McLean County Times

The Illinois State men's tennis team is set to start its 2025-26 season at the River Forest Collegiate Tennis Invitational this weekend. The event, hosted by Northern Illinois, will take place at the River Forest Tennis Club, with some matches scheduled for the Oak Park Tennis Center.

Competition begins with doubles play at 9:15 a.m. on both days. Two rounds of singles will be held on Friday, and the championship round is planned for Saturday at approximately 1 p.m. All matches will be played on clay courts.

Illinois State head coach Maja Kovacek said, "The guys have been putting in a lot of hours the last couple of weeks and are eager to get out there and play matches. This will be my first opportunity to see them compete and I'm really excited to get a sense of our potential and what we'll need to do to have a great season."

Teams competing in the tournament include Drake, Marquette, Northern Illinois, Saint Louis, UIC, Washington University, Western Michigan, and Illinois State. The tournament is open to the public free of charge.

This marks the first of three fall tournaments for Illinois State's men's tennis program. After this weekend’s invitational, ISU will host the Redbird Invitational from October 3-5 at Gregory Street Tennis Courts; if weather conditions require it, play may move indoors to Evergreen Racquet Club. The fall season concludes in Chicago with participation in the ITA Regionals from October 16-19.

Additional information about tickets and events can be found through GoRedbirds.com or the Illinois State Redbirds App.