Box Score

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Fighting Illini women's tennis team got back in the win column on Saturday, as Illinois took down Purdue, 6-1, inside the Schwartz Tennis Center. With the victory, the Illini move to 6-7 overall on the season and 1-2 in Big Ten play. 

Illinois picked up the doubles point for the second-straight day, as the Illini earned victories on courts two and three to claim the early one-point advantage. The pair of Kawai/Rabinowitz took down Purdue's Babic/Calkins, 6-4, to improve to 10-3 in doubles on the dual season before Duong/Novak earned a 6-4 win over Shimizu/Dovnik to give Illinois the quick 1-0 lead. 

Ena Babic got the Boilermakers on the board with a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Jaclyn Switkes on court two, but Purdue proved to be no match for the Illini, as the Orange and Blue picked up wins on the remaining five courts in singles play. No. 57 Asuka Kawai continued her strong sophomore season with a 6-2, 7-5 win over No. 20 Silvia Ambrosio and Emilee Duong put Illinois on the brink of clinching with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Caitlin Calkins on court five. The match was clinched by Sasha Belaya on court four, as the sophomore went 6-0, 4-6, 6-2 over Amina Mukhametshina to secure the Illinois victory. 

Mia Rabinowitz claimed a 4-6, 6-0, 6-3 win over Seira Shimizu before Daniela Pedraza Novak capped off Illinois' strong outing with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 performance over Zala Dovnik on court six to put the Illini up 6-1.  

Up next, the Illini travel to Austin, Texas, to take on the 16th-ranked Longhorns. Match play is set for Tuesday, March 19, at 2 p.m. 

Final Results 

Illinois 6, Purdue 1

Doubles-Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3*

1. #77 Ambrosio/Mukhametshina (Purdue) def. Swiktes/Belaya (Illinois) 6-4
2. Kawai/Rabinowitz (Illinois) def. Babic/Calkins (Purdue) 6-4
3. Duong/Novak (Illinois) def. Shimizu/Dovnik (Purdue) 6-4

Singles-Order of Finish: 2, 1, 5, 4*, 3, 6

1. #57 Asuka Kawai (Illinois) def. #31 Silvia Ambrosio (Purdue) 6-2, 7-5
2. Ena Babic (Purdue) def. Jaclyn Swikes (Illinois) 6-1, 6-0
3. Mia Rabinowitz (Illinois) def. Seira Shimizu (Purdue) 4-6, 6-0, 6-3
4. Sasha Belaya (Illinois) def. Amina Mukhametshina (Purdue) 6-0, 4-6, 6-2
5. Emilee Duong (Illinois) def. Caitlin Calkins (Purdue) 6-4, 6-3
6. Daniela Pedraza Novak (Illinois) def. Zala Dovnik (Purdue) 3-6, 6-4, 6-2

Records: Illinois (6-7, 1-2 B1G) | Purdue (5-7, 0-1 B1G)

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