ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – The UCF men’s tennis team put on a dominant display at the Longhorn Invitational this weekend at the University of Texas. Sophomore Gabriel DeCamps picked up his second trophy of the fall after winning the finals of the singles Flight A.
The Brazilian international started his weekend with a three-set thrilling win against Tyler Schick from Tulane, 7-1, 4-6, 13-11. He advanced to the finals after edging Francisco Bastias of Miami 6-2, 6-0 in the quarterfinals and Tommy Mylnikov from Texas Texas in the semifinals, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. DeCamps squared off with doubles partner Trey Hilderbrand in the final and won, 6-1, 6-2.
Hilderbrand reached the finals after beating Constantin Frantzen from Baylor 6-3, 6-3 in the opening round. He punched his ticket to the final round on a 6-3, 6-3 decision over fellow Knight Juan Pablo Grassi Mazzuchi, after quarterfinal opponent Rodrigo Banzer retired in the second set.
Mazzuchi notched a pair of wins before running into Hilderbrand. The rookie won in straight sets against CHih Chi Huan from Texas in the opening round and rallied to a 2-6, 6-2, 10-6 win over Matias Soto of Baylor in the quarters.
Mikhail Sokolovksiy posted a 3-0 record in the singles Flight B. The Russian international needed a third-set tiebreak to beat Tulane’s Dane Esses, 3-6, 6-3, 14-12. The sophomore then downed Nicaise Muamba from Virginia Tech 6-3, 7-6(5). Sokolovskiy made it a perfect weekend with a 6-3, 6-2 decision against Artem Kapshuk from Texas Tech.
In doubles play, Hilderbrand and DeCamps recorded a runner-up finish. The duo beat Tulane’s Esses and Hamish Stewart 8-4, followed by an 8-5 win over Huang and Leonardo Telles from Texas. Hilderbrand and DeCamps ran out of steam in an 8-6 loss to Matias Soto and Frantzen of Baylor.
Alan Rubio and Manoel Alencar outlasted LSU’s Joey Thomas and Nick Watson in the opening round of the doubles Flight B. The pairing saw their finals bid derailed in the semis by Marcus Walters and Alex Parker of Tyler Junior College, 8-2.
Vasyl Kiselyov and Sokolovskiy started off strong with an 8-3 win over Liberty’s Muamba and Chase Burton. The tandem ran into Tad Maclean and Brandon Laubser from Auburn in the semis and lost 8-4.