| vs. Butler, Illinois State, Drake, Bellarmine | |
|---|---|
| When | Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023 – 10 a.m. & 6 p.m. CT | Sunday Jan. 29 – 1 p.m. & 5 p.m. CT |
| Where | Champaign, Ill. | Atkins Tennis Center |
| Follow Live | Live Stats |
| Follow | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter |
| Match Notes | Illinois |
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Illinois men’s tennis team is opening up the home slate with a four-match weekend against Butler, Illinois State, Drake and Bellarmine from Jan. 28-29 at Atkins Tennis Center.
LAST TIME OUT
The Illini are coming off two straight losses against ranked teams – a 4-1 loss to No. 4 Kentucky and a 6-1 loss to No. 2 Ohio State.
The sole Illini points came from newer Illini, Karlis Ozolins and Oliver Okonkwo. Ozolins beat Kentucky’s Alafia Ayeni, 6-4, 6-4, while Okonkwo beat Ohio State’s Jack Anthrop 7-6(4), 5-7, 10-4.
Doubles pair Ozolins and Mroz also took home a win after beating Kentuck’s Alexandre LeBlanc and Jaden Weeks, 6-3.
YOU’VE BEEN SERVED
Coffee and donuts will also be handed out prior to and during the Butler and Illinois State matches to celebrate the home opener.
ILLINI LINEUP RETURNS
Illinois returns eight players from the 2021-22 squad, including power doubles pair Hunter Heck and Lucas Horve. The Illini added four newcomers in 2022, Tyler Bowers, Mathis Debru, Kenta Miyoshi and Oliver Okonkwo all who have made an immediate impact in the lineup after successful careers.
OZOLINS AND MROZ LOOKING FOR COMEBACK
Returning players Karlis Ozolins and William Mroz are looking for break-out years after seeing little playing action in the 2021-22 season. So far, each player has tallied wins. The two have also been a successful doubles pair, going 3-1 so far this season.
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