UC Irvine (0-0) at
San Diego (0-0)
Date: Friday, Jan. 21
Time: 2 p.m. (PST)
Location: Skip & Cindy Hogan Tennis Center - San Diego, Calif.
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UC Irvine (0-0) at
No. 9 USC (0-0)
Date: Sunday, Jan. 23
Time: 3 p.m. (PST)
Location: David X. Marks Tennis Stadium - Los Angeles, Calif.
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Notes (PDF)

IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine men's tennis team is ready to begin its 2022 dual match season on the road this weekend as it heads to the University of San Diego on Friday, Jan. 21, and No. 9 USC on Sunday, Jan. 23.
 
The 'Eaters are looking to build off a strong fall campaign where they played in four tournaments. Junior Matthew Sah finished with a team-best seven singles wins, while graduate transfers Emmanuel Coste and Riccardo Roberto both made an appearance at the prestigious ITA All-American Championships in October.
 
"Our guys played a lot of matches in the fall," head coach Mike Saunders stated. "That competitive experience will pay off this season."
 
The Anteaters have a well-balanced squad with four returners and five newcomers. Among the newcomers are Coste and Roberto, who have Power 5 experience as they previously played at Oregon and Alabama, respectively. UCI also added true freshmen, and Southern California natives, Rithvik Krishna, Noah Zamora and Lawee Sherif.
 
Returning for UC Irvine are Sah, Mike Mkrtchian, Ali Amiri and Thomas Smart. Sah earned All-Big West honorable mention recognition in doubles in 2021 after going 7-5 overall and 3-0 in conference play. Mkrtchian, meanwhile, tied for the team lead with nine dual-match singles victories last year. The Reseda, California, native closed out the regular season on a seven-match win streak and finished Big West action with a perfect 6-0 record.
 
"We are a threat at every position and our depth will galvanize our confidence, individually and collectively," Saunders said. "The secret sauce this year will be how we compete as a team. The more inspired and courageous we are, the better we will do. You have to believe and have the guts to give everything you have to succeed in tennis. We understand that; now we have to show up and have the passion, discipline and resilience to do the work, love the battle, and find a way to get the job done."
 
STORYLINES
• Emmanuel Coste made it to the main draw of the 2021 ITA All-American Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
• Coste went 2-2 in the prestigious tournament, while Riccardo Roberto went 1-1 in the prequalifying draw.
• At the Southwest Regional, Coste and Roberto advanced to the Round of 16 in doubles and the Round of 32 in singles.
• Matthew Sah and Thomas Smart also made an appearance in the doubles Round of 16 at the regional tournament.
• Sah was 7-3 in fall tournament singles, including a 6-0 mark in hidden duals (Hagedorn Hidden Dual & LMU Invite).
• In their Division I history, the Anteaters have made 11 NCAA Tournament appearances.
• They have placed first in the Big West standings 17 times and won three Big West Tournament titles.
• UC Irvine has been named an ITA All-Academic Team (minimum 3.2 team GPA) in each of the last five years.
 
DUAL MATCH OPENER POSTPONED
UC Irvine's dual-match opener scheduled for Monday, Jan. 17, at Anteater Stadium was postponed due to COVID-19 protocols within the San Diego State program. The match will be rescheduled at a later date.
 
SCOUTING THE TOREROS
The University of San Diego was receiving votes in the ITA Preseason Coaches' Poll released on Jan. 19. The Toreros have six returners, led by August Holmgren, the top-ranked singles player in the country. In the fall, Holmgren won the ITA Fall National Championship and was the runner-up at the ITA All-American Championships. Last season, he also earned All-America honors and was tabbed the West Coast Conference Player of the Year.

SCOUTING THE TROJANS
USC came in at No. 9 in the ITA Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Trojans welcome back six letterwinners from last year's squad that went 23-7 overall, won the Pac-12 Championship and advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament. USC has five players ranked among the top-100 in singles, led by No. 6 Stefan Dostanic. In the fall, Dostanic went 18-4 and advanced to the semifinals of the ITA Southwest Regional. The Trojans will open their dual-match campaign with a doubleheader against UC Davis and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Jan. 21.
 
SAH POWER
Junior Matthew Sah finished with a team-best 7-3 singles record in the fall. The San Diego native went 6-0 in hidden duals and picked up impressive wins over opponents from Pac-12 members Utah and Arizona. Sah is the Anteaters' only returning All-Big West performer as he received an honorable mention nod in doubles last year.
 
SENIOR YEAR
Through three seasons at UC Irvine, which included two shortened campaigns due to the pandemic, senior Mike Mkrtchian has posted a 28-18 overall singles record. He is 13-6 in dual-match play, and coming off his best year after going 9-4 as a junior. Mkrtchian closed out the 2021 regular season on a seven-match win streak.
 
GRAD TRANSFERS
The Anteaters welcome two graduate transfers for the 2021-22 campaign. Emmanuel Coste, who hails from France, went 39-27 in three seasons at Pac-12 member Oregon. He has earned a singles ranking each year with a high of No. 63. Riccardo Roberto also boasted a 56-40 overall singles record in four seasons at Alabama. The Padova, Italy, native qualified for the 2021 NCAA Doubles Championships with partner Patrick Kaukovalta, and the duo closed out the campaign ranked 32nd in the nation. Coste is currently in the Master of Finance program, while Roberto is working toward a Master of Innovation and Entrepreneurship degree.
 
STAYING LOCAL
UC Irvine's nine-man roster is comprised of six student-athletes from the Southern California area. Three are Orange County natives, including Rithvik Krishna and Ali Amiri, who are both from Irvine.
 
INTERNATIONAL FLAIR
Three international student-athletes - Emmanuel Coste (France), Riccardo Roberto (Italy) and Thomas Smart (England) - round out UC Irvine's roster. The 'Eaters have had at least two international student-athletes every year since 2014-15.
 
UP NEXT
UC Irvine will have a week off before returning to Anteater Tennis Stadium, as it plays host to Grand Canyon on Friday, Feb. 4, and San Francisco on Sunday, Feb. 6.