Results

IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine dropped a hard-fought 4-2 decision to No. 61 Cal Poly Sunday afternoon at Anteater Tennis Stadium.
 
The 'Eaters (11-5, 1-1 Big West) won two singles matches in straight sets and took three of the remaining four to a third frame, but they were unable to complete the comeback against the defending Big West regular-season champions. It was UCI's first loss since Feb. 13 as its 10-match win streak came to an end.
 
Cal Poly (11-4, 2-0 Big West) took the early lead, winning at No. 2 and No. 3 to claim the doubles point. At the top of the lineup, Emmanuel Coste and Noah Zamora held a 4-3 advantage before their match was abandoned.
 
Mike Mkrtchian evened the playing field in singles as he was first off the court with a 6-3, 6-2 triumph over Gary Vardanyan at the fifth position. The Mustangs then went back on top, 3-1, as Lawee Sherif fell to Fernando Fonseca, 6-3, 7-6, at No. 4, and Zamora came up short against Colter Smith, 6-3, 1-6, 6-2, at No. 3.
 
Riccardo Roberto kept the Anteaters in it by taking down Joe Leather, 7-6, 7-6, on court two, but Cal Poly's Bastiaan Weststrate was able to hold off Ali Amiri, 6-4, 6-7, 6-1 at the sixth spot for the 4-2 victory.
 
Coste's match against Noah Berry at No. 1 singles was suspended when the Mustangs clinched. Coste was in the midst of a remarkable comeback after dropping the opening set, 6-3, and trailing 5-3 in the second. He stayed alive by winning a deuce point to break serve, giving Coste all the momentum as he took the second set, 7-5, and went up 4-2 in the third.
 
UC Irvine continues Big West action at home on Thursday, April 7, when it welcomes UC Riverside to Anteater Tennis Stadium.  
 
NOTES
• All five of UC Irvine's losses this season have come against opponents that have been featured in the ITA National Rankings.
• UCI had a rare home defeat as it is now 39-9 at Anteater Tennis Stadium since 2018.
• Riccardo Roberto extended his singles win streak to six matches.
• Noah Zamora was dealt his first loss since his collegiate debut at USC on Jan. 23.
• Zamora and Emmanuel Coste are tied for the team lead with an 8-2 record in dual-match singles.