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University of Illinois Athletics

2021-22 Men's Tennis Roster

Justin Shen / Illinois Athletics
Sam Anderson / Illinois Athletics
Della Perrone / Illinois Athletics
Della Perrone / Illinois Athletics
Della Perrone / Illinois Athletics
David Craan / Illinois Athletics
Craig Pessman / Illinois Athletics
Craig Pessman / Illinois Athletics

Siphosothando Montsi

  • Height
    5-9
  • Class
    Redshirt Junior
  • Hometown
    East London, South Africa
  • Highschool
    Laurel Springs

Biography

Career Statistics

Singles Doubles
Season Overall Big Ten Overall Big Ten
2018-19 10-10 3-2 0-3 0-0
2019-20 17-9 1-1 9-8 2-0
2020-21 16-3 12-3 14-7 11-4
2021-22 10-3 3-4 10-11 4-3
Total 53-25 19-10 33-29 17-7

Rankings History  

  • Career-High Singles Ranking: 42 (February 5, 2020) 
  • Career-High Doubles Ranking: 46 (March 30, 2021; with Kweisi Kenyatte) 

Collegiate Honors 

  • 2021 ITA All-American
  • 2021 Unanimous First Team All-Big Ten
  • 2020 Second Team All-Big Ten
  • Big Ten Tennis Athlete of the Week (3/9/21, 3/30/21)

2021-22 Redshirt Junior

  • Went 7-9 in singles and 9-9 in doubles on the season
  • Clinched Illini victories over UIC and in-state rival Northwestern 

2020-21 Redshirt Sophomore

  • Became the 22nd Illini to earn All-America honors
  • Reached round of 16 at the NCAA Singles Tournament
  • Unanimous First Team All-Big Ten Selection
  • Went 6-1 in No. 1 singles position
  • Started the season with a 12-match singles win streak

2019-20 Sophomore

  • Reached a career-high singles ranking of No. 42 on February 5
  • Clinched four straight doubles points against Notre Dame, Baylor, Northwestern and Purdue
  • Went 7-4 in doubles with Gui Gomes

2018-19 Freshman

  • Clinched first match of his career with win over Minnesota's Jackson Allen, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5, on Apr. 20.
  • Made his collegiate doubles debut with partner Gui Gomes vs. Florida on March 20.
  • Went undefeated in singles play (3-0) vs. UCLA and during the ITA National Indoor Championships.
  • Won his first collegiate match in singles play, defeating Ben Goldberg, 6-1, 6-3, vs. UCLA on Feb. 13 at Midtown Athletic Club in Chicago.
  • Made his collegiate debut in the sixth singles spot vs. North Carolina on Feb. 9.

Junior Tennis | High School

  • Highest ITF junior world ranking of No. 92
  • Three ITF juniors singles titles
  • Three ITF juniors doubles titles
  • Member of South African Davis Cup team
  • Highest ATP singles ranking of No. 1192

Personal

  • Born on November 9, 1999 
  • Top item on my bucket list is winning Wimbledon
  • My hidden talent is music
  • Favorite movie is the Kingsman: The Golden Circle
  • Favorite TV show is The 100
  • Favorite song is Nowadays by Lil Skies ft Landon Cube
  • Favorite sports team is the Real Madrid Football Club
  • Favorite Tennis Player is Novak Djokovic
  • If I wasn’t playing tennis, I would play soccer
  • A person I would like to spend the day with is Nikola Tesla
  • Last book I read was The Hook of the Con-Artist
  • One place I want to travel to is Bali
  • Parents are Xolani Montsi and Phumla Montsi
  • Brother Kholo Montsi is also a tennis player on the junior circuit
  • Chose Illinois because: "It's a great school with a great tennis program. The guys on the team are all cool guys that treat each other like family and take care of one another. The coaches are always very involved with the team and always looks to bring the best out of them, on and off the court as well, which is what really convinced me that this is where I would like to be."

Statistics

Season Statistics

Season Statistics

No statistics available for this season.

Career Statistics

There are no statistics available for this player.

Historical Player Information

  • 2018-19Freshman

    5'7"
  • 2019-20Sophomore

    5'9"
  • 2020-21Redshirt Sophomore

    5'9"
  • 2021-22Redshirt Junior

    5'9"