TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Back against the wall, what are you prepared to do? For first-year head coach Lloyd Bruce-Burgess, his squad stepped up to the challenge in yet another enticing episode of what’s been a magical campaign for the program.
For the second time in school history, the UCF men’s tennis has advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after a dramatic triumph over No. 23 Florida, 4-3. For the third match in 2024, the contest came down to a tiebreak on the deciding court and once again, the Knights prevailed, this time courtesy of Santiago Giamichelle.
We keep dancing ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/NJZM41AWkW
— UCF Men's Tennis (@UCF_MTennis) May 3, 2024
The win marks the first over the Gators in 24 meetings all time and reverses the Knights’ first defeat of the season almost three months earlier in Gainesville. Third-seeded UCF pulled off the upset with the composure and passion that has been instilled in the squad since January.
Another contested doubles point saw multiple breaks early, highlighted by Paul Colin and Liam Branger’s early advantage on court three. Through five games on each court, the Gators held leads on one and two, which they would eventually hold.
On court two, Francisco Llanes and Emilio Sanchez’s undefeated season came to an end following a 6-3 defeat to Florida’s 81st-ranked Tanapatt Nirundorn and Adhithya Ganesan. Seconds later, Lleyton Cronje and Santiago Giamichelle’s late surge came up just short on court one, as they dropped a back-and-forth bout with the Gators’ 27th-ranked Aidan Kim and Nate Bonetto.
With four courts needed to extend the Knights’ inaugural Big 12 campaign, Yassine Dlimi slotted back into the lineup after four matches away. The former American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year led the squad as UCF looked to win a match after losing the doubles point.
Out of the gates, the Knights' singles prowess was on display, as five players won their first set to shift the momentum back in favor of the Black and Gold. On courts three and five, Liam Branger and Santiago Giamichelle set the tone with two swift triumphs to each take a one-set lead. The highlight came on four though, as Colin battled back, winning six-consecutive games to take the first set over No. 117 Adhithya Ganesan.
PAUL. COLIN. OMG.
— UCF Men's Tennis (@UCF_MTennis) May 3, 2024
After trailing 0-4, he came back to win six consecutive games for our fifth first set dub of the afternoon 🤩 pic.twitter.com/Dq4crEJzLs
Only 30 minutes later, Colin turned six games into 12, securing the straight-set victory and his second ranked win of the season. On six, his fellow sophomore followed suit to even the bout, as Mehdi Benchakroun prevailed in straight sets, 6-3, 6-1, over Kevin Edengren after Dlimi’s defeat on court one put the Gators up two.
The remaining three courts saw each Knight holding a one-set advantage and Cronje jumped at the opportunity, breaking serve late in the second before clinching the contest, 6-4, 7-5, over Florida’s No. 50 Jeremy Jin. His third ranked win of the season completed the rapid turnaround and put UCF within one.
Advantage: Knights 🫡
— UCF Men's Tennis (@UCF_MTennis) May 3, 2024
Lleyton gets it done on court 2️⃣ in straight sets (6-4, 7-5)!
⚔️ 3-2 🐊 pic.twitter.com/8deqP2kYfe
While the captain was able to put his match away in straight sets, Branger and Giamichelle were pushed to a third. As the latter’s contest eventually went into a tiebreak, Branger was defeated by Florida’s Nate Bonetto on court three, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, leveling the battle at three-all.
The third, match-deciding tiebreak of the season, a rarity for any team, saw Giamichelle go down to the wire. The Argentinian got off on the front foot after breaking serve early and led 5-1 going into the short break. With the eyes of both sets of fans and each squad dialed in, the first-year Knight prevailed, clinching the first-round match, 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (3).
After its first top-25 win since 2021, UCF will now await the winner of tonight’s contest between host Florida State and North Florida. Tomorrow’s match will begin at 1 p.m. ET.