Buckeyes Blast Illini 6-1, Move to 5-0

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State men’s tennis team played an out of conference matchup against the Fighting Illini of Illinois and stood their ground on Sunday, impressing with a 6-1 victory. The Buckeyes and the Illini are now tied all-time with a record of 54-54-1 between the two programs.

Ohio State had four players finish the day 2-0 including Robert Cash, Justin Boulais, Cannon Kinsley, and No. 5 ranked JJ Tracy. These four Buckeyes swiftly won the doubles point and followed with four wins in singles.

The Illini managed to scrape a point late in the match as Ohio State redshirt-freshman Jack Anthrop lost a hard-fought match against Illinois graduate student Oliver Okonkwo in the third set. Ohio State improves to 5-0 for the second straight year and will look for two more wins next weekend as the Buckeyes host the ITA Kickoff Weekend in Columbus.

Doubles

• The Buckeye duo of Kingsley and Tracy proved to be too powerful for the Illini pair of Mathis Debru and Okonkwo. Kingsley and Tracy aced their way to a 6-2 victory with ease.
• On court two, Ohio State’s Cash and Boulais followed in similar fashion. The pair defeated Illinois’ Karlis Ozolins and William Mroz by the same score of 6-2.
• Buckeye’s Andrew Lutschaunig and James Trotter fought back to control the match 5-4 after trailing 2-1 early against the Illinois pair of Hunter Heck and Lucas Horve, the match was unfinished.

Singles

• Ohio State’s Cash led the Buckeyes with a quick win over Illinois’ Debru, making quick work of his match with a 6-2, 6-1 win.
• A trio of Buckeyes followed behind as Kingsley, Tracy, and Trotter cruised to victories over the Illini. Tracy and Trotter finished just 20 seconds apart, handing Ohio State a 5-0 lead and a clinched victory.
• On courts five and one, Buckeyes Anthrop and Boulais battled late into the third set. Boulais went the distance and toppled Illinois’ Heck in a thriller to end the day 7-6(5), 6-7(5),

Up Next

• Ohio State will be hosting the ITA Kickoff Weekend on January 28-29 at the Ty Tucker Tennis Center. The Buckeyes are sent to face off against Central Florida on Saturday at 10 a.m. with the championship match sheduled for noon on Sunday.

#2 Ohio State 6, Illinois 1

Singles
1. Justin Boulais (OSU) def. #95 Hunter Heck (ILL) 7-6(5), 6-7(5), 10-7
2. Cannon Kingsley (OSU) def. Karlis Ozolins (ILL) 6-3, 6-2
3. #5 JJ Tracy (OSU) def. William Mroz (ILL) 6-2, 6-3
4. James Trotter (OSU) def. Alex Petrov (ILL) 6-2, 6-3
5. Oliver Okonkwo (ILL) def. Jack Anthrop (OSU) 7-6(4), 5-7, 10-4
6. Robert Cash (OSU) def. Mathis Debru (ILL) 6-2, 6-1

Doubles
1. Andrew Lutschaunig/James Trotter (OSU) vs. Hunter Heck/Lucas Horve (ILL) 5-4, unfinished
2. Robert Cash/Justin Boulais (OSU) def. Karlis Ozolins/William Mroz (ILL) 6-2
3. Cannon Kingsley/JJ Tracy (OSU) def. Mathis Debru/Oliver Okonkwo (ILL) 6-2

Match Notes:
Ohio State 5-0; National ranking #2
Illinois 2-2
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (6,2,3,4,5,1)
Time: 2:51 Attendance: 352

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