CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Fighting Illini senior
Kenta Miyoshi is set to make his second straight appearance at the NCAA Singles Championship this week in Orlando, Fla., with the national event slated to run from Nov. 18-23 in the Sunshine State.
Miyoshi is the #6 seed in the singles draw, and he will face UC Santa Barbara's Dominique Rolland in the opening round on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. CT.
Miyoshi qualified for the NCAA Singles Championship via the ITA All-American Championships in Tulsa, Okla., in September. The Japan native earned five ranked wins over the course of the competition, punching his ticket through the consolation back draw.
Holding an 8-2 singles record thus far this fall, Miyoshi is one of 11 Big Ten student-athletes who will play in the 64-player NCAA Singles Championship draw.
The Illini senior began the fall by advancing to the singles main draw semifinals at Battle in the Bay. The top seed in the competition, Miyoshi collected victories over Cal's Lenn Luemkemann, Texas' Lucas Marionneau, and Boise State's Filip Soderqvist.
At the ITA All-American Championships, Miyoshi recorded wins over Princeton's #35 Top Nidunjianzan and Ohio State's #26 Loren Byers before falling in the third round. In the consolation bracket, he secured three-set triumphs against back-to-back Ivy League opponents – Princeton's #18 Paul Inchauspe and Yale's #33 Vignesh Gogineni – and ultimately clinched his place at the NCAA Singles Championship by defeating #28 Jack Loutit.
Only one Illinois men's tennis player has won the NCAA singles title in the program's history, a feat that Amer Delic achieved in 2003.
At the NCAA Individual Championships in 2024, Miyoshi posted straight-set wins over #77 Jack Loutit of Kentucky and #6 Radu Papoe of Cornell en route to earning ITA All-American status for the first time in his career. His run eventually came to a close in the third round against UCLA's #55 Spencer Johnson in two sets.
The 64-player field features players who qualified via four different routes: the ITA All-American Championships, ITA Regionals, ITA Sectionals, and ITA Conference Masters.
Miyoshi will take on UCSB's Dominique Rolland on Tuesday evening.
Miyoshi's Path to Orlando
Miyoshi qualified for the NCAA Singles Championship following his run at the ITA All-American Championships from Sept. 20-28.
- #6 Kenta Miyoshi (Illinois) def. #35 Top Nidunjianzan (Princeton), 7-5, 4-6, 6-3
- #6 Kenta Miyoshi (Illinois) def. #26 Loren Byers (Ohio State), 6-1, 3-6, 6-2
- #66 Matthew Forbes (Michigan State) def. #6 Kenta Miyoshi (Illinois), 6-4, 6-7(3), 7-5
- #6 Kenta Miyoshi (Illinois) def. #18 Paul Inchauspe (Princeton), 6-3, 5-7, 6-1
- #6 Kenta Miyoshi (Illinois) def. #33 Vignesh Gogineni (Yale), 1-6, 6-4, 6-2
- #6 Kenta Miyoshi (Illinois) def. #28 Jack Loutit (Kentucky), 6-2, 4-1, retired
Illinois at the NCAA Singles Championship Under Dancer (2006-Present)
2006
Round of 64
# 24 Kevin Anderson (ILL) def. #37 Alex Hume (UK), 3-6, 6-3, 7-5
#11 Ryler DeHeart (ILL) def. #19 Luis Flores (UGA), 6-2, 7-5
Round of 32
#3 Luigi D-Agord (MIA) def. #24 Kevin Anderson (ILL), 7-6 (3), 6-3
#11 Ryler DeHeart (ILL) def. #18 Todd Paul (WF), 5-7, 7-5, 6-3
National Quarterfinal
#9 Travis Helgeson (UT) def. #8 Ryler DeHeart (ILL), 6-2, 6-4
2007
Round of 64
#5 Kevin Anderson (ILL) def. #54 Dejan Cvetkovic (USC),, 6-4, 6-2
#64 Alex Slovic (WASH) def. #22 Ryan Rowe (ILL), 6-3, 3-6, 6-2
Round of 32
#5 Kevin Anderson (ILL) def. #60 Elliot Wronski (UNLV), 6-1, 6-3
Round of 16
#5 Kevin Anderson (ILL) def. #21 Greg Ouellette (UF), 6-3, 7-6 (3)
National Quarterfinal
#5 Kevin Anderson (ILL) def. #9 Luigi D'Agord (MIA), 6-4, 3-6, 6-4
National Semifinal
#2 Somdev Devvarman (UVA) def. #5 Kevin Anderson (ILL), 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-3
2008
Round of 64
#42 Ruben Gonzales (ILL) def. #15 Nate Schnugg (UGA), 6-3, 7-6 (3)
#21 Ryan Rowe (ILL) def. #38 Jamie Hunt (UGA), 4-6, 6-2, 7-5
Round of 32
#6 Robert Farah (USC) def. #21 Ryan Rowe (ILL), 2-6, 6-0, 7-6 (5)
#57 Enrique Olivares (ETN) def. #42 Ruben Gonzales (ILL), 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
2009
Round of 64
#39 Dennis Nevolo (ILL) def. #55 Yoann Re (VT), 6-3, 6-0
#50 Roy Kalmanovich (ILL) def. #24 Clancy Shields (BSU), 6-2, 6-1
Round of 32
#12 Nate Schnugg (UGA) def. #39 Dennis Nevolo (ILL), 4-6, 6-3, 7-5
#1 Arnau Brugues (TUL) def. #50 Roy Kalmanovich (ILL), 4-6, 6-1, 6-3
2010
Round of 64
#47 Dennis Nevolo (ILL) def. #44 Jose Hernandez (UNC), 7-6(6), 0-6, 6-4
Round of 32
#12 Eric Quigley (UK) def. #47 Dennis Nevolo (ILL), 6-3, 6-2
2011
Round of 64
#15 Dennis Nevolo (ILL) def. #124 Ivan Salec (RAD), 6-3, 7-6(3)
Round of 32
#15 Dennis Nevolo (ILL) def. #44 Daniel Nguyen (USC), 6-4, 5-7, 5-2, ret.
Round of 16
#8 Henrique Cunha (DU) def. #15 Dennis Nevolo (ILL), 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
2012
Round of 64
#7 Dennis Nevolo (ILL) def. Jaime Pulgar (NCSU), 6-1, 6-3
#1 Steve Johnson (USC) def. Roy Kalmanovich (ILL), 6-2, 6-3
Round of 32
#7 Dennis Nevolo (ILL) def. #20 Marcel Thiemann (OM), 6-4, 7-6, (8-6)
Round of 16
#9 Blaz Rola (OSU) def. #7 Dennis Nevolo (ILL), 6-4, 6-3
2013
Round of 64
#32 Jared Hiltzik (ILL) def. #22 Adrien Puget (UCLA), 5-7, 6-2, 6-4
Round of 32
#8 Henrique Cunha (DUKE) def. #32 Jared Hiltzik (ILL), 6-0, 6-1
2014
Round of 64
Ben McLachlan (CAL) def. Jared Hiltzik (ILL), 7-5, 4-6, 6-3
Amerigo Contini (VT) def. Tim Kopinski (ILL), 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-2
Romain Bogaerts (WF) def. Farris Gosea (ILL), 7-6(4), 7-5
2015
Round of 64
Jared Hiltzik (ILL) def. Raphael Hemmeler (DU), 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-2
Quentin Monaghan (ND) def. Farris Gosea (ILL), 6-5, 4-6, 6-2
Round of 32
Jared Hiltzik (ILL) def. Dominik Koepfer (TLN), 7-6(7), 6-4
Round of 16
Jared Hiltzik (ILL) def. Lloyd Glasspool (UT), 7-6 (3), 2-6, 6-3
National Quarterfinal
Noah Rubin (WF) def. Jared Hiltzik (ILL) 6-7 (7), 6-2, 6-2
2016
Round of 64
Jared Hiltzik (ILL) def. Piotr Lomacki (MIA), 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-0
Aleks Vukic (ILL) def. Julian Cash (OSU), 6-2, 6-4
Round of 32
Jared Hiltzik (ILL) def. Shane Vinsant (TAMU), 6-4, 6-2
Aleks Vukic (ILL) def. Rishab Agarwal (MSU), 7-6 (8), 4-6, 7-6 (6)
Round of 16
Aleks Vukic (ILL) def. Santtu Leskinnin (UNCW), 6-4, 6-1
Petros Chrysochos (WF) def. Jared Hiltzik (ILL), 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
National Quarterfinal
Joao Monteiro (VT) def. Aleks Vukic (ILL), 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (3)
2017
Round of 64
Alfredo Perez (UF) def. Aron Hiltzik (ILL), 6-4, 6-1
2019
Round of 64
#46 Alex Brown (ILL) def. Ryo Matsumura (UK), 6-3, 6-1
#10 Aleks Kovacevic (ILL) def. Guanarteme Nuez (UTA), 6-3, 6-3
Round of 32
Hady Habib (TAMU) def. Alex Brown (ILL), 6-7(4), 7-6(5), 6-3
#7 Aleks Kovacevic (ILL) def. Ewan Moore (TLN), 6-3, 7-5
Round of 16
#7 Aleks Kovacevic (ILL) def. Bar Botzer (WFU), walkover
National Quarterfinal
#7 Aleks Kovacevic (ILL) def. Sam Riffice (UF), 6-7(2), 7-6(5), 6-3
National Semifinal
#4 Paul Jubb (SC) def. #7 Aleks Kovacevic (ILL), 4-6, 6-4, 6-2
2021
Round of 64
Zeke Clark (ILL) def. Connor Thompson (SC), 6-2, 6-1
Aleks Kovacevic (ILL) def. Tyler Stice (AUB), 6-3, 6-2
Siphosothando Montsi (ILL) def. Tyler Zink (UGA), 6-3, 6-2
Round of 32
Adam Walton (TENN) def. Zeke Clark (ILL), 6-2, 6-1
Aleks Kovacevic (ILL) def. Eliot Spizzirri (TEX), 6-1, 6-3
Siphosothando Montsi (ILL) def. #9-16 Finn Reynolds (OM), 6-4, 7-6(4)
Round of 16
#6 Sam Riffice (FLA) def. Siphosothando Montsi (ILL), 6-2, 6-1
Aleks Kovacevic (ILL) def. Alexis Galarneau (NCST), 4-6, 6-4, 6-0
National Quarterfinal
#2 Daniel Rodrigues (SC) def. Aleks Kovacevic (ILL), 6-1, 6-3
2022
Round of 64
Henry von der Schulenburg def. Oliver Stuart (ILL), 6-1, 6-3
2023
Round of 64
Gavin Young (MICH) def. Karlis Ozolins (ILL), 3-6, 6-2, 6-1
2024
Round of 64
Karlis Ozolins (ILL) def. Pedro Rodenas (DUKE), 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(1)
Round of 32
Karlis Ozolins (ILL) def. #3 Antoine Cornut-Chauvinc (FSU), 2-6, 6-3, 6-2
Round of 16
#9-16 Murphy Cassone (ASU) def. Karlis Ozolins (ILL), 6-1, 6-0
Fall 2024
Round of 64
#42 Kenta Miyoshi (Illinois) def. #77 Jack Loutit (Kentucky), 6-3, 6-4
Round of 32
#42 Kenta Miyoshi (Illinois) def. #6 Radu Papoe (Cornell), 6-3, 6-4
Round of 16
#55 Spencer Johnson (UCLA) def. #42 Kenta Miyoshi (Illinois), 6-3, 6-4
