ORLANDO – The UCF men’s tennis team is set to conclude February as it travels to Birmingham for its last contest of a quick two-match road swing against UAB on Sunday afternoon. The two squads will meet for the second consecutive season at the Hoover Met Tennis Center as the Knights (7-1) will look to bounce back following their first defeat of the season at Florida on Monday.
UCF and the Blazers (5-4) will meet for the 14th time ahead of a three-match homestand for the Knights to begin March. The first serve is set for 11 a.m. ET.
Head coach Lloyd Bruce-Burgess and his squad were ranked 37th in the latest ITA Rankings, a strong position following a vibrant start to the program’s inaugural season in the Big 12. Four future opponents checked into the top-25, headlined by No. 2 TCU and No. 10 Texas, with whom the Knights will face in their first conference match on March 22 in Austin.
AROUND THE SQUAD
- Yassine Dlimi is riding a five-match unbeaten streak following his three-set triumph over Florida’s Adihithya Ganesan Monday afternoon. The Moroccan is a perfect 4-0 when taking the first set this season.
- Three Knights hold just one loss to their name through eight contests, including the aforementioned Dlimi, Santiago Giamichelle and Liam Branger. Giamichelle has lost just two singles contests across his last 16 matches dating back to 2023 at UT Arlington.
- Paul Colin remains undefeated with a 4-0 record. The St. Barths native has completely turned his game around in 2024, jumping out to four wins in four matches following an 0-5 start to his freshman season.
- The Knights are 2-0 thus far on Sundays ahead of their first road match to end the week. UCF claimed a dominant 6-1 victory over Georgia Southern before a more dramatic triumph over Miami, 4-3.
- UCF is currently 33-9 in singles across its first eight matches and has lost just one match on courts one, four and six.
THE OPPONENT
The Blazers return eight from their 2023 squad that was bested by the Knights, 4-2, in Birmingham. Yassine Dlimi, who bested Vojtech Podzemny a season ago, could potentially be set for a rematch with a Czech Republic native, though this time the pair will lead their squads on court one.
UAB enters Sunday’s contest on the back of a 7-0 loss to South Alabama, whom the Knights will face in Orlando in just over a week on Tuesday, March 5. The result broke a three-match winning streak, headlined by a 14-2 stretch in singles and a sweep over Georgia State in Atlanta.
The two programs will meet for the third time since the Knights’ time in Conference-USA as UCF was 4-3 against the Blazers from 2006-2009.