CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – No. 20 Illinois concludes its three-match homestand with a non-conference matchup against No. 12 Michigan on Saturday at 6 p.m. CT. The top-20 meeting at Atkins Tennis Center is the first of two matches between the Big Ten foes this season, as the sides will face off again on April 4 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in conference play.
Admission for Saturday night's contest is free, with the Fighting Illini looking for their first win over the Wolverines since the 2020-21 campaign.
Last Time Out
Illinois marked its return to Atkins Tennis Center with 4-3 wins over Clemson and Notre Dame on Feb. 15 in the team's first home dual matches of the spring.
Kenta Miyoshi clinched the Fighting Illini's victory over the Tigers with a three-set decision at No. 1 singles in the first match of the day, while William Mroz helped the Orange and Blue close out their triumph over the Fighting Irish at No. 2 singles in the second half of their doubleheader.
All six student-athletes who competed in the doubleheader won at least one singles match; Miyoshi and Mathis Debru both went 2-0 in singles play, while the other four players in the singles lineup all went 1-1.
With the two wins, Illinois improved to 4-2 on the season, with the Illini handing the Tigers their first loss of the campaign and sending the Fighting Irish to 8-2.
About No. 12 Michigan
The Wolverines make the trip to Champaign-Urbana after competing at the ITA National Team Indoor Championship, at which they went 1-2 with a win over SMU and ranked losses to No. 5 Virginia and No. 14 Texas A&M. Michigan advanced to ITA Indoor Nationals after defeating Auburn and No. 14 Tennessee, the latter of which Illinois lost to in the first round of ITA Kickoff Weekend.
Michigan holds a 2-4 record against ranked opponents this season, which includes a road victory over the No. 14-ranked Volunteers and a home win over No. 24 Harvard on Feb. 2. The Wolverines are 2-1 away from home this season, with their most recent 4-3 win over SMU on Sunday coming on the road.
Saturday's visitors have two players in the ITA singles rankings: No. 55 Benjamin Kittay and No. 71 Gavin Young. Kittay and Young sit at No. 6 in the ITA doubles rankings, while Kittay and Patorn Hanchaikul slot in at No. 70. Kittay and Young are the highest-ranked doubles pair in the Big Ten.
Series History
Michigan has won the last five meetings between the sides, with Illinois' last win over the Wolverines dating back to May 1, 2021.
While Illinois and Michigan have since squared off over 100 times, the sides first faced off during the 1921-22 season, when the Wolverines came away with a 4-2 victory on May 5, 1922.
Players in the ITA Rankings
Team
- No. 12: Michigan
- No. 20: Illinois
Singles
Doubles
- No. 6: Benjamin Kittay / Gavin Young (Michigan)
- No. 70:Â Patorn Hanchaikul / Benjamin Kittay (Michigan)
