CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Sun Devil Men's Tennis is still alive in the NCAA Tournament! No. 42 ASU defeated No. 24 Illinois 4-3 Friday morning in Cambridge, Massachusetts, thanks to a three-set thriller from freshman Roi Ginat at No. 5 that gave head coach Matt Hill his third NCAA Tournament victory since the program's reinstatement in 2016. The Sun Devils will play the winner of Harvard/Siena Saturday morning at 11:00 a.m. AZ, with coverage via Cracked Racquets on YouTube. Live stats are available here.
ASU vs Illinois Final Box
Sun Devil NCAA Tournament Wins Under Matt Hill
2023 4-3 over Illinois in Boston
2021 4-3 over Wichita State in Fort Worth
2019 4-0 over Miami in Fort Worth
Prior to that, last NCAA win was in 2004
How it Happened
ASU vs Illinois Final Box
Sun Devil NCAA Tournament Wins Under Matt Hill
2023 4-3 over Illinois in Boston
2021 4-3 over Wichita State in Fort Worth
2019 4-0 over Miami in Fort Worth
Prior to that, last NCAA win was in 2004
How it Happened
- ASU jumped out to an early 1-0 lead after clinching the doubles point thanks to a 6-0 sweep at No. 2 from Murphy Cassone/Max McKennon and a 7-5 win at No. 1 from Jacob Bullard/Constantinos Koshis.
- Singles was a fight from start to finish. McKennon took a hard 6-0, 6-1 loss at No. 2 from Illinois' Hunter Heck, but ASU celebrated wins at No. 1 and No. 4 from Cassone (7-6, 6-4) and Bullard (7-6, 7-5). Additional Illinois wins at No.3 and No. 6 tied the match at 3-3.
- All eyes were on Ginat and William Mroz at No. 5. Ginat took the first set 6-4 but dropped the second 2-6. The pair were neck-and-neck in the third, with the final frame tied at 3-3 at one point, but Ginat kept the pressure on and ultimately won 6-4 thanks to a long ball from Mroz.
- Ginat's clinching victory was his first singles victory in four matches and snapped a three-match losing streak.