No. 12 Men's Tennis Heads West to Compete in ITA Kickoff Weekend

ORLANDO – The No. 12 UCF men’s tennis team is headed west for a major early‑season test, traveling to Berkeley, Calif., for ITA Kickoff Weekend beginning Friday at the Hellman Tennis Complex.

The Knights open play against No. 21 Southern California, setting the stage for the high-level tournament. Depending on the outcome of day one, UCF will advance to either the championship or consolation match, where No. 15 California or No. 17 Oklahoma await. The Knights look to continue their winning ways with a chance to earn back-to-back bids to the Indoor Championships following a win on the weekend.

LAST TIME OUT

In their first space match of the season, the then No. 14 Citronauts powered past longtime rival South Florida with a 4-0 sweep, highlighted by a gritty doubles point that spanned both indoor and outdoor courts, ultimately clinched by Wissam Abderrahman and Mehdi Benchakroun in a dramatic tiebreak fashion. UCF carried that energy straight into singles, where Abderrahman, Yassine Dlimi and Nicolas Oliveira delivered straight‑set wins to secure the shutout.

The Knights returned to the courts that evening and kept their foot on the gas, defeating Mercer 5-2 to move to 4–0 on the season. UCF claimed the doubles point for the second time that day, with pairings of Dlimi and Paul Colin as well as Oliveira and Luca Hotze cruising to victories. In singles, Clement Lemire opened the scoring with a commanding win, and seniors Dlimi and Colin followed with nearly identical straight‑set performances to put the match out of reach. Oliveira closed the night with another efficient victory, sealing a strong team showing despite two setbacks on courts five and six.

QUICK HITS 

• RECENT KICKOFF HISTORY: The Knights headed to Tucson for its first ITA Kickoff Weekend appearance since 2022, boasting a perfect 5-0 record to start the season. UCF opened against Oklahoma State, a team they battled through two dramatic matches with the year before, however handled business at the weekend’s event, sweeping the Cowboys to earn a shot at No. 6 Arizona. In the final, UCF faced a tough Wildcats squad featuring two top‑10 players and a roster fresh off a sweep of Southern California. The Knights struck first by securing the doubles point, creating momentum that carried deep into singles and ultimately pushed the match to court four. There, Liam Branger to the moment once again, claiming another clinch to his name defeating Casper Christensen to lock in the highest‑ranked win in program history and UCF’s first‑ever top‑10 victory. The breakthrough weekend sent the Knights to their first ever ITA Indoor Championship.
• CHANGE OF SCENERY: Having won on one court and dropped on another during the doubles play of the first space match of the season, the doubles point laid in the hands of the pairing of Abderrahman and Benchakroun. Tied 6-6 during a dramatic tiebreak, the weather conditions worsened, causing the match to be paused. After a lengthy weather delay, the rest of the matches had been moved to the indoor courts, beginning with the continuation of the doubles match. The duos exchanged blows until the Knights’ paring ultimately sealed the match with a tiebreak of 11-9.
• COURT ONE SHOWDOWN: Senior Dlimi delivered a dominant performance on court one, stepping in against South Florida’s No. 28 Hugo Car, one of the top players in the region and a consistent threat at the top of the Bulls’ lineup. The matchup carried plenty of anticipation, but Dlimi settled in quickly, controlling the opening set with a decisive 6‑1 score. Car pushed back in the second, but Dlimi closed out the match 6‑4 to secure a strong straight‑set victory.

ABOUT THE TROJANS (FIRST ROUND, FRIDAY AT 2 PM)

USC men’s tennis enters the Kickoff Weekend ranked at No. 21 and building on last year’s 16-11 campaign that included a trip to the NCAA Super Regional and a fourth‑place finish in the Big Ten at 8-5. Head coach Brett Masi, now in his seventh season, carrying an impressive 286-142 career record, leads a notably young roster featuring three freshmen, four sophomores, one junior and one senior. The Trojans added four newcomers this year including Andrin Casanova, Branko Djuric, Sklar Phillips and standout freshman Max Exsted, who has already earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors. Sophomore returner Niels Hoffman currently sets the pace in singles after notching eight fall victories. The Trojans enter the weekend sitting at 2-1 on the season.

ABOUT THE SOONERS (CHAMPIONSHIP/CONSOLATION, SATURDAY)

No. 17 Oklahoma men’s tennis enters the event under the leadership of Nick Crowell, now in his ninth year at the helm and recently honored as the ITA Central Region Coach of the Year. The Sooners are coming off a 17-11 overall record and a 7-7 mark in the SEC. The team is led by NCAA Individual Championship qualifiers Bruno Nhavene in doubles and Oscar Lacides in both singles and doubles. The roster features three nationally ranked singles players in No. 46 Luis Carlos Alvarez Valdes, No. 57 Oscar Lacides, and No. 74 Asahi Harazaki. The ranked singles players are among a top‑30 doubles pairing in No. 30 Orel Kimhi and Johan Alexander Rodriguez.

ABOUT THE BEARS (CHAMPIONSHIP/CONSOLATION, SATURDAY)

California men’s tennis enters the weekend ranked No. 15, continuing the momentum from a standout 2025 spring season in which the Bears finished No. 12 nationally with an impressive 18-4 overall record and a 10-3 finish in ACC play. Under the direction of Andrea Caligiana, California has built a balanced roster featuring four returners and three key transfers. The program also showcased strong individual talent in the fall, sending three athletes to the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships.

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.