ROSEMONT, Ill. – Ohio State junior Nikita Filin has been named Player of the Week and Ilija Palavestra of Ohio State chosen as Freshman of the Week by the Big Ten Conference for matches played Sept. 23-27.
 
Player of the Week
Nikita Filin, Ohio State
Jr. – Glenview, Ill.

• Teamed with Brandon Carpico to capture the doubles title at the ITA All-American Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma
• Filin and Carpico went 5-0 and didn’t drop a set as the tournament’s top seed
• Was one of two Big Ten players to reach the singles quarterfinals; compiled a 3-1 record which included a win over No. 15-ranked Amirkhamza Nasridinov of Texas A&M  
• Earned All-America distinction and berths to the upcoming NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships
• Collects his fourth career player of the week award

Freshman of the Week
Ilija Palavestra, Ohio State
R-Fr. – Lake Worth, Fla.

• Compiled a 4-0 record at the Fighting Irish Mini Duals, held Sept. 25-27, in Notre Dame, Ind.
• Won 82.8 percent of his games (24-5) in singles, winning in straight sets against Northwestern and Notre Dame
• Posted a convincing 6-0, 6-0 singles result in his first collegiate match
• Joined forces with teammate Alex Fuchs to claim two doubles wins
• First Buckeye to be named Big Ten Freshman of the Week since Brandon Carpico on April 2, 2025

 
2026-27 Big Ten Men’s Tennis Weekly Awards
Sept. 23       
P: Jeremy Zhang, Sr., ILL
F: Denis Petak, Fr., OSU

Sept. 30
P: Nikita Filin, Jr., OSU
F: Ilija Palavestra, R-Fr., OSU