COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Illini went the distance with the Buckeyes but fell to top-seeded and No. 6-ranked Ohio State, 4-3, at the Ty Tucker Tennis Center on Friday morning.
The Orange and Blue secured the doubles point and posted victories at No. 1 and 4 singles, but it was not enough to take down the host Buckeyes.
At No. 3 doubles, Kenta Miyoshi and Max Mroz were the first to finish with a 6-4 triumph against Ohio State's Alex Fuchs and Alex Bernard. After fighting off two break points in the second game, the Illini duo broke in the third game before holding serve the rest of the way for their second win as a tandem.
A Buckeye victory on Court 2 saw the doubles point come down to the match at No. 1 doubles between Illinois' Tyler Bowers and Mathis Debru and Ohio State's Aidan Kim and William Jansen. Both sides held serve through the first 12 games, sending their match to a tiebreak. With the breaker tied at 3-3, the Illini duo won the next three points before the Buckeyes fended off two match points. Up 6-5, Bowers and Debru closed out the contest, 7-6(5), to move to 3-0 while playing together.
Ohio State took a brief lead after the match shifted into singles play, but Zach Viiala's straight-set win on Court 4 tied the dual at 2-2. After going down a break early and facing a 3-1 deficit, Viiala won the next five games to claim the opening set, 6-3. Two breaks in the second set gave the Illini redshirt freshman a 5-0 lead, and he eventually completed his 6-3, 6-1 decision for his 18th dual win of the debut season.
Miyoshi put Illinois in front once again with a three-set triumph over No. 12 Aidan Kim at No. 1 singles. After dropping the opening frame, Miyoshi responded with a dominant 6-2 decision in the second set behind breaks in the fifth and seventh games. The Big Ten Player of the Year capped off his comeback in commanding fashion, not dropping a game in the final frame for a 2-6, 6-2, 6-0 win, his 20th ranked singles victory and 30th singles triumph during his junior campaign.
Ohio State ultimately prevailed in the final two singles matches in progress, ending the Illini's Big Ten Tournament run in the quarterfinals.
RESULTS: [1] NO. 6 OHIO STATE 4, [8] NO. 33 ILLINOIS 3
Doubles
No. 1: Tyler Bowers/Mathis Debru (Illinois) def. Aidan Kim/Will Jansen (Ohio State), 7-6(5)
No. 2: Nikita Filin/Brandon Carpico (Ohio State) def. William Mroz/Zach Viiala (Illinois), 6-4
No. 3: Kenta Miyoshi/Max Mroz (Illinois) def. Alexander Bernard/Alex Fuchs (Ohio State), 6-4
Order of finish: 3, 2, 1
Singles
No. 1: No. 14 Kenta Miyoshi (Illinois) def. No. 12 Aidan Kim (Ohio State), 2-6, 6-2, 6-0
No. 2: No. 62 Alexander Bernard (Ohio State) def. No. 84 William Mroz (Illinois), 6-3, 6-4
No. 3: No. 101 Jack Anthrop (Ohio State) def. Tyler Bowers (Illinois), 7-6(2), 6-4
No. 4: Zach Viiala (Illinois) def. Chris Li (Ohio State), 6-3, 6-1
No. 5: Bryce Nakashima (Ohio State) def. Jeremy Zhang (Illinois), 6-4, 6-2
No. 6: Preston Stearns (Ohio State) def. Mathis Debru (Illinois), 6-1, 6-1
Order of finish: 6, 2, 4, 1, 5, 3
NEXT UP
The Illini await their draw for the NCAA Tournament, with the Selection Show set for Monday at 4:30 p.m. CT.
