UCI Featured in Final ITA National Team Rankings
May 20, 2026 | Men's Tennis
IRVINE, Calif. βΒ UC Irvine men's tennis was featured in the final ITA National Team Rankings released on Wednesday.
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The Anteaters came in at No. 75, marking the third year in a row they have closed out the season among the top-75 in the nation.
In 2026, UCI went 14-8 overall and 5-1 in Big West play to claim a share of the regular season conference title. The 'Eaters have won either a Big WestΒ tournament (2025, 2024, 2022) or regular season (2026, 2023) championship in each of the last five years.
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UC Irvine faced a tough schedule with eight matches against ranked opponents. The Anteaters defeated No. 72 Cal Poly, 4-1, in the Big West semifinals to advance to the championship match for the fifth consecutive year.
Hiroki Sakagawa led the charge as he was named the Big West Men's Tennis Player of the Year. Sakagawa went 14-3 (5-0 Big West) at the top of the singles lineup. He had two ranked wins, defeating No. 87 Lucca Liu of UC Santa Barbara and No. 103 Manvydas Balciunas of San Diego.
Β
The Anteaters came in at No. 75, marking the third year in a row they have closed out the season among the top-75 in the nation.
In 2026, UCI went 14-8 overall and 5-1 in Big West play to claim a share of the regular season conference title. The 'Eaters have won either a Big WestΒ tournament (2025, 2024, 2022) or regular season (2026, 2023) championship in each of the last five years.
Β
UC Irvine faced a tough schedule with eight matches against ranked opponents. The Anteaters defeated No. 72 Cal Poly, 4-1, in the Big West semifinals to advance to the championship match for the fifth consecutive year.
Hiroki Sakagawa led the charge as he was named the Big West Men's Tennis Player of the Year. Sakagawa went 14-3 (5-0 Big West) at the top of the singles lineup. He had two ranked wins, defeating No. 87 Lucca Liu of UC Santa Barbara and No. 103 Manvydas Balciunas of San Diego.
Players Mentioned
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