Men's Tennis Wraps Up Competition at Bedford Cup

ORLANDO – The UCF men’s tennis team wrapped up its second fall competition at the Bedford Cup, held in Tallahassee. The tournament featured programs from across Florida, including Florida, Miami, Florida State, FGCU, and Stetson, with the Knights facing off against opponents from each school.

The event kicked off Friday with doubles play, as four Knights took the court in the round of 16. Making his UCF debut, Kai-Luca Ampaw teamed up with Nicolas Oliveira to earn an 8-3 win over Stetson’s Christian Kuehne and Mihnea Maftei. Shortly after, the duo of Luca Hotze and Clement Lemire matched the result, defeating Hatters Xavier Sarda Marti and Santiago Padilla Cote, 8-5.

Both UCF pairs advanced to the quarterfinals but Ampaw and Oliveira were edged by Florida State’s Azariah Rusher and Mohammad Alkotop, while Hotze and Lemire advanced following an opponent injury.

In singles play, Ampaw led the way with a hard-fought 3-6, 6-3, 10-7 victory over FGCU’s Pablo Paternostro. Oliveira followed with a straight-set win over Stetson’s Mateya Stanisavljevic, 6-4, 6-2.

Hotze and Lemire closed out the first round with wins of their own, both against Stetson opponents. Hotze outlasted Xavier Sarda Marti in a three-set battle, 7-6, 1-6, 10-1, while Lemire secured a 6-3, 6-4 win over Marc Saura.

To begin the round of sixteen, Oliveira sealed his ticket to the quarterfinals, besting Tanner Povey of FGCU in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3. Ampaw followed suit as he notched his second victory of the day against Gator Kevin Edengren, 6-3, 6-4.

Hotze dropped his round two match up against Florida State’s Justin Lyons while Lemire closed out the day securing a win against Miami’s Mehdi Sadaoui, 6-3, 6-3 to advance to the quarterfinals.

Day One Results

• Ampaw/Oliveira (UCF) def. Kuehne/Maftei (Stetson): 8-3
• Hotze/Lemire (UCF) def. Sarda Marti/Padilla Cote (Stetson): 8-5
• Kai-Luca Ampaw (UCF) def. Pablo Paternostro (FGCU): 3-6, 6-3, 10-7
• Nicolas Oliviera (UCF) def. Mateya Stanisavljevic (Stetson): 6-4, 6-2
• Luca Hotze (UCF) def. Xavier Sarda Marti (Stetson): 7-6, 1-6, 10-1
• Clement Lemire (UCF) def. Marc Saura (Stetson): 6-3, 6-4
• Nicolas Oliveira (UCF) def. Povey (FGCU): 6-3, 6-3
• Kai-Luca Ampaw (UCF) def. Kevin Edengren (Florida): 6-3, 6-3
• Justin Lyons (Florida State) def. Luca Hotze (UCF): 6-7, 7-2, 10-3
• Clement Lemire (UCF) def. Mehdi Sadaoui (Miami): 6-3, 6-3

As quarterfinals began, the three Knights represented dropped their matches against tough competition as they moved into consolation play. The first member of the Black and Gold to move into the competition, Hotze secured a day two win 6-3, 6-1 against a tough Stetson competitor.

Shifting to doubles, Clement and Luca advanced to the semifinals due to opponent injury but dropped a fierce semifinals matchup against FGCU’s Tanner Povey and Jonathan Baron, 8-7.

The final day consisted of consolation matches as every Knight competed one final time. Clement earned the first winning score of the day, besting his FGCU opponent, 6-0, 6-1. Hotze sealed his last singles victory of the tournament also against FGCU competition, 6-1, 6-3. Nico captured the final Knights’ singles win, besting his Miami foe, 6-4, 6-3.

The final match of the Bedford Cup, the tandem of Lemire and Hotze took to the court to secure a Black and Gold win over FGCU, 8-4.

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.