Men's Tennis Wins Fifth Straight Following 4-1 Triumph Over Wichita StateMen's Tennis Wins Fifth Straight Following 4-1 Triumph Over Wichita State

Men's Tennis Wins Fifth Straight Following 4-1 Triumph Over Wichita State

by Alex Clough

WICHITA, Kan. – New eras bring many new narratives into the fold but for the UCF men’s tennis team, only one has persisted, winning. The Knights secured their fifth-straight victory following a dominant 4-1 performance against Wichita State in Kansas. After winning another doubles point, UCF (12-1) continued its vibrant play in singles to begin its two-match midwest road swing.

A newly-formed doubles lineup took care of business in swift fashion to gain an early advantage. Emilio Sanchez slotted in, making his second collegiate appearance, alongside Francisco Llanes on court two. The tandem made quick work of Wichita State’s Vanja Hodzic and Ziwen Ju after an early break to take the contest, 6-2.

Attention shifted towards courts one and three, as the Knights held advantages on both. Yassine Dlimi and Paul Colin, making their fourth consecutive apparence together on court one, secured their fourth win of the season with the clinching 6-4 result. The squad’s turnaround in doubles has truly aided a consistently dominant play in singles, with Lloyd Bruce-Burgess’ changes paying dividends. Following a 2-6 start in doubles, UCF has gone 5-1 in its last six to set the tone for its current win streak which is now a match away from tying its seven-match winning streak to start the campaign.

While Cronje and Branger went unfinished on court three, the former got singles play started with a straight-set triumph on court three against the Shockers’ Vanja Hodzic, 7-5, 6-3. Cronje, who has found his stride in fast-paced and high-intensity bouts, moves his unbeaten stretch to five matches and is currently in the midst of a three-match win streak.

After not appearing in doubles for the first time in five contests, Mehdi Benchakroun completely dominated Luke Bracks from the first serve, eventually taking the bout in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2. The Moroccan was unlucky earlier in the week against Penn and South Alabama as he was up 5-2 after taking the first sets in both duels before the matches went unfinished. In Kansas though, Benchakroun would get back in the win column and move his unbeaten stretch to five matches, his second of the season.

Following a Shockers win on court two as Misha Kvantaliani bested Llanes following a first-set tiebreak, 7-6(7), 6-2, the Knights didn’t waiver as they held advantages on the remaining three courts.

The clincher would come on court six, courtesy of Colin who completed his perfect day with a 6-4, 6-3 triumph over Ziwen Ju. The St. Barths native has been dominant when on the court in 2024. Colin remains perfect with a 6-0 mark across seven matches and has attained wins on each of the back-three courts.

With the coaches prior to the match deciding to play to clinch, Dlimi and Branger were both up in their respective matches before going unfinished.

For Dlimi, the sophomore continues to impress in his sophomore campaign and has now matched his 10-match unbeaten streak from 2023. In the span, the Moroccan native has won seven bouts with six coming in straight sets.

The Knights will look to sweep their AAC reunion on Sunday afternoon, as they’ll make the trip to Tulsa for an 11:30 a.m. ET / 10:30 a.m. CT meeting with the Golden Hurricane.

Singles Results

  1. Yassine Dlimi (UCF) vs. Alejandro Jacome (WSU) 6-4, 6-5, unfinished
  2. Misha Kvantaliana (WSU) def. Francisco Llanes (UCF) 7-6, 6-2
  3. Lleyton Cronje (UCF) def. Vanja Hodzic (WSU) 7-5, 6-3
  4. Liam Branger (UCF) vs. Marcelo Sepulveda (WSU) 2-6, 6-3, 4-1
  5. Mehdi Benchakroun (UCF) def. Luke Bracks (WSU) 6-1, 6-2
  6. Paul Colin (UCF) def. Ziwen Ju (WSU) 6-4, 6-3

Doubles Results

  1. Paul Colin/Yassine Dlimi (UCF) def. Richey King/Misha Kvantaliani (WSU) 6-4
  2. Francisco Llanes/Emilio Sanchez (UCF) def. Vanja Hodzic/Ziwen Ju (WSU) 6-2
  3. Liam Branger/Lleyton Cronje (UCF) vs. Alejandro Jacome/Marcelo Sepulveda (WSU) 4-3, unfinished

Order of Finish

  • Singles: 3,5,2,6
  • Doubles: 2,1