No. 8 Men’s Tennis Picks Up Win Over UNC Wilmington, 6-1No. 8 Men’s Tennis Picks Up Win Over UNC Wilmington, 6-1

No. 8 Men’s Tennis Picks Up Win Over UNC Wilmington, 6-1

by Franki Noble
Box Score (PDF)

ORLANDO - Closing out the weekend in style, the No. 8 men’s tennis team secured a 6-1 victory over the UNCW Seahawks on Sunday at the USTA National Campus.

After a lengthy weather delay, the Knights hit the courts and quickly claimed the doubles point before adding five singles wins on the day. The Black and Gold improve to 11-2 on the season and extend their perfect home record to 8-0.

Doubles opened with a commanding performance from Mehdi Benchakroun and Wissam Abderrahman on court two, earning a 6-4 win over Tomas Marin and Jordi Domenech of UNCW.

UCF clinched the doubles point on court three, where the newly formed duo of Clement Lemire and Nicolas Oliveira collected their second straight win together, also by a 6-4 result.

In singles play, the Knights carried the momentum forward. Oliveira struck first on court five, cruising to a dominant 6-1, 6-0 victory in under an hour. Benchakroun followed with a strong showing of his own, rolling to a 6–2, 6–1 win on court two.

Senior Paul Colin delivered the clinching point, securing the 4–0 team score with a 6-3, 6-4 result on court three.

Play continued across all courts as the Knights wrapped up the afternoon. Lemire battled through a gritty three-setter, earning a 2-6, 6-2, 7(10)-6(8) win. Yassine Dlimi was the only Knight to drop his match, falling 3-6, 6-2, 3-6.

With all eyes on court four, Rodrigues delivered sealing the day with a decisive 7-5, 6-3 victory. 

UP NEXT

UCF will return to the USTA National Campus for a midweek contest against the FAU Owls this Thursday, February 26 at noon.

Singles Competition

  1. Lukas Steffan (UNCW) def. #116 Yassine Dlimi (UCF): 6-3, 2-6, 6-3  
  2. Mehdi Benchakroun (UCF) def. Alex de Gabriele (UNCW): 6-2, 6-1  
  3. Paul Colin (UCF) def. Jordi Domenech (UNCW): 6-3, 6-4
  4. Pedro Rodrigues (UCF) def. Alexander Thompson (UNCW): 7-5, 6-3
  5. Nicolas Oliveira (UCF) def. Tomas Marin (UNCW): 6-1, 6-0
  6. Clement Lemire (UCF) def. Brady Hussey (UNCW): 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 (10-4)

Doubles Results

  1. #69 Yassine Dlimi/Paul Colin (UCF) vs. Wiliam Dean/Lukas Steffan (UNCW) 4-4, unfinished
  2. Wissam Abderrahman/Mehdi Benchakroun (UCF) def. Jordi Domenech/Tomas Marin (UNCW): 6-4
  3. Clement Lemire/Nicolas Oliveira (UCF) def. Alexander Thompson/Alex de Gabriele (UNCW): 6-4

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.