Northwestern Wins NCAA First Round Match

NCAA MEN'S TENNIS CENTRAL

ROSEMONT, Ill. -- Northwestern extended its season while Illinois saw its campaign come to a close as the NCAA Men's Tennis Championship began Friday with first round action.

Ranked 28th in the nation, Northwestern downed UCLA, 4-2, at the Boone Tennis Center in Lexington, Ky. The Wildcats (21-9) won 12 of 16 games to claim the doubles point then broke a 2-2 tie with wins at No. 1 and No. 6 singles. Gleb Blekher nailed down match point with an ace.

Northwestern will face fourth-ranked Kentucky on Saturday at 1 p.m. in an NCAA second round match.

Illinois dropped a tight 4-3 decision to Arizona State at the Beren Tennis Center on the Harvard campus. ASU (14-11) won the doubles point on a tiebreaker before the 24th-ranked Illini (19-11) rallied to take a 3-1 lead with victories at No. 2 and No. 3 singles.

The Sun Devils won the last three matches, including the clincher at No. 5 singles that went three sets. Eight sets in the match were determined by two or fewer games as Illinois finished with an 84-68 edge in games won.