ORLANDO, Fla. — Two wins separate Aleks Kovacevic from a national title.
The Illinois junior advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA singles championships, with a 6-7, 7-6, 6-3 quarterfinal victory over Florida’s Sam Riffice on Thursday night at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla.
The seventh-seeded Kovacevic became the first Illini to reach the men’s semifinals of the NCAA singles tournament since Illinois Hall of Fame athlete Kevin Anderson did so in 2007.
With three match points in the third set against his 54th-seeded opponent, Kovacevic didn’t wait around long, ripping a forehand winner down the line to secure the match.