NOTRE DAME, Ind. – After winning two qualifying-round matches Thursday, Dylan Steffens is one victory away from advancing to the singles main draw at the ITA Midwest Regional hosted by Notre Dame.
While Steffens went 2-0 in qualifying singes, Andreas Boers earned a 1-1 record, and Rodrigo Oliveira finish 0-2.
"We played pretty well overall today," head coach Mark Klysner said. "Rodrigo lost a tight match to Wisconsin, but he had his chances to win. Andreas played really well in his first match. After starting a little nervous and tight, he got relaxed after the first few games and pulled a very clean win over Youngstown State. He didn't play as will in his second-round match and lost to Wisconsin's top player."
If Steffens wins his third-round qualifying match Friday morning, he'll join teammate Christoffer Greve in the ITA Midwest Regional main draw bracket.
"Dylan was the highlight of the day, winning his first-round match against Chicago State even though he didn't play his best tennis," Klysner continued. "But, he picked up his level in the second round against a Michigan State player who he battled with and won against in a third set. Tomorrow, we'll have Dylan playing in the final round of qualifying against Michigan, while Chris will prepare for his first round main draw again Northwestern."
Steffens defeated Christian Gonzalez of Chicago State, 6-4, 6-3, in the first round of qualifying singles. He then edged Michigan State's Ivan Rakic, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1. Steffens will face Michigan's Gabe Tishman Friday morning, with the winner advancing to the singles main draw. Greve will also play Friday in the singles main draw first round.
Live scoring throughout the ITA Midwest Regional is available on UND.com.
Qualifying Singles Results
Q: Andreas Boers (Illinois State) def. Gabriel Tolesani (Youngstown State), 6-2, 6-1
Q2: Jakhongir Jalalov (Wisconsin) def. Andreas Boers (Illinois State), 6-2, 6-2
Q: John Zordani (Wisconsin) def. Rodrigo Oliveira (Illinois State), 7-6(4), 6-1
C: Nicholas Solarewicz (Detroit-Mercy) def. Rodrigo Oliveira (Illinois State), 5-3, retired
Q: Dylan Steffens (Illinois State) def. Christian Gonzalez (Chicago State), 6-4, 6-3
Q2: Dylan Steffens (Illinois State) def. Ivan Rakic (Michigan State), 6-2, 3-6, 6-1
Q3: Dylan Steffens (Illinois State) will play Gabe Tishman (Michigan) Friday morning.
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