California Irvine Athletics

IRVINE, Calif. – Graduate student Hiroki Sakagawa has been named the Big West Men's Tennis Player of the Week for the third time this season the conference office announced Wednesday afternoon.
 
Last week, Sakagawa battled back for a resilient three-set victory that clinched UC Irvine's 4-3 Big West-opening win at UC Davis.
 
After dropping a hard-fought first set to Lucas Bollinger at No. 1 singles, Sakagawa found himself trailing 5-3 in the second, but continued to fight, saving a match and Aggie team clinch point at 40-40. He rode that momentum all the way to a 7-5 triumph and pulled ahead 4-2 in the decisive third frame when rain halted play, delaying the match until the next morning. The break in action didn't faze Sakagawa as he returned to the court and picked up right where he left off, finishing the gutsy 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 match-clinching win.
 
Sakagawa is tied for the team lead with a 9-3 singles record. All of his matches have been played at the top of the lineup.
 
This is Sakagawa's third weekly honor of the season, and fourth for the Anteaters in 2026.
 
UC Irvine (10-6, 2-0 Big West) will be back in action on Friday, April 10, when it welcomes Cal Poly to Anteater Tennis Stadium for a 12 p.m. conference match.