Results

SAN DIEGO - Emmanuel Coste headlined the UC Irvine men's tennis team's dual-match opener at the University of San Diego by taking down the top-ranked singles player in the country Friday at the Skip & Cindy Hogan Tennis Center.
 
Coste got the Anteaters, who dropped a 6-1 decision to the Toreros, on the board in impressive fashion. At the top of the lineup, he took control early against No. 1 August Holmgren with a 6-3 victory in the opening set.
 
Holmgren bounced back to win the second, 6-0, forcing the decisive third frame, where in a back-and-forth affair it was Coste who prevailed, 7-5, for the upset victory. Holmgren earned his No. 1 ITA Singles ranking after winning the 2021 ITA Fall National Championship and claiming runner-up honors at the ITA All-American Championships.
 
"Emmanuel won a huge match today, defeating the current No. 1-ranked player in the NCAA," UCI head coach Mike Saunders said. "He played high-level, disciplined tennis; he elevated his game in the must-have moments, and he competed with courage, passion and tenacity every single point. He was clutch and absolutely earned the victory against one of the most respected and talented players in college tennis. I believe it will inspire and unite this team in a big way."

Lawee Sherif and Thomas Smart also went the distance in their singles matches, but came up short in the final set. Sherif fell to Alex Stater, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2, at the third position, while Marvin Schaber outlasted Smart, 4-6, 6-0, 7-6, on court five.

In doubles, Matthew Sah and Smart teamed up to defeat David Norfeldt/Schaber, 6-4, at No. 3, but USD would claim the early lead with wins at Nos. 1 and 2.

"We did not win today, but I was proud of how we competed," Saunders added. "All I could think about during the match is how good this team can be with some belief and drive. I hope our guys find the belief, passion and motivation to become a team on a mission."

UC Irvine has another tough road test on Sunday, Jan. 23, when it heads to ninth-ranked USC for a 3 p.m. match.