Razorbacks Fall to 3rd-ranked Illinois

SEATTLE, Wash. – Arkansas dropped their opening-round match Friday night at the ITA National Indoor Championships in Seattle. The Razorbacks fell to 3rd-ranked Illinois, 4-0.

Arkansas will face the tournament’s No. 6 seed, Virginia, in the consolation round Saturday night. The Cavaliers lost their opener, 4-1, to host Washington.

The Hogs fell behind early in their match with Illinois, losing two of three matches to give the Illini the early 1-0 advantage.

In singles, Illinois used its powerful lineup to defeat the Razorbacks. Arkansas senior Matt Roberts, ranked 24th, fell to former national No. 1 and currently the nation’s No. 7 player, Ryler DeHeart, 6-2, 6-2, on court two. On court No. 5, Hog sophomore Colin Mascall was knocked off by 99th-ranked Ryan Rowe, 7-6(5), 6-4. Illinois clinched the victory at No. 6, where UA sophomore Michael Jung dropped a decision to Marc Spicijaric, 7-5, 6-2.

The three unfinished matches were all in decisive third sets at the time the match was clinched.

Arkansas takes on sixth-seeded Virginia Saturday night at 7:30, Central time. The match will be held at the Seattle Tennis Club. Fans can follow results of the Razorbacks match at the link on the top of this page.

#3 Illinois 4, #46 Arkansas 0

ITA National Indoor Championships

First Round

Seattle, Wash.

Doubles:

1.Anderson/Rowe (ILL) def. Roberts/Gajjar (AR), 8-3

2.DeHeart/Gonzales (ILL) vs. Strode/Zguns, DNF

3.Jones/Dabir (ILL) def. Mascall/King, 8-4

Singles

1.GD Jones (ILL) vs. Adrians Zguns (AR), 6-1, 4-6, 5-2 (DNF)

2.#7 Ryler DeHeart (ILL) def. #24 Matt Roberts (AR), 6-2, 6-2

3.#37 Kevin Anderson (ILL) vs. #100 Rohan Gajjar (AR), 3-6, 6-3, 2-2 (DNF)

4.#59 Ruben Gonzales (ILL) vs. #19 Blake Strode (AR), 6-3, 3-6, 0-2 (DNF)

5.#99 Ryan Rowe (ILL) def. Colin Mascall (AR), 7-6(5), 6-4

6.Marc Spicijaric (ILL) def. Michael Jung (AR), 7-5, 6-2