Men's Tennis Concludes Competition at Carolina Classic

ORLANDO – Two returning Knights and two newcomers took to the court this weekend as UCF men’s tennis opened its fall slate at the Carolina Classic.

Over three days of competition, the Black and Gold tallied nine total wins against a strong field that included North Carolina, South Carolina, NC State, Georgia, Columbia, and South Carolina State.

The tournament began with singles play in a round of 16, offering a first look at new Knights Clement Lemire and Wissam Abderrahman. Lemire secured UCF’s first win of the fall with a victory over Georgia’s Cooper Johnson, a former top-25 national recruit. The Oregon transfer posted a 2–6, 6–3, 6–1 result. Clemson transfer, Abderrahman, received a bye into the quarterfinals. 

Returning Knights Nicolas Oliveira and Luca Hotze also made the trip to Columbia, S.C. Oliveira earned a straight-set win over South Carolina State’s Gabriel Johnson, 6–3, 6–3, while Hotze fell to NC State’s Gabriel Noah.

Three Knights advanced to the quarterfinals on day one. Lemire defeated South Carolina’s Gabe Avram, 6–2, 6–3, and Abderrahman rallied past Charlie Swain, 3–6, 6–2, 6–3. Oliveira was ultimately edged by Georgia’s Noah Johnston, 6–0, 6–3.

Saturday began with semifinal singles action. Abderrahman was defeated by South Carolina’s Max Stenzer, while Lemire fell to North Carolina’s Ian Mayew, a former No. 2 national recruit of the 2025 class.

Doubles play followed, featuring new pairings of Abderrahman with Oliveira, and Lemire with Hotze. Both duos dropped their opening matches but bounced back later in the day. Abderrahman and Oliveira defeated South Carolina State’s Mikalai Bankou and Iliyas Maratuly, 8–3 while Lemire and Hotze earned an 8–4 win over South Carolina’s Max Stenzer and Paul Barbier Gazeu.

Luca and Clement earn a HUGE doubles dub over South Carolina’s Stenzer/Barbeiu (8-4) 🤯

📊📺 https://t.co/RgMqEFl49P pic.twitter.com/0e8Qe18SUN

— UCF Men's Tennis (@UCF_MTennis) September 20, 2025

The final day featured a mix of singles and doubles. Oliveira opened with a 6–4, 6–3 win over North Carolina’s Nicholas Mangiapane. Lemire and Abderrahman fell in singles to South Carolina opponents, while Hotze closed his weekend with a 6–3, 6–3 win over North Carolina’s Kase Schinnerer.

In the final match of the tournament, Oliveira and Abderrahman secured their second doubles win as a pair, defeating Gabriel Johnson and Bastian Zamora of South Carolina State, 8–6.

DAY ONE RESULTS

• Clement Lemire (UCF) def. Cooper Johnson (Georgia): 2-6, 6-3, 6-1
• Noah Gabriel (NC State) def. Luca Hotze (UCF): 4-2, 6-2, 0-6
• Nicolas Oliveira (UCF) def. Gabriel Johnson (South Carolina State): 6-3, 6-3
• Wissam Abderrahman (UCF) def. Charlie Swain (South Carolina): 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
• Clement Lemire (UCF) def. Gabe Avram (South Carolina): 6-2, 6-3
• Noah Johnston (Georgia) def. Nicolas Oliveira (UCF): 0-6, 3-6

DAY TWO RESULTS

Singles

• Max Stenzer (South Carolina) def. Wissam Abderrahman (UCF): 6-2, 6-2
• Ian Mayew (North Carolina) def. Clement Lemire (UCF): 6-2, 6-4, 6-4

Doubles

• Nicholas Mangiapane/Oliver Narbut (North Carolina) def. Wissam Abderrahman/Nicolas Oliveira (UCF): 8-5
• Atakan Karahan/Cole Henceroth (South Carolina) def. Luca Hotze/Clement Lemire (UCF): 8-6
• Wissam Abderrahman/Nicolas Oliveira (UCF) def. Mikalai Bankou/Iliyas Maratuly (South Carolina State): 8-3
• Luca Hotze/Clement Lemire (UCF) def. Max Stenzer/Paul Barbier Gazeu (South Carolina): 8-4

DAY THREE RESULTS

Singles

• Nicolas Oliveira (UCF) def. Nicholas Mangiapane (North Carolina): 6-4, 6-3
• Paul Barbier Gazeu (South Carolina) def. Wissam Abderrahman (UCF): 6-4, 6-3
• Atakan Karahan (South Carolina) def. Clement Lemire (UCF): 6-3, 7-5
• Luca Hotze def. Kase Schinnerer (North Carolina): 6-3, 6-3

Doubles

• Wissam Abderrahman/Nicolas Oliveira (UCF) def. Gabriel Johnson/Bastian Zamora (South Carolina State): 8-6

UP NEXT
Select players from the UCF men's tennis team will travel north to Tallahassee, Fla. to compete in the Bedford Cup from Sept. 26-28. Start times to be announced at a later date. 

About UCF Athletics
UCF is a proud member of the Big 12 Conference. Our mission is to positively transform the lives of our students academically, athletically, and personally through a nationally competitive intercollegiate athletics program that enhances the reputation and visibility of the University. We strive to be Florida's preeminent athletic program representing UCF and our community with distinction on the national stage as "Orlando's Hometown Team". To learn more about UCF and Athletics, please visit our websites at www.ucf.edu and www.ucfknights.com.