ORLANDO - With the chance to make another big impression on the conference this weekend, the No. 19 UCF men’s tennis team will climb a steep hill as they face off against two top-10 opponents at the USTA National Campus. Their conference opening weekend will begin against No. 2 TCU on Friday at 6 p.m., followed by a match against No. 10 Arizona on Sunday at noon.
The Knights (14-4) haven’t welcomed top ten opponents in back-to-back games since 2023 when they hosted No. 4 Ohio State and No. 2 Texas. UCF is 2-1 against top ten opponents this season, having already claimed wins against then 6th-ranked Arizona and 4th-ranked Ohio State earlier this year.
LAST TIME OUT
It was a bittersweet weekend for the Knights after a loss against No. 36 South Florida on Sunday overshadowed a dominant doubleheader win over Coastal Carolina and UNC-Wilmington on Friday. Junior Emilio Sanchez shined through every match from court five, beginning with an assertive win over UNCW’s Trey Mallory, 6-4, 6-0, ending in a 4-1 triumph for UCF. He went on to bag the clincher to beat Coastal Carolina, 4-1, and secured the Knights’ lone point against USF in a humbling 1-6 defeat.
Paul Colin commanded his court three bout against Coastal Carolina’s Jack Dixon, putting the first singles point of the match up on the board with a 6-1, 6-3 win. Unable to replicate the result in the following match, he fought down to the wire against South Florida’s Elijah Cham in an unfortunate 7-5, 6-4 defeat.
⚔️ KNIGHTS WIN ⚔️
— UCF Men's Tennis (@UCF_MTennis) March 8, 2025
Our third doubleheader sweep of the season‼️ pic.twitter.com/3V0wgHLmUW
QUICK HITS
- UCF won their home conference opener against No. 26 Oklahoma State last year, finishing the season with a 4-3 record in Big 12 play. This year the Knights head into conference play with a 2-3 record against ranked opponents so far.
- The Knights are no strangers to their opposition this weekend. UCF achieved its second highest-ranked win in program history against Arizona this year to round off its ITA Kickoff Weekend campaign. TCU was also sitting in the number two spot when they got the better of UCF in Texas last year. The Black and Gold will have their shot at redemption at home this time and could end up recording their highest-ranked win.
- Emilio Sanchez remains the only Knight currently on a streak of wins. The Spaniard will be looking for a fourth straight win in singles play and doubles play alongside his teammate, Yassine Dlimi. The pair share a 9-6 record, and Sanchez holds a 6-3 record in singles play.
A pair of ranked matchups await 🔜 pic.twitter.com/MMjyfadK7L
— UCF Men's Tennis (@UCF_MTennis) March 11, 2025
THE OPPONENTS
Arizona
The Wildcats are on a relentless run of form, outscoring their opponents 43-5 in the nine matches since they were handed their only loss of the season by the Knights. They briefly let their guard down in their last match against Tulsa, giving up the early advantage by dropping courts one and three in doubles play before going on to redeem themselves, 5-2.
Two out of the four ranked Arizona players hold a spot in the nation’s top ten. Jay Friend ranks ninth in the ITA singles rankings, while Colton Smith sits in a podium spot at number three.
TCU
The only two losses on TCU’s 12-2 record have come away from home. They will arrive in Orlando after proving why they sit a spot above Texas in the ITA rankings with a 4-1 win over the third-ranked Longhorns.
Their trip to Orlando will be their first time playing outside of Texas since November of last year.
They narrowly escaped their last meeting against the Knights after being put on the ropes early with a 2-0 deficit, thanks to Liam Branger and Colin. In the end, wins from the pair in singles play and in doubles play weren’t enough to get past TCU in the 4-3 defeat. They will hope to paint a different story this weekend in Orlando.