unanimous selections for the First-Team All-Big Ten list. Wilson was named the ITA Regional Player to Watch and Ram earned the ITA Regional Rookie of the Year award and the Big Ten Freshman of the Year honor. 

"It doesn't get any better than this," said an elated Tiley. "Never in my wildest dreams did I see us pulling off a sweep like this. Now our players can be talked about along with players like John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Todd Martin and Mal Washington. It's an unbelievable feat to win all three. I think the reason that this is so emotional for me is that I have a special appreciation for this, since I have been involved in this for so long."

The 2003 Triple Crown was complete and no team has achieved the rare feat in 15 years.