#20 Illinois Earns First Ranked Win of Season With Home Victory Over #12 Michigan

URBANA, Ill. – No. 20 Illinois recorded its first ranked win of the spring with a 5-2 victory over No. 12 Michigan at Atkins Tennis Center on Saturday night.

Despite dropping the first set on five singles courts, the Illini fought back to win four singles matches while claiming the doubles point for the second time this season.

The victory extended the Orange and Blue's winning streak to four matches, with the team improving to 5-2 during the 2025 campaign.

"A lot of positives on the night. First off, Michigan has great coaches and great players, so it's always going to be a challenge to go against them. Big credit to them," said head coach Brad Dancer. "Huge shoutout to our fans who came out and to our sports medicine staff, especially Erika King. We have a team of seven people, and she has given us seven guys to play every match. We couldn't be more thankful to her for all of her efforts.

"I'm super happy to get a win. Big shoutout to Max, making his debut on the doubles court, and the energy that he and Debru brought. That was fantastic and really exciting. I love the composure that Kenta continues to show. I'm really happy that Debru was the clincher. I'm thrilled with his growth, the clarity with his game, and what he's doing from a tactical sense; he's really dialing into that. The thing that probably turned the entire match around was Will's toughness and composure. He got super gritty in the second set. Sometimes it's not going great, but you have to make your opponent answer the call; I thought Will did that, and that was absolutely fantastic."

Illinois secured the doubles point behind wins at No. 2 and 3. Mathis Debru and Max Mroz, teaming up for the first time this spring, were the first to finish. After breaking in the first game, the Illini fought back from 0-40 down in the sixth game to maintain their one-break lead. Debru and Max Mroz broke again in the seventh game before serving out the match for the 6-2 victory.

Kenta Miyoshi and William Mroz were not far behind at No. 2 doubles. Fighting back from down 30-40 to hold serve in the sixth game, the Orange and Blue duo broke for the first time in the seventh game. Holding the rest of the way, Miyoshi and Will Mroz sealed their win, 6-4, and the doubles point for the home side.

After the Wolverines evened the match with a win at No. 3 singles, the Illini went back in front behind yet another ranked win from Miyoshi on Court 1, this time with a straight-set triumph over No. 55 Benjamin Kittay. Going behind by a break early, Miyoshi answered with a break of his own in the third game. Down a break again with Kittay serving for the set, Miyoshi broke again to level the set at five apiece.

With the set going into a tiebreaker, Miyoshi won four straight points to take a 5-1 lead and eventually claimed the opening frame, 7-6(4). Getting broken early once again, Miyoshi broke back in the fourth and eighth games and ultimately held serve to seal the victory, 7-6(4), 6-3.

Michigan got a response with a win at No. 4 singles, which briefly tied the dual at 2-2, but that score did not hold for long. Zach Viiala was the next Illini off the courts with a three-set comeback against Alex Cairo at No. 6. Falling in the opening set, Viiala bounced back and dominated in the second frame. The Australia native broke three times – in the third, fifth, and seventh games – to force a deciding third set, 6-1. 

Both players broke serve in the first two games, but Viiala's break in the sixth game proved to be the difference. His 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 decision put the Illini back in front, 3-2, with two matches still in progress.

Debru dropped his opening set, but he battled to claim the second frame. With the second set knotted at 4-4 and Debru facing a 30-40 hole at the service line, the France native fended off two break points before breaking in the 10th game to force a third set.

Carrying the momentum into the final frame, Debru went up a break early and cruised the rest of the way en route to a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 triumph for his fourth consecutive singles win and his first clinch of the season.

The sides played out the dual, leaving Will Mroz's match at No. 2 singles as the final fixture to finish. The redshirt junior narrowly fell in the opening set, 6-4, before finding himself in a 5-3 hole in the second frame. Breaking in both the 10th and 12th games, Will Mroz forced a third set, the third Illini to send their match to a final frame after falling in the opening set.

Will Mroz broke twice in the final frame, overcoming a one-set deficit to claim a 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 victory and close the Orange and Blue's 5-2 ranked win.

Results 

Doubles
No. 1: Tyler Bowers/Zach Viiala (Illinois) vs. No. 70 Patorn Hanchaikul/Benjamin Kittay (Michigan), 3-4 unfinished 
No. 2: Kenta Miyoshi/William Mroz (Illinois) def. Alex Cairo/Will Cooksey (Michigan), 6-4
No. 3: Mathis Debru/Max Mroz (Illinois) def. Mert Oral/Bjorn Swenson (Michigan), 6-2

Order of finish: 3, 2

Singles
No. 1: No. 12 Kenta Miyoshi (Illinois) def. No. 55 Benjamin Kittay (Michigan), 7-6(4), 6-3
No. 2: No. 45 William Mroz (Illinois) def. Will Cooksey (Michigan), 4-6, 7-5, 6-2
No. 3: Bjorn Swenson (Michigan) def. Jeremy Zhang (Illinois), 6-4, 6-4 
No. 4: Patorn Hanchaikul (Michigan) def. No. 119 Tyler Bowers (Illinois), 7-6(6), 6-1
No. 5: Mathis Debru (Illinois) def. Nicholas Steiglehner (Michigan), 4-6, 6-4, 6-2
No. 6: Zach Viiala (Illinois) def. Alex Cairo (Michigan), 4-6, 6-1, 6-3

Order of finish: 3, 1, 4, 6, 5, 2

Next Up

No. 20 Illinois will head south to take on UTRGV and No. 18 Baylor for a doubleheader next Saturday, March 1. The Fighting Illini will take on the Vaqueros at 10 a.m. CT in a neutral-site match before battling the hosting Bears at 6 p.m. CT.