Four current Illini and one alum competed in the first round of the singles qualifying draw at the Fighting Illini Open, a men’s tennis 25K tournament on the ITF World Tour and hosted at Atkins Tennis Center.
Sophomore Gabrielius Guzauskas opened his tournament with a two-set win over Chad Miller, securing a dominant 6-0 first-set victory before finishing the job in the second frame, 6-3.
In a battle between two Illinois upperclassmen, graduate student Nic Meister took down redshirt senior Lucas Horve in straight sets, 6-4, 6-1, to advance to the second day of competition.
Newly appointed assistant coach Tim Kopinski, who played for Illinois from 2011 to 2015 and was named to his new position on June 22, also took part in Day 1 of competition. In his first competitive match at the Atkins Tennis Center since 2018, Kopinski fell in straight sets to fifth-seeded James Trotter.
Class of 2022 graduate Alex Brown advanced to the second round of qualifying due to a walkover.
Several current and former Illini will be in action tomorrow in singles and doubles play. For more information, visit itftennis.com.
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