Box Score CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – No. 10 Illinois remained perfect in Big Ten play with a 4-1 win over Michigan at Atkins Tennis Center on Friday night.
The Fighting Illini, now winners of their last 11 matches, secured the doubles point before tallying singles triumphs at No. 2, 4, and 5 en route to victory.
"Big hats off to Michigan. They fight so hard," said head coach Brad Dancer. "Incredibly impressed with their play at the #1 spot. That was a high-level match. Our guys are also fighting their tails off. The belief is coming. Anyone who wants to see the best in college tennis should come out on Sunday. It should be an incredible showdown."
The Orange and Blue began the day by posting 6-3 decisions on Courts 2 and 3 to grab the doubles point. Kenta Miyoshi and William Mroz were the first to finish with a win over Bjorn Swenson and Nicholas Steiglehner before David Bakonyi and Zach Viiala downed Mert Oral and Alex Cairo at No. 3Â doubles.
Illinois grabbed four of six possible opening sets on the singles courts, with Viiala ultimately finishing first with his emphatic 6-1, 6-0 victory over Arnav Bhandari to double the Illini's advantage.
After the Wolverines halved their deficit with a win on the top singles court, Miyoshi responded for the Illini with a ranked triumph on Court 2. The Illinois senior used a 6-3, 6-4 outing to defeat No. 73-ranked Bjorn Swenson for his 10th ranked success of the season.
For the third consecutive match, Adam Jilly provided the clinch with his 7-5, 6-4 decision against Nicholas Steiglehner.
RESULTS
Doubles
No. 1: Tyler Bowers/Gabriel Debru (Illinois) vs. Max Dahlin/Pierce Shaya (Michigan), 5-3, unfinished
No. 2: #41 William Mroz/Kenta Miyoshi (Illinois) def. Bjorn Swenson/Nicholas Steiglehner (Michigan), 6-3
No. 3: Zach Viiala/David Bakonyi (Illinois) def. Mert Oral/Alex Cairo (Michigan), 6-3
Order of finish: 2, 3
Singles
No. 1: #10 Max Dahlin (Michigan) def. #28 Gabriel Debru (Illinois), 6-3, 6-4Â
No. 2: #23 Kenta Miyoshi (Illinois) def. #73 Bjorn Swenson (Michigan), 6-3, 6-4
No. 3: #101 William Mroz (Illinois) vs. Mert Oral (Michigan), 6-1, 4-6, 5-3, unfinished
No. 4: Adam Jilly (Illinois) def. Nicholas Steiglehner (Michigan), 7-5, 6-4
No. 5: Zach Viiala (Illinois) def. Arnav Bhandari (Michigan), 6-1, 6-0
No. 6: Jeremy Zhang (Illinois) vs. Pierce Shaya (Michigan), 4-6, 6-3, unfinished
Order of finish: 5, 1, 2, 4
UP NEXT
Illinois (15-3, 5-0 B1G) wraps up the weekend with a home match against Michigan State on Sunday afternoon. First serve is slated for 3 p.m. CT from Atkins Tennis Center.
