Michigan
Illinois
Michigan Toppled by No. 10 Illinois in Champaign
3/20/2026 10:25:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Site: Champaign, Ill. (Atkins Tennis Center)
Score: #10 Illinois 4, Michigan 1
Records: U-M (6-7, 2-3 B1G), Illinois (15-3, 5-0 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, March 22 -- at Northwestern (Evanston, Ill.), noon CT
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Redshirt freshman Max Dahlin won at the top position to extend his singles win streak, but it was not enough as the University of Michigan men's tennis team fell 4-1 to No. 10-ranked Illinois on Friday (March 19) at the Atkins Tennis Center.
No. 10-ranked Dahlin won his eighth straight singles match, taking down No. 28 Gabriel Debru in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4. In the first set, Dahlin consolidated a break to go up 5-2 and finished trading games with Debru. In the second set, it was Debru who took a 4-2 advantage, but Dahlin rattled off four straight games to take the set and the match.
Tonight's win gives Dahlin a total of 10 on the season, as he improved to 9-2 in his career when facing ranked opponents.
Illinois (15-3, 5-0 Big Ten) took the doubles point, winning 6-3 at Nos. 2 and 3. It utilized its No. 41-ranked pair of William Mroz and Kenta Miyoshi at No. 2 to defeat Bjorn Swenson and Nicholas Steiglehner.
Zach Viiala defeated Arnav Bhandari 6-1, 6-0 at No. 5 singles to put the Illini up 2-0.
Right after Dahlin's win, No. 23-ranked Miyoshi took a 6-3, 6-4 match from No. 73 Swenson at No. 2, snapping the senior's three-match win streak and putting Illinois ahead 3-1.
Steiglehner battled at No. 4 against Adam Jilly after dropping his first set 7-5. Jilly went up 5-1 in the second, but Steiglehner responded, winning the next three games to fight off match point. Jilly was finally able to crack him in a 6-4 decision that clinched the match for the Illini -- their 11th consecutive win.
With the Illini capturing the victory, matches involving Mert Oral and Pierce Shaya were abandoned in third sets.
Michigan (6-7, 2-3 Big Ten) heads north to Evanston, Ill., to take on Northwestern on Sunday (March 22) at noon CT inside Combe Tennis Center.
Following are match-by-match results
Singles
No. 1 – No. 10 Max Dahlin (U-M) d. No. 28 Gabriel Debru (Illinois), 6-3, 6-4
No. 2 – No. 23 Kenta Miyoshi (Illinois) d. No. 73 Bjorn Swenson (U-M), 6-3, 6-4
No. 3 – Mert Oral (U-M) vs. No. 101 William Mroz (Illinois), 6-6, 6-4, 3-5 abandoned
No. 4 – Adam Jilly (Illinois) d. Nicholas Steiglehner (U-M), 7-5, 6-4
No. 5 – Zach Viiala (Illinois) d. Arnav Bhandari (U-M) 6-1, 6-0
No. 6 – Pierce Shaya (U-M) vs. Jeremy Zhang (Illinois), 6-4, 3-6 abandoned
Doubles
No. 1 – Max Dahlin/Pierce Shaya (U-M) vs. Gabriel Debru/Tyler Bowers (Illinois), 3-5 abandoned
No. 2 – No. 41 William Mroz/Kenta Miyoshi (Illinois) d. Bjorn Swenson/Nicholas Steiglehner (U-M) 6-3
No. 3 – David Bakonyi/Zach Viiala (Illinois) d. Mert Oral/Alex Cairo (U-M), 6-3
Order of Completion: Doubles 2-3, Singles 5-1-2-4
Players Mentioned
