ORLANDO – In yet another triumphant outing at the USTA National Campus, the No. 12 UCF men’s tennis team extended its home-winning streak to 12 straight matches, powering past the BYU Cougars with a 4-1 victory.
Despite a gritty effort in doubles that ultimately slipped away, the Knights wasted no time flipping the script in singles play, delivering four consecutive wins to improve to 16-2 on the season and 2-0 in conference action.
UCF opened doubles with its usual pairings back on accustomed courts, but the familiarity was not enough as BYU struck first claiming court three with a 6-3 decision over the tandem of Nicolas Oliveira and Luca Hotze.
On court two, Yassine Dlimi and Paul Colin were amidst a promising comeback, locked at 4-4, before the doubles point was clinched by BYU with a 6-4 finish on three.
With the early deficit behind them, the Black and Gold surged into singles with purpose. Paul Colin set the tone, delivering a commanding 6-4, 6-3 win over David Duong on court three. The winning result moved the Frenchman to an impressive 12-2 on the season.
Just moments later and one court over, freshman Pedro Rodrigues continued his impressive rise, overwhelming his opponent with a 6-3, 6-2 performance to push UCF ahead, moving the team score 2-1 with a Knights advantage.
On the top two courts, seniors Yassine Dlimi and Mehdi Benchakroun were steadily tightening their grip on their respective matches. Dlimi was the first to close, battling through a tense first-set tiebreak before dominating the second to secure a 7-6 (7-2), 6-1 win at the top spot.
With the win on one, Benchakroun was left to deliver the final blow. The senior notched his third straight victory, defeating Tygen Goldammer 6-4, 6-3 on court two to clinch the match for the Knights. The win marked his second match-clinching performance of the season and moved the Morocco native to 4-1 on the second court.
UP NEXT
The Knights will make a quick return to the courts at the USTA National Campus as they take on another Utah opponent in the Utes on Saturday, March 21 at noon. The contest will serve as the third space match of the season.
Singles Results
Doubles Results
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.