NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State men's tennis team will begin its spring season on Jan. 15 with a match against Northwestern in Evanston, Illinois, beginning at 6 p.m. at the Combe Tennis Center.
"We are looking much forward to getting the spring season going and we start off this week with a Big Ten power in Northwestern," head coach Mark KIysner said. "I won't be too concerned with the result, as much as I want to see where the guys are after coming off a long break. We will be ready, play relaxed and try and get the upset."
The Redbirds were picked to finish fifth in the upcoming Summit League season according to the preseason poll of league head coaches. ISU freshman Nam Pham was also selected as a Summit League Player to Watch for the upcoming year. Pham rounded out a strong fall campaign by winning a White Flight finals match at the Redbird Invitational in early November to secure a title.
Pham was ranked as high as No. 27 in the United States under in the under-18 age group and was rated as a 5-star recruit on tennisrecruiting.net. He was also ranked No. 1 in USTA Missouri Valley region and captured two Summer Sweet 16 championships, as well as the National Open Champion title prior to coming to Illinois State.
The Redbirds also have a new addition in freshman Melker Isaakson as the spring semester begins. A native of Sweden, Isaakson is ranked No. 9 in his homeland and has a UTR rating of 12.
Northwestern returns senior Dominik Stary, who ranks was selected #99 in the 2019-20 preseason rankings. The Wildcats also return the #10 ranked doubles team of Nick Brookes and Simen Bratholm, who advanced to the round of 16 at the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
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