Thursday, April 7
Irvine, Calif.
2:00 PM
UC Irvine
vs
UC Riverside
Anteaters Host UCR, Travel to UCSB This Week
April 05, 2022 | Men's Tennis
UC Riverside (3-11, 0-2 Big West) at
UC Irvine (11-5, 1-1 Big West)
Date: Thursday, April 7
Time: 2 p.m.
Location: Anteater Tennis Stadium - Irvine, Calif.
UC Irvine (11-5, 1-1 Big West) at
UC Santa Barbara (12-5, 1-1 Big West)
Date: Sunday, April 10
Time: 1 p.m.
Location: Arnhold Tennis Center - Santa Barbara, Calif.
Live Stream
Notes (PDF)
IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine men's tennis team continues Big West play this week, starting with a 2 p.m. home match against UC Riverside on Thursday, April 7. The Anteaters will then make their way to UC Santa Barbara for a 1 p.m. showdown on Sunday, April 10.
STORYLINES
• Last week, the 'Eaters won their 10th-straight match with a 4-0 victory at UCSD, before falling to Cal Poly, 4-2.
• It was the Anteaters' first 10-match win streak since 2015.
• All five of UC Irvine's losses have come to teams that were ranked or later made their way into the ITA's top-75.
• UCI has been tough to beat at Anteater Tennis Stadium in recent years, owning a 39-9 (.813) 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 8-2 at No. 1 singles and has won six 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).
• Noah Zamora saw an eight-match win streak snapped vs. Cal Poly with his first loss since his debut on Jan. 23.
• Zamora and Coste are tied for the team lead with an 8-2 dual-match singles record.
• Riccardo Roberto and Mike Mkrtchian also have seven singles victories each.
• Roberto is on a six-match win streak, while Mkrtchian has won his last two.
• 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 dropped a hard-fought 4-2 decision to No. 61 Cal Poly this past Sunday at Anteater Tennis Stadium. The 'Eaters won two singles matches and took three of the remaining four to a third frame, but they were unable to complete the comeback against the defending Big West champions. The Mustangs pulled ahead early, winning at No. 2 and No. 3 to claim the doubles point. Mike Mkrtchian evened the playing field in singles as he was first off the court with a 6-3, 6-2 triumph at the fifth position. Cal Poly then went back on top, 3-1, as Lawee Sherif fell to Fernando Fonseca, 6-3, 7-6, at No. 4, and Noah Zamora came up short against Colter Smith, 6-3, 1-6, 6-2, at No. 3. Riccardo Roberto kept UCI in it by taking down Joe Leather, 7-6, 7-6, on court two, but the Mustangs' Bastiaan Weststrate was able to hold off Ali Amiri 6-4, 6-7, 6-1 at the sixth spot for the 4-2 victory.
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 8-2 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 HIGHLANDERS
UC Riverside (3-11, 0-2 Big West) has lost six of its last seven after falling to Cal Poly, 4-2, on Monday, April 4. Sophomore Antreas Djakouris leads the Highlanders with a 6-3 record at No. 1 singles, while freshman Daniel Velek and senior Nolan McCaig have anchored the doubles effort as the UCR duo is 5-0 at the top of the lineup.
SCOUTING THE GAUCHOS
No. 53 UC Santa Barbara (12-5, 1-1 Big West) dropped its conference opener at Hawai'i, 4-3, before sweeping UC San Diego, 7-0, at home last Saturday. Sophomore Phillip Jordan leads the Gauchos with 21 overall victories, including 11 in dual-match play, all of which have come at the top of the lineup. Jordan and classmate Kai Brady have also teamed up to go 13-2 at No. 1 doubles.
MARCHING ON
The Anteaters went 7-0 in March, marking their first undefeated month with at least five matches played since 2000. That run extended their win streak to 10 before a 4-2 defeat against No. 61 Cal Poly on April 3. On the year, UC Irvine is 11-5, with all five of its losses coming to teams that have been ranked among the ITA's Top-75 at some point this season.
SINGLES STREAKS
Emmanuel Coste (No. 1) and Riccardo Roberto (No. 2) currently have UCI's longest active singles win streaks at six matches. Coste and Roberto have not lost since the Anteaters' Feb. 13 match at UCLA. Noah Zamora recently saw his season-long eight-match win streak snapped against Cal Poly on April 3.
MATCH CLINCHERS
Six different 'Eaters have delivered the match-clinching point in the team's 11 victories this season. Emmanuel Coste has ended the match on four 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, while Noah Zamora had a thrilling 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (4) triumph to secure UCI's 4-3 victory against Dartmouth.
SENIOR YEAR
Through three-plus seasons at UC Irvine, which included two shortened campaigns due to the pandemic, senior Mike Mkrtchian has posted a 35-24 overall singles record. He is 20-12 in dual-match play, and coming off his best year after going 9-4 as a junior.
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 19 career dual-match doubles victories.
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
After this week, UCI has two Big West regular-season matches remaining, starting with a road contest at UC Davis on Saturday, April 16.
UC Irvine (11-5, 1-1 Big West)
Date: Thursday, April 7
Time: 2 p.m.
Location: Anteater Tennis Stadium - Irvine, Calif.
UC Irvine (11-5, 1-1 Big West) at
UC Santa Barbara (12-5, 1-1 Big West)
Date: Sunday, April 10
Time: 1 p.m.
Location: Arnhold Tennis Center - Santa Barbara, Calif.
Live Stream
Notes (PDF)
IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine men's tennis team continues Big West play this week, starting with a 2 p.m. home match against UC Riverside on Thursday, April 7. The Anteaters will then make their way to UC Santa Barbara for a 1 p.m. showdown on Sunday, April 10.
STORYLINES
• Last week, the 'Eaters won their 10th-straight match with a 4-0 victory at UCSD, before falling to Cal Poly, 4-2.
• It was the Anteaters' first 10-match win streak since 2015.
• All five of UC Irvine's losses have come to teams that were ranked or later made their way into the ITA's top-75.
• UCI has been tough to beat at Anteater Tennis Stadium in recent years, owning a 39-9 (.813) 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 8-2 at No. 1 singles and has won six 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).
• Noah Zamora saw an eight-match win streak snapped vs. Cal Poly with his first loss since his debut on Jan. 23.
• Zamora and Coste are tied for the team lead with an 8-2 dual-match singles record.
• Riccardo Roberto and Mike Mkrtchian also have seven singles victories each.
• Roberto is on a six-match win streak, while Mkrtchian has won his last two.
• 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 dropped a hard-fought 4-2 decision to No. 61 Cal Poly this past Sunday at Anteater Tennis Stadium. The 'Eaters won two singles matches and took three of the remaining four to a third frame, but they were unable to complete the comeback against the defending Big West champions. The Mustangs pulled ahead early, winning at No. 2 and No. 3 to claim the doubles point. Mike Mkrtchian evened the playing field in singles as he was first off the court with a 6-3, 6-2 triumph at the fifth position. Cal Poly then went back on top, 3-1, as Lawee Sherif fell to Fernando Fonseca, 6-3, 7-6, at No. 4, and Noah Zamora came up short against Colter Smith, 6-3, 1-6, 6-2, at No. 3. Riccardo Roberto kept UCI in it by taking down Joe Leather, 7-6, 7-6, on court two, but the Mustangs' Bastiaan Weststrate was able to hold off Ali Amiri 6-4, 6-7, 6-1 at the sixth spot for the 4-2 victory.
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 8-2 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 HIGHLANDERS
UC Riverside (3-11, 0-2 Big West) has lost six of its last seven after falling to Cal Poly, 4-2, on Monday, April 4. Sophomore Antreas Djakouris leads the Highlanders with a 6-3 record at No. 1 singles, while freshman Daniel Velek and senior Nolan McCaig have anchored the doubles effort as the UCR duo is 5-0 at the top of the lineup.
SCOUTING THE GAUCHOS
No. 53 UC Santa Barbara (12-5, 1-1 Big West) dropped its conference opener at Hawai'i, 4-3, before sweeping UC San Diego, 7-0, at home last Saturday. Sophomore Phillip Jordan leads the Gauchos with 21 overall victories, including 11 in dual-match play, all of which have come at the top of the lineup. Jordan and classmate Kai Brady have also teamed up to go 13-2 at No. 1 doubles.
MARCHING ON
The Anteaters went 7-0 in March, marking their first undefeated month with at least five matches played since 2000. That run extended their win streak to 10 before a 4-2 defeat against No. 61 Cal Poly on April 3. On the year, UC Irvine is 11-5, with all five of its losses coming to teams that have been ranked among the ITA's Top-75 at some point this season.
SINGLES STREAKS
Emmanuel Coste (No. 1) and Riccardo Roberto (No. 2) currently have UCI's longest active singles win streaks at six matches. Coste and Roberto have not lost since the Anteaters' Feb. 13 match at UCLA. Noah Zamora recently saw his season-long eight-match win streak snapped against Cal Poly on April 3.
MATCH CLINCHERS
Six different 'Eaters have delivered the match-clinching point in the team's 11 victories this season. Emmanuel Coste has ended the match on four 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, while Noah Zamora had a thrilling 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (4) triumph to secure UCI's 4-3 victory against Dartmouth.
SENIOR YEAR
Through three-plus seasons at UC Irvine, which included two shortened campaigns due to the pandemic, senior Mike Mkrtchian has posted a 35-24 overall singles record. He is 20-12 in dual-match play, and coming off his best year after going 9-4 as a junior.
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 19 career dual-match doubles victories.
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
After this week, UCI has two Big West regular-season matches remaining, starting with a road contest at UC Davis on Saturday, April 16.
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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