BERKELEY – The 58th-ranked California men’s tennis team and No. 23 Arizona State will finally meet this season, with the Golden Bears facing Sun Devils in the quarterfinal round of the Pac-12 Championship on Thursday at 9 a.m. PT in Ojai.
The fifth seed in the conference tournament, Cal finished the regular season with a 3-3 record in the Pac-12 to place right behind the 4-2 Sun Devils in the standings. ASU is the fourth seed.
During the regular season, the two teams were set to play March 31 at the Whiteman Tennis Center in Tempe, Arizona, until inclement weather forced the cancelation of the match.
The conference tournament continues Friday with the semifinals and ends Saturday with the final. Live scores are available for all matches, with the final airing on the Pac-12 Network. The winner of the Pac-12 Championship claims the conference’s automatic berth to the NCAA Championship.
Match Details
[5] No. 58 Cal (10-9) vs. [4] No. 23 Arizona State (16-8)
When: Thursday, April 25, 9 a.m. PT
Where: Libbey Park, Ojai, Calif.
Follow: Live Scores
Poll Position
Cal improved one spot in this week’s ITA rankings and is now 58th. In doubles, Mikey Wright and Alex Chang (7-1) are ranked 38th, and three Bears are ranked in singles – No. 96 Ryder Jackson (6-6), No. 118 Chang (20-9) and No. 120 Carl Emil Overbeck (17-13).
Last Time Out: Cal Ends Regular Season With Big Slam Loss
Then-No. 59 Cal put up a fight against No. 20 Stanford in Saturday’s regular-season finale, but the Golden Bears wound up falling to the Cardinal, 4-1, in the Big Slam at the Hellman Tennis Complex. Prior to the match and in front of nearly 1,000 fans, Cal held its Senior Day ceremony to celebrate the careers of Ryder Jackson and Lucas Magnaudet and honored the life and career of late alumnus Jim McManus on McManus Legends Day.
The Bears trailed 1-0 after Stanford took the doubles point, with the Cardinal clinching when Aryan Chaudhary and Harsh Hemang Parikh beat Cal’s Carl Emil Overbeck and Qian Sun, 6-4, on court three.
Cal and Overbeck bounced back in singles, with the junior topping the 57th-ranked Samir Banerjee, 6-4, 6-4, on court two to tie the overall match 1-1.
But the match was soon untied again when Jackson, ranked 88th, lost to the 19th-ranked Nishesh Basavareddy, 6-4, 6-4, on court one to give Stanford a 2-1 lead.
Three of the remaining four matches went to three sets apiece, which contributed to the match running over three…
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