IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine men's tennis team, which claimed a share of the Big West regular-season title last year, has bolstered its roster with three newcomers for the 2023-24 season.
 
The Anteaters have added a pair of graduate transfers in Rahul Dhokia and Hiroki Sakagawa, along with incoming freshman Andy Nguyen.
 
"All three newcomers embody the brand UCI men's tennis is building," said head coach Mike Saunders. "They are motivated to excel on the court and in the classroom. I'm grateful they have entrusted us to support them in their athletic and academic pursuits."
 
Rahul Dhokia comes to UCI from Texas A&M where he owned a 22-8 overall singles record in two seasons. The Aggies were consistently among the top-25 in the nation during his time in College Station. Dhokia spent his freshman and sophomore campaigns at Baylor where he was a member of the Bears' 2021 Big 12 Champion and NCAA Finalist team. That squad also earned the program's first No. 1 overall ranking since 2005. Dhokia, who is from Leicester, England, was a 2018 Junior Wimbledon participant and earned a high ATP ranking of 1550.
 
"Rahul brings a wealth of elite tennis experience," said Saunders. "He is a fierce competitor with big weapons. During the recruiting process, he conveyed that he believes this team could be special. While his time at UCI will be short, he is inspired to make an immediate and indelible impact on our program while building his finance and analytics pedigree."
 
 
Hiroki Sakagawa joins the Anteaters after four years at the University of Arizona. In his last two campaigns, the Wildcats won back-to-back Pac-12 regular-season championships. They also hosted an NCAA Regional for the first time in program history and advanced to the third round in 2023. Sakagawa, who had two shortened seasons, went 24-12 overall in singles. The Chiba, Japan, native had an impressive junior career where he was a two-time national doubles champion. Sakagawa reached No. 185 in the ITF Junior Rankings and held a Universal Tennis Rating of 13.28.
 
"Hiroki is someone we tried recruiting out of the juniors," Saunders stated. "He is hardworking, motivated, competes with class, and has proven that he can win against some of the best players in our conference. I believe he has saved his best tennis for the Anteaters and will thrive while earning his master's in finance."
 
 
Andy Nguyen is a blue chip recruit out of Millikan High School. He is ranked eighth in California and 18th in the nation according to Tennis Recruiting. Nguyen was the CIF-Southern Section individual champion in 2022, while he also led the Rams to the CIF Division 4 team title in 2021. The Long Beach native was a two-time Moore League singles champion and MVP. In addition, he was named the 2022 Press-Telegram Boys' Tennis Player of the Year. Nguyen has a Universal Tennis Rating of 12.2.
 
"Andy is a Southern California tennis product," said Saunders. "It's vital to our tennis program to attract local players who can win at this level. Andy has the type of game and athleticism that can flourish over four years with hard work and discipline. He comes to UCI with a high tennis IQ and appetite to improve his craft every day, and an intellectual curiosity that will serve him well in the classroom."