CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Fighting Illini men's tennis team is set to begin its spring season in Arizona with the Sun Devil Preseason Invite, hosted by Arizona State from Jan. 7-12.
Illinois student-athletes will compete in both singles and doubles action across multiple days of competition while also participating in team-bonding activities throughout the week.
The Orange and Blue, who are receiving votes in the most recent Intercollegiate Tennis Association Coaches Poll, have two singles players and one doubles tandem in the individual rankings, including junior Kenta Miyoshi, who sits at No. 14 after earning ITA All-America honors in the fall. Redshirt junior William Mroz is not far behind at No. 30, while redshirt sophomore Tyler Bowers and redshirt freshman Zach Viiala sit at No. 52 in the doubles rankings.
The Illini completed the fall slate with a total of 50 singles wins, including a team-best 12 from Miyoshi. The Japan native posted nine wins over ranked opponents, progressing to the third round in his first-career appearance at the NCAA Singles Championship. Mroz finished the fall with an 8-3 singles mark, while Bowers went 8-1 across his fall singles campaign. Viiala secured seven singles wins in the fall, his first collegiate action after joining the team in January, while Gabrielius Guzauskas and Jeremy Zhang both amassed six singles triumphs.
In doubles play, Bowers and Viiala recorded two ranked doubles victories in the fall, with Bowers finishing with a team-most seven doubles wins.
The six-day competition serves as the start of head coach Brad Dancer's 20th dual season at the helm of the program.
