No. 10 Men's Tennis Continues Perfect Home Streak Sweeping FAU, 7-0No. 10 Men's Tennis Continues Perfect Home Streak Sweeping FAU, 7-0

No. 10 Men's Tennis Continues Perfect Home Streak Sweeping FAU, 7-0

by Gabriella Parra Bonet
Box Score (PDF)

ORLANDO - The No. 10 UCF men’s tennis team secured its ninth straight home win on Thursday afternoon at the USTA National Campus besting the FAU Owls, 7-0. 

After a lengthy doubles play, the Black and Gold came out on top clinching the advantage against the Owls. UCF then carried the same energy into singles play, securing the match with six straight singles victories. 

The Knights took the lead in a captivating start to the afternoon against the Owls in doubles play. FAU struck first with the Knights dropping on court three, but the momentum wasn't enough after the tandem of Wissam Abderrahman and Mehdi Benchakroun made a comeback to bring doubles even.

Senior duo of No. 69 Yassine Dlimi and Paul Colin completed a phenomenal tie breaking match, 7(7)-6(3), securing the doubles point for the Black and Gold. 

Continuing much of the same, the Knights held onto the lead with dominating singles matches, sweeping the Owls on all courts.

Freshman Pedro Rodrigues took the first triumph with a nearly flawless double bagel against sophomore Marek Pazdera, 6-0, 6-0. 

Moving just one court over to three, Colin delivered an impressive performance sealing his match 6-3, 6-1, taking down his Owl opponent Simon Myslivec.

Quickly after, No. 116 Dlimi dominated his match in a decisive 6-0, 6-3 victory against Segundo Goity Zapico on court one to secure the 4-0 team score.

Play continued across all courts as the Knights closed out the afternoon. On court five, Nicolas Oliveira defeated Jan Kusy in a decisive tie breaker, 6-3, 7(7)-6(3). The sophomore now holds a perfect 9-0 mark in singles play. Clement Lemire battled through a resilient three-setter, earning a 3-6, 6-3, 1(10)-0(4) win. 

To seal the deal and the sweep for the Knights, Benchakroun fought hard in a tremendous comeback, clinching the Black and Gold’s victory in a 7(7)-6(2), 6-4 win. 

UP NEXT

UCF will travel to Tampa to take on a familiar foe in South Florida on March 4. The matchup will mark the second of the season between the Knights and the Bulls.

Singles Results

  1. No. 116 Yassine Dlimi (UCF) def. Segundo Goity Zapico (FAU): 6-0, 6-3
  2. Mehdi Benchakroun (UCF) def. Mark Havlicek (FAU): 7-6 (7-2), 6-4
  3. Paul Colin (UCF) def. Simon Myslivec (FAU): 6-3, 6-1
  4. Pedro Rodrigues (UCF) def. Marek Pazdera (FAU): 6-0, 6-0
  5. Nicolas Oliveira (UCF) def. Jan Kusy (FAU): 6-3, 7-6 (7-3)
  6. Clement Lemire (UCF) def. Vanja Hodzic (FAU): 3-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-4)

Doubles Results

  1. No. 69 Yassine Dlimi/Paul Colin (UCF) def. No. 82 Mark Havlicek/Marek Pazdera (FAU) 7-6 (7-3)
  2. Wissam Abderrahman/Mehdi Benchakroun (UCF) def. Segundo Goity Zapico/Simon Myslivec (FAU) 6-4
  3. Lucca Pignaton/Vanja Hodzic (FAU) def. Clement Lemire/Nicolas Oliveira (UCF) 6-3

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.