Jan. 26, 2008
Results
NORMAL, Ill. -
Led by junior Nuno Jacinto, sophomore Xavier Riart-Ferrer and junior Daniel Tobar, the Illinois State men's tennis team claimed a 5-2 victory over Illinois-Chicago on Saturday, Jan. 26. The teammates went unscathed on the day as the trio claimed victories in singles and doubles in the `Birds home opener.
The day also marked the Redbird debut of freshman Filip Miljevic. The native Serbian was able to contribute to the `Birds win by defeating Tim O'Brien in singles, 6-0, 6-2.
"Filip played good and was able to win easily," said head coach Cris James. "He came ready to play mentally and it really showed in his performance. Today was the first time we were able to see him in some pressure situations and he handled them very well."
Including Filip's singles victory, the Redbirds won four of the six singles matches on the day. Seniors Luka Marinkovic and Oscar Beich both lost three-set heartbreakers. Marinkovic was bested by 2007 Horizon League Newcomer of the Year, Sebastian Lystad, 3-6, 6-3, (7-5), while Beich was defeated by Bastian Harbo, 4-6, 7-5, (10-8). Jacinto notched a win over Adriano Liccardo, 6-3, 6-2, and Tobar soundly beat Danny Wilson, 6-1, 6-2. Riart-Ferrer continued the winning trend as he topped Eric Fey, 6-4, 6-4.
In doubles the `Birds were dominant, staking claim to all three matches. Marinkovic and Tobar started things off with a win over Liccardo and Harbo, 8-3. Jacinto and Riart-Ferrer followed with a victory of their own over Lystad and Wilson, 8-4. Sophomore Michael Hobson and Beich kept things rolling by defeating Fey and Sean Kreymborg, 8-4.
"We were pretty solid today," said James. "We still have to be a bit more mentally tougher and learn get over our nerves a bit quicker. We did a lot of things well though, and it was nice to get a win under out belts in our first dual match."
Next weekend, the Redbirds travel to Arlington, Texas to take on Texas-Arlington on Friday, Feb. 1 and then SMU on Saturday.
