Final Results (PDF)
URBANA, Ill. - Fighting Illini men's tennis battled back from multi-game deficits on all three doubles courts to win the first point of the match en route to a 5-2 victory over Notre Dame at Atkins Tennis Center on Saturday. Lucas Horve and Zeke Clark battled back to win a 7-4 tiebreaker on Court 3 before Gui Gomes and Siphosothando Montsi outlasted their adversaries in a 14-12 tiebreak.
"We were down for the count in doubles," head coach Brad Dancer said. "I thought Gui and Siphs did just a phenomenal job of fighting back, fighting back. They saved two match points in the one game and came back to save a couple more in the tiebreaker. Lucas and Zeke, we made a small tactical adjustment that helped them get back in their match, so good composure from them to make that adjustment. The guys fought well in the doubles. We were really fortunate to squeak out that doubles point, needless to say."
In singles play, Clark struck first for Illinois, winning 6-2, 6-2 on Court 4. A 6-2, 7-6 (6) win on Court 2 for Aleks Kovacevic set up Alex Brown's 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 match-clinching victory on Court 1 over Richard Ciamarra, the No. 5 singles player in the country.Â
"Coming into singles, our horses carried the day," Dancer said. "We had three First Team All-Big Ten guys who went out and did the job today. That was awesome for them to step up against great competition. Notre Dame, we've got a ton of respect for those guys. The horses were big today."
Redshirt freshman Lucas Horve earned his first career dual-match singles win to close out the night with a 4-6, 7-5, 11-9 comeback victory on Court 6.
"Lucas Horve keeps putting himself in a winning position. He hasn't been able to get over that hump, and then for him today to get over that hump, that was a big win for him. I think, mentally, for him to get over that was great."
The Orange and Blue will be back in action on February 29 at Atkins Tennis Center to host Baylor.
Follow the Illini
Stay tuned to FIGHTINGILLINI.com for all the latest information on Fighting Illini Men's Tennis. Follow the Orange and Blue on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for complete coverage.
