Theo Billson (Lindfield, England/BHASVIC) of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's tennis team opened his NCAA Individual Tournament with a win over Alejandro Gonzales from Kenyon in the opening Round of 32.
Billson jumped out early with a 3-0 lead in the first set. After his opponent grabbed the fourth set, Billson won another three games in a row to clinch the first set.Â
In the second set, Billson grabbed the first three games again, but Gonzales was able to get the side, winning the next two after the switch. Billson was able to bounce back with the next three games, clinching the set & match with a 6-2 win.
With the 6-1, 6-2 victory, Billson marks the seventh time a Warhawk has reached the second round of the NCAA DIII men's individual championship. The two-time WICA player of the year is the first since John Zakowski reached the second round in 2023.
In the second round match, Billson faced off against the 11th-ranked Andreas Sillaste from Amherst University. In the first set, Billson found himself down early, but grabbed two games in the 2-6 loss. In the second set, Sillaste was able to grab a 2-0 start, but Billson split the next two sides, trailing 3-4. Sillaste was able to pick up his 5th game, winning the match with a break of serve, 3-6. Billson fell in the Round of 16, 2-6, 3-6.Â
Theo Billson (Lindfield, England/BHASVIC)