ORLANDO - On the back of a dominant season-opening homestand, which propelled the Knights to 5-0, captain Mehdi Benchakroun has been tabbed the Big 12 Conference Men’s Tennis Player of the Week. The junior has yet to drop a set across five remarkable displays in singles on courts two and three, along with a pair of triumphs in doubles.
Benhakroun becomes the second Knight in program history to receive the honor, as Lleyton Cronje became UCF's first Big 12 Player of the Week honoree a season ago.
Special honor for a special week ⚔️
— UCF Men's Tennis (@UCF_MTennis) January 21, 2025
Congrats to Mehdi on being named Big 12 Men’s Tennis Player of the Week! pic.twitter.com/YdhOeQqd4r
In a week that saw UCF defeat Wichita State, FGCU and Southern Miss, the Moroccan was at the center of each win, clinching two and authoring an overall brilliant display. Dropping just 11 games in singles play to his 38 games won, he consistently suffocated opponents on serve, while simultaneously causing problems when returning.
Wednesday night, Benchakroun tallied a victory on court three versus Wichita State’s Alejandro Jacome, 6-2, 6-3 as a prelude for a doubleheader sweep of FGCU and Southern Miss two days later on Friday.
His third clinch of the season came against the Eagles in a 6-2, 6-3, triumph over Guglielmo Stefanacci. After becoming the first Knight to sweep an opponent across a two-set match last week versus Louisisiana, Benchakroun was just one game away from completing the feat again in the nightcap.
The junior bested the Golden Eagles’ Niklas Jensen in convincing fashion, 6-0, 6-1, in the first of a singles sweep for UCF. Moreover, Benchakroun has now jumped out to a 5-0 start in singles play in back-to-back seasons, after being a primary fixture in the squad’s historic 14-1 start in 2024.
In doubles, the third-year found success with fellow junior and team captain, Santiago Giamichelle, as the duo disposed of a pair of tandems on courts two and three, dropping just five games in the process.
UP NEXT
Benchakroun and the Knights will strive to move their strong form across the country as they travel to Tucson, Arizona, for the ITA Kickoff this weekend. A bout with Big 12 foe Oklahoma State on Saturday will be followed by a contest against either host Arizona or USC on Sunday.