Friday, March 15
Irvine, Calif.
11:00 AM
UC Irvine
0
vs
7
#7 Columbia
Men's Tennis Falls to Seventh-Ranked Columbia
March 15, 2024 | Men's Tennis
IRVINE, Calif. - Going up against its second top-10 opponent of the season, UC Irvine men's tennis was handed its first home loss, falling to seventh-ranked Columbia, 7-0, Friday at Anteater Tennis Stadium.
The Lions (12-2) closed out a 3-0 week in Southern California where they also defeated No. 31 UCLA and No. 40 Pepperdine.
UCI (8-5) gave Columbia a run for its money in doubles. Andy Nguyen and Hiroki Sakagawa dropped a 6-4 decision to No. 22 Nicolas Kotzen/Max Westphal at No. 2. Brandon Park and Matthew Sah then took Alex Kotzen/Henry Ruger to a tiebreaker where they fell, 7-6 (3), on court three.
At the top of the lineup, Rahul Dhokia and Noah Zamora were locked in a tight battle with No. 18 Theo Winegar/Michael Zheng as they were tied 6-6 before their match went unfinished.
In singles, the Lions won in straight sets at Nos. 6, 3 and 1 to clinch the match.
Nguyen got out to a strong start at No. 4 where he won the first set, but Westphal came back to take the next two for the 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory.
Columbia's top-three singles players were all ranked in the latest ITA Top-125.
UC Irvine returns to Anteater Tennis Stadium next Saturday, March 23, when it hosts Gonzaga at 11 a.m.
The Lions (12-2) closed out a 3-0 week in Southern California where they also defeated No. 31 UCLA and No. 40 Pepperdine.
UCI (8-5) gave Columbia a run for its money in doubles. Andy Nguyen and Hiroki Sakagawa dropped a 6-4 decision to No. 22 Nicolas Kotzen/Max Westphal at No. 2. Brandon Park and Matthew Sah then took Alex Kotzen/Henry Ruger to a tiebreaker where they fell, 7-6 (3), on court three.
At the top of the lineup, Rahul Dhokia and Noah Zamora were locked in a tight battle with No. 18 Theo Winegar/Michael Zheng as they were tied 6-6 before their match went unfinished.
In singles, the Lions won in straight sets at Nos. 6, 3 and 1 to clinch the match.
Nguyen got out to a strong start at No. 4 where he won the first set, but Westphal came back to take the next two for the 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory.
Columbia's top-three singles players were all ranked in the latest ITA Top-125.
UC Irvine returns to Anteater Tennis Stadium next Saturday, March 23, when it hosts Gonzaga at 11 a.m.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
2,3
#1 Singles Match
12
Michael Zheng / 0 (15/-) [COL]
66
43
#2 Singles Match
12
Alex Kotzen / 0 (77/-) [COL]
76
54
#3 Singles Match
12
Nicolas Kotzen / 0 (113/-) [COL]
66
24
#4 Singles Match
123
Max Westphal / 0 [COL]
366
623
#5 Singles Match
12
Hugo Hashimoto / 0 [COL]
66
33
#6 Singles Match
12
Henry Ruger / 0 [COL]
66
32
Order of Finish:
6,3,1,5,2,4
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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