No. 18 Men's Tennis Overcomes Three-Point Deficit to Topple No. 2 TCU 4-3, Advances to Big 12 FinalsNo. 18 Men's Tennis Overcomes Three-Point Deficit to Topple No. 2 TCU 4-3, Advances to Big 12 Finals

No. 18 Men's Tennis Overcomes Three-Point Deficit to Topple No. 2 TCU 4-3, Advances to Big 12 Finals

by Alex Clough

WACO, Texas - Down 3-0 against the reigning national champions and second-ranked team in the country? Better call UCF.

With three top-10 wins under its belt this season, the No. 18 UCF men’s tennis team had plenty of experience going toe-to-toe with the nation's best. As the women’s team watched along, having already punched their ticket to the finals tomorrow, the Knights flipped the script on No. 2 TCU, toppling the one-seed 4-3 in a Big 12 semifinals match to remember.

The clincher came from a familiar face in a familiar setting, as just a half-mile away stands the site of UCF’s triumph over No. 4 Ohio State earlier this season when freshman Nicolas Oliveira held down court six. Under similar circumstances, the Brazilian showed remarkable composure to secure the historic comeback in a three-set thriller.

Another episode in a series of 4-3 wins for the Knights under head coach Lloyd Burce-Burgess and assistant Kareem Allaf, how often can it happen for the term miracle to be left in the rear-view mirror?

UCF 4-3 Clinch-Wins Since 2024:

  • Feb. 11, 2024: vs. Miami (clinched 7-0 start, best in program history)
  • Mar. 28, 2024: vs. No. 24 Oklahoma State (first-ever Big 12 home match)
  • Apr. 6, 2024: vs. BYU (down multiple match points)
  • May 3, 2024: vs. Florida (first-ever win over Florida, second first-round win in program history)
  • Jan. 26, 2025: at No. 6 Arizona (clinched first-ever ITA Kickoff Weekend title)
  • Feb. 9, 2025: at Florida Atlantic (came back down 3-0)
  • Mar. 16, 2025: vs No. 10 Arizona (fourth-highest ranked win program history)
  • Apr. 11, 2025: at Oklahoma State (third win over the Cowboys since 2024)
  • Apr. 19, 2025: vs. No. 2 TCU (highest-ranked win in program history)

While the Knights took the doubles point in Orlando last month, a pair of tiebreakers were split between the two after the Horned Frogs claimed court three, giving the regular-season champions the early advantage. 

After a Paul Colin and Nicolas Oliveira defeat on the anchor court, UCF was able to push the front two to the wire, with Yassine Dlimi and Emilio Sanchez taking their tiebreak on one against Pedrico Kravtsov and Duncan Chan, 7-6(7). The momentum wouldn’t last long, however as TCU’s Lui Maxted and Filip Apltauer prevailed on court two against Mehdi Benchakroun and Santiago Giamichelle, 7-6(8).

Taking four singles courts against the Horned Frogs presented a mighty task for the Black and Gold, and as the quad’s split first sets, the Knights had to look for a three-set win. 

TCU didn’t waste time moving its lead within one of the clinch, as Duncan Chan’s victory over Emilio Sanchez on court five and 32nd-ranked Maxted’s win over Benchakroun on two narrowed the road ahead.

Needing a spark to crawl their way back into the match, the Knights were provided a flame as Dlimi secured a straight-set win over No. 7 Jack Pinnington, 6-1, 7-6(3), his career-defining result to date and the highest by a UCF player this decade.

Colin followed shortly as his court-three contest was nixed in the third after Kravtsov was forced to retire due to injury, bringing UCF closer to the leveler. The Horned Frogs' lead was vanquished on court four, with Giamichelle bouncing back after being swept in the second set, taking the decider after outlasting Pacual, 6-2, 0-6, 6-3.

Riding a strong run of form to conclude the regular season, Oliveira charged back in his third set down 4-2, breaking Apltauer to even the duel before never looking back, securing a spot in the finals, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.

UP NEXT

With two wins over No. 11 Arizona under the Knights’ belt this season, UCF will look to complete the treble tomorrow evening at 5 p.m. ET/4 p.m. ET in the Big 12 Championship match.

Singles Results

  1. #82 Yassine Dlimi (UCF) def. #7 Jack Pinnington (TCU) 6-1, 7-6(3)
  2. #32 Lui Maxted (TCU) def. #80 Mehdi Benchakroun (UCF) 6-2, 6-3
  3. Paul Colin (UCF) def. #122 Al Pedrico Kravtsov (TCU) 3-6, 6-1, 1-1,  retirement
  4. Santiago Giamichelle (UCF) def. Roger Pascual (TCU) 6-2, 0-6, 6-3
  5. Duncan Chan (TCU) def. Emilio Sanchez (UCF) 6-2, 6-1
  6. Nicolas Oliveira (UCF) def. Filip Apltauer (TCU) 6-2, 4-6, 6-4

Doubles Results

  1. Yassine Dlimi and Emilio Sanchez (UCF) def. Al Pedrico Kravtsov and Duncan Chan (TCU) 7-6(7)
  2. Lui Maxted and Filip Apltauer (TCU) def. Mehdi Benchakroun and Santiago Giamichelle (UCF) 7-6(6)
  3. Jack Pinnington and Julian Alonso (TCU) def. Paul Colin and Nicolas Oliveira (UCF) 6-3