ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – The UCF men's tennis team started their 2020 season off in dominating fashion, winning 6-1 over the Mercer Bears.
"Doubles was really good tonight," said Director of Tennis John Roddick, "We only lost four games in three matches, so I'm very pleased with that. Our start in singles was very good, on most courts we were up 5-2. All in all, a lot of good things."
The night began with a solid performance in doubles across all courts. JanMagnus Johnson and Alan Rubio were the first to finish as they topped Mercer's Sachin Khurana and Carver Arant 6-1 on court three. Finishing just seconds later was court two, where No. 6 Juan Pablo Grassi Mazzuchi and Gabriel Decamps defeated David Georgadze and Stathis Tsiranidis 6-1. The lone remaining court was on match point when the doubles point was clinched, but both sides agreed to continue play. UCF's top duo of Trey Hilderbrand and Bogdan Pavel went on to win 6-2 over Olivier Stuart and Hugo Lobo.
The Knights got off to a solid start in singles play, winning four of the first six sets. Rubio was the first to clinch a point for UCF, besting Arant 6-1, 6-0 on court three. A few moments later, Johnson secured his first collegiate victory as he triumphed over Georgadze 6-3, 6-0.
"It felt great, a lot of emotions into tonight with it being my first match," said Johnson, "I was super excited once I got out there and got into the match…it was awesome."
The score remained 3-0 for a bit, as some matches began to creep into three sets. Hilderbrand would wind up with the clincher on court six, topping Lucas Wayenburg 1-6, 6-3, 6-3. Play would continue past the clincher, as both sides agreed to finish the remainder of the match.
No. 29 Grassi Mazzuchi was the next to finish as he edged Lobo in a tight second set to clinch his first victory of the season 6-2, 7-6 (8-6).
No. 108 Pavel would pick up the final point of the evening for UCF as he was victorious on court four 5-7, 6-0, 6-1 over Tsiranidis.
The final court of the night went to Mercer, as No. 22 Decamps was edged by No. 46 Stuart 6-7 (5-7), 6-2, 6-4.
UP NEXT
The Knights have a challenging match in front of them as they will travel to No. 1 Florida on Sunday at 1 p.m. The Gators are coming off a 5-2 loss to No. 2 Texas.
FOLLOW THE KNIGHTS
Follow UCF Men's Tennis on social media on Facebook (/UCF.MTennis), Twitter (UCF_MTennis) and Instagram (UCF.MTennis).
GET THE APP
Never miss any UCF Knights news from your favorite team by downloading the free UCF Knights app right to your iOS or Android phone. The app provides personalized information for men's and women's teams, scores, schedules, loyalty programs and even breaking news. Click here to download the app now.