UC Irvine (10-4, 0-0 Big West) at
UC San Diego (5-13, 1-1 Big West)
Date: Wednesday, March 30
Time: 3 p.m. (PDT)
Location: Northview Tennis Courts - La Jolla, Calif.

No. 63 Cal Poly (10-4, 1-0 Big West) at
UC Irvine (10-4, 0-0 Big West)
Date: Sunday, April 3
Time: 1 p.m. (PDT)
Location: Anteater Tennis Stadium - Irvine, Calif.

Notes (PDF)

IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine men's tennis team kicks off Big West action this week starting on Wednesday, March 30, when it heads to UC San Diego for a 3 p.m. match. The Anteaters then return home to host Cal Poly at 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 3.
 
STORYLINES
• The 'Eaters, who have not lost since Feb. 13, are on a season-long nine-match win streak.
• UCI has been tough to beat at Anteater Tennis Stadium in recent years, owning a 39-8 (.830) home record since 2018.
• Emmanuel Coste was 81st in the latest ITA Singles Rankings which were released on March 23.
• Coste, who has faced two top-10 opponents this year, is 7-2 at No. 1 singles and has won five in a row.
• The graduate transfer kicked off the 2022 season by upsetting the NCAA's top-ranked singles player at the time.
• On Jan. 21, he took down then No. 1 August Holmgren of San Diego, 6-3, 0-6, 7-5.
• Coste was named the Big West Men's Tennis Player of the Week for his effort (Jan. 26).
• After falling in his collegiate dual-match debut, Noah Zamora (7-1) has reeled off seven-straight victories.
• Four of those wins have come at the top two spots in the lineup.
• Lawee Sherif's first collegiate victory was a 6-2, 7-6 triumph (No. 3) that clinched a 4-0 sweep of Grand Canyon.
• Rithvik Krishna also picked up his first collegiate dual-match win to secure a 4-0 victory over Villanova on March 2.
• In his 2022 debut, Ali Amiri defeated Paul Barretto of ninth-ranked USC, 6-4, 2-6, 10-7, at the sixth position.
• UC Irvine made an appearance at No. 70 in the ITA National Team Rankings that were released on March 2.
• In their Division I history, the 'Eaters 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.
 
LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine closed out non-conference play with a 5-2 victory over defending BIG EAST champion DePaul last Wednesday, March 23, at Anteater Tennis Stadium. UCI took an early lead as Matthew Sah and Lawee Sherif got things started in doubles with a 6-2 win over Lars Peder Minsaas/Luuk Wasenaar at No. 2. Ali Amiri and Mike Mkrtchian then took down Matteo Iaquinto/Trip Tuff, 6-4, at the third position to secure the doubles point. The Blue Demons evened the playing field in singles with a win on court four, but just seconds later, Noah Zamora put the 'Eaters back on top. Zamora won his seventh-straight match and improved to 3-0 at No. 2 with a 6-3, 6-4, triumph over Marino Jakic. Amiri followed with a straight-set victory, dispatching Tuff, 6-2, 6-2, at the fifth spot to make it 3-1 in favor of the Anteaters. DePaul stayed alive with a win at No. 6, but Sherif then delivered a 6-2, 7-6 (9-7) match-clinching victory over Minsaas at No. 3. Coste added another point for UC Irvine as he closed out the day by upending Vito Tonejc, who was the 2021 BIG EAST Player of the Year, 6-4, 6-2, at the top of the lineup.
 
IN THE RANKINGS
Emmanuel Coste, who has been ranked as high as 60th in the nation, came in at No. 81 in the latest ITA Singles Top-125 (March 23). Coste picked up a signature 6-3, 0-6, 7-5 win over then No. 1 August Holmgren of San Diego in the dual-match opener on Jan. 21. The Frenchman is 7-2 on the season with his only losses coming to UCLA's Drew Baird and USC's Stefan Dostanic, who remains unbeaten in dual match play and is ranked sixth in the nation. Coste, a graduate transfer from Oregon, has been featured in the ITA Rankings in each of his four collegiate campaigns.
 
SCOUTING THE TRITONS
UC San Diego (5-13, 1-1 Big West) was last in action on Saturday, March 26, dropping a pair of matches at UNLV. The Tritons opened Big West player earlier in March, defeating UC Riverside, 5-2, and falling to Hawai'i, 4-2. Sahm Irvine has a team-leading 7-3 dual-match singles record, while Pelayo Rodriguez and Phillip Lan are 9-1 in doubles, winning their last eight matches.

SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS
No. 63 Cal Poly (10-4, 1-0 Big West), the defending Big West regular season champion, opened conference play last Thursday, March 24, with a 4-3 win at 75th-ranked Hawai'i. Noah Berry, the 2021 Big West Freshman of the Year, leads the Mustangs with nine singles wins, all coming at the top of the lineup, while Joe Leather is 8-3 at No. 2.
 
MARCHING ON
The Anteaters are 6-0 in March and are looking to complete their first undefeated month with at least five matches played since 2000. They are also looking to extend their season-long nine-match win streak. On the year, UC Irvine is 10-4 with all four of its losses coming to teams that have been ranked among the ITA's Top-75.
 
SINGLES STREAKS
Noah Zamora (7-1) has won each of his last seven singles decisions. Four of those victories have come at the top-two spots in the lineup, including an impressive 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (4) triumph at No. 2 that clinched UCI's 4-3 win over Dartmouth on March 21. Emmanuel Coste and Riccardo Roberto also own five-match win streaks, although Roberto has not played since March 6 due to injury. Matthew Sah and Ali Amiri round out the singles streaks as both have been victorious in their last four outings.
 
MATCH CLINCHERS
Six different 'Eaters have delivered the match-clinching point in the team's 10 victories this season. Emmanuel Coste has ended the match on three separate occasions, including in a 4-3 triumph at then No. 72 San Francisco. The first collegiate dual-match wins for both Rithvik Krishna and Lawee Sherif were also match clinchers.
 
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. He has 18 career dual-match doubles victories.
 
SENIOR YEAR
Through three-plus seasons at UC Irvine, which included two shortened campaigns due to the pandemic, senior Mike Mkrtchian has posted a 33-24 overall singles record. He is 18-12 in dual-match play, and coming off his best year after going 9-4 as a junior.
 
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. 60. 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 continues its Big West schedule next week, hosting UC Riverside (April 7) before traveling to No. 53 UC Santa Barbara (April 10).