CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois men’s tennis will start the fall season with the Knoxville Showdown, a two-day from Sept. 16-18 tournament hosted by Tennessee. The Fighting Illini will compete against Columbia and North Carolina at 2 p.m. on Friday, and MTSU and Columbia at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
Who’s Competing
Graduate student Nic Meister will be one of four representing in Knoxville, along with fellow graduate student Oliver Okonkwo, sophomore transfer Mathis Debru and freshman Kenta Miyoshi – who will be competing for the first time wearing Orange and Blue.
Meister is coming off a 15-16 overall singles record and a 3-3 Big Ten record in the 2021-22 season. He also earned multiple accolades including Most Improved Player, Illinois Athletics Outstanding Senior Male Scholar Award and the Team Scholar Athlete Award.
This will be Okonkwo’s first time playing collegiately since the 2020-21 season with Iowa before sitting out with an injury last year. While with the Hawkeyes, he won seven singles matches, playing a majority of time at the No. 2 and No. 3 slot.
Debru’s Fighting Illini debut will come after winning back-to-back matches to earn a spot in the main draw of the 2021 ITA Southeast Regional for Georgia. Miyoshi is fresh off a stint in the U.S. Open and the 2022 JA Wimbledon Juniors.
History
This is will be first year the Illini will be participating in the Knoxville Showdown. It’s also the first official competition on Tennessee’s recently resurfaced outdoor courts, now matching the US Open blue and green color scheme and the indoor courts at Goodfriend Tennis Center.
This is the first time Illinois has faced Columbia in fall play, only seeing them at the annual MLK Invite in the spring. The last time the two teams played, Columbia’s Jayden Templemen defeated Meister, 6-4, 6-1. However, on Day 3 of the tournament, Meister defeated Columbia’s Ben Gollin.
Illinois also played North Carolina in the MLK Invite, but no traveling Illini faced them. The Illini also faced the Heels on last February and beat them 4-2.
This is will be the first time Illinois will face MTSU since 2007 when a pair of Illini were beat in doubles play at the NCAA Tournament.
Tournament Schedule
Thursday:
Noon – Tennessee & Columbia
Friday:
10 a.m. – Tennessee & MTSU
2 p.m. – North Carolina & Columbia &…
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