Benchakroun Retains Big 12 Player of the Week Honor after Historic Weekend

ORLANDO - A momentous week for the UCF men’s tennis program continues to produce eye-catching honors and record-breaking firsts. Tuesday afternoon, the Big 12 Conference announced the Men’s Tennis Player of the Week award would not just stay in Orlando but reside in the same hands.

For the second-consecutive edition, junior and team captain Mehdi Benchakroun has garnered the recognition, becoming the first Knight to do so since All-American Gabriel Decamps tallied three straight American Athletic Conference weekly awards in 2021.

The Morocco native joins Oklahoma’s Alex Martinez (2024) and Texas’ Elliot Spizzirri (2023) as the last three players to secure back-to-back conference honors. A season ago, former Knight Lleyton Cronje garnered the program’s inaugural Big 12 Player of the Week award, with Benchakroun now surpassing his former teammate with two to his name.

A well-rounded performer, he was vital in UCF’s historic display at the ITA Kickoff Weekend in Tucson, Arizona. Paired with fellow junior Santiago Giamichelle, the tandem held down court three convincingly against Oklahoma State and No. 6 Arizona.

While unfinished in singles against the Cowboys’ Derek Pham after accumulating a controlled 6-1, 6-6 score with an advantage in the tiebreak, it was his outing on Sunday that caught attention. 

Down 3-1 to the host Wildcats in the second round, the Knights needed a spark to take back the momentum needed to pull off the upset. In his fifth-career-ranked matchup, Benchakroun was opposite the 61st-ranked Zoran Ludoski with the contest on the brink of conclusion.

Minutes prior, No. 6 Arizona had swiftly secured three straight courts. However, the pendulum immediately shifted back in UCF’s favor as the junior took court three in a dominating straight-set win, 6-1, 6-4. The Knights would eventually tally the leveler on five before Liam Branger advanced the program to its first-ever ITA Indoor Championships with his three-set thriller on court four.

A hand in the team’s highest-ranked win in school history and the personal achievement of advancing to 6-0 in singles play leaves the Moroccan with much to look forward to. Across seven matches in 2025, Benchakroun has won 84 games compared to his opponent's 21, with wins on courts two and three.

The Knights will look to regroup after the emotional highs of this past weekend as their seven-day hiatus without a contest will come to an end next Monday in Tampa as UCF is set to meet with former conference mate South Florida at 1:30 p.m. to commence February’s action.