University of Illinois
Wisconsin
Illinois Set to Host Wisconsin, Minnesota
April 1, 2021 | Men's Tennis
Preview
| No. 12 Illini vs. Wisconsin, Minnesota | |
|---|---|
| When | Friday 3 pm | Sunday 12 pm |
| Where | Atkins Tennis Center |
| Follow Live | Broadcast Stream | Live Stats | Individual Court Stream |
| Opponents | Wisconsin | Minnesota |
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The No. 12 Fighting Illini hosts Wisconsin at 3 pm CT on Friday before welcoming Minnesota on Sunday for Senior Day. Illinois has defeated both Minnesota and Wisconsin this season and looks for the season sweep of both opponents.
Earlier this week, Siphos Montsi was named Big Ten Athlete of the Week for the second time this season after beating No. 50 Ondrej Styler 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 at No. 2 singles to clinch Illinois' win over No. 25 Michigan. He moved to 12-0 this season after the match against MSU.
Stats and Live Stream wil be available through fightingillini.com.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Wisconsin - The Badgers have won three of their last five, including a sweep over Purdue... On the season they are 4-8... The Illini have beat them twice so far this season 6-1 before Big Ten play and 6-1 on the road
Minnesota - Minnesota has won six out of their last 7 contests, including a pair of 6-1 victories over Purdue and Indiana... Illinois defeated Minnesota earlier this season 5-2... Minnesota's doubles team Troost /Lobak are ranked No. 9 in the ITA rankings
LAST TIME OUT
Illinois defeated No. 25 Michigan 5-2 on Friday before sweeping Michigan State 7-0 Sunday afternoon.
Khlif picked up the first singles point for Illinois. He defeated Jarreau Campbell 6-3,6-2. Quickly after, Hunter Heck defeated Graydon Lair 6-2,6-1 on Court 4. Zeke Clark clinched the match for Illinois on Court 3.
Lucas Horve finished next, defeating Kazuki Matsuno 6-4,6-2 on Court 6. After winning a first set tiebreak 7-5, Montsi defeated Carson Gates 7-6(5), 6-1 on Court 1. On Court 2, Brown defeated Nick Williams 6-4,5-7, 11-9.
This is the Illini's second sweep of the season. Both Zeke Clark and Siphos Montsi extended their winning streaks. Clark is 10-0 and Montsi is 12-0
In The Rankings
Illinois is ranked No. 12 in this weeks ITA/Oracle computer rankings. They started their season unranked but receiving votes. After a strong performance over ITA Championship weekend, they jumped to No.6 in the Coaches poll.
The first regular season singles and doubles ranking were released on Tuesday, March 24. Four Illini were ranked, including three in the top 50. Illinois has two doubles teams.
Singles Rankings
No. 39 - Zeke Clark
No. 43 - Siphos Montsi
No. 44 - Aleks Kovacevic
No. 120 - Alex Brown
Doubles Rankings
No. 14 - Alex Brown and Zeke Clark
No. 47 - Kweisi Kenyatte and Siphos Montsi
Strong Showing at ITA Indoor Championships
Aan unranked Illinois team hosted the top seven team in the country Feb. 12-14. Illinois ended the weekend going 2-1, including defeating the number 1 team in the country. On the first night of the tournament Illinois went up against No. 1 seed and No. 1 ranked team in the country USC. The Illini claimed the doubled point and went on to win the three singles matched required to win. Senior Zeke Clark, had his moment. Playing on the last court in action Clark clinched the win, defeating Ryder Jackson 7-5, 7-5 on Court 4.
After a slip-up against Baylor, Illinois faced No. 7 ranked Virginia on Sunday. Illinois faces an uphill climb after losing the doubles point and was down 3-1 at one point. Alex Bancila, Hunter Heck and Siphos Montsi each won their respective match. For the second time in three days Zeke Clark clinched the upset for the Illini defeating J Von Der Schulenburg 7-6 (1), 4-6, 6-3.
