University of Illinois Team Page

MADISON, Wis. - The Fighting Illini men's tennis team opened play at the Big Ten Indoor Championships Friday at the University of Wisconsin. There, freshmen Alex Jesse and Julian Childers both advanced with wins in the singles tournament, joining first-round bye recipients Bruno Abdelnour and Ross Guignon in the round of 32.

Jesse came out on top in a three-set thriller, edging Penn State's Matt Barry, 6-4, 6-7(1), 6-1. Meanwhile, Childers made quick work of his opponent, capturing a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Ramy Labana (PSU). With the wins, the pair of newcomers advanced to the second round and will compete tomorrow alongside teammates Abdelnour, who is ranked 120th in the nation, and Guignon.

In doubles, Jesse and Childers teamed up to take down Michigan State's Christian Roehmer and Tyler Richmond, 8-3, before taking an 8-5 loss in the second round.

Sophomore Guignon and senior Abdelnour dropped their first match but cruised to two wins in the back draw, downing Spartans Gijs Linders and Patrick Mullane, 8-4, and Hoosiers Daniel Bednarczyk and Elliot Yee, 8-3, to advance to the consolation finale.

The Illini will return to action tomorrow at 9 a.m. CT for round two of singles play.

Illini Results
Doubles
Main Draw
Matt Barry/C.J. Griffin (PSU) def. Ross Guignon/Bruno Abdelnour (ILL) 8-5
Alex Jesse/Julian Childers (ILL) def. Christian Roehmer/Tyler Richmond (MSU) 8-3
Michael Zhu/Barret Franks (MICH) def. Alex Jesse/Julian Childers (ILL) 8-5

Back Draw
Ross Guignon/Bruno Abdelnour (ILL) def. Gijs Linders/John Patrick Mullane (MSU) 8-4
Ross Guignon/Bruno Abdelnour (ILL) def. Daniel Bednarczyk/Elliott Yee (IND) 8-3

Singles
Alex Jesse (ILL) def. Matt Barry (PSU) 6-4, 6-7(1), 6-1
Julian Childers (ILL) def. Ramy Labana (PSU) 6-1, 6-2