ORLANDO - As the first of five doubleheaders for the UCF men’s tennis resulted in a pair of convincing wins over Louisiana, the Knights (2-0) will now embark on their first midweek contest, welcoming Wichita State to the USTA National Campus on Wednesday night
The first serve is set for 6 p.m. You can follow along with the action here.
LAST TIME OUT
There was plenty to be pleased about following the conclusion of the Knights’ second triumph Saturday night, capping off a strong day across each court. UCF was dominant in the first contest, claiming the doubles point en route to five singles wins. Both Nicolas Oliveira and Walid Ahouda tallied their first collegiate dual-match victories, with the latter also taking court five in the second bout.
After the 6-1 win to start the day, the Knights bounced back after a disappointing doubles performance in the nightcap, once again securing five singles wins to affirm the 5-2 triumph. The performances mark the second consecutive season UCF has swept a season-opening doubleheader, with wins over Coastal Carolina and UNC-Wilmington a season ago setting the tone for a great season.
One day, 13 match points 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/6gpZGwYvh6
— UCF Men's Tennis (@UCF_MTennis) January 13, 2025
QUICK HITS
- Junior Mehdi Benchakroun showed no signs of fatigue as the Moroccan native breezed through a pair of singles contests on courts two and three. His second of two victories came in a commanding 6-0, 6-0, performance, the first Knight to not lose a game in a singles match since Kento Yamada on April 20, 2021, vs. Tulsa.
- Since transferring to UCF ahead of the 2024 season, Santiago Giamichelle has lost just two singles matches compared to his 15 wins in dual matches. Last week, he was the only player in the Big 12 to secure four wins across singles and doubles contests.
- Completing a Moroccan trifecta, Walid Ahouda joined Yassine Dlimi and Benchakroun in holding down court five during singles play, dropping just one set across two victories. In total, six of the Knights’ 10 wins during singles came from the trio, who will look to continue their formidable form as the season continues.
- Playing their first two dual matches as doubles partners, Santiago Giamichelle and Emilio Sanchez dropped just three games en route to 6-2 and 6-1 wins on court three.