Final Results (PDF)
URBANA, Ill. - Fighting Illini men's tennis gave a tough battle against No. 24 Central Florida on Sunday, but fell in a 4-3 decision at Atkins Tennis Center. Junior Alex Brown, sophomore Siphosothando Montsi, and senior Zeke Clark earned wins in singles on Courts 1, 3, and 4, respectively. The final match came down to redshirt freshman Lucas Horve on Court 6, who won a second-set tiebreak to force a deciding third set before falling 7-5, 6-7(3), 6-2.
"First off, Lucas, as he always does put his heart and soul out there and just came up a little bit short," head coach Brad Dancer said. "We keep talking about putting yourself in a winning position, and ultimately, you'll start to get the wins."
Illinois did not lose a singles match in in straight sets, going 6-0 in second sets. Montsi was the only singles player to win in straight sets Sunday, defeating UCF's Bogdan Pavel 7-5, 6-2.Brown emerged victorious from a tooth-and-nails set on Court 1 with a 6-7(4), 7-5, 6-4 win over Gabriel Decamps. Clark came back from a slow start to overpower Alan Rubio in a 1-6, 6-3, 6-0 contest on Court 4.
The Illini return to Atkins on Saturday to face Notre Dame at 6 p.m. CT.
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