Tess Bucher

Photo by: Illinois Fighting Illini

Photo by: Eason Zhou/Fighting Illini

Photo by: Illinois Fighting Illini

Photo by: Ashley Ray/Fighting Illini

ITA Scholar-Athlete
Posted a 9-13 reading on the singles courts including an 8-10 mark in dual play and 4-6 effort in Big Ten outings
Went 14-18 overall in doubles play including a 5-15 record in dual play and 3-10 reading in league play.
Went 1-2 at singles No. 3, 5-6 at No. 4, and 2-2 at No. 5.
Recorded all but one of her doubles decisions on the top court in dual play.
Teamed up with Alice Xu to go 14-14 while appearing in nine ITA polls and climbing as high as No. 52.
Clinched her first match as an Illini on April 17 at Rutgers, earning a 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 win at No. 4 singles
Advanced to the ITA Midwest Regional doubles semifinals while working with Alice Xu, which secured a spot in the ITA Sectionals
Went 3-9 against nationally-ranked doubles opposition -- all with Alice Xu
- Def. No. 14-ranked Lily Jones/Jessica Bernales, 8-4, to advance to the ITA Midwest Regional Semifinals, 10/20/25
- Def. No. 24-ranked Lily Fairclough/Krisha Mahendran (No. 10 USC), 7-6(4), 4/12/26
- Def. No. 74-ranked Emma Ghirardato/Diya Challa (Maryland), 6-0, 4/19/26

Posted a 17-16 overall singles record between the No. 3, 4, and 5 spots in dual play
Worked to a 12-11 overall doubles record, playing across all three courts in dual action
Kentucky went 14-13 during the 2025 campaign, including a 6-11 record in SEC play and advanced to the second round of the SEC Tournament

Attended North Canton Hoover High School
Rated a 5-star recruit by tennisrecruiting.com and ranked as the No. 2 player in Ohio and No. 39 player in the class of 2024 by the organization
Earned First Team All-Ohio honors all four years of her high school career (2020-23)
Won the Ohio state Division 1 singles championship in 2023 after reaching the finals as a junior (2022), and made a semifinals appearance in both 2020 and '21
Four-time Player of the Year in the Federal League and three-time Player of the Year in Stark County
Posted a perfect 37-0 record during her final season at North Canton Hoover High School as she earned High School All-American honors
As a junior, went 36-3 on the courts. Bucher posted a 36-2 record during her sophomore, and tallied a 33-4 reading as a freshman
Two-sport athlete until her senior year of high school. She was also on North Canton Hoover's softball team

Birthday is February 22
Majoring in political science
"I chose Illinois because of the amazing team culture that the coaches have built. It really feels like home when you step on campus, and I am super excited to get started in the fall!"