CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Fighting Illini return to action with a two-match road trip to North Carolina to take on No. 7 Duke and UNC. Illinois will battle the top-10 Blue Devils on Friday at 4 p.m. CT before taking on the Tar Heels on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT.
Last Time Out
Illinois secured its first dual win of the season with a 4-2 victory over Auburn on Jan. 26 in the team's final match of ITA Kickoff Weekend in Knoxville, Tennessee.
After dropping the doubles point, the Fighting Illini bounced back with four singles triumphs to complete the comeback and improve to 1-1 on the year.
The Tigers claimed the doubles point with wins at No. 1 and 2, and Auburn eventually extended its lead to 2-0 with a victory at No. 3 singles. The Illini, needing to win four of the final five matches in progress, turned that deficit around with three wins in quick succession.
Tyler Bowers began that rally with a 7-5, 6-3 triumph at No. 4, defeating Joey Phillips in straight sets for his first dual singles victory of the season.
Kenta Miyoshi and William Mroz then posted wins nearly simultaneously on the top two courts. Miyoshi was the first to finish, tying the match with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Auburn's Will Nolan at No. 1 before Will Mroz took down Billy Blaydes in straight sets, 6-3, 7-6(6), at No. 2 singles to put the Orange and Blue in front for the first time.
Zach Viiala then clinched the match with a 6-4, 7-6(3) victory at No. 5, marking the first clinch of his collegiate career.
About No. 7 Duke, North Carolina
Duke enters the weekend at No. 7 in the ITA rankings after hosting and winning their ITA Kickoff Weekend regional with sweeps over Old Dominion and Vanderbilt. The Blue Devils, now 4-0 on the season, opened their spring slate with a 4-3 victory over then-No. 21 Harvard and a 6-1 triumph against NC Central on Jan. 19.
Friday's hosts have played all four of their dual matches thus far on their home courts at Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center.
The Duke roster features three singles players and four doubles teams in the ITA rankings. The Blue Devils have three student-athletes in the top 50 in singles: No. 37 Sam Landau, No. 38 Pedro Rodenas, and No. 47 Cooper Williams. Williams and Theo Winegar are Duke's highest-ranked doubles duo, slotting in at No. 12 in the country.
North Carolina sits at 2-1 overall, including a 1-0 mark at home. After beginning the year with a sweep of James Madison, the Tar Heels split their matches at ITA Kickoff Weekend. Playing in the Wake Forest regional, UNC fell to Memphis in its opener before bouncing back with a 4-2 victory versus Charlotte.
The No. 26-ranked duo of Patrick Schoen and Logan Zapp are the lone ranked doubles tandem for the Tar Heels, while North Carolina has three players in the singles rankings: No. 68 Anthony Wright, No. 80 Chris Xu, and No. 112 Vladislav Melnic.
Series History
The Illini will face off with the Blue Devils for the 31st time in series history, with Illinois holding a 20-10 edge all-time. The sides have met at least once every year since 1999, aside from the 2020-2021 COVID-19-impacted campaign, while the Orange and Blue prevailed, 5-2, at Atkins Tennis Center last season.
Ahead of Saturday's match, North Carolina leads the series, 12-7. Illinois won both meetings against the Tar Heels last season, first when the Illini defeated UNC on the road at ITA Kickoff Weekend (4-3 W on Jan. 27) and then again when the Illini welcomed Saturday's host to Champaign-Urbana (4-2 W on Feb. 3).
Players in the ITA Rankings
Team
Singles
- No. 14: Kenta Miyoshi (Illinois)
- No. 30: William Mroz (Illinois)
- No. 37: Sam Landau (Duke)
- No. 38: Pedro Rodenas (Duke)
- No. 47: Cooper Williams (Duke)
- No. 68: Anthony Wright (North Carolina)
- No. 80: Chris Xu (North Carolina)
- No. 112: Vladislav Melnic (North Carolina)
Doubles
- No. 12 Cooper Williams / Theo Winegar (Duke)
- No. 26: Patrick Schoen / Logan Zapp (North Carolina)
- No. 33: Sam Landau / Andreja Petrovic (Duke)
- No. 49: Pedro Rodenas / Gerard Planelles Ripoll (Duke)
- No. 52: Tyler Bowers / Zach Viiala (Illinois)
- No. 62: Theo Winegar / Sam Landau (Duke)
