Quincy’s Willing doubles up with championships at Alton Open

ALTON, Ill. — Zach Willing took down his dad, then he slayed a champion.

He wasn’t finished collecting crowns either.

The Quincy native and Quincy University junior tennis player defeated his father, Todd, in the semifinals of the Alton Open on Saturday and followed it up by outlasting multi-time champion Devan Faulkenberg of Troy, Ill., in a tiebreaker in Sunday’s finals at the Simpson Tennis Center in Gordon Moore Park.

Willing, the back-to-back Quincy city champion who was the top-seeded player in the men’s open draw, beat Clifton Vanvalkenburgh of Chesterfield, Mo., 4-0, 4-1 in the quarterfinals and knocked out his father 6-2, 6-2 in the semifinals.

On the other side of the bracket, Quincy’s Marko Cucuk won his first two matches, beating Ian Wolf of Greenville, Ill., 6-2, 6-4 and Dylan Faulkenberg of Troy, Ill., 4-6, 7-5, 10-4. It set up a semifinal showdown with Devan Faulkenberg, who won 6-2, 6-2.

In the championship match, Willing overcame losing the first set to roar back for a 1-6, 6-2, 10-7 victory.

Willing got the better of Faulkenberg in doubles as well, teaming with QU coach Ethan Arns for a 6-2, 6-1 victory over the Faulkenberg brothers in the semifinals of the men’s open division. Willing and Arns beat Andrew Bower and Steve Moehn 6-2, 6-1 in Sunday’s championship match.