WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - No. 68 Gergely Madarasz of the Purdue men's tennis team was named Athlete of the Week on Tuesday by the Big Ten Conference. The honor is the first of his career and the first for the team in 2017. Benjamin Ugarte was the last Boilermaker to receive the nod on Jan. 19, 2016.
Over the weekend, Madarasz went 2-0 in singles and 3-0 doubles with partner Athell Bennett at the prestigious BNP Paribas Open Collegiate Tennis Challenge in Indian Wells, California. Both singles victories were over ranked opponents, including a 6-2, 6-4 rout of No. 13 California's Filip Bergevi to open the tournament. The junior's consistent play also helped Purdue knock off its second ranked opponent of the season in No. 45 Tulsa on Sunday.
With their three doubles wins, Madarasz and Bennett extended their spring win-streak to five, which also stands as the most victories by a Purdue tandem in dual matches this season. Madarasz is also amidst a five-match win-streak in singles and is tied for first on the team with 10 dual-match singles wins. The Boilermaker can improve upon his records in Chicago, Illinois, on Friday as the team is set to face No. 20 Northwestern at 7 p.m. ET at the Combe Tennis Center.