The University of Central Florida men’s tennis team advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals after a dramatic 4-3 comeback victory over the University of Florida, according to a May 3 announcement.
The match was significant as it marked the second consecutive year that UCF reached the Super Regionals and the third straight season in which they ended Florida’s campaign. The contest took place at the USTA National Campus, where UCF overcame a 3-0 deficit indoors before securing their spot among the final sixteen teams.
Under head coach Lloyd Bruce-Burgess and assistant Kareem Allaf, now in their third year leading the program, UCF has achieved new milestones. “Do not scratch your eyes, the Knights did it again,” said Bruce-Burgess. Four-year players Paul Colin and Yassine Dlimi were central to both starting and finishing the comeback during their last collegiate seasons.
Florida initially gained an advantage by winning key doubles matches. However, UCF responded with strong performances in singles play. Colin secured a straight-set victory on court five, while transfers Wissam Abderrahman and Lemire leveled the score with wins on courts two and six respectively. The deciding point came when Dlimi won a tiebreaker on court one after saving two match points against Adhithya Ganesan.
This result marks only the second time in program history that UCF has reached this stage of NCAA competition in back-to-back seasons. The Knights are scheduled to face No. 4 Wake Forest in Winston-Salem on Friday, May 8.
