CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Five current and six former Illinois student-athletes are set to take part in the Neitzel Family Open, a 25K men’s tennis tournament on the International Tennis Federation World Tour, at Atkins Tennis Center from July 22-28.
The week-long tournament will begin with singles qualifying on Monday. Thirty-two participants will take part in the singles qualifying rounds for eight spots in the 32-player main draw, and 16 teams are slated to feature in the doubles main draw.
The tournament will be free and open to the public all week long on the east outdoor courts, weather permitting.
Current Illinois student-athletes Tyler Bowers, Gabrielius Guzauskas, Kenta Miyoshi, William Mroz, and Karlis Ozolins will all compete at Atkins this week.
Ozolins, a three-time All-American and two-time All-Big Ten First Team selection, will compete in his first ITF tournament since spending six weeks in Asia and claiming two singles titles: ITF M15 Anseong on June 16 and ITF M15 Tokyo on July 7.
Miyoshi also spent time competing overseas this summer, winning the ITF M15 Anseong doubles title after leading the Illini in singles wins and earning All-Big Ten Second Team status in 2024.
Illinois alumni Alex Brown, Zeke Clark, Hunter Heck, Lucas Horve, Oliver Okonkwo, and Alex Petrov are also set to return to Champaign-Urbana and play in the Neitzel Family Open. All six alums have spent the summer competing in tournaments within the ITF World Tour, including Clark, who was a singles finalist at ITF M15 Daegu in June.
The first day of competition will feature a showdown between two former teammates, as Bowers and Okonkwo will square off in the first match of the day on Court 1 N at 10 a.m. on Monday. Guzauskas will also begin his tournament run on Monday at 10 a.m., as he is set to face Ryan Fishback on Court 5 N.
Lucas Horve will play in the second match of the day on Court 1 N, taking on Corey Gaal. Heck’s match will begin on the same court once Horve finishes his contest, and he will play Connor Bruce in the final Illini match of the day.
The full participant list, draws, and daily schedules can be found HERE or on the Illinois men’s tennis social media accounts. Live scores and streams can be found HERE.
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at University of Illinois Athletics…