Big West First Round
UC Irvine (15-11, 2-3 Big West) vs.
Hawai'i (3-14, 2-3 Big West)
Date: Thursday, April 26
Time: 9 a.m. (PDT)
Location: Indian Wells Tennis Garden - Indian Wells, Calif.

Big West Semifinals
Date: Friday, April 27
Time: 3 p.m. (PDT)
Location: Indian Wells Tennis Garden - Indian Wells, Calif.

Big West Championship
Date: Sunday, April 29
Time: 9 a.m. (PDT)
Location: Indian Wells Tennis Garden - Indian Wells, Calif.

Tournament Central

UC Irvine Match Notes

The fourth-seeded UC Irvine men's tennis team is set to compete in the Big West Tournament this week, starting with a first-round match against No. 5 seed Hawai'i at 9 a.m. on Thursday, April 26. The semifinals will then take place on Friday, April 27, while the championship is scheduled for Sunday, April 29. The tournament will be held at Indian Wells Tennis Garden for the 15th year in a row.

TOP 10 HITS
• UCI registered a 7-5 mark against Big West doubles competition including Luis Lopez and Daniel Gealer finishing 2-0 at the No. 3 position. 
• The Anteaters swept four opponents this season including Big West foe, Hawai'i, 7-0.
• UCI dropped its regular season finale to UC Davis, 4-1.
• Luca Marquard has 37 career dual-match wins followed by Vatsal Bajpai with 30.
• The 'Eaters had a seven game winning streak that spanned from March 7-16.
• Luis Lopez leads the Anteaters with 15 dual-match wins this season followed by Daniel Gealer with 14.
• Bruce Man-Son-Hing is first on the roster in dual-match doubles wins with 13, followed by Vatsal Bajpai with 12.
• Mason Hansen won his last three singles matches playing at the No. 5 and 6 positions.
• Gealer is 5-2 over his last 10 matches played.  
• Sebastian Heim has 44 career dual-match wins, good for 33^rd all-time.

POSTSEASON HISTORY
Since 1994, UC Irvine is 27-22 in Big West Tournament matches. The Anteaters have advanced to the championship eight times, most recently in 2015. They claimed the tournament title in 2005, 2010 and 2011. Thursday will mark UCI's second postseason meeting with Hawai'i.

The 'Eaters met UH in last year's Big West Tournament First Round. UCI won, 4-0.

PREVIOUSLY, AGAINST HAWAI'I
UCI earned a 7-0 swept over Hawai'i during the regular season.

The Anteaters came out firing, winning the doubles point with triumphs at Nos. 1, 2 and 3. The duo of Luca Marquard and Mason Hansen got things started, winning at No. 2, 6-4. Daniel Gealer and Luis Lopez clinched the point with a victory at No. 3, 6-4.

Hansen gave the 'Eaters a 2-0 lead after winning on court five, 6-2, 6-3. Bajpai followed earning a quick victory at No. 6, 6-4, 6-1.

Sasha Krasnov clinched the match after defeating Lucas LaBrunie, 6-4, 6-0 at No. 2 while Luca Marquard was right behind with a 7-5, 6-2 victory at No. 3.
Gealer battled on court four, ultimately defeating Fabian Woehrl, 6-3, 7-6 (9-7).

Lopez went the distance with Blaz Seric at the top spot and came out on top with a three-set victory, 6-0, 4-6, 7-6 (7-5).  

ABOUT THE RAINBOW WAHINE
Hawai'i (3-14, 2-3) earned Big West wins over UC Davis (4-3) and UC Riverside (4-3). The Rainbow Wahine also grabbed a victory over Sacramento State earlier this season. UH has faced five ranked opponents. Felix Albert and Aleksa Lazarevic both lead the roster with five dual-match wins. Lucas LaBrunie and Chia-Hua Lu are 2-2 in doubles while the team of Albert/Fabian Woehrl have a 2-7 mark at No. 1 doubles.

UCI is 9-3 all-time against Hawai'i including a perfect 1-0 in the postseason. The Anteaters have won the last five matches against the 'Bows.

A GLANCE AT THE REST OF THE FIELD
If UC Irvine wins Thursday, it will advance to Friday's semifinal against top-seeded UC Santa Barbara. The Gauchos finished the Big West regular season with a perfect 5-0 mark. UCSB swept UCI 4-0 earlier this season. The Gauchos hold a 10-2 edge over the Anteaters in the Big West Tournament.

The second semifinal is set to feature No. 2 Cal Poly (17-6, 4-1) and the winner of the first round match between No. 3 UC Davis (8-17, 2-3) and No. 6 UC Riverside (16-18, 0-5).

BIG WEST ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
The Anteaters have received two Big West Athletes of the Week nods this season. Luis Lopez was the first Anteater to earn the honor for the week of Feb. 28. Sasha Krasnov grabbed the weekly award for the week of March 21.

LOPEZ LEADS
Junior Luis Lopez has filled in for an injured Sebastian Heim at No. 1 singles and owns a 13-7 record at the top spot. He currently leads the 'Eaters in singles with 15 dual-match wins and is third on the roster with 11 doubles wins. Earlier this season, he defeated No. 8 USC's Laurens Verboven, 7-6 (5), 2-6, 1-0 (12-10) at No. 3 singles.

HOME COURT SUCCESS
UCI is 13-2 when playing at Anteater Tennis Stadium. Earlier this season, the Anteaters won seven straight home matches, their longest win streak of the year.

ON THE DOUBLE
UCI is 7-5 in doubles play against Big West competition. The duo of Vatsal Bajpai/Bruce Man-Son-Hing lead the way with a 12-9 doubles record while Mason Hansen and Luca Marquard are 8-11 on the season including a 3-2 mark in the conference. Luis Lopez and Daniel Gealer have teamed up at No. 3 doubles and boast a perfect 2-0 record in Big West play.

IMMEDIATE IMPACTS
Sophomore transfer Daniel Gealer and junior transfer Sasha Krasnov have made immediate impacts on the UCI roster. In his first season with the Anteaters, Gealer is second on the roster in dual-match singles wins with 14, primarily playing at No. 4. Krasnov was named a Big West Athlete of the Week on March 21 and boasts an 11-10 singles record mostly playing at the No. 2 position.

GET TO KNOW THE 'EATERS
UC Irvine returns six players and welcomes three newcomers, including one freshman and two transfers. Sophomore Daniel Gealer comes to Irvine from UCLA, while junior Sasha Krasnov spent the past two years at Cerritos College. Antoine Barthe is the only true freshman in the mix, hailing from Rueil-Malmaison, France.

Five of the nine Anteaters on the roster are California natives, with the remaining four players are international products. Heim and Marquard are natives of Germany while Barthe comes from France and Krasnov is a product of Ukraine.