Tuesday, March 31
Davis, Calif.
12:30 PM
UC Irvine
4
at
3
UC Davis
Anteaters Close out 4-3 Big West Win at UC Davis After Rain Delay
April 01, 2026 | Men's Tennis
DAVIS, Calif. -Β After yesterday's weatherΒ delay, Hiroki Sakagawa came back to close out a three-set win at No. 1 singles to clinch the UC Irvine men's tennis team'sΒ 4-3 Big West opening victory over UC Davis Wednesday atΒ Marya Welch Tennis Center.
The Anteaters, who battled back from a late deficit for their second-straight 4-3 win,Β improved to 9-6 overall and 1-0 in Big West play. They handedΒ the Aggies (9-9, 2-1 Big West) their first conference loss.
On Tuesday, the 'EatersΒ rallied from being down 3-2 to tie it up before rain halted play at the top of the singles lineup. Sakagawa had dropped a tough 6-4 decision to Lucas Bollinger in the opener and was trailing 5-3 in the second, but continued to fight, saving a match and UCD team clinch point at 40-40. He carried that momentum all the way to aΒ 7-5 victory and pulled ahead 4-2 in the decisive third frame. Sakagawa continued to deliver in the clutch this morning, finishing off the gutsy 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 match-clinching win. Sakagawa owns a team-best 9-3 singles record on the season.
Β
UC DavisΒ had secured the doubles point with wins at Nos. 2 and 3. UCI quickly responded in singles with Greg Gamal upending Eduardo Gonzalez, 6-3, 6-2, on court six. Gamal has won eight of his last nine decisions. Just minutes later, UC IrvineΒ pulled ahead as Tal Goodman dispatched Perry Di Giulio, 6-1, 6-0, at the third position.
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The Aggies punched back with straight-set victories at Nos. 2 and 4 to reclaim a 3-2 edge, but Ruining Huang kept the Anteaters alive on court five. HuangΒ rebounded from a first-set loss for a crucialΒ 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 triumphΒ over Nadaul CheamΒ to knot the team score at 3-3.
UC Irvine will continue Big West action next Monday, April 6, when it welcomes UC Riverside to Anteater Tennis Stadium.
Β
The Anteaters, who battled back from a late deficit for their second-straight 4-3 win,Β improved to 9-6 overall and 1-0 in Big West play. They handedΒ the Aggies (9-9, 2-1 Big West) their first conference loss.
On Tuesday, the 'EatersΒ rallied from being down 3-2 to tie it up before rain halted play at the top of the singles lineup. Sakagawa had dropped a tough 6-4 decision to Lucas Bollinger in the opener and was trailing 5-3 in the second, but continued to fight, saving a match and UCD team clinch point at 40-40. He carried that momentum all the way to aΒ 7-5 victory and pulled ahead 4-2 in the decisive third frame. Sakagawa continued to deliver in the clutch this morning, finishing off the gutsy 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 match-clinching win. Sakagawa owns a team-best 9-3 singles record on the season.
Β
UC DavisΒ had secured the doubles point with wins at Nos. 2 and 3. UCI quickly responded in singles with Greg Gamal upending Eduardo Gonzalez, 6-3, 6-2, on court six. Gamal has won eight of his last nine decisions. Just minutes later, UC IrvineΒ pulled ahead as Tal Goodman dispatched Perry Di Giulio, 6-1, 6-0, at the third position.
Β
The Aggies punched back with straight-set victories at Nos. 2 and 4 to reclaim a 3-2 edge, but Ruining Huang kept the Anteaters alive on court five. HuangΒ rebounded from a first-set loss for a crucialΒ 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 triumphΒ over Nadaul CheamΒ to knot the team score at 3-3.
UC Irvine will continue Big West action next Monday, April 6, when it welcomes UC Riverside to Anteater Tennis Stadium.
Β
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
2,3
#1 Singles Match
123
476
Lucas Bollinger / 0 [UCD]
653
#2 Singles Match
12
34
Kaveh Taheri / 0 [UCD]
66
#3 Singles Match
12
66
Perry Di Giulio / 0 [UCD]
10
#4 Singles Match
12
62
Ivan Savkin / 0 [UCD]
76
#5 Singles Match
123
166
Nadaul Cheam / 0 [UCD]
632
#6 Singles Match
12
66
Eduardo Gonzalez / 0 [UCD]
32
Order of Finish:
6,3,2,4,5,1
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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