No. 12 Men's Tennis Sweeps Utah in Penultimate Home Match

ORLANDO – Just two days removed from their latest home victory at the USTA National Campus, the twelfth‑ranked men’s tennis team secured its third conference win of the season with a 4-0 sweep of the Utah Utes on Saturday afternoon.

The ‘Nauts remain perfect at home, improving to 13-0 with only one match left at USTA. The victory pushes UCF to an impressive 17–2 overall and a flawless 3-0 mark in conference play.

Donning Canaveral Blue, the ‘Nauts controlled doubles from the opening serve, earning near‑simultaneous wins on courts one and three.

The first point came courtesy of Nicolas Oliveira and Luca Hotze, who powered past Utah’s AJ Deem and Lorenzo Esquici, 6-4, on court three.

On the top court, Paul Colin and Yassine Dlimi closed out their Utes opponents 6-3 to clinch the doubles point. Although unfinished, the pairing of Wissam Abderrahman and Mehdi Benchakroun held a 4-3 lead when play was halted.

Singles play brought more of the same energy, as the Citronauts carried the momentum rolling through three straight victories coming from the top two positions as well as court six.

Sophomore Clement Lemire struck first, dominating Charles Frey on court six with a 6-1, 6-1 performance. The win marks his 11th of the season, improving the Frenchman to a stellar 11-1 mark.

No. 83 Abderrahman followed with his first win of the day, matching Lemire’s result in a 6-1, 6-1 defeat of Emmett Potter.

With the sweep in sight, No. 71 Dlimi delivered the clincher on the front court, never trailing in a composed 6-2, 6-3 victory. The clinch serves as the second of the season for UCF’s top-ranked singles player.

Following the decisive team win, play on courts three, four, and five were halted. Benchakroun led 6-4, 6-0 on court three, while Pedro Rodrigues held a 6-3, 4-1 advantage. Oliveira was headed for a third set after splitting the first two, 3-6, 6-1.

UP NEXT

The ‘Nauts will travel to Texas for their first Big 12 road swing beginning with No. 2 TCU in Fort Worth on March 27 at 6:30 p.m.

Singles Results

1. #71 Yassine Dlimi (UCF) def. Dante Teramo (UU) 6-2, 6-3
2. #83 Wissam Abderrahman (UCF) def. Emmett Potter (UU) 6-1, 6-1
3. Mehdi Benchakroun (UCF) vs. Simeon Terziev (UU) 6-4, 2-0, unfinished
4. Pedro Rodrigues (UCF) vs. Lorenzo Esquici (UU) 6-3, 4-1, unfinished
5. Nicolas Oliveira (UCF) vs. Balthazar Huss (UU) 3-6, 6-2, unfinished
6. Clement Lemire (UCF) def. Charles Frey (UU) 6-1, 6-1

Doubles Results  

1. Yassine Dlimi/Paul Colin (UCF) def. Dante Teramo/Balthazar Huss (UU) 6-3
2. Wissam Abderrahman/Mehdi Benchakroun (UCF) vs. Simeon Terziev/Emmett Potter (UU) 4-3, unfinished
3. Nicolas Oliveira/Luca Hotze (UCF) def. AJ Deem/Lorenzo Esquici (UU) 6-4