Cougars Battle Hard in Home Match Against UIC

CHICAGO, Ill. (January 29, 2026) Chicago State University (0-4) was defeated by the University of Illinois Chicago (1-1) 7-0 on Thursday at the H-F Racquet and Fitness Club. UIC secured the doubles point and swept all six singles matches to clinch the victory.
 
University of Illinois Chicago secured the doubles point with victories on courts one and two. Eldin Nokic and Henrique Sa triumphed over Chad Valdes and Yurii Hoida with a 6-0 result at No. 1 doubles. This was followed by a 6-4 win by Artem Alekseychuk and Simon Knezevic against Joao Teixeira and Reed Gahagan at No. 2 doubles.
 
In singles, Youssef Hamed captured the first point for University of Illinois Chicago, defeating Justin Atkins 6-1, 6-2 at No. 5 singles. Emil Dapcevic further extended the lead with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Reed Gahagan at No. 4 singles. Simon Knezevic added another point with a 7-5, 6-1 victory over Yurii Hoida at No. 2 singles.
 
Artem Alekseychuk clinched the overall match for University of Illinois Chicago by overcoming Chad Valdes with a 6-3, 6-3 win at No. 1 singles. Mihailo Savic concluded the competition with a hard-fought 7-6, 1-6, 10-4 triumph against Joao Teixeira at No. 3 singles.
 
Yurii Hoida recorded a loss at No. 2 singles and teamed with Chad Valdes for a doubles match, finishing with a 0-1 record. Joao Teixeira competed in No. 3 singles and also participated in No. 2 doubles with Reed Gahagan, both resulting in losses. Justin Atkins faced a setback at No. 5 singles, rounding out a challenging day for Chicago State.
 
Doubles 
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Nokic,Eldin/Sa,Henrique (CSU-M) def. Valdes,Chad/Hoida,Yurii (UIC) 6-0 
Alekseychuk,Artem/Knezevic,Simon (CSU-M) def. Teixeira,Joao/Gahagan,Reed (UIC) 6-4 
Savic,Mihailo/Dapcevic,Emil (CSU-M) vs. No player/No player (UIC)
 
 
Singles 
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Alekseychuk,Artem (CSU-M) def. Valdes,Chad (UIC) 6-3, 6-3 
Knezevic,Simon (CSU-M) def. Hoida,Yurii (UIC) 7-5, 6-1 
Savic,Mihailo (CSU-M) def. Teixeira,Joao (UIC) 7-6, 6-1, 10-4 
Dapcevic,Emil (CSU-M) def. Gahagan,Reed (UIC) 6-0, 6-2 
Hamed,Youssef (CSU-M) def. Atkins,Justin (UIC) 6-1, 6-2 
Sa,Henrique (CSU-M) vs. No player (UIC)
 
Looking ahead, the Cougars will travel to face Northwestern University on Sunday, Feb. 1 at 4 p.m. at the Combe Tennis Center in Evanston, Illinois.