CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – No. 5 Stanford men's tennis earned its third victory over a top-10 opponent in six days, posting a 4-2 win over No. 10 Illinois Saturday night more than 2,200 miles from its campus at Atkins Tennis Center in Champaign.
At 6-0, the Cardinal is off to its best start in seven seasons, since opening the 2011 dual slate 7-0. Included in Stanford's six wins this season are four victories over top-25 opponents (No. 5 USC, No. 6 UCLA, No. 10 Illinois, No. 22 Tulane).
As it has done in each of its previous five dual matches, Stanford captured the doubles point on Saturday over Illinois (4-2). Tom Fawcett and Axel Geller, ranked No. 33 nationally, moved to 5-0 on the season with an easy win at No. 2. The Illini picked up a win in a tiebreaker at No. 3, before Michael Genender and Sameer Kumar sealed the doubles point with a victory at No. 1. Genender and Kumar forced a tiebreaker, where they outlasted the No. 40 ranked team of Aleks Vukic and Aron Hiltzik, 9-7, to earn the coveted doubles point.
Sophomore William Genesen put Stanford up 2-0 with a 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 6. Geller, who entered the ITA rankings at No. 75 this week, inched the Cardinal closer to the team win with a victory over No. 69 Aron Hiltzik at No. 2.
Illinois halted Stanford's momentum, however, with wins at the No. 3 and No. 4 spot to cut the Cardinal's advantage to 3-2.
Fawcett, ranked No. 33 in the latest ITA poll, came through with the clincher for the Cardinal. The senior earned his third victory over a top-50 opponent in four matches, defeating No. 46 Aleks Vukic 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (5) to seal it for Stanford.
The Cardinal, 8-4 all-time against the Illini, registered its second win in as many years over Illinois after the two teams met last year on The Farm.
Stanford will be on the road again next weekend, competing in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Seattle, Feb. 16-19.
No. 5 Stanford 4, No. 10 Illinois 2
DOUBLES
1) No. 55 Michael Genender/Sameer Kumar (STAN) d. No. 40 Aleks Vukic/Aron Hiltzik (ILL) 7-6(7)
2) No. 32 Tom Fawcett/Axel Geller (STAN) d. Zeke Clark/Aleks Kovacevic (ILL) 6-1
3) Alex Brown/Caleb Chakravarthi (ILL) d. Timothy Sah/David Wilczynski (STAN) 7-6(3)
Order of finish: 2, 3, 1
SINGLES
1) No. 33 Tom Fawcett (STAN) d. No. 46 Aleks Vukic (ILL) 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (5)
2) No. 75 Axel Geller (STAN) d. No. 69 Aron Hiltzik (ILL) 4-6, 6-0, 7-5
3) Alex Brown (ILL) d. Sameer Kumar (STAN) 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
4) Aleks Kovacevic (ILL) d. No. 117 David Wilczynski (STAN) 7-5, 7-6 (10)
5) Zeke Clark (ILL) vs. Eric Fomba (STAN) 4-6, 6-3, 5-4, unfinished
6) William Genesen (STAN) d. Caleb Chakravarthi (ILL) 6-1, 6-1
Order of Finish: 6,2,3,4,1
