CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – No. 23 Illinois returns to its home courts for a two-match homestand against two conference newcomers. The Fighting Illini will face UCLA on Friday at 6 p.m. CT before battling USC on Sunday at 12 p.m. CT.
The Orange and Blue look to defend their unblemished home record this season, entering the weekend with a 5-0 record at Atkins Tennis Center. Sitting at 9-5 overall and 3-1 in Big Ten play, the Illini will take on the Bruins and the Trojans for the first time in conference action.
LAST TIME OUT
Illinois returned to winning ways with a 4-1 road win over Indiana on Sunday, March 16, at IU Tennis Center. The Fighting Illini won the doubles point for the fourth straight match before tallying singles triumphs at No. 1, 5, and 6 en route to the away victory.
Tyler Bowers and Kenta Miyoshi secured the first doubles win of the afternoon at No. 1, defeating Indiana's Jip van Assendelft/Ben Pomeranets, 6-3, for their second victory of the weekend. At No. 2 doubles, William Mroz and Zach Viiala remained undefeated as a partnership with their 6-3 triumph over Sam Scherer/Matteo Antonescu, which gave the Illini the doubles point and a 1-0 lead in the dual
Viiala doubled Illinois' advantage with a dominant straight-set victory at No. 5 singles against Indiana's Karan Raghavendra. Indiana got a victory at No. 3 singles, but Miyoshi was not far behind with a two-set win at No. 1 over Jip van Assendelft. Mathis Debru closed out the dual with his fourth consecutive singles victory, taking down Nikola Kolyachev in straight sets at No. 6 singles
ABOUT UCLA, USC
UCLA holds a 4-6 overall record and a 2-0 mark in Big Ten play thus far, though five of the Bruins' six losses have come against teams in the top 25 of the most recent ITA rankings. UCLA has spent a large chunk of its spring slate at home thus far, with Friday's match serving as the Bruins' second true road contest of 2025.
UCLA arrives in Champaign-Urbana with a two-match winning streak. The Bruins opened its inaugural Big Ten schedule with back-to-back 7-0 sweeps over Indiana and Purdue in Los Angeles.
Currently occupying the No. 41 spot in the ITA team rankings, the UCLA roster features four players in the ITA singles rankings – No. 17 Spencer Johnson, No. 29 Rudy Quan, No. 75 Emon van Loben Sels, and No. 120 Aadarsh Tripathi – and one ranked doubles team: No. 19 Aadarsh Tripathi and Alexander Hoogmartens.
USC enters the weekend at 8-4 overall and 2-0 in conference play, with the Trojans taking down Purdue and Indiana by identical 6-1 scorelines in their most recent contests. USC starts the weekend at Northwestern on Friday before heading south to play Illinois on Sunday.
The Trojans are 2-2 in true road matches this spring, including a 4-3 win at No. 25 Pepperdine and a 4-3 victory at rival UCLA. USC is 1-3 against teams ranked in the top 25 thus far, with that lone triumph coming against the Waves on Feb. 15.
USC, which checks in at No. 26 in the ITA team rankings, boasts two players in the singles rankings: No. 30 Peter Makk and No. 108 Nathan Trouve.
SERIES HISTORY
Illinois is 3-7 all-time against UCLA, though this is the first meeting between the sides as Big Ten foes. The Illini and the Bruins will square off on Friday for the first time since the 2018-19 season, when Illinois registered a 4-2 win on Feb. 13, 2019, in Chicago. UCLA is making its first-ever trip to Champaign-Urbana this weekend.
The Orange and Blue are 4-6 against USC since the sides' first match in 1983. The Illini are taking on the Trojans for the first time since Feb. 12, 2021, when Illinois defeated then-No. 1 USC at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships at Atkins Tennis Center.
DANCER EARNS CONTRACT EXTENSION THROUGH 2031
Illinois Director of Athletics Josh Whitman has announced a contract extension for longtime Fighting Illini men's tennis head coach Brad Dancer. The new agreement keeps Dancer on contract through the 2030-31 season
"Brad Dancer is a trusted, veteran leader in our athletics department and one of the most accomplished coaches throughout all of collegiate tennis, and we are thrilled to extend our partnership through the next six years as he continues to lead a championship-caliber men's tennis program," Whitman said. "Brad is a relentless competitor who inspires his athletes and is committed to their development both on and off the court. Despite decades of success, he is never complacent, exhausting every avenue each day to push his team to new heights. We are grateful to Brad and his family for becoming ingrained into the fabric of the University of Illinois community, and we look forward to many more successful years for Fighting Illini Men's Tennis.
Currently in his 20th season as head coach and 21st campaign overall at Illinois, Dancer has guided the Orange and Blue to 17 NCAA Tournament berths, 11 Sweet 16 appearances, three Big Ten Tournament titles, and two Big Ten regular-season conference championships, building on the program's longstanding winning tradition.
Since taking over as head coach on June 28, 2005, Dancer has become the Illinois men's tennis program's all-time winningest coach while currently ranking as the eighth-winningest coach in Big Ten history. A two-time ITA Regional Coach of the Year, Dancer has coached 28 All-Americans, 42 All-Big Ten honorees, four Big Ten Players of the Year, and two Big Ten Freshmen of the Year during his tenure with the Orange and Blue.
Dancer holds a record of 383-179 overall and 158-39 in Big Ten play during his time at the helm of the Fighting Illini, with his overall wins and conference victories both ranking first in program history.
ILLINI EARN FIRST TOP-25 WIN OF SEASON, DEFEAT NO. 12 MICHIGAN
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 Feb. 22.
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.
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 and earned a 6-2 victory at No. 3 doubles. Kenta Miyoshi and William Mroz were not far behind at No. 2 doubles, posting a 6-4 win to take the doubles point for the Illini.
Miyoshi recorded the team's first singles win of the night with a 7-6(4), 6-3 triumph at No. 1 against No. 55 Benjamin Kittay, marking the Illini junior's third ranked win of the dual season.
Zach Viiala was the next to finish with a 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 victory at No. 6 singles, and Debru ultimately clinched the Orange and Blue's win with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory on Court 5. With the sides agreeing to play out the match, Will Mroz closed the night with a 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 triumph at No. 2 singles and completed the 5-2 ranked win.
MIYOSHI EARNS ITA SINGLES ALL-AMERICAN STATUS
Illinois junior Kenta Miyoshi earned ITA All-America status during his first-ever appearance at the NCAA Singles Championship, advancing to the singles third round at Baylor's Hurd Tennis Center in Waco, Texas. Miyoshi represented the Fighting Illini men's tennis program at the event, which moved from the spring to the fall for the first time.
Miyoshi picked up two straight-set ranked wins en route to securing Singles All-America honors for the first time in his career before falling in the third round on Nov. 19.
TEAMS/PLAYERS IN THE ITA RANKINGS
Team
- No. 23: Illinois
- No. 26: USC
- No. 41: UCLA
Singles
- No. 16: Kenta Miyoshi (Illinois)
- No. 17: Spencer Johnson (UCLA)
- No. 29: Rudy Quan (UCLA)
- No. 30: Peter Makk (USC)
- No. 62: William Mroz (Illinois)
- No. 75: Emon van Loben Sels (UCLA)
- No. 108: Nathan Trouve (USC)
- No. 120: Aadarsh Tripathi (UCLA)
Doubles
