BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – The #49 UCF men's tennis won their third consecutive match in a 4-2 victory in Birmingham this afternoon against UAB. In a back-and-forth midweek meeting, the Knights yet again got their clincher on court four as Liam Branger won, 7-5, 7-5.
During this three-match winning streak, the Knights doubles performances have consistently put them in the driver's seat. Today was no different as UCF took courts one and two in a commanding fashion. The 33rd-ranked duo of Pavel and Cronje defeated UAB's Lusovsky/Malige, 6-4, to get back in the win column. Similar to the senior tandem, Dlimi and Llanes shacked off their defeat on Friday with an impressive, 6-2, victory over Giminez Perez/Spyropoulos. "We played a good doubles point at one and two today, that put us in a good position in singles," said head coach John Roddick on the impressive opening display.
The freshman got it done in singles for the Knights as they took courts three through five. Yassine Dlimi got it done once again on three, defeating Vojtech Podzemny, 7(7)-6(3), 6-2. Dlimi has now gone eight matches without a loss which includes six wins in that span. His fellow countryman Mehdi Benchakroun got back in the win column with a dominating 6-2, 6-1 win against Noah Malige. When winning the first set, the Moroccan has yet to lose, including six of his seven wins. Branger is continuing to find that clinching point for the Knights as he won his second consecutive match, 7-5, 7-5, against Georgios Nouchakis.
Pavel's match on court one went unfinished in the third set as the senior's now gone six matches unbeaten. Cronje and Llanes both lost on courts two and six.
The Black and Gold head back to Orlando for their last match of the season as the squad will face #56 Tulsa. Senior Day ceremonies will begin around 11:45 am before the noon start.
Singles Competition (5, 3, 2, 6, 4)
1. #89 Bogdan Pavel (UCF) vs. Michal Lusovsky (UAB) 5-7, 6-4, 3-5
2. Roman Podzemny (UAB) def. Lleyton Cronje (UCF) 6-4, 7(7)-6(2)
3. Yassine Dlimi (UCF) def. Vojtech Podzemny (UAB) 7(7)-6(3), 6-2
4. #124 Liam Branger (UCF) def. Georgios Nouchakis (UAB) 7-5, 7-5
5. Mehdi Benchakroun (UCF) def. Noah Malige (UAB) 6-2, 6-1
6. Carlos Gimenez Perez (UAB) def. Toto Llanes (UCF) 6-4, 6-4
Doubles Competition (3, 1, 2)
1. #33 Lleyton Cronje/Bogdan Pavel (UCF) def. Michal Lusovsky/Noah Malige (UAB) 6-4
2. Toto Llanes/Yassine Dlimi (UCF) def. Carlos Gimenez Perez/Athanasios Spyropoulos (UAB) 6-2
3. Nikola Puric/Roman Postolka (UAB) def. Paul Colin/Liam Branger (UCF) 6-2