URBANA, Ill. – Illinois extended its winning streak to two matches with a 7-0 win over Xavier in the first half of its Friday doubleheader at Atkins Tennis Center.
Picking up their first home triumph of the season and improving to 2-2 in dual play, the Fighting Illini claimed the doubles point before recording victories on all six singles courts.
"It's good to get a win for the team," said head coach Brad Dancer. "It was great to see David Bakonyi out there and pick up his first dual match wins. Any time you get more data points and more objective analysis, that's great for the coaches. We're pleased to move on, and I'm looking forward to tonight against Duke."
The Illini secured the doubles point for the second time this season via wins at No. 1 and 2. William Mroz and Zach Viiala were the first to finish, posting a 6-4 decision over Xavier's Max Pettingell and Nick Herdoiza. On Court 2, Sasha Colleu and Gabriel Debru wrapped up shortly after with a 6-4 victory of their own against Alex Kotarski and Andrew Spurck.
After shifting to singles play, Illinois took the first sets on all six courts. Hayden Jones doubled the Illini's advantage with a commanding 6-0, 6-0 triumph at No. 3 singles. Kenta Miyoshi was not far behind, recording a 6-0, 6-1 decision to bring the Orange and Blue edge to 3-0.
Jilly ultimately clinched the Fighting Illini victory behind a dominant 6-1, 6-1 showing at No. 2 singles after playing at the highest position of his career.
Viiala and David Bakonyi tallied straight-set triumphs at No. 4 and 6 singles, respectively, to add to the Illini advantage. Viiala's 6-3, 6-2 win over Andrew Spurck marked his first dual singles victory of the season, while Bakonyi's 6-2, 6-1 victory against Lukas Grossman signaled the first dual singles win of his career.Â
Zhang sealed the Illini sweep with his two-set win on Court 5.
RESULTS
Doubles
No. 1: William Mroz/Zach Viiala def. Max Pettingel/Nick Herdoiza, 6-4
No. 2: Sasha Colleu/Gabriel Debru def. Alex Kotarski/Andrew Spurck, 6-4
No. 3: Jeremy Zhang/David Bakonyi vs. Kyle Totorica/Bode Campbell, 5-4, unfinished
Order of finish: 1, 2
Singles
No. 1: No. 10 Kenta Miyoshi (Illinois) def. Nick Herdoiza (Xavier), 6-0, 6-1
No. 2: No. 87 Adam Jilly (Illinois) def. Max Pettingell (Xavier), 6-1, 6-1
No. 3: Hayden Jones (Illinois) def. Alex Kotarski (Xavier), 6-0, 6-0
No. 4: Zach Viiala (Illinois) def. Andrew Spurck (Xavier), 6-3, 6-2
No. 5: Jeremy Zhang (Illinois) def. Kyle Totorica (Xavier), 6-2, 7-6(7)
No. 6: David Bakonyi (Illinois) def. Lukas Grossman (Xavier), 6-2, 6-1
Order of finish: 3, 1, 2, 6, 4, 5
UP NEXT
Illinois closes its Friday doubleheader with a 6 p.m. CT matchup against No. 15 Duke at Atkins Tennis Center.
