A strong first campaign in the Big 12 Conference culminating with a fourth-place finish and the program’s second-ever advancement to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, has built excitement for what year two has in store. Friday afternoon, UCF men’s tennis head coach Lloyd Bruce-Burgess revealed his squad’s slate for the fall of 2024, featuring seven tournaments leading up to the NCAA Individual Championships, to precede the spring dual-match season.
The competition commences with the ITA All-American Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma, from Sept. 21-29. Hosted at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center, the Knights recently secured a dramatic 4-3 triumph against the Golden Hurricane, capped off by Liam Branger’s three-set clinch. During the tail-end of the tournament, UCF will also travel athletes to the ITA Milwaukee Classic from Sept. 27-29, its first appearance in the competition.
The first of two home events during the coming months, the Black and Gold will play host to multiple schools from Florida for the UCF Invite from Oct. 4-6. Just a week later, the USTA National Campus will welcome programs from across the southeast for the ITA Regional Championships.
In 2023, former Knight Lleyton Cronje and rising junior Santiago Giamichelle took home the doubles title in Atlanta. The week will serve as the second opportunity, after the All-American Championships, for players to qualify for the NCAA Individual Championships.
Next on the schedule is the annual Bedford Cup from Oct. 25-27 in Gainesville, Florida, a competition between Sunshine State schools that dates back to 2011. The Knights will split a weekend in November, as athletes will travel to both the ITA Sectionals in Tallahassee, Florida, from Nov. 7-10, and the Bonita Bay Classic, hosted by FGCU, from Nov. 7-10.
Qualified athletes will then make the trip to Waco, Texas, where Baylor will host a new-look NCAA Individual Championships, departing from the usual May placement which follows the team championships, and into the fall calendar.
Running concurrently with the team dates, Knights will individually compete in a selection of ITF Tournaments, including the Austin 25k, Boca 15k and Tallahassee 15k.
Yassine Dlimi led the Knights’ charge on the preseason ITA rankings, slotting in at 87th in the singles edition. Meanwhile, Giamichelle and Mehdi Benchakroun made their debut appearance on the doubles list at 39th, with Walid Ahouda (eighth) and Simeon Terziev (19) being named among the top newcomers.
Fall 2024 Schedule:
- ITA All-American Championships (Tulsa, Oklahoma): September 21-29
- ITA Milwaukee Classic (Milwaukee, Wisconsin): September 27-29
- UCF Invite (Orlando, Florida): October 4-6
- ITA Southeast Regionals (Orlando, Florida): October 10-15
- Bedford Cup (Gainesville, Florida): October 25-27
- ITA South Sectionals (Tallahassee, Florida): November 7-10
- Bonita Bay Classic (Bonita Springs, Florida): November 8-10
- NCAA Individual Championships (Waco, Texas): November 19-24
