ORLANDO – UCF men’s tennis opened up the 2026 campaign earning two dominating wins against FGCU and Louisiana on Sunday at USTA National Campus.
MATCH ONE
Seniors Yassine Dlimi and Paul Colin delivered a compelling start on court one to start the afternoon against the Eagles, securing a 6-2 victory to begin the season. The Knights saw the same drive in sophomore Nicolas Oliveira and senior Luca Hotze, claiming a simultaneous 6-1 win that established the first doubles win of the day.
Riding the energy from their doubles success, the Knights carried that confidence straight into the singles play, quickly earning straight match victory.
Freshman Pedro Rodrigues made a lasting first impression, delivering one of the standout performances on the courts today. The Brazil native was nearly flawless, taking down FGCU opponent Stravos Hadjivarnava in a decisive 6-0,6-0 win.
Brazil native Oliveira, coming off a standout freshman campaign, delivered once again when it mattered most. His steady play powered the sophomore to a straight-set 6-2, 6-0 win on court five.
Senior Colin sealed the deal for the Knights on court three, delivering a composed 6-4, 6-0 win to clinch the singles session and secure the overall victory against FGCU in sweep fashion.
All going unfinished, Clement Lemire, Abderrahman and Dlimi stacked up against their respective opponents and had a strong hold over their opponents.
Home sweep home 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/M7D6prDTkQ
— UCF Men's Tennis (@UCF_MTennis) January 11, 2026
Singles Results
- Yassine Dlimi (UCF) vs. Jonathan Baron (FGCU): 6-4, 5-0, unfinished
- Wissam Abderrahman (UCF) vs. Pablo Paternostro (FGCU): 6-2, 3-6, unfinished
- Paul Colin (UCF) def. Mika Bunjes (FGCU): 6-4, 6-0
- Pedro Rodrigues (UCF) def. Stavros Hadjivarnava (FGCU): 6-0, 6-0
- Nicolas Oliveira (UCF) def. Harry Michalowkski (FGCU): 6-2, 6-0
- Clement Lemire (UCF) vs. Stefan Correa (FGCU): 6-2, 4-5, unfinished
Doubles Results
- Yassine Dlimi/Paul Colin (UCF) def. Pablo Paternostro/Mika Bunjes (FGCU): 6-2
- Wissam Abderrahman/Mehdi Benchakroun (UCF) vs. Stavros Hadjivarnava/Harry Michalowkski (FGCU): 5-2, unfinished
- Luca Hotze/Nicolas Oliveira (UCF) def. Jonathan Baron/Stefan Correa (FGCU): 6-1
MATCH TWO
With the win over FGCU secured, the Black and Gold quickly shifted their focus to the second half of this afternoon's doubleheader against the Ragin’ Cajuns.
The Knights opened their second match of the day with a tightly contested doubles session against the Louisiana, ultimately securing the point with wins on courts one and three.
On court one, seniors Dlimi and Colin once again held steady under pressure, edging out Louisiana foes Mason Landreth and Leonard Tramolay, 6-4. Over on court three, Hotze and Oliveira delivered a clean performance, rolling to a 6-2 victory over Nikola Kolyachev and Darius Balan.
Louisiana secured their first win on the day on court two, where Abderrahman and Benchakroun were unable to find their rhythm, falling to Samuel Kyjaci and David Simeonov, 0-6.
Following doubles play, Lemire and Colin secured fast wins against their Louisiana opponents, besting Samuel Kyjaci at 6-1, 6-1 and Darius Balan at 6-1, 6-4, respectively.
On court four, Oliveira battled through one of the day’s tightest contents against Louisiana’s David Simeonov. After edging out a first‑set tiebreak, he regrouped in the third to take down David Simeonov 7-6, 3-6, 6-2 and solidify the win.
Over on the front two courts, Abderrahman and Benchakroun created quite dramatic scenes with both Knights flipping the switch on their opponents to secure comeback wins.
Abderrahman on court one tallied wins in the later sets after dropping the first, besting Mason Landreth, 1-6, 6-4, 6-2. One court over, Benchakroun saw a win in similar fashion claiming latter half wins at 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 against Leonard Tramolay.
The only contest dropped by the Knights came from court seven as Hotze fell in dramatic tie-break fashion, 6-1, 5-7, 7-6.
Win so nice, had to do it twice 🙂↕️ pic.twitter.com/ozbWQgoOre
— UCF Men's Tennis (@UCF_MTennis) January 12, 2026
Singles Results
- No. 59 Wissam Abderrahman (UCF) def. Mason Landreth (Louisiana): 1-6, 6-4, 6-2
- Mehdi Benchakroun (UCF) def. Leonard Tramolay (Louisiana): 2-6, 6-3, 6-3
- Paul Colin (UCF) def. Darius Balan (Louisiana): 6-1, 6-4
- Nicolas Oliveira (UCF) def. David Simeonov (Louisiana): 7-6, 3-6, 6-2
- Clement Lemire (UCF) def. Samuel Kyjaci (Louisiana): 6-1, 6-1
- Nikola Rolyachev (Louisiana) def. Luca Hotze (UCF): 6-1, 5-7, 6-7
Doubles Results
- Yassine Dlimi/Paul Colin (UCF) def. Leonard Tramolay/Mason Landreth (Louisiana): 6-4
- David Simeonov/Samuel Kyjaci (Louisiana) def. Wissam Abderrahman/Mehdi Benchakroun (UCF): 6-0
- Luca Hotze/Nicolas Oliveira (UCF) def. Nikola Kolyachev/Darius Balan (Louisiana): 6-2
UP NEXT
The Knights return to action for another doubleheader at USTA National Campus on January 18 as they are set to face South Florida and Mercer at 12:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. respectively.
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.