TUCSON, Ariz. – The No. 15 UCF men’s tennis team couldn’t overcome a dominant performance from No. 10 Arizona, falling 4–1 in their penultimate match of the regular season.
After dropping the doubles point, the Knights were unable to shift the momentum in singles play, as the Wildcats claimed three courts in straight sets to secure the victory.
Arizona began its winning ways in doubles play, quickly besting Luca Hotze and Nicolas Oliveira on court three, 6-3. Minutes later, the No. 30 pairing of Filip Gustafsson and Glib Sekachov took a win on court one with the same result as three. Play was tight on court two as the duo of Jay Friend and Alexander Rozin were up 5-4 before play was halted.
Singles opened with Arizona striking quickly on the top court. The nation’s No. 4 player, Jay Friend, left no room for the Knights to make a move, powering past No. 73 Yassine Dlimi 6-2, 6-3
UCF’s lone point of the afternoon came from Paul Colin on court five. The Frenchman delivered yet another dominating performance, earning his 15th singles win of the dual season with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Alejandro Arcila.
Even with Colin’s point, the Wildcats ultimately sealed the match with two quick wins. No. 123 Wissam Abderrahman fell to No. 67 Filip Gustafsson 6-1, 7(7)-6(2), while freshman Pedro Rodrigues was defeated by No. 105 Zoran Ludoski 6-3, 6-3.
On the remaining courts, sophomore Clement Lemire was leading 2-1 in the second set after a narrow first‑set tiebreak. Senior Mehdi Benchakroun was also mounting a comeback on court three, ahead 3-0 in the second set after dropping the opener in a tiebreak when play was halted.
UP NEXT
The Knights will continue their stint in Arizona as they take on the Sun Devils for their final match of the regular season on Sunday, April 12.
Singles Results
- No. 4 Jay Friend (Arizona) def. No. 73 Yassine Dlimi (UCF): 6-2, 6-3
- No. 67 Filip Gustafsson (Arizona) def. No. 123 Wissam Abderrahman (UCF): 6-1, 7(7)-6(2)
- Alexander Rozin (Arizona) vs. Mehdi Benchakroun (UCF): 7(7)-6(5), 0-3
- No. 105 Zoran Ludoski (Arizona) def. Pedro Rodrigues (UCF): 6-3, 6-3
- Paul Colin (UCF) def. Alejandro Arcilla (Arizona): 6-4, 6-2
- Glib Sekachov (Arizona) vs. Clement Lemire (UCF): 7(11)-6(9), 1-2
Doubles Results
- No. 30 Filip Gustafsson/Glib Sekachov (Arizona) def. Paul Colin/Yassine Dlimi (UCF): 6-3
- Jay Friend/Alexander Rozin (Arizona) vs. Mehdi Benchakroun/Wissam Abderrahman (UCF): 5-4
- Alejandro Arcila/Cole Stelse (Arizona) def. Luca Hotze/Nicolas Oliveira (UCF): 6-3