University of Illinois
Purdue
Illini Defeat Purdue in Round One of Big Ten Tournament
April 29, 2021 | Women's Tennis
RECAP
MADISON, Wisc. – The No. 7 seeded Illinois Fighting Illini Women's Tennis team defeated the No. 10 seeded Purdue Boilermakers by a score of 4-3 on Thursday afternoon in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. This win brings Illinois' overall record to 9-8 on the year, the first time they have been above the .500 winning percentage mark this season. The Orange and Blue have won four of their last five matches, and will take on the No. 2 seed Michigan Wolverines tomorrow at 9:00 a.m.
Illinois came out strong in the doubles matches, earning the point to take an early 1-0 lead. Senior Asuka Kawai and sophomore Josie Frazier took care of business on court two (7-5) while freshman Kate Duong and sophomore Ashley Yeah got it done on court three (6-3) to secure the point for the squad.
Senior Sasha Belaya was the first to win her singles match, swiftly taking down her opponent on court six (6-3, 6-2). After Illinois fell on court four, Frazier added to the Illini's score by winning her own match on court five 6-3, 6-3.
With three courts remaining, Illinois needed just one more win to advance to the next round of the tournament. After two intense battles that went the Boilermakers way on courts two and three, Kawai finished off a tiebreaker to clutch the win for the Illini. With a final score of 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (10-8) on court one, the senior stepped up when the team needed it the most.
Next Up
Illinois will advance to play against No. 2 seeded Michigan tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m CT in Madison, Wisc. The Illini battled the Wolverines once this year, losing 4-0 in Ann Arbor, Mich. on March 6. Illinois has not defeated Michigan in their last twenty attempts.
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