Men's Tennis Welcomes Wichita State for First Midweek Contest of the YearMen's Tennis Welcomes Wichita State for First Midweek Contest of the Year
Edward Finan / UCF Athletics

Men's Tennis Welcomes Wichita State for First Midweek Contest of the Year

by Alex Clough

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.

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.

THE OPPONENT

Just over a decade since UCF head coach Lloyd Bruce-Burgess assisted Wichita State in 2014, he will now face off with the Shockers once again following a 4-1 win in Kansas a season ago. The former conference mates met four times in The American, most notably in the 2021 tournament semifinals where UCF bested Wichita State 4-0 en route to the program's first AAC title. The Knights hold a perfect 5-0 record against the Shockers, having given up just four points across each contest.

Wichita State is embarking on its third season under head coach Darragh Glavin, a former assistant with Miami from 2020-22. The squad boasts a mix of experienced upperclassmen, along with a group of promising true freshmen, including Luca Mindrut and Ilias Worthington who led the team with five singles wins each during the fall.