No. 9 Men's Tennis Set for Non-Conference Finale

ORLANDO – The No. 9 men’s tennis team is set to return home to the USTA National Campus to close out non-conference play as they take on the South Alabama Jaguars on Tuesday at 1 p.m.

The Knights now boast a 13-2 record with their only losses coming from ITA Indoors earlier this season. The Black and Gold are looking to complete a perfect non-conference slate at home with Tuesday’s match up.

LAST TIME OUT

UCF earned a 4-3 win over South Florida in Tampa on Wednesday evening, taking down the Bulls for the second time this season. The Knights set the tone in doubles, with Mehdi Benchakroun and Wissam Abderrahman cruising to a 6-2 win while Luca Hotze and Nicolas Oliveira secured the advantage, 6-4. That momentum carried into singles, where Paul Colin dominated on court four with a 6-0, 6-3 victory, followed by a strong 6-, 6-4 performance from Abderrahman on court three.

Clement Lemire delivered the clinching point, defeating Toto Llanes 6-4, 6-3 for his second match‑clincher of the year. The remaining courts went to the Bulls after the match was decided.

QUICK HITS

• TOP OF THE NATION: The Black and Gold jumped back to No. 9 in the latest ITA rankings, continuing a season spent firmly inside the nation’s top 15. The Knights remain near the top of the Big 12 standings, trailing only TCU at No. 7 while leading a deep conference that features Baylor (10), Arizona (15), Arizona State (17), Oklahoma State (34), BYU (56) and Texas Tech (72). With nearly every Big 12 program ranked in the top 75, the league once again proves to be one of the most competitive in collegiate tennis. UCF also continues to shine in singles play, with two nationally ranked athletes. Wissam Abderrahman held steady at No. 74 while Yassine Dlimi made the week’s biggest leap for the Knights as he jumped to No. 83.
• HOME SWEET HOME: With a perfect 9-0 record at home this season, UCF is looking to set a perfect 10-0 record in non-conference play at home before moving to Big 12 play. In addition to the perfect performance by the Knights at home this season in team scores, the Black and Gold also have only dropped one doubles point in all home competitions this season. With the Nona faithful behind them, the Knights have completed four sweeps on home courts so far.
• KINGS OF FLORIDA: The Knights ended the 2025 season as the state’s highest‑ranked team and hold that spot again in 2026, extending their rise across the entire southeast as the region’s top program. Now with the non-conference finale less than 24 hours away, the Knights have faced all the Florida teams on their schedule for the regular season, finishing at 6-0 against all in-state foes. The Knights took on competition of Florida, Miami, FGCU, Florida Atlantic and South Florida twice taking victories against all their Sunshine State opponents. In addition to the successful team result, the Knights also succeeded in securing the doubles point in all Florida matches.

 

ABOUT THE JAGUARS

South Alabama, led by Head Coach Nick Brochu, last appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 2021 winning the Sun Belt Conference Championship that same season. Brochu, who was hired in 2007, took over the most successful men’s tennis program in the Sun Belt history and led the Jaguars to their second consecutive conference title that same year. South Alabama enters the match with a 4-6 record this season. Braden Hannig has been a standout player, currently riding a three-match single winning streak, while sophomore Adam Bouyacoub has won two consecutive matches. UCF leads the all-time series 5-3, including a 4-1 victory in their most recent matchup in 2024 at the USTA National Campus.

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.