Future Knight Pedro Rodrigues Shines at ATP Challenger Event in ColombiaFuture Knight Pedro Rodrigues Shines at ATP Challenger Event in Colombia

Future Knight Pedro Rodrigues Shines at ATP Challenger Event in Colombia

The incoming freshman and Head Coach Lloyd Bruce-Burgess talk about the Brazilian's success

by Alex Clough

ORLANDO - The excitement around the UCF men’s tennis program continues to grow, with a remarkable 2025 campaign already building anticipation for next year. While a core of the Knights’ squad will return, they’ll be joined by a freshman sensation in Pedro Rodrigues.

Having signed with the Knights in November of 2024, the Belo Horizonte, Brazil, native has been turning heads during a busy spring slate, competing in prominent professional tournaments across South America.

Last week, Rodrigues produced an incredible run to the semifinals of the ATP Challenger in Bogata, Colombia, marking a career weekend for the 19-year-old. Serving as the second-highest tier of professional tennis competition, behind the ATP Tour and ahead of the ITF World Tennis Tour, the field included some of South America’s best.

It was unreal, the best week of my career so far. It was amazing to be in the tournament competing against some of the best players in the world while trying to find my place. It’s difficult to handle the pressure, but I was enjoying it a lot. The more pressure, the more I had to handle each situation, which was nice playing on a big court in an amazing country.

Pedro RodriguesIncoming Freshman

Starting his campaign in the qualifying round, Rodrigues tallied a pair of triumphs over fellow countryman Nicolas Zanellato and Colombian Samuel Alejandro Linde Palacios to qualify for the main draw.

The first of four top-400 opponents awaited the future Knight in the round of 32, though Rodrigues was clearly up for the challenge. A straight-set victory against Uruguay’s Franco Roncadelli, ranked 367th in the world, set him up for a difficult Sweet 16 contest against the world No. 227, Nicolas Mejia.

While the Colombian had been among the top 200 earlier this year, Rodrigues prevailed in a first-set tiebreaker before Mejia responded with a 7-5 second-set win. Having already played three matches in the matter of days, the future Knight ran away from his fellow South American in the decider, taking the match 7-6(7), 5-7, 6-3.

I think the best victory of my career so far was against [Nicolas] Mejia in the round of 16. It was a crazy match, the atmosphere on the court was amazing, even with everyone supporting him since he was from Colombia.

Rodrigues

In the quarterfinals, Rodrigues took care of business in a swift straight-setter against Spanish native Nicolas Alvarez Varona (world No. 314), 6-4, 6-3. His run eventually came to an end after a contested semifinal bout with countryman Pedro Sakamoto (world No. 353), pushing the duel to a third set.

At just 19, the incoming freshman defeated a pair of 25-year-olds, a 24-year-old and eventually was bested in the last four by a 31-year-old. With the outing in Colombia, Rodrigues climbed to a career-high ATP rankings of No. 694.

My goal is to continue to up my level to the max. I want to continue to play tournaments and take the experiences from those matches, I really want to go to UCF with my best level of tennis and the best version of myself. The support from Lloyd, Kareem, and the guys supporting me through the week was great. We talked every day, so it was very important for me to be able to talk with them, and it made a difference throughout the tournament.

Rodrigues

The Brazilian had played multiple Challengers to this point, competing in a pair of competitions in Brazil earlier this year. Rodrigues advanced to the second qualifying round in Porto Alegre after defeating the 522nd-ranked Jose Pereira. 

Among world juniors, the future Knight boasts a career-high ranking of No. 21, attained in January of 2024. His strong form in 2025 has boosted his UTR to 13.39, which stands among the best in collegiate tennis.

We're incredibly proud of what Pedro has accomplished already. Reaching the semifinals of a Challenger at just 19 years old while beating seasoned professionals along the way is no small feat. It's a testament to the outstanding work of his coaches and team in Brazil, who've done a phenomenal job guiding his development. Pedro plays with maturity, toughness, and composure well beyond his age. We can't wait to welcome him to UCF and help continue his climb towards the next level.

Lloyd Bruce-BurgessHead Coach