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Knights Fall to SMU at C-USA Championship

April 17, 2009

ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Facing third-seed SMU in the quarterfinals of the Conference USA Men's Tennis Championship, the No. 6 UCF men's tennis team fell 4-2 Friday at the UCF Tennis Complex. UCF (10-11) opened the contest by taking the doubles point, but the Mustangs (16-10) claimed four singles tilts to win the match.

Artem Baradach clinched the win for the Mustangs with a 2-6, 6-1, 6-3 victory over sophomore Blaze Schwartz (Pensacola, Fla.) at No. 3. UCF's singles win came at the No. 2 spot, where senior Tarek Ben Soltane (Tunis, Tunisia) topped Chris Hooshyar (6-3, 6-4).

Schwartz and junior Johan Beigart (Vaxjo, Sweden) clinched the doubles point at No. 1, holding on for a 9-8 (7-4) win over Darren Walsh and Adham el-Effendi. The SMU duo entered the match ranked 53rd nationally.

Junior Marc Rocafort (Barcelona, Spain) and freshman Eugene Dolgovykh (Palm Coast, Fla.) disposed Robin Fahgen and Gaston Cuadranti, 8-4, at No. 3.

"We started out well in doubles. The crowd was excellent and really gave us a push," said UCF head coach Bobby Cashman. "I thought in singles that we ran out of gas."

SMU will face the winner of the No. 2 Rice/No. 7 UAB match Saturday in the semifinals. The contest was played in front of a large crowd as nearly 200 supporters were in attendance on a sunny day in Orlando.

UCF is hosting the C-USA Championship for the first time. Play at the event will resume Saturday morning when Southern Miss meets Tulsa at noon. Admission is free for all matches.

For the latest news on the Knights, log on to UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.

#68 SMU 4, UCF 2

Singles competition
1. #65 Robin Fahgen (SMU) def. Marc Rocafort (UCF) 6-0, 6-3
2. Tarek Ben Soltane (UCF) def. Chris Hooshyar (SMU) 6-3, 6-4
3. David Costa (SMU) def. Blaze Schwartz (UCF) 2-6, 6-1, 6-3
4. Artem Baradach (SMU) def. Johan Beigart (UCF) 2-6, 6-3, 6-0
5. Darren Walsh (SMU) def. Joe Delinks (UCF) 6-4, 6-1
6. Eugene Dolgovykh (UCF) vs. Gaston Cuadranti (SMU) 6-3, 3-6, unfinished

Doubles competition
1. Blaze Schwartz/Johan Beigart (UCF) def. #53 Darren Walsh/Adham el-Effendi (SMU) 9-8 (7-4)
2. Chris Hooshyar/Artem Baradach (SMU) def. Tarek Ben Soltane/Joe Delinks (UCF) 8-6
3. Eugene Dolgovykh/Marc Rocafort (UCF) def. Robin Fahgen/Gaston Cuadranti (SMU) 8-4