Friday, April 24
San Diego, Calif. / Barnes Tennis Center
1:00 PM
UC Irvine
4
vs
1
[3] Cal Poly
Anteaters Top Cal Poly, 4-1, to Advance to Fifth-Straight Big West Final
April 24, 2026 | Men's Tennis
SAN DIEGO - The second-seeded and 75th-ranked UC Irvine men's tennis team earned a 4-1 victory over No. 3 seed and 72nd-ranked Cal Poly in the Big West semifinals Friday afternoon at Barnes Tennis Center.
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For the fifth consecutive year, the Anteaters (14-7) are moving on to the championship match where they will face top-seeded UC Santa Barbara. The 'Eaters won the title in 2022, 2024, and 2025, while the Gauchos hoisted the trophy in 2023.
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UCI got out to a strong start in doubles with Tal Goodman and Hiroki Sakagawa defeating Aaron Eliscu/Sean Kamyshev, 6-4, at No. 2. At the top of the lineup, Max Fardanesh and Rohan Sachdev rallied from a 5-3 deficit to upend Jovan Lubbe/Leo Matthysen, 7-5, giving UC Irvine the early 1-0 lead.
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Sohrob Amiryavari and Alex Guajardo were up 6-5 against Jack Cross/Raz Haviv on court three when their match was abandoned.
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Singles were tightly-contested with all six matches going to a third set.
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Graduate student Hiroki Sakagawa rolled to a 6-1 first-set win before Jovan Lubbe bounced back to take the second. Sakagawa kept his composure and reclaimed control of the match for an emphatic 6-1, 3-6, 6-0 victory. It was Sakagawa's seventh-straight win, while he improved to a team-leading 14-3 overall and 6-0 against Big West opponents.
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The Mustangs (15-9) claimed the opening set on the remaining courts, but the Anteaters showed their resilience as all five responded with a second-set victory. Graduate student Tal Goodman was the first to complete his comeback effort, taking down Luc Hoeijmans, 2-6, 6-1, 6-3, at the third position to put the 'Eaters on top, 3-0.
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Cal Poly then got on the board with Aaron Eliscu holding off junior Max Fardanesh at No. 2, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2.
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Freshman Greg Gamal answered with a gutsy 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 match-clinching win over Sean Ferguson at No. 6. Gamal has been a steady force in UCI's singles lineup as he improved to 13-3 overall and 6-0 against conference foes.
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UC Irvine returns to Barnes Tennis Center on Saturday, April 25, to take on top-seeded and 36th-ranked UC Santa Barbara in the Big West championship match. First serve is scheduled for 10 a.m. at Barnes Tennis Center.
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For the fifth consecutive year, the Anteaters (14-7) are moving on to the championship match where they will face top-seeded UC Santa Barbara. The 'Eaters won the title in 2022, 2024, and 2025, while the Gauchos hoisted the trophy in 2023.
Β
UCI got out to a strong start in doubles with Tal Goodman and Hiroki Sakagawa defeating Aaron Eliscu/Sean Kamyshev, 6-4, at No. 2. At the top of the lineup, Max Fardanesh and Rohan Sachdev rallied from a 5-3 deficit to upend Jovan Lubbe/Leo Matthysen, 7-5, giving UC Irvine the early 1-0 lead.
Β
Sohrob Amiryavari and Alex Guajardo were up 6-5 against Jack Cross/Raz Haviv on court three when their match was abandoned.
Β
Singles were tightly-contested with all six matches going to a third set.
Β
Graduate student Hiroki Sakagawa rolled to a 6-1 first-set win before Jovan Lubbe bounced back to take the second. Sakagawa kept his composure and reclaimed control of the match for an emphatic 6-1, 3-6, 6-0 victory. It was Sakagawa's seventh-straight win, while he improved to a team-leading 14-3 overall and 6-0 against Big West opponents.
Β
The Mustangs (15-9) claimed the opening set on the remaining courts, but the Anteaters showed their resilience as all five responded with a second-set victory. Graduate student Tal Goodman was the first to complete his comeback effort, taking down Luc Hoeijmans, 2-6, 6-1, 6-3, at the third position to put the 'Eaters on top, 3-0.
Β
Cal Poly then got on the board with Aaron Eliscu holding off junior Max Fardanesh at No. 2, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2.
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Freshman Greg Gamal answered with a gutsy 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 match-clinching win over Sean Ferguson at No. 6. Gamal has been a steady force in UCI's singles lineup as he improved to 13-3 overall and 6-0 against conference foes.
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UC Irvine returns to Barnes Tennis Center on Saturday, April 25, to take on top-seeded and 36th-ranked UC Santa Barbara in the Big West championship match. First serve is scheduled for 10 a.m. at Barnes Tennis Center.
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Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
2,1
#1 Singles Match
123
Jovan Lubbe / 0 [CP]
160
636
#2 Singles Match
123
Aaron Eliscu / 0 [CP]
626
462
#3 Singles Match
123
Luc Hoeijmans / 0 [CP]
613
266
#4 Singles Match
1234
Raz Haviv / 0 [CP]
616UF
465UF
#5 Singles Match
1234
Jack Cross / 0 [CP]
643UF
362UF
#6 Singles Match
123
Sean Ferguson / 0 [CP]
634
266
Order of Finish:
1,3,2,6
Players Mentioned
/ 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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