No. 25 Razorbacks Ready For ITA Kick-Off

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Coming off a 2-2 record in its four-match home stand to begin the season, highlighted by a win over Tulsa in the season opener, the No. 25 Arkansas men’s tennis team hits the road for the first time this spring dual match season, traveling to Norman, Oklahoma, for the ITA Kick-Off Weekend.

Arkansas (2-2) will play two more ranked teams, beginning with No. 17 Illinois on Saturday at 10 a.m. and then either No. 16 Oklahoma or No. 19 Michigan on Sunday. Norman, Oklahoma, is the only ITA Kick-Off Weekend site with all four teams ranked in the top 25.

“It’s a privilege to play in such an event and we’re excited about the opportunity this weekend,” head coach Andy Jackson said. “We play in what is probably the toughest section of the draw, with all four teams ranked in the top 25. Illinois will be a big challenge, but it’s also a big opportunity.

“And it’s the same on Sunday. Whether it’s Oklahoma or Michigan, we get to play another top-25 team. That’s very exciting for us. We will have to play well to have a chance to win this weekend.”

This will be the program’s fifth appearance in the nine-year history of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend. Arkansas is 3-5 all-time in the event, winning one game each in the 2010, 2013 and 2015 editions, which was also the program’s last appearance in the event. That last appearance was also in Norman, where Arkansas lost to Northwestern and defeated New Mexico.

Mike Redlicki, the No. 3 player in the nation, is 1-2 in singles matches and 2-1 in doubles matches, including a 6-3, 7-5 win over No. 46 Or-Ram Harel to clinch the 4-3 win over Tulsa in the season opener.

Jose Salazar, the No. 19 player in the nation, is 3-1 in both singles and doubles matches. Juan Marino also improved to 3-0 in singles matches, earning a win at No. 6 singles against both SMU and No. 4 Texas this past weekend.

Through four matches, Arkansas has already faced one ranked team (No. 4 Texas) and two others that were receiving votes in the national rankings (Tulsa and SMU), and looking ahead, the Razorbacks will play nine matches against teams ranked in the top 25, including two matches this weekend in Norman.

Illinois has three nationally ranked singles players, led by No. 29 Aron Hiltzik; Oklahoma has two nationally ranked singles players, led by No. 18 Spencer Papa; and Michigan has one nationally ranked singles player in No. 50 Kevin Wong and the nation’s No. 6 doubles team in Wong and Jathan Malik.

“It’s not good for your record, but it’s good for your tennis to play such a demanding schedule,” Jackson said. “I told our team that we don’t want to be a group that’s afraid of losing.

“As a coach, I don’t want to be afraid of losing, and our schedule reflects that. It’s a very tough schedule. But if we keep competing, we will keep getting better. And at the end of the year, when we’re playing in the SEC Tournament and NCAA Tournament, we want to be playing our best tennis.”

For more information on Razorback men’s tennis, please follow @RazorbackMTEN on Twitter.