URBANA, Ill. – Prior to the match, Fighting Illini women’s tennis recognized head coach Evan Clark for winning his 100th match at Illinois. The Illini would take down Illinois State, 5-2, for even more to celebrate inside Atkins Tennis Center.
Illinois climbs to 4-3 on the season with the victory and has won back-to-back matches for the first time of the dual campaign. The Illini pushed their lead to 32-8 in the all-time series with the Redbirds.
The Illini would scratch their ranked doubles tandem, sliding Emily Casati and Josie Frazier into the top slot and Violeta Martinez and Ashley Yeah into No. 2. The adjustment put Kasia Treiber and Kida Ferrari at doubles No. 3, where they would clinch the point with a 6-4 comeback win. The duo was down 3-1 before winning five of the next six games. Martinez and Yeah were the first done after claiming a 6-2 victory.
On the singles courts, Illinois won five of six first sets.
In her first dual match singles appearance of the season, Kida Ferrari made quick work of her Redbird counterpart at No. 5. She earned a 6-0, 6-2 win to put the Illini up 2-0.
Off the courts next was No. 72 Ashley Yeah, playing the top singles spot for the first time this season. Yeah earned a 6-2, 6-1 win for the 3-0 Illinois lead.
Illinois State got on the board with a win at No. 4 singles, but the Illini got the point right back when Frazier closed out a 7-5, 6-1 win at No. 2 singles, pushing the score to 4-1.
Singles matches would be played out. Emily Casati added to the Illini’s tally with a 6-4, 6-4 victory at No. 6 in her first solo action of the dual season.
Action concluded with an Illinois State victory at No. 3 singles for the final 5-2 margin.
FULL RESULTS
Doubles
No. 1 – Emily Casati/Josie Frazier vs. Zlatanovic/Damnjanovic (IL State) – 5-4, unfinished
No. 2 – Violeta Martinez/Ashley Yeah def. Abyasova/Pomarolli (IL State) – 6-2
No. 3 – Kasia Treiber/Kida Ferrari def. Kolarevic/Jankulovska (IL State) – 6-4
Singles
No. 1 – No. 72 Ashley Yeah def. Alexandra Abyasova (IL State) – 6-2, 6-1
No. 2 – Josie Frazier def. Tijana Zlatanovic (IL State) – 7-5, 6-1
No. 3 – Nevena Kolarevic (IL State) def. Kasia Treiber – 6-7 (4), 6-3, 7-5
No. 4 – Tara Damnjanovic (IL State) def. Violeta Martinez – 6-2, 6-2
No. 5 – Kida Ferrari def. Elena Jankulovska (IL State)…
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