BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Illinois State men’s tennis team (2-2) suffered a narrow 4-3 defeat to Ball State (1-2) in a Mid-American Conference matchup on Saturday evening. Despite securing three singles victories and one doubles win, the Redbirds were unable to overcome the Cardinals’ strong overall performance.
Doubles Action:
Illinois State’s Caden Scarlett and Tomas Valencia triumphed in a thrilling No. 1 doubles contest, edging out Ball State’s Mason Tran and Jacks Lancaster 7-6 (8). However, the Redbirds were unable to secure any further doubles victories. At No. 2, Brady and Hayward of Ball State defeated ISU’s Tin Ostro and Christian Capacci 6-7 (7), while the Cardinals’ Webster and Smith won 3-6 over Adrian Dibildox and Finn Logue at No. 3.
Singles Highlights:
In singles action, Tomas Valencia delivered an impressive comeback at No. 1, rallying from a first-set loss to defeat Ball State’s Webster 6-7 (6), 6-1, 6-3. At No. 4, Jett Leong earned a hard-fought 6-3, 7-6 (5) victory over Tran. The final Redbird win came from freshman Christian Capacci, who dominated Petrovic 6-2, 6-2 at No. 6.
Despite these successes, Illinois State couldn’t overcome losses in the remaining singles matches. Adrian Dibildox fell to Lancaster 2-6, 1-6 at No. 2, while Tin Ostro was defeated 3-6, 4-6 by Smith at No. 3. Caden Scarlett also struggled in his match, losing 4-6, 3-6 to Hayward at No. 5.
Doubles Results:
- No. 1: Scarlett/Valencia (ISU) def. Tran/Lancaster (BSU) 7-6 (8)
- No. 2: Brady/Hayward (BSU) def. Ostro/Capacci (ISU) 6-7 (7)
- No. 3: Webster/Smith (BSU) def. Dibildox/Logue (ISU) 3-6
Singles Results:
- No. 1: Tomas Valencia (ISU) def. Webster (BSU) 6-7 (6), 6-1, 6-3
- No. 2: Lancaster (BSU) def. Dibildox (ISU) 2-6, 1-6
- No. 3: Smith (BSU) def. Ostro (ISU) 3-6, 4-6
- No. 4: Jett Leong (ISU) def. Tran (BSU) 6-3, 7-6 (5)
- No. 5: Hayward (BSU) def. Scarlett (ISU) 4-6, 3-6
- No. 6: Christian Capacci (ISU) def. Petrovic (BSU) 6-2, 6-2
Up Next:
Illinois State will quickly shift focus as they travel to South Bend, Indiana, to face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at 3 p.m. on Sunday, January 26, at the Eck Tennis Pavilion.
