Men's Tennis Prevails in Thrilling Contest over Oklahoma State, 4-3Men's Tennis Prevails in Thrilling Contest over Oklahoma State, 4-3

Men's Tennis Prevails in Thrilling Contest over Oklahoma State, 4-3

by Alex Clough

ORLANDO – Over four hours of dramatic play welcomed men’s Big 12 tennis to Orlando, as the Knights prevailed in one of the greatest contests in the USTA National Campus’ seven-year history. A back-and-forth match saw the UCF men’s tennis team triumph over Oklahoma State, 4-3, courtesy of a thrilling victory courtesy of Lleyton Cronje.

It was such a rollercoaster, credit to Lleyton for the incredible win. He's battled this season and we asked him to step up for the guys and he did just that.

Head coach Lloyd Bruce-Burgess

Chapter two of a new era in the program’s history has seen back-to-back wins in the Knights’ first three Big 12 matches, with each coming in drastically different ways.

Three matches in, the Knights (16-2) went toe-to-toe once again in doubles. With a split showing on their first Big 12 road trip, the Knights would fall to the Cowboys (15-5) on courts two and three. Yassine Dlimi and Paul Colin’s match would go unfinished on court one as UCF contended each contest but would move its sights towards singles.

Fresh off a sweep at Baylor where three Knights made quick work to secure the triumph, four of six jumped out to early advantages tonight. Once again, the back three provided the fuel that led to the eventual decider on court two.

While he was the clincher in Waco, Texas, Mehdi Benchakroun was the first Knight to get on the board against the Cowboys. The Moroccan secured his team-leading 12th win of the season following a dominating display on court six, besting Oklahoma State’s Francisco Pini in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3.

After cutting the deficit in half, Santiago Giamichelle would level the bout with his fourth-consecutive win, defeating the Cowboys’ Alessio Basile convincingly, 6-4, 6-4. The sophomore has served as a staple on the back three courts as his performance on five marked his 10th of the campaign.

Oklahoma State took the court three courtesy of No. 77 Alex Garcia’s triumph over Francisco Llanes, 6-3, 6-4, to jump out to the early 2-0 lead and would regain the advantage following Dlimi’s defeat on one following a back-and-forth bout, eventually losing to No. 18 Tyler Zink, 6-3, 1-6, 6-2.

However what has led to the Knights’ blazing 2024 campaign has been their ability to respond, and in front of the home faithful, they did just that. Liam Branger, who has consistently been directly at the scenes of many dramatic finishes, prevailed in a thrilling three-set match to level the duel.

The Frenchman didn’t waiver following the Cowboys’ Erik Schiessl second-set victory, eventually taking his team-leading third three-set bout, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. Branger continued his strong form as he’s gone unbeaten in March, including a career-high six-match winning streak in that span.

Court two’s duel was a perfect representation of tonight’s fixture, as all three sets were decided through a tiebreak. After splitting the first two, UCF’s captain showed his experience as he overcame Oklahoma State’s 70th-ranked Isaac Becroft, 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 7-6(5) in remarkable fashion.

UCF will continue its inaugural homestand on Saturday night as it welcomes No. 22 Oklahoma for a 7 p.m. contest. The Sooners are fresh off a 4-3 triumph over No. 3 TCU.

Singles Results

  1. #18 Tyler Zink (OKSTM) def. Yassine Dlimi (UCF) 6-3, 1-6, 6-2
  2. Lleyton Cronje (UCF) def. #70 Isaac Becroft (OKSTM) 7-6 (7-5), 6-7 (3-7), 7-6 (7-5)
  3. #77 Alex Garcia (OKSTM) def. Francisco Llanes (UCF) 6-3, 6-4
  4. Liam Branger (UCF) def. Erik Schiessl (OKSTM) 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
  5. Santiago Giamichelle (UCF) def. Alessio Basile (OKSTM) 6-4, 6-4
  6. Mehdi Benchakroun (UCF) def. Francisco Pini (OKSTM) 6-4, 6-3

Doubles Results

  1. Yassine Dlimi/Paul Colin (UCF) vs. Erik Schiessl/Tyler Zink (OKSTM) 5-6, unfinished
  2. Alessio Basile/Isaac Becroft (OKSTM) def. Lleyton Cronje/Liam Branger (UCF) 6-3
  3. Alex Garcia/Francisco Pini (OKSTM) def. Santiago Giamichelle/Francisco Llanes (UCF) 6-4

Order of Finish

  • Singles: 3,6,5,1,4,2
  • Doubles: 2,3