The University of Illinois Springfield men's tennis team opened its 2022-23 season over the weekend at the ITA Division II Midwest Regional Tournament in Indianapolis, Ind. Ivan Esguerra led the way for the Prairie Stars, winning the singles "C" flight at the competition.
 
Esguerra went 5-0 along the way to capturing the "C" championship title. After winning in straight sets for the first two rounds, Esguerra found himself down a set in the quarterfinals. He bounced back to win the second set by a 6-2 score, and then won the tiebreaker by a 10-8 margin.
 
In the semifinals, the match again went to a tiebreak, after Esguerra won the first set but lost the second. He prevailed again in the tiebreaker, winning 14-12. That proved to be the championship match as his opponent in the finals gave Esguerra a walkover victory.
 
In the "A" flight, Sebastian Jonsson and Pablo Herrera both lost in the first round by a tiebreaker. Jonsson won one match in the consolation bracket. In the "B" flight, Rafa Rojas won his opening round match before coming up short in the round of 32. Philip Rydell went 1-2 with a straight set victory in the first round of the consolation bracket.
 
In doubles, both UIS squads fell in the first round of their respective "A" and "B" flights.