Box Score
URBANA, Ill. – The Illinois Fighting Illini Women's Tennis Team defeated No. 7 Northwestern in a thrilling comeback 4-3 on Sunday afternoon. This completes the regular season for the Illini, ending with an even record of 8-8 (B1G 8-8). Sunday was Senior Day for the Orange and Blue and their four members of the Class of 2021 were honored before the match: Sasha Belaya, Mia Rabinowitz, Emilee Duong and Asuka Kawai.
The doubles matches were a battle, with the Wildcats eventually earning the coveted point. E. Duong and Belaya took their match on court two by a score of 6-3, and freshman Kate Duong and sophomore Ashley Yeah brought their match down to the wire, losing in a tiebreaker.
Northwestern won on courts four and six in straight sets to take the 3-0 lead towards the beginning of the singles matches. In a deep hole, Kawai and E. Duong stepped up and took care of business on their respective courts. E. Duong won on court three (6-4, 2-6, 6-0) and Kawai came all the way back on court one (0-6, 6-3, 6-4) to cut the deficit to 3-2 in the Wildcats' favor.
Sophomore Josie Frazier then won a thriller on court five (6-4, 7-6 (7-1)) to even the score up at 3-3. It all came down to freshman Kate Duong left on court two for the chance at the upset. Duong dominated the third set with all eyes on her and won the match (6-4, 6-7 (7-4), 6-3) to secure the upset for the Illini.
This is the Illini's first win against the Wildcats in the last 21 tries, breaking a 20-match win streak by Northwestern. Today's win is Illinois' first against a top ten opponent since February 24, 2018 when they defeated No. 10 Wake Forest 4-3.
Next Up
The Illini will have a weekend off prior to the Big Ten Tournament beginning on Thursday, April 29 in Madison, Wisc. Details will be announced in the coming days prior to the tournament.
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