University of Illinois
Milwaukee Tennis Classic
New Era of Illinois Women's Tennis Commences as Illini Open Fall Play
September 10, 2026 | Women's Tennis
Preview
| Fall 2026 Opener | |
|---|---|
| Milwaukee Tennis Classic | Sept. 11-13 / Glendale, Wis. / Tournament Central |
| Debbie Southern Furman Fall Classic | Sept. 11-13 / Greenville, S.C. / Tournament Central |
| Watch Live | Milwaukee | Furman |
| Live Scores | Milwaukee | Furman |
| MTC Scoring | Singles: 2 out of 3 sets with 10-point tiebreak in lieu of third set. No-ad scoring. Doubles: 6-game set, tiebreak up to 7 at 6-all. No-ad scoring. |
| Furman Scoring | Singles: 2 out of 3 sets, no-ad scoring Doubles: 1 set, no-ad scoring (tiebreaker at 7-7) |
| Illinois Team Info | Roster | Schedule |
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Fighting Illini women's tennis kicks off a new era this weekend as the Elizabeth Lumpkin Robinson-coached Orange and Blue squad heads out to open the fall season. Part of the team will compete at the Milwaukee Tennis Classic while the rest of the Illini will partake in the Debbie Southern Furman Fall Classic.
Milwaukee Tennis Classic
Lumpkin Robinson along with Kimiko Cooper, Lyla Messler, Ariel Madatali, and Cara Mester will represent Illinois at the Milwaukee Tennis Classic. Friday and Saturday's matches are slated to take place at the Nicolet Tennis Center in Glendale, Wis., while Sunday's finals will be at the Western Racquet Club in Elm Grove. North Carolina, Purdue, Colorado, Lipscomb, USF, Ball State, Navy, Wisconsin, Kansas State, Marquette, and UW-Milwaukee will also be competing on the women's side at the Milwaukee Tennis Classic this weekend.
Messler will make her collegiate debut at the event while Cooper will play in her first fall action after enrolling in January last season.
MTC Schedule of Play
Friday, Sept.11
9 AM CT – Doubles Round of 16
Followed by (~10:30 AM) – Singles Round of 32
Followed by (~2 PM) – Singles Round of 16
Saturday, Sept. 12
8 AM CT – Doubles Quarterfinals Followed by Semifinals (last of three guaranteed doubles matches)
Followed by (~10:30 AM) – Singles Quarterfinals
Followed by (~2 PM) – Singles Semifinals (last of four guaranteed singles matches)
Sunday, Sept. 28
9 AM CT – Women's Doubles Final
Followed by (~10 AM) – Women's Singles Final
Debbie Southern Furman Fall Classic
Associate head coach Calvin Song along with Rosie Seccia, Tess Bucher, Alice Xu, Lizzie Isyanov, Shravani Chennamsetty, and Risa Ueno will head to Greenville, S.C. Play will take place from the Mickel Tennis Center. The Illini will be joined by Alabama, Furman, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Maryland, N.C. State, South Carolina, and Wake Forest.
Chennamsetty will make her collegiate debut at the event.
Furman Schedule of Play
Friday, Sept. 11
8 AM CT - 2 rounds of doubles followed by one round of singles
Saturday, Sept. 12
8 AM CT - 1 round of doubles followed by one round of singles
Sunday, Sept. 13
8 AM CT - 1 round of singles
A New Era
Since the retirement of Evan Clark last spring, Elizabeth Lumpkin Robinson has taken over the helm of the Illinois women's tennis program. After the announcement of her hiring in June, Lumpkin Robinson spent the last three seasons (2024-26) at the as the head coach of the women's team at the University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC). She announced the addition of associate head coach Calvin Song in July. A native of Ames, Iowa, Song spent his last two years at Drake as the head coach for women's tennis (2024-26). Both coaches will don the orange and blue for the first time at this weekend's events.
