Men's Tennis Continues Signing Spree with Gonzaga Transfer and Prominent Lebanese JuniorMen's Tennis Continues Signing Spree with Gonzaga Transfer and Prominent Lebanese Junior
Edward Finan / UCF Athletics

Men's Tennis Continues Signing Spree with Gonzaga Transfer and Prominent Lebanese Junior

by Alex Clough

ORLANDO - After securing the signature of two top portal entrants, the UCF men's tennis team has doubled its additions ahead of the 2025-26 season as head coach Lloyd Bruce-Burgess and assistant Kareem Allaf inked Gonzaga transfer Kai-Luca Ampa and a prominent world junior Fadi Biden of Lebanon.

Kai-Luca Ampaw | Sophomore | London, England | Gonzaga

One of Great Britain's most promising juniors entering the collegiate circuit, Ampaw will join fellow Englishman Bruce-Burgess' squad in Orlando ahead of the 2025-26 season. During his freshman slate at Gonzaga, he featured on each of the front three courts, primarily starting at two throughout the home stretch. 

A 9-8 singles record was highlighted by a 5-1 clip across his first six contests, along with multiple conference wins in a competitive West Coast Conference.

Before his year's spell in Spokane, Washington, Ampaw was tabbed the fifth-ranked junior in Great Britain, making eye-catching runs in the Junior Wimbledon Championships.

The future Knight also slotted into court one in doubles for Ganzaga, compiling seven wins alongside Giovanni Branchetti. 

Kai joins us after a strong freshman year at Gonzaga, where he competed at the top of the lineup and gained valuable experience with consistent wins. I first saw him at an ITF event and was immediately impressed by his athleticism and potential. When he entered the transfer portal, it was clear he’d be a great fit for our program with a very high ceiling.

Bruce-BurgessHead Coach

Fadi Bidan | Freshman | Beirut, Lebanon

The third-highest ranked player hailing from Lebanon and the top-ranked junior, Bidan will enter the collegiate ranks as one of the more promising newcomers in the nation.

A resume that includes prominent wins over former junior world No. 1 Giles Arnaud Bailly, 30th-ranked collegiate player Theo Papamalamis of Texas A&M and the world No. 198 Aziz Dugaz, he will arrive at UCF alongside Brazilian Pedro Rodriguez, who has climbed into the top-700 in the ATP rankings.

Having represented his nation at the Davis Cup, Bidan boasts an impressive history on the ITF tour, tallying tournament wins at the J300 Tashkent and J300 Poznan. He recently made strong runs to the final eight of the M15 Monastir and M156 Kish Island.

Boasting a career-high world junior ranking of No. 79 and ATP ranking of No. 1,178, the lefty will provide the UCF staff with another talented athlete at their disposal.

Fadi joins us as one of the top juniors globally and the top junior in Lebanon, with standout wins over both college players and pros. Kareem [Allaf] saw him compete in person last December, and it was clear he would be a great addition to our team.

Bruce-BurgessHead Coach