Men's Tennis Comeback Falls Short Against Oklahoma State, 4-2

STILLWATER, Okla. – In the program’s inaugural Big 12 Championships, the UCF men’s tennis team fell short to hosts, Oklahoma State, 4-2. The fourth-seeded Knights battled to bring the match within one, but the Cowboys would eventually prevail. 

In March, the doubles point served as the first sign for what was to come as yet again, the Knights (18-5, 4-3) and Cowboys (17-8, 3-4) exchanged blows early on. On court two, the undefeated paring of Francisco Llanes and Emilio Sanchez broke Oklahoma State’s Alex Garcia and Francisco Pini early to maintain an advantage throughout.

Though on court three, after battling back to hold serve on court three, Liam Branger and Paul Colin eventually fell to the Cowboys’ Alessio Basile and Leighton Allen, 6-3. Minutes later, one of the nation's top duos, No. 15 Tyler Zink and Isaac Becroft, bested Lleyton Cronje and Santiago Giamichelle on court one to clinch the early lead, 6-3.

Sanchez and Llanes would go unfinished on two, remaining unbeaten at 4-0.

In a similar tune to much of the Knights’ success in 2024, there was work to be done in singles. In Stillwater, courts four through six saw rematches from the team’ bout in Orlando two months ago, as UCF’s dramatic comeback was largely due to its sweep on the back three.

This evening, Mehdi Benchakroun and Giamichelle garnered early set-one triumphs, with the latter battling back down 3-2 to win four consecutive games to claim the advantage, 6-3. The Cowboys found three first sets on the three, however, with No. 108 Colin losing a difficult tiebreak on court three against the Cowboys’ No. 96 Alex Garcia, 7-6(5).

Oklahoma State’s momentum would translate into a pair of straight-set triumphs on courts one and two. No. 123 Cronje battled in the second but eventually fell to 23rd-ranked Zink, 6-2, 6-4, while Llanes’ defeat to 85th-ranked Becroft on two, 6-1, 6-1, put the Cowboys within one.

The Knights would battle though, as Giamichelle prevailed in a back-and-forth second set on court five, taking the bout with Basile, 6-3, 7-5.  The sophomore has continued to dominate on five as his fourth win put the match back up for grabs.

On six, Benchakroun was dominant in the third to take a highly contested three-set contest over Pini, 6-1, 1-6, 6-1. With his team-leading 15th win of the season, the Moroccan has consistently anchored the squad on court six.

With Colin currently in his third set across from Garcia; Branger and Erik Schiessl exchanged blows with a pair of broken serves. The Frenchman’s efforts were evident, though the Cowboy would take court five, 7-6(3), 6-4, to clinch the match for Oklahoma State.

Currently ranked 30th in the nation, the Knights will shift their sights to the NCAA Men’s Tennis Selection Show at 6 p.m. on Monday, April 29. A bid would mark the program's first since 2021.

Singles Results

1. No. 23 Tyler Zink (OSU) def. No. 123 Lleyton Cronje (UCF) 6-2, 6-4
2. No. 85 Isaac Becroft (OSU) def. Francisco Llanes (UCF) 6-1, 6-2
3. No. 108 Paul Colin vs. No. 96 Alex Garcia (OSU), 6-7(5), 6-1, 3-1, unfinished
4. Erik Schiessl (OSU) def. Liam Branger (UCF) 7-6(3), 6-4
5. Santiago Giamichelle (UCF) def. Alessio Basile (OSU) 6-3, 7-5
6. Mehdi Benchakroun (UCF) def. Francisco Llanes (OSU) 6-1, 1-6, 6-1

Doubles Results

1. No. 15 Tyler Zink/Isaac Becroft (OSU) def. Lleyton Cronje/Santiago Giamichelle (UCF) 6-3
2. Francisco Llanes/Emilio Sanchez (UCF) vs. Alex Garcia/Francisco Pini (OSU) 5-3, unfinished
3. Alessio Basile/Leighton Allen (OSU) def. Liam Branger/Paul Colin (UCF) 6-3

Order of Finish

• Singles: 1,2,5,6,4
• Doubles: 3,1