DAVIS, Calif. — The Aggies battled on the first day of the 2020 Golden State Invitational, but fell in both matches on the deciding court. UC Davis is scheduled to face Sacramento State on Saturday at noon at the Marya Welch Tennis Center, but the schedule is subject to change depending on forecasted weather. 

In the first round against a tough UT Arlington team, Ivan Thamma and David Goulak put up a routine 6-2 win at the top court, leading to a deciding doubles match on court three. Dariush Jalali and Andras Necz saved nearly ten match points throughout the set, but ultimately fell 6-7(10), giving the Mavericks the doubles point. 

UTA took a 2-0 lead with a singles win on court five, before Goulak picked up a straight-set win at No. 2 over Alejandro Hayen to get the Aggies on the board. In a back-and-forth match, the Aggies tied the overall score at 3-3 with three-set wins from Andrei Volgin and Arjith Jayaraman. In the decider, Thamma was deep into a third set against No. 110 Angel Diaz at No. 1, forcing a tiebreaker. In one of the longest team matches of the year, Thamma eventually fell in a match as close as it gets — 7-5, 5-7, 7-6(5).

After a quick lunch break, the Aggies returned to the courts for the second round of the tournament, facing Nevada. UC Davis took the early advantage after claiming the doubles point with wins on courts two and three. The match on the top court was tied at 5-all at the clinch. 

In singles, UC Davis cruised out to a 3-0 lead, thanks to a dominant 6-1, 6-3 win from junior Chethan Swanson at No. 4, and a 6-2, 7-5 win from Volgin at No. 3. Volgin is now 22-6 overall on the year, and 8-2 in the spring.

In a wild flurry, the momentum swiftly shifted in favor of Nevada, as each of the remaining four courts were locked in a battle. Thamma, Jayaraman, and Jalali were all headed into third sets, while Goulak had just begun his second. 

Coming down to the wire, Jayaraman fell 5-7 in the third set, with the other three courts heading into tiebreakers to either decide the set or the match. Nevada tied the overall score at 3-3, once again putting the focus on Thamma's court as the deciding match in a third-set tiebreaker. Thamma staved off two match points, but fell short against Julien Evrard, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(7).

UC Davis returns to action on Saturday, set to compete in the seventh-place playoff match against Sacramento State at noon (link to live scoring). Weather forecasts remain uncertain for Saturday, and the schedule is subject to change. Please check the team Twitter account (@ucdavismtennis) for the latest updates. 

UT Arlington 4, UC Davis 3
March 6, 2020
Davis, Calif. 

Doubles
1. David Goulak/Ivan Thamma (UCD) def. Alejandro Hayen/Alan Sau Franco (UTA) 6-2
2. Eduard Simo/Solano Caffarena (UTA) def. Andrei Volgin/Daniel Landa (UCD) 6-2
3. Angel Diaz/Miguel Cabrera (UTA) def. Dariush Jalali/Andras Necz (UCD) 7-6(10)
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3*

Singles
1. #110 Angel Diaz (UTA) def. Ivan Thamma (UCD) 7-5, 5-7, 7-6(5)
2. David Goulak (UCD) def. Alejandro Hayen (UTA) 7-5, 6-2
3. Miguel Cabrera (UTA) def. Andras Necz (UCD) 6-3, 7-5
4. Andrei Volgin (UCD) def. Alan Sau Franco (UTA) 4-6, 6-1, 6-4
5. Ricardo Alban (UTA) def. Chethan Swanson (UCD) 6-1, 6-4
6. Arjith Jayaraman (UCD) def. Eduard Simo (UTA) 6-0, 3-6, 7-5
Order of Finish: 5, 2, 3, 4, 6, 1*

Nevada 4, UC Davis 3
March 6, 2020
Davis, Calif. 

Doubles
1. David Goulak/Ivan Thamma (UCD) vs. Julien Evrard/Isaac Nortey (NEV) 5-5, unf.
2. Daniel Landa/Andrei Volgin (UCD) def. Benjamin Campi/Gvidas Motuzas (NEV) 6-4
3. Dariush Jalali/Andras Necz (UCD) def. Daniel Dudockin/Delmas N'tcha (NEV) 6-3
Order of Finish: 2, 3*

Singles
1. Julien Evrard (NEV) def. Ivan Thamma (UCD) 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(7)
2. Isaac Nortey (NEV) def. David Goulak (UCD) 7-6, 7-6
3. Andrei Volgin (UCD) def. Delmas N'tcha (NEV) 6-2, 7-5
4. Chethan Swanson (UCD) def. Daniel Dudockin (NEV) 6-1, 6-3
5. Gvidas Motuzas (NEV) def. Arjith Jayaraman (UCD) 6-2, 4-6, 7-5
6. Benjamin Campi (NEV) def. Dariush Jalali (UCD) 2-6, 6-4, 7-6
Order of Finish: 4, 3, 5, 6, 2, 1*

ABOUT UC DAVIS
Providing a small-town community feel while providing a world-class academic experience, UC Davis is home to more than 37,000 students and centrally located between San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and the Napa Valley. The No. 5-ranked public university in the nation, according to the Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education, offers nearly 100 graduate programs and more than 100 academic majors across four colleges and six professional schools, ranking among the world and nation's best in numerous disciplines, including veterinary science, agriculture, and plant and animal programs.

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