#24 Fighting Illini Open Dual Season at Home Against #7 Mississippi State on Friday

Match 1: #24 Illinois vs. #7 Mississippi State Match 1 vs. No. 7 Mississippi State Date Friday, Jan. 16, 6 p.m. CT Location Urbana, Ill. Links Live Stats // Live Streams Promotions Home Opener // First 100 fans receive a free taco Illinois Roster | Schedule Shop Fighting Illini Store Social Media X | Instagram | Facebook

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The No. 24-ranked Fighting Illini begin their 2026 dual season with a top-25 matchup on their home courts. Illinois will host No. 7 Mississippi State on Friday at 6 p.m. CT at Atkins Tennis Center.

The new-look 2026 Fighting Illini squad features five returners and five newcomers, including one of the top-ranked recruiting classes in the nation. Reigning Big Ten Player of the Year Kenta Miyoshi returns for his senior season, while 2025 All-Big Ten Second Team honoree William Mroz takes the court once again after missing the fall while recovering from an injury.

Highly touted freshman Gabriel Debru is set to make his dual debut after also using the fall to work his way back from injury.

The freshman quartet of David Bakonyi, Sasha Colleu, Adam Jilly, and Hayden Jones – a group ranked as the No. 2 recruiting class by Tennis Recruiting Network – will take to Atkins for the first time on Friday.

The Orange and Blue are led by head coach Brad Dancer, who enters his 21st season at the helm of the Fighting Illini program.

LAST TIME OUT

The Fighting Illini competed at the Florida Hidden Duals from Jan. 9-10 at the Evert Tennis Academy in Boca Raton, Florida. The competition capped off the team's week-long training trip to the Sunshine State.

Illinois took part in singles and doubles action against student-athletes from Arizona, Clemson, Florida, and Michigan.

Jones, Mroz, and Zach Viiala all went 2-0 in singles play during the Illini's time in Florida, with Viiala picking up a ranked win over Clemson's No. 93 Yannic Nittmann.

ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE

The Bulldogs, boasting a No. 7 team ranking in the ITA's preseason poll, hold a 2-0 record after starting their season with wins over SMU and Lamar. MSU took the doubles point in both contests before cruising to a 5-2 decision against the Mustangs and 6-1 victory versus the Cardinals in Dallas.

Mississippi State features five players in the most recent ITA singles rankings, including three student-athletes in the top 50: Petar Jovanovic (No. 13), Bryan Hernandez Cortes (No. 34), and Mario Martinez Serrano (No. 37). Jovanovic secured ITA All-America honors after advancing to the quarterfinals at the NCAA Singles Championship in November. The No. 2-ranked duo of Jovanovic and Benito Sanchez Martinez, who entered the fall as the top-ranked doubles tandem in the nation, fell in the second round of NCAA Doubles Championship action.

Slotting in at No. 2 in the preseason SEC coaches poll, the Bulldogs advanced to the Elite 8 in the 2025 NCAA Team Tournament, a run that included a 4-2 road upset against No. 5 Ohio State.

SERIES HISTORY

The Illini are 2-3 against the Bulldogs in the all-time series, dating back to the programs' first meeting in 1967. Mississippi State and Illinois will square off for the first time since the 2016 NCAA Tournament, when the Bulldogs defeated the Illini with a 4-0 decision in the second round at Atkins Tennis Center.

Each of the last matchups have come in the NCAA Tournament. The Orange and Blue are looking for their first dual victory over the Bulldogs since the 1997-98 season, when the Illini defeated then-No. 4 MSU, 4-3, on Feb. 20, 1998, during the ITA National Team Indoor Championships.

PLAYERS IN THE ITA RANKINGS

Team

No. 7: Mississippi State

No. 24: Illinois

Singles

No. 10: Kenta Miyoshi (Illinois)

No. 13: Petar Jovanovic (Mississippi State)

No. 34: Bryan Hernandez Cortes (Mississippi State)

No. 37: Mario Martinez Serrano (Mississippi State)

No. 54: Benito Sanchez Martinez (Mississippi State)

No. 87: Adam Jilly (Illinois)

No. 125: Raphael Vaksmann (Mississippi State)

Doubles

No. 2: Benito Sanchez Martinez/Petar Jovanovic (Mississippi State)

MROZ NAMED TO B1G PLAYERS TO WATCH LIST

Fighting Illini senior William Mroz was named to the Big Ten's Men's Tennis Players to Watch list, the conference office announced on Jan. 9.

He was one of 14 Big Ten student-athletes to secure a spot on the Big Ten Men's Tennis Players to Watch list. Mroz enters his final year at Illinois during the 2026 dual season.

During the Illini's 2024-25 campaign, the Florida native secured All-Big Ten Second Team status for the first time in his career, posting a 20-9 overall mark and a 5-1 conference record on the singles courts. He also found success in doubles, finishing the year with a 17-9 tally overall and a 7-2 record in doubles play in the Big Ten.

An Academic All-Big Ten honoree, he climbed as high as No. 30 in the ITA singles rankings, which came in the final rankings of the fall season. He ultimately closed the 2024-25 slate at No. 81.

MIYOSHI EARNS ITA SINGLES ALL-AMERICA HONORS IN NOVEMBER

Illinois senior Kenta Miyoshi secured ITA Singles All-America honors for the second consecutive season before closing his time at the NCAA Singles Championship in the third round on Thursday.

The Japan native made his second straight appearance at the NCAA Singles Championship, finishing with two ranked wins during his time at the USTA National Campus in Florida.

Miyoshi began his run with a straight-set win over UC Santa Barbara's No. 96-ranked Dominique Rolland in the opening round of singles action on Tuesday night. He then defeated No. 16 Edward Winter of Pepperdine in the second round in straight sets, helping him secure ITA All-American status and a spot in the third round for the second straight season.

His run ultimately came to a close in the third round with a two-set defeat to #22-ranked Trevor Svajda of SMU.

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