UCF’s tandem of Mehdi Benchakroun and Santiago Giamichelle held their own on court two, level with Ohio State when the contest went unfinished, remaining a perfect 7-0 on the season.
A difficult road ahead for the Black and Gold made the early stages of singles vital. Moroccan duo Mehdi Benchakroun and Dlimi dominated their opening sets, dropping a combined five games in the process, while other courts ventured past 10 games. The momentum continued to shift as Branger and Giamichelle also prevailed in contested first sets.
Playing against No. 22 Aidan Kim, Dlimi showed all the composure in a dominating straight-set display, tallying his highest-ranked collegiate win and the Knights’ first point of the match, 6-3, 6-4. While the Buckeyes responded on court two as No. 47 John Bernard bested Colin in a competitive affair, 6-4, 7-5, the charge continued.
Apart from the front two, each duel would push into a third as Ohio State prevented a trio of straight-set sweeps. Similar to his last match at Florida Atlantic, Benchakroun prevailed in a convincing third set after falling in the second, defeating No. 106 Will Jansen, 6-2, 1-6, 6-4. The win would move all attention to the back three as each Knight pulled out into early leads.
Opposite Orlando native Jack Anthrop, Branger finally found the break in the third as the pair exchanged games. While not the clinch, the Frenchman once again exuded confidence and composure, eventually giving UCF the lead with his 7-5, 3-6, 6-4, result.
With Giamichelle in a tight decider, it would be the freshman, Nicolas Oliveira, who pushed the Knights into the quarterfinals. Falling out of the lineup with a pair of defeats at the ITA Kickoff Weekend, the Brazilian slotted back and proved his value, defeating Chris Li, 4-6, 7-6, 6-1.
UP NEXT
The Knights are set to play sixth-seeded No. 11 Stanford tomorrow at 1 p.m. ET. A win would advance UCF into the final four and a day off, as the semifinals will resume on Monday at SMU.
Singles
1. Yassine Dlimi (UCF) def. #22 Aidan Kim (OSU) 6-3, 6-4
2. #47 John Bernard (OSU) def. Paul Colin (UCF) 6-4, 7-5
3. #108 Mehdi Benchakroun (UCF) def. #106 Will Jansen (OSU) 6-2, 1-6, 6-4
4. Liam Branger (UCF) def. Jack Anthrop (OSU) 7-5, 3-6, 6-4
5. Santiago Giamichelle (UCF) vs. Bryce Nakashimi (OSU) 7-6, 4-6, 3-3, unfinished
6. Nicolas Oliveira (UCF) def. Chris Li (OSU) 4-6, 7-6, 6-1
Doubles
1. Aidan Kim/Will Jansen (OSU) def. Liam Branger/Paul Colin (UCF) 6-1
2. Mehdi Benchakroun/Santiago Giamichelle (UCF) vs. Preston Stearns/Bryce Nakashima (OSU) 3-3, unfinished
3. Brandon Carpico/Nikita Filin (OSU) def. Yassine Dlimi/Emilio Sanchez (UCF) 6-1
