CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – No. 20 Illinois heads east to the Buckeye State to take on No. 3 Ohio State on Wednesday at 5 p.m. CT away from home in the team's final nonconference match of the regular season.
Wednesday night's top-20 contest is one of two matchups between the Buckeyes and the Illini during the 2025 regular season, with the sides set to meet again in Big Ten play on April 11 at Atkins Tennis Center.
Entering the midweek match with a 6-3 record, the Orange and Blue are looking for their first ranked road win of the spring.
LAST TIME OUT
No. 16 Illinois split its doubleheader against UTRGV and No. 17 Baylor at the Hurd Tennis Center in Waco, Texas, on Saturday. The Fighting Illini opened the day with a 4-0 sweep against the Vaqueros before dropping the nightcap, 4-1, to the ranked Bears.
The Fighting Illini moved to 6-3 on the season, while they dropped to 1-3 against ranked opposition this spring.
Kenta Miyoshi went 2-0 in singles on the day, improving to 7-1 in dual play while securing his fourth ranked victory of the dual slate.
Illinois defeated UTRGV, 4-0, for its first sweep of the season. After winning the doubles point, the Illini used Jeremy Zhang's win at No. 3, Tyler Bowers' victory at No. 4, and Miyoshi's triumph at No. 1 to open the day with a victory over the Vaqueros.
Against No. 17 Baylor, the Bears took the doubles point to jump out to an early lead. Miyoshi's ranked win at No. 1 singles briefly tied the match, but the home side posted victories at No. 3, 4, and 6 en route to the 4-1 decision.
ABOUT NO. 3 OHIO STATE
The Buckeyes enter Wednesday's match with a 10-2 record and a 7-0 mark at the Ty Tucker Tennis Center this season. All but two home wins for No. 3 Ohio State have been sweeps, including a 5-0 rivalry victory over No. 14 Michigan in its most recent contest on Feb. 26.
Ohio State is no stranger to ranked matchups, with Wednesday evening's match serving as the Buckeyes' seventh ranked contest this spring; they are 4-2 against ranked opponents this season.
As a team, Ohio State holds a 39-12 singles record and a 20-10 mark in doubles play during its dual season.
The Buckeyes have three players in the most recent ITA singles rankings: No. 10 Aidan Kim, No. 50 Alexander Bernard, and No. 74 Jack Anthrop. The partnership of Bryce Nakashima and William Jansen sits at No. 31 in the ITA doubles rankings.
SERIES HISTORY
Ohio State narrowly leads the all-time series, with the Buckeyes winning both matchups between the sides last season. The Illini are looking for their first win in the series since the 2020-21 campaign, when the Orange and Blue defeated the Buckeyes, 4-3, in the championship match of the Big Ten Tournament on May 2, 2021.
TEAMS/PLAYERS IN THE ITA RANKINGS
Team
- No. 3: Ohio State
- No. 20: Illinois
Singles
- No. 10: Aidan Kim (Ohio State)
- No. 12: Kenta Miyoshi (Illinois)
- No. 48: William Mroz (Illinois)
- No. 50: Alexander Bernard (Ohio State)
- No. 74: Jack Anthrop (Ohio State)
Doubles
- No. 31: Bryce Nakashima/William Jansen (Ohio State)
