Live Stream /
ATHENS, Ga. - The men's tennis team hits the road for the first time in 2017, traveling to Athens, Georgia, for the ITA Kick-Off Weekend. The Boilermakers will first face the Bulldogs on Friday (1 p.m. ET) and then the winner of Alabama and Washington on Saturday (TBA).
Purdue last partook in the annual event in 2015, when it competed against Tula and Auburn. The team dropped both matches that year, but head coach Pawel Gajdzik expects better results from his current squad. The Boilermakers' lineup boasts the No. 4 doubles team in the nation with Gergely Madarasz and Ricky Medinilla, as well as two top-75 singles players. Madarasz is ranked No. 49 and Benjamin Ugarte is ranked No. 70.
"I'm very proud of where are program stands; that's not to say we can't improve, but this team is better prepared than where we were in 2015," said Gajdzik. "Gery and Ricky demonstrate what I hope for every athlete I coach. The two work hard to achieve individual success, but they also lead and set an example for our developing players. I see Athell and Carlos and Stephan all digging deeper because of their example."
Georgia is still favored, however, in the first match. The program is ranked No. 5 in the nation and carries three top-75 singles players and five ranked doubles pairings. Both Alabama and Washington have one singles player in the top-75; the Crimson Tide also have one ranked doubles tandem.
All matches will feature both live-streaming and .
The ITA Kick-Off Weekend is a national event comprised of 60 total schools and 15 host locations. The event uses the standard dual-match format, and all matches are considered to be a part of a program's non-conference schedule - regardless of the opponent's conference.