ORLANDO - The No. 21 UCF men’s tennis team shows no signs of stopping as they approach their fourth double header weekend of the season, this time traveling downstate to take on Miami and Florida Atlantic in their fourth and fifth straight-away matches.
Coming off of a win against South Florida in Tampa on Monday, the Knights have already etched their name in the record books having achieved their best start to a season in program history at 8-0. Their performance against the Bulls single-handedly lifted them one step higher in this week's Intercollegiate Tennis Rankings, as they now sit 21st in the nation.
The Black and Gold will travel to Coral Gables first this weekend to take on Miami at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center on Friday. The action will continue in Boca Raton on Sunday when the Knights face off against Florida Atlantic at the Kimberly V. Strauss Tennis Center. Each contest will start at noon.
LAST TIME OUT
The Knights extended their undefeated stretch against USF on Monday, claiming four straight matches against their rivals since 2022. Mehdi Benchakroun put on another show on the road as expected, helping to secure the doubles point alongside junior Santiago Giamichelle and only dropping two games in his singles win over Ettore Danesi.
Although the Bulls put up a fight closing up a three-point deficit to make it 3-2, it was junior Yassine Dlimi who prevailed with a clincher against Elijah Cham after being pushed to a third set, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.
Coming back to Orlando with the DUB ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/XaLNE7H9FB
— UCF Men's Tennis (@UCF_MTennis) February 3, 2025
QUICK HITS
- UCF has built a fortress on court five, having yet to drop a match there all season. After being pushed to a third set in the opening contest of the season, the Knights have made quick work of their opponents there ever since, only recording victories in straight sets after that.
- Benchakroun remains undefeated this season with a 7-0 record. The two-time Big 12 Player of the Week has yet to play a third set this season, boasting four 6-0 shutout sets this season.
- The Black and Gold are making a habit of snatching the early advantage, winning the doubles point in six straight matches and only dropping it once all season. Holding the sharpest swords for the Knights with perfect records in singles play, it's no surprise that the Benchakroun and Giamichelle duo holds the best doubles play record for the Knights of 5-0.