Kelley L Cox/KLC fotos
John Kim and the Bears play twice at Duke this weekend.
The California men’s tennis team (0-1) plays Middle Tennessee (3-1) on Saturday in the ITA Kickoff Weekend at Duke, with the No. 8 Blue Devils (3-0) taking on No. 23 N.C. State (2-1) in Saturday’s other match. The two winners face off Sunday to the right to advance to the ITA National Team Indoor Championship.
Saturday’s match will mark the first meeting between Cal and Middle Tennessee in men’s tennis.
ITA Kickoff Weekend
Vs. Middle Tennessee
When: Saturday, Jan. 27, 9 a.m. ET / 6 a.m. PT
Where: Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center, Durham, N.C.
Watch: PlaySight Livestream
Scores: StatBroadcast
Vs. Duke/N.C. State
When: Sunday, Jan. 28, TBA
Where: Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center, Durham, N.C.
Watch: PlaySight Livestream
Scores: StatBroadcast
Last Time Out: Bears Battle Broncos
Playing on the road in a rescheduled dual-match opener, Cal fell to Santa Clara, 4-3, on Sunday under a cloudy sky at the Degheri Tennis Center.
The Broncos (1-0) clinched their victory when Luca Lemaitre defeated Cal freshman Jonathan Irwanto, 5-7, 6-4, 7-6(5).
The match was originally scheduled for Saturday, but rain forced the postponement.
Cal built a 3-1 lead when, after Santa Clara claimed the doubles point, the Golden Bears’ earned three straight singles wins. First Ryder Jackson beat the Broncos’ 102nd-ranked Guillaume Dalmasso, 6-2, 6-3, on court two, then Alex Chang defeated Sebastian Buxman, 6-2, 6-2, on court three and ultimately freshman Timofey Stepanov bested Alexander Eriksson, 6-4, 6-1, on court six.
The Bears dropped matches on court five and one to knot the match at 3-3, before the three-setter on court four decided the contest.
Bears Split At 2023 ITA Kickoff Weekend
Cal fell at No. 6 Texas. 4-1, before topping Florida Atlantic, 4-1, in last season’s ITA Kickoff Weekend in Austin, Texas. The Bears won the doubles point against the Longhorns, with Lucas Magnaudet and Ryder Jackson beating Siem Woldeab and Pierre-Yves Bailly, 7-6(5), to clinch. But Texas won four straight in singles to claim victory.
Against FAU, Derrick Chen clinched the win when he defeated Joao Graca, 7-5, 7-5, in singles. Earlier, Siddhant Banthia and Carl Emil Overbeck secured…
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