CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Junior Kenta Miyoshi qualified for the NCAA Individual Championships following his singles run at the ITA Midwest Regional, with his performance highlighting the Fighting Illini’s four days in East Lansing, Mich., from Oct. 11-14.
Miyoshi, the fifth-seeded player in the main draw, won five consecutive matches in straight sets to earn a spot in the NCAA Singles Championship in November. He defeated two ranked opponents during that stretch: No. 4-seeded and No. 13-ranked Sebastian Dominko of Notre Dame in the quarterfinals and No. 6-seeded and No. 70-ranked Alexander Bernard of Ohio State in the semifinals.
Seven Illinois student-athletes represented the program in the singles main draw at the ITA Midwest Regional, while three Orange and Blue duos took part in the doubles main draw.
William Mroz, the No. 12 seed in the singles main draw, picked up four victories and progressed to the semifinals before falling to Michigan State’s Ozan Baris, the top-ranked singles player in the country and the No. 1 seed in the bracket. Mroz secured a ranked win in the third round against No. 7-seeded and No. 72-ranked Aristotelis Thanos of Michigan State.
No. 11-seeded Tyler Bowers and Zach Viiala recorded two ranked wins and advanced all the way to the doubles final before falling to the top-seeded team, No. 17-ranked Benjamin Kittay and Gavin Young of Michigan, in the championship.
“First off, hats off to Michigan State for hosting a great tournament; it was very well-run and professional all weekend,” said head coach Brad Dancer. “Second off, thanks to all of the local mid-Michigan supporters who came out to support the Illini. It was great having some support here away from home. Looking at our tournament, I’m thrilled that Kenta will advance to the NCAA Championships for his efforts. I think Zach, Tyler, and Will were all right there at the precipice of making that advancement. There was big growth from Zach and Tyler from where they were a few weeks ago; they have come a long, long way.
“Will and Coach Tim Kopinski have a really good connection right now with his tactics and where he’s going with his tennis. I think it’s incredibly exciting for him right now growth-wise. We had guys who I think can perform better than they did, but right now with this team, it has nothing to do with a lack of effort. The…
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