Indiana Falls for The First Time This Season

Friday, February 10

Champaign, ILL.

7:00 PM

Indiana University

Illinois

2/10/2017 10:28:00 PM | Men's Tennis

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Indiana men's tennis team began Big Ten play with its first loss of the season, 5-2 to the No. 17 ranked Illinois Fighting Illini at the Atkins Tennis Center.

In doubles, the Hoosiers avenged their only lost doubles point of the season with a win over the Illini. Sophomore Antonio Cembellin and senior Stefan Lugonjic started things off with a 6-4 win at No. 2 doubles. The doubles point was locked up by the No. 31 ranked doubles team of juniors Raheel Manji and Keivon Tabrizi.

Going into singles with a 1-0 lead, the Hoosiers fell at the first two singles spots against ranked players. Down 3-1 in the match, freshman Bennett Crane got the Hoosiers within one with a 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 win at the six singles spot. The Illini pulled ahead to win the match with a win at No. 4 singles.

Up next, the Hoosiers will host the No. 15 ranked Kentucky Wildcats, Sunday at 12:00 PM in the IU Tennis Center.

RESULTS
Illinois 5, Indiana 2

Singles
1. No. 31 Aleks Vukic (ILL) def. Raheel Manji (IU) 6-1, 7-6 (7-0)
2. No. 21 Aron Hiltzkik (ILL) def. Keivon Tabrizi (IU) 6-1, 6-3
3. Gui Gomes (ILL) def. Antonio Cembellin (IU) 4-6, 6-4, 7-5
4. Julian Childers (ILL) def. Matthew McCoy (IU) 6-2, 5-7, 6-1
5. No. 123 Alek Kovacevic (ILL) def. Oliver Sec (IU) 6-1, 5-7, 6-3
6. Bennett Crane (IU) def. Zeke Clark (ILL) 1-6, 6-4, 6-4

Doubles
1. No. 31 Manji/Tabrizi (IU) def. Gui Gomes/Aron Hiltzik (ILL) 7-5
2. Cembellin/Lugonjic (IU) def. Vuk Budic/Alex Jesse (ILL) 6-4
3. Aleksandar Kovacevic/Aleks Vukic (ILL) def. Crane/Brodney (IU) 7-5

Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1), Singles (2,1,5,6,4,3)