COLUMBIA, S.C. – Illinois men’s tennis finished its first weekend of the 2024 season with 19 wins at the Gamecock Kickoff, which was hosted by South Carolina at the Carolina Indoor Tennis Center.
Participating teams were No. 5 South Carolina, No. 18 Georgia, Illinois, and VCU. The format of the tournament was round robin style, in which the teams played one round of singles and one round of doubles each day.
Hunter Heck and doubles partner Kenta Miyoshi picked up two wins, overpowering Gamecocks’ Daryabeigi and Carter Morgan, 6-3, and VCU’s Hamza El Amine/Romain Gales, 7-6(1).
Karlis Ozolins also went undefeated this weekend, beating UGA’s Thomas Paulsell, 6-4, 6-4 and South Carolina’s Lucas Andrade da Silva, 7-5, 6-3. Ozolins and William Mroz paired up for doubles, winning two of their matches. The duo took down Georgia’s Parker Jacques and Davis Taylor, 6-0, and then VCU’s German Samofalov and Oscar Pinto Sansano, 6-1.
The Illini will participate in one more tournament before dual play in the Fighting Illini Invite from Jan. 11-14 in Delray Beach, Fla.
FULL RESULTS
Day One
Doubles
Jelani Sarr/Lucas Da Silva (SC) def. Oliver Okonkwo/Lucas Horve (ILL), 7-5
Hunter Heck/Kenta Miyoshi (ILL) def. Sean Daryabeigi/Carter Morgan (SC), 6-3
Karlis Ozolins/William Mroz (ILL) def. Parker Jacques/ Davis Taylor (UGA), 6-0
Singles
Filipe Costa (UGA) def. Oliver Okonkwo (ILL), 6-2, 6-3
Karlis Ozolins (ILL) def. Thomas Paulsell (UGA), 6-4, 6-4
No. 17 Kenta Miyoshi (ILL) def. Cyrus Mahjoob (UGA), 7-5, 6-1
Hunter Heck (ILL) def. Miguel Perez Peña (UGA), 6-2, 6-2
Niels Ratiu (UGA) def. Jeremy Zhang (ILL) 6-7 (5-7), 7-5, 6-1
Ryan Colby (UGA) def. William Mroz (ILL), 6-2, 6-4
Tyler Bowers (ILL) def. Parker Jacques (UGA), 3-6, 6-4, 1-0(8)
Day Two
Doubles
Hunter Heck/Kenta Miyoshi (ILL) def. Hamza El Amine/Romain Gales (VCU), 7-6(1)
Karlis Ozolins/William Mroz (ILL) def. German Samofalov/Oscar Pinto (VCU), 6-1
Matissa Bobichon/Mathis Bondaz (VCU) def. Tyler Bowers/Lucas Horve (ILL), 6-4
Singles
Hunter Heck (ILL) def. Sean Daryabeigi (SC), 6-4, 6-3
Jelani Sarr (SC) def. No. 17 Kenta Miyoshi (ILL), 6-3, 6-4
Karlis Ozolins (ILL) def. Lucas Andrade da Silva (SC), 7-5, 6-3
Jeremy Zhang (ILL) def. Filipe Costa (UGA), 3-6, 6-2, 7-6(5)
William Mroz (ILL) def. Carter Morgan (SC), 6-4,…
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