Saturday, April 25
San Diego, Calif. / Barnes Tennis Center
10:00 AM
UC Irvine
0
vs
4
[1] UC Santa Barbara
UC Irvine Falls to UCSB in Big West Championship Match
April 25, 2026 | Men's Tennis
SAN DIEGO - The second-seeded and 75th-ranked UC Irvine men's tennis team fell to No. 1 seed and 36th-ranked UC Santa Barbara, 4-0, in the Big West Championship title match Saturday at Barnes Tennis Center.
It was the fifth-straight year the Anteaters and Gauchos squared off in the final. UCI won the championship in 2022, 2024, and 2025, while UCSB hoisted the trophy in 2023.
UC Santa Barbara (18-7) got out to a quick start in doubles with a 6-1 victory on court two. The Gauchos then secured the team point with a 6-2 win at No. 1.
UC Irvine (14-8) took the first set at the top two spots of the singles lineup, but UCSB held the momentum on the remaining courts, winning in straight sets at Nos. 4, 6, and 3 to clinch the match.
At the second position, Max Fardanesh upended No. 64 Dominique Rolland, 6-2, in the opener. The two were even in the second at 3-3 when their match was abandoned.
On court one, Hiroki Sakagawa and No. 110 Lucca Liu were locked in a tight battle with each side holding serve to a 6-6 tie in the first set. Liu took the early edge in the tiebreaker at 2-1, but Sakagawa reeled off four-straight points to go up, 5-2, before finishing strong for the 7-6 (7-4) victory.
At the fifth line, Ruining Huang held a 5-2 lead in the second set after dropping the first. Both Sakagawa (6-0) and Huang (4-0) finished the season unbeaten against Big West opponents in the regular season and tournament.
The Anteaters won a share of the 2026 Big West regular-season title. They have won either a conference tournament or regular season championship in each of the last five years.
It was the fifth-straight year the Anteaters and Gauchos squared off in the final. UCI won the championship in 2022, 2024, and 2025, while UCSB hoisted the trophy in 2023.
UC Santa Barbara (18-7) got out to a quick start in doubles with a 6-1 victory on court two. The Gauchos then secured the team point with a 6-2 win at No. 1.
UC Irvine (14-8) took the first set at the top two spots of the singles lineup, but UCSB held the momentum on the remaining courts, winning in straight sets at Nos. 4, 6, and 3 to clinch the match.
At the second position, Max Fardanesh upended No. 64 Dominique Rolland, 6-2, in the opener. The two were even in the second at 3-3 when their match was abandoned.
On court one, Hiroki Sakagawa and No. 110 Lucca Liu were locked in a tight battle with each side holding serve to a 6-6 tie in the first set. Liu took the early edge in the tiebreaker at 2-1, but Sakagawa reeled off four-straight points to go up, 5-2, before finishing strong for the 7-6 (7-4) victory.
At the fifth line, Ruining Huang held a 5-2 lead in the second set after dropping the first. Both Sakagawa (6-0) and Huang (4-0) finished the season unbeaten against Big West opponents in the regular season and tournament.
The Anteaters won a share of the 2026 Big West regular-season title. They have won either a conference tournament or regular season championship in each of the last five years.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
2,1
#1 Singles Match
123
70UF
Lucca Liu / 0 (110/-) [UCSB]
61UF
#2 Singles Match
123
63UF
Dominique Rolland / 0 (64/-) [UCSB]
23UF
#3 Singles Match
12
31
Diogo Morais / 0 [UCSB]
66
#4 Singles Match
12
12
Miguel Avendano / 0 [UCSB]
66
#5 Singles Match
123
35UF
Charlie Underwood / 0 [UCSB]
62UF
#6 Singles Match
12
32
Lorenzo Brunkow / 0 [UCSB]
66
Order of Finish:
4,6,3
Players Mentioned
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