UC Irvine (11-5, 0-1 Big West) vs.
UC Riverside (17-10, 0-0 Big West)
Date: Friday, April 5
Time: 3 p.m. (PDT)
Location: UH Tennis Complex - Honolulu, HI

UC Irvine (11-5, 0-1 Big West) at
Hawai'i (7-8, 1-0 Big West)
Date: Saturday, April 6
Time: 3 p.m. (PDT)
Location: UH Tennis Complex - Honolulu, HI

Notes (PDF)

UC Irvine men's tennis will travel to the Aloha State for a pair of Big West matches this week. The Anteaters are set to face UC Riverside in a neutral-site match at 3 p.m. (PT) on Friday, April 5. They will then return to the courts on Saturday, April 6, for another 3 p.m. (PT) showdown with Hawai'i.
 
STORYLINES
• With another victory last week, senior Sasha Krasnov (7-4) improved to 5-0 at the No. 2 singles position.
• Krasnov got off to a hot start in 2019, winning his first three singles matches of the year.
• Senior Luis Lopez earned his third career Big West Player of the Week award on March 13.
• Lopez was recognized after going unbeaten at No. 1 singles and No. 3 doubles vs. Boston College and Villanova.
• After two more wins, senior Mason Hansen improved to 5-0 from the No. 3 singles position.
• Lopez and junior Bruce Man-Son-Hing are 10-1 in doubles, suffering their first loss at Cal Poly last Saturday.
• Hansen and junior Daniel Gealer are 6-4 overall as a pair from the No. 2 and 3 doubles positions.
• Gealer has won three straight singles matches, improving to 10-4 overall, and 9-3 while playing at No. 5 and 6.
• UC Irvine has seven returning letterwinners from a 2017-18 squad that finished with a 16-12 record.
• The 'Eaters made their fourth-straight appearance in the Big West semifinals last year.
• Lopez earned first-team All-Big West accolades in singles with a 15-8 record, playing primarily at No. 1.
• Krasnov garnered 2018 All-Big West Honorable Mention recognition in singles.
• Senior Vatsal Bajpai and Man-Son-Hing took home first-team All-Big West doubles honors.
• Hansen earned his second-straight All-Big West award in doubles, playing alongside recent grad Luca Marquard.
• UCI was a 2017-18 ITA All-Academic Team with six players earning individual Scholar-Athlete honors.
 
LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine defeated the Middlebury Panthers 6-1 last Monday. The Anteaters took control of the match early behind continued strong play from Vatsal Bajpai/Mateusz Smolicki and Luis Lopez/Bruce Man-Son-Hing. In singles, the 'Eaters secured the match with four straight wins. Sasha Krasnov defeated two-time All-American Lubomir Cuba, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 at the No. 1 spot. Mason Hansen remained undefeated at the No. 3 position with a straight set victory over Stanley Morris. The loss against UC Irvine was Middlebury's first of the season.
 
On Thursday, UCI completed its homestand with a 6-1 victory over Eastern Washington. The two teams were tied early in the match, but Lopez and Man-Son-Hing secured the doubles point with a tough 7-6 victory over Manuel Balce/Martin Bats. In singles play, the back and forth action continued as three matches went into the third set before completion. Down early, Krasnov battled back to defeat Mikayel Khachatryan, 4-6, 6-2, 10-4 at the No. 2 position. Aaron Bailey secured the final win for the 'Eaters, beating Jeremy Mueller, 6-3, 3-6, 10-6. UC Irvine improved to 4-0 all-time versus Eastern Washington, who dropped to 3-10 on the season.
 
The Anteaters traveled to Cal Poly (9-6, 1-0 Big West) for their first conference match of the season, and ended up falling to the Mustangs 5-2. Hansen and Krasnov defeated Daly Meinert/Andrew Whitehouse, 7-6 (2), but Cal Poly was able to clinch the doubles point for the early lead. Daniel Gealer started singles play with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Dom Bechard at the No. 5 position. Bailey was also victorious at the No. 6 spot, defeating Meinert 6-3, 7-5, but UCI dropped the other four matches to ultimately seal the win for the Mustangs. UC Irvine is now 18-9 all-time against Cal Poly.
 
VERSUS THE OPPONENTS
In the first match of their Hawaii trip, the Anteaters will face a UC Riverside (17-10, 0-0 Big West) team that has already set a school record with 17 wins this season. The Highlanders are led by senior Kyle McCann, who was a Big West Honorable Mention selection in singles play last season and is currently 11-9 while playing at the No. 1 spot this year. Junior Gilbert Chung, a Los Angeles native, has come on strong for the Highlanders, posting a 13-3 record at No. 3. UC Irvine is 24-0 against UC Riverside.
 
Hawai'i (7-8, 1-0 Big West) defeated UC Davis earlier this week to open conference play. The Rainbow Warriors have relied heavily on their youth this season. Sophomore Blaz Seric, a 2018 All-Big West Second Team selection in singles, has posted an 8-2 record at the No. 3 position this season. Freshman Andre Ilagan is 8-4 while playing at the top spot for Hawaii, and has already earned Big West Player of the Week honors earlier this year. UC Irvine is 10-3 overall and have won six straight versus the 'Bows.
 
DOUBLES SETTING THE TONE
Much of the success this season can be attributed to the strong start in doubles play. Nine of the Anteaters' eleven wins this year have come after securing the doubles point. Luis Lopez and Bruce Man-Son-Hing suffered their first loss last week, but are currently 10-1 as a duo this season and have combined for 21 total wins. Daniel Gealer and Mason Hansen have been strong for the Anteaters as well, posting a 4-2 record from the No. 2 doubles position. A new pairing may be forming, as Hansen and Sasha Krasnov won their first two matches together.

INTERNATIONAL FLAIR
Three 'Eaters hail from Europe - Antoine Barthe (France), Sasha Krasnov (Ukraine) and Mateusz Smolicki (Poland). 

LOOKING AHEAD
The Anteaters will return home to face UC Santa Barbara (9-5, 0-0 Big West) on Saturday, April 13 at 1:00 p.m.