Box Score
MADISON, Wis. – The Fighting Illini extended their winning streak to 10 matches with a hard-fought 4-1 road win at Wisconsin on Sunday afternoon.
Illinois took the doubles point before tallying singles triumphs on Courts 1, 4, and 6 to improve to 14-3 overall and 4-0 in Big Ten play this season.
"Very interesting match," said head coach Brad Dancer. "Our guys came out focused in doubles and were really, really sharp. We got off to great starts across the board in singles, and then Wisconsin made a super push. Huge credit to them. Our guys dug in tough at the end. All three freshmen played tough on the road in the Big Ten. Kudos to our guys."
In doubles, Tyler Bowers and Gabriel Debru finished first with a 6-2 victory at No. 1. Soon after, David Bakonyi and Zach Viiala posted a late break in the 10th game of their match to claim a 6-4 decision at No. 3 doubles, giving the Illini a 1-0 lead heading into singles play.
After the Orange and Blue bagged five of the six opening sets, Viiala was the first to finish with his straight-set decision at No. 6 singles. With his 6-0, 6-4 triumph over Sachiv Kumar, the redshirt sophomore improved his singles record to 8-0 this season.
Kenta Miyoshi was not far behind with a ranked straight-set triumph on the top singles court. The Illini senior secured a 6-4, 6-2 decision over No. 80-ranked Michael Minasyan for his ninth ranked singles victory of the season.
Wisconsin picked up its first win of the afternoon on Court 3 before the final three courts in progress went to a decisive third set.
It was ultimately Adam Jilly who clinched the Illini road win. After splitting the opening two sets with Edouard Aubert, the Illini freshman used a break in the 10th game to take the match, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.
RESULTS
Singles
No. 1: #23 Kenta Miyoshi (Illinois) def. #80 Michael Minasyan (Wisconsin), 6-4, 6-2
No. 2: #26 Gabriel Debru (Illinois) vs. Patrik Meszaros (Wisconsin), 6-4, 5-7, 2-3, unfinished
No. 3: Ferdinand Kloesters (Wisconsin) def. #70 William Mroz (Illinois), 7-6(2), 6-3
No. 4: #111 Adam Jilly (Illinois) def. Edouard Aubert (Wisconsin), 6-4, 3-6, 6-4
No. 5: Sasha Colleu (Illinois) vs. Tomas Zlatohlavek (Wisconsin), 7-6(4), 4-6, 4-4, unfinished
No. 6: Zach Viiala (Illinois) def. Sachiv Kumar (Wisconsin), 6-0, 6-4
Order of finish: 6, 1, 3, 4
Doubles
No. 1: Tyler Bowers/Gabriel Debru (Illinois) def. Ferdinand Kloesters/Michael Minasyan (Wisconsin), 6-2
No. 2: William Mroz/Kenta Miyoshi (Illinois) vs. Edouard Aubert/Tomas Zlatohlavek (Wisconsin), 5-4, unfinished
No. 3: Zach Viiala/David Bakonyi (Illinois) def. Patrik Meszaros/Matthew Fullerton (Wisconsin), 6-4
Order of finish: 1, 3
UP NEXT
Illinois (14-3, 4-0 B1G) returns to Atkins Tennis Center to host Michigan and Michigan State next weekend. The Illini will welcome the Wolverines on Friday at 6 p.m. CT before clashing with the Spartans on Sunday at 3 p.m. CT.
