ORLANDO, Fla. – The Wichita State men's tennis team fell to former American Athletic Conference foe UCF 6-1 on Wednesday evening at USTA National Campus.
 
UCF improves to 3-0 with the win while the Shockers fall to 0-1. It's the first time the Shockers have lost their season opener in the Darragh Glavin era. 
 
In doubles, the Knights struck first with a 6-1 win over Arenui Luethi and Amir Milushev at court three. The standout Shocker doubles pair of Kristof Minarik and Alejandro Jacome collected the first doubles win of the year for the Black and Yellow with a 6-3 win at the top court, leaving Vanja Hodzic and Luke Bracks to decide the match at court two.
 
At court two, the Shocker pair trailed 5-2 but rallied back to make the score 5-4, before the UCF duo slammed the door, winning 6-4 to clinch doubles for the hometown team.
 
In singles, UCF took momentum by grabbing the first set on four of six courts. Milushev was the first Shocker to fall, dropping his true freshman debut 6-2, 6-1 at court six. Additional true freshman Zaid Al Mashni fell next, losing a 6-3, 6-1 decision at court five. 
 
Hodzic would get the Shockers on the board with a triumphant 6-4, 6-2 win at court two, the first Shocker singles win of the year. 
 
UCF clinched the match soon after with a 6-2, 6-3 triumph at court three over Jacome.
 
Minarik fell in a super tiebreak at court one, 6-4, 4-6, 1-0 (8), making it 5-1 Knights.
 
Bracks ended the match with a three-set defeat at court four, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
 
The Shockers will take a short trip to Tampa to take on the hometown South Florida Bulls on Friday at 8:30 AM CT.