At the U.S. Open, of all places, Illini finally get some good news

Most of the recent news out of the University of Illinois has been of the bad ilk. From the resignation of the chancellor to the firing of the football coach over allegations of player abuse to accusations of player mistreatment in the women’s basketball program, the Illini have not had a good year.

But a ray of light arrived Monday night when Illinois alum Kevin Anderson upset Andy Murray to advance to the quarterfinal of the U.S. Open. Anderson, who turned pro in 2007, has played in 26 majors and never made it the quarters before.

“I played one of the best matches of my career,” he said. “To do it at this stage, in this round, to get through to the quarterfinals for the first time in a Slam definitely means a lot to me.”

Anderson, a three-time singles All-American at U. of I., is from South Africa. With the year the Illini have had, he’s as local as a Champaign County farmer right now.