No. 14 Men's Tennis Set for Home Doubleheader Against South Florida and Mercer

ORLANDO – With a successful season-opener now in the books, No. 14 UCF men’s tennis prepares to face-off against another two opponents in long-time rival USF and the Mercer Bears. 

The match against The Bulls is set to begin at 12:00 p.m., serving as the first Space Match of the season before returning to the courts later in the evening to take on The Bears at 5:00 p.m. 

LAST TIME OUT 

The Knights delivered an incredible performance to mark the Black and Gold’s first triumph of the season. UCF secured a dominating win against FGCU to begin the season. UCF wasted no time in doubles play, clinching the match in sweep-fashion after quickly securing the doubles point. Freshman Pedro Rodrigues tallied out his first collegiate victory with a near flawless performance winning 6-0, 6-0. UCF went on to earn the 4-0 victory to kick off the day, setting the tone for what soon followed.

The Knights kept the momentum going when competing against the Ragin’ Cajuns, once again clinching the doubles point en route to five single wins after an impressive comeback from both Wissam Abderrahman and Mehdi Benchakourn on the front two courts. to turn around the results and solidify the win.

Win so nice, had to do it twice 🙂‍↕️ pic.twitter.com/ozbWQgoOre

— UCF Men's Tennis (@UCF_MTennis) January 12, 2026

QUICK HITS

• THE FACES: The Knights return a veteran core of five players, with captains Mehdi Benchakroun and Yassine Dlimi leading the group in their final season. Seniors Paul Colin and Luca Hotze strengthen the experienced lineup, while sophomore Nicolas Oliveira returns as the only underclassman of the group. They are joined by five newcomers set to make an impact in the deep roster, including transfers Wissam Abderrahman from Clemson, Clement Lemire from Oregon, and Kai Luca Ampaw from Gonzaga, along with highly recruited freshmen Pedro Rodrigues and Fadi Bidan.
• PRESEASON RANKS: UCF sits at No. 14 in this year’s ITA preseason poll. This accomplishment marks the first time the Knights have been ranked in the preseason poll under Bruce-Burgess. In addition to the ITA poll, the Black and Gold sit at No. 4 in the Big 12 Preseason Coaches’ Poll.
• THE NEW DUOS: The tandems of Yassine Dlimi and Paul Colin as well as Luca Hotze and Nicolas Oliveira showed dominance on courts one and three respectively, earning two wins on the day each. Dlimi and Colin claimed their wins at 6-2 against the Eagles and 6-4 against the Ragin’ Cajuns. Two courts over, Hotze and Oliveira only dropped three games, aiding in getting the doubles point twice at 6-1 and 6-2.
• STRONG SHOWINGS: Multiple Knights had stellar days on the courts as they began the 2025-26 season. Three members of the Black and Gold clinches their matches in the second set with a 6-0 finish against FGCU, ultimately clinching the match. Rodrigues began the trend finishing at 6-0, 6-0, followed by Oliveira who took his first set at 6-2. Colin finished the match in similar fashion, clinching both his individual match and the entire afternoon for the Knights with a 6-4, 6-0 finish.

ABOUT THE BULLS

South Florida enters the new season riding the momentum of a dominant 2024–25 campaign, highlighted by a 20–5 record and an undefeated 5–0 run in American play. The Bulls return a strong core led by No. 28 Hugo Car, the 2025 American Player of the Year, along with seven additional veterans who helped power a lineup featuring appearances on both singles and doubles All‑Conference teams. The Knights have faced off against the Bulls a total of 26 times in the span of 19 years. UCF has claimed seven wins against their long-time rivals in the past five seasons. Head Coach Ashley Fisher returns to the helm and enters his tenth season with the team.

ABOUT THE BEARS

The Bears return five of their six starters from last year’s campaign to their singles lineup. Led by senior all-conference nod Hod’Abalo Isak Padio, the Bears had a stellar showing in the fall notching over 36 wins in singles and 23 in doubles play. Mercer finished their 2024-25 campaign with a 12-8 overall record while finishing league play in the Southern Conference with a 6-1 record. The Knights have faced off against the Bears a total of two times, winning in both matches. The Black and Gold have claimed wins over Mercer with results of 6-1 and a sweep of 7-0. The team is led by head coach Eric Hayes, who is currently in his thirteenth season with the Bears.

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.