Kawai Earns First Career B1G Weekly Honor
February 26, 2019 | Women's Tennis
Big Ten Release
ROSEMONT, Ill. – Fighting Illini sophomore Asuka Kawai has been named the Big Ten Women's Tennis Athlete of the Week, as announced today by the league office. The honor is the first Big Ten Athlete of the Week nod for Kawai and the first for an Illini since Jaclyn Switkes on February 27, 2018.
Playing at No. 1 singles throughout the annual Blue Gray Tennis Classic this past weekend, Kawai picked up wins over two ITA-ranked opponents, including No. 40 Emma Davis from Wake Forest (6-3, 3-6, 6-2) and No. 36 Felicity Maltby from Texas Tech (6-4, 3-6, 6-1). The Palatine, Ill., native also paired up with fellow-sophomore Mia Rabinowitz to earn doubles victories over both Alabama's Selim/Gintrand (6-2) and Texas Tech's Sella/Peet (6-3).
Next Up
Illinois will travel to take on in-state rival, No. 10 Northwestern on Friday, March 1. First serve is set for 5 p.m.
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