IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine men's tennis team welcomes four newcomers for the 2021-22 season with the addition of two graduate transfers and a pair of true freshmen.
 
Emmanuel Coste (Aix-en-Provence, France) and Riccardo Roberto (Padova, Italy) bring a wealth of international and NCAA experience as they come to UCI from Power 5 schools, while Noah Zamora and Rithvik Krishna are both highly-touted Southern California recruits.
 
With the mixture of experience and talent, the group will look to make an immediate impact on the Anteater program, which also brings back five returning letterwinners.
 
"This incoming class really represents the college tennis brand we are building," seventh-year head coach Mike Saunders said. "I'm excited to get two guys who have the experience and success of Emmanuel and Riccardo. They have both been in the national rankings, they've competed in NCAAs and they're team leaders. They will give us some experience up top even though they're new to the program.
 
"Noah and Rithvik are incoming freshmen who are some of the better juniors in the nation for their class. Both are respected as gifted players and classy competitors within the local Southern California tennis community. Overall, this group embodies the caliber of program that we aspire to be; a team that can win the Big West, compete with the nation's best, and do so with character and integrity while excelling in the classroom."
 
Emmanuel Coste spent the last three seasons at the University of Oregon, where he accumulated 39 overall singles and 28 overall doubles wins. An All-Pac-12 selection, he helped the Ducks make an appearance in the second round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament, going 12-7 at the top of the lineup with four victories over nationally-ranked opponents. As a junior, he also defeated 28th-ranked Govind Nanda of UCLA. In his first year in Eugene, Coste won the 2018 ITA Northwest Regional singles title. He had a high ITA ranking of No. 78 in singles and No. 41 in doubles during his time at Oregon, and will enter the 2021-22 campaign with the Anteaters at No. 63 in the preseason top-125. Coste will be working toward his Master of Finance degree at UCI.
 
"Emmanuel has junior Grand Slam experience having competed in the French Open junior championships, and big-time college tennis experience having played at the top of the lineup these past couple of years for a highly respected Pac-12 program," Saunders said. "He is an exciting player to watch, a pure competitor who is never intimidated and thrives under pressure, and the type of leader who unites his teammates."   
 
Riccardo Roberto compiled 56 overall singles and 51 overall doubles wins in his four years at Alabama. He was a member of three of the Crimson Tide's NCAA Tournament teams, while he also advanced to the 2021 NCAA Doubles Championships with partner Patrick Kaukovalta. The duo, which was ranked as high as No. 21 in the nation, concluded the year at No. 32. In addition, he earned a preseason singles ranking of No. 96 to start the shortened 2019-20 campaign. Roberto, who made the SEC Spring Academic Honor Roll and earned ITA Scholar-Athlete distinction, will be working toward his Master of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at UCI.
 
"Riccardo has already had success on the ATP Tour, earning a singles ranking of 1356 in the world while being mentored by some of the best coaches in college tennis, including former NCAA singles champion, Robby Weiss," Saunders said. "He, too, is a courageous competitor who loves the battle, feeds on pressure and adversity, and inspires his teammates to believe."
 
Noah Zamora is a blue chip recruit out of St. Augustine High School. As a senior, he won five matches without dropping a set to claim the San Diego Section CIF Boys' Singles title. Zamora was recognized for his effort as he was named the 2021 CIF-SDS Player of the Year. The San Diego native was also tabbed the 2019 Western League Player of the Year after winning the singles championship as a sophomore. More recently, he won four back draw rounds at the Kalamazoo USTA Boys 18s National Championships. In addition, he was the recipient of the prestigious USTA Southern California Evelyn Houseman Lifetime Junior Sportsmanship Award for having exemplified good sportsmanship throughout his junior tennis career. Zamora plans to major in criminology, law and society at UC Irvine.
 
"Noah is poised to flourish in the college tennis team environment," Saunders said. "He has a big serve and forehand combination, and the requisite ambition to become one of the best players in the nation. His firepower as a player will help us win on the court and his character will contribute to our reputation as a team that values sportsmanship."
 
Rithvik Krishna is a five-star recruit out of University High School in Irvine. The local product helped the Trojans win the 2019 CIF-Southern Section Open Division Championship. Individually, he advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2020 USTA Southern California Junior Sectional Championships and was a Boys' 16s Singles Finalist at the 2019 Stockton USTA National Level 2 Tournament. In his junior career, Krishna earned a handful of wins over current Division I college players from UCLA, Columbia, UC Santa Barbara and San Diego State. Krishna, who has aspirations to be a film director, plans to major in film and media.
 
"I'm especially excited to have a pedigreed local player with an impeccable reputation join our program," Saunders said. "Rithvik comes in with an impressive 12.15 UTR. Every successful team needs a reliable competitor like Rithvik. He knows how to win more than most players his age and wins consistently; he is passionate about working on his craft, growing his game, and best of all, he loves to compete. Rithvik has a bright future ahead of him on the court and as a storyteller."