Chen Qualifies For Battle In The Bay Classic

Derrick Chen won twice in singles Sunday to clinch a main-draw berth in the Battle in the Bay Classic this week in San Francisco.

MTEN9/17/2023 7:52 PM | By: Cal Athletics

BERKELEY – California men’s tennis junior Derrick Chen advanced to the Battle in the Bay Classic as the Battle in the Bay Qualifier came to an end Sunday at the Hellman Tennis Complex and Channing Tennis Courts.
 
The Golden Bear won twice in the singles on the last day of three-day event, defeating Nevada’s Pedro Liborio, 6-3, 6-2, in the quarterfinals and San Francisco’s Sam Edgar, 6-1, 6-2, in the semifinals. Chen did not lose a set in four matches.
 
“It was a good tournament, especially for Derrick,” said Cal’s Kris Kwinta, the Peter Wright Director of Men’s Tennis. “I asked him what’s the difference between now and two years ago, and he said it comes down to maturity, being able to see more on the court, stay calm in tough moments and stay composed. He understands how he’s supposed to play and what his strengths and weaknesses are. It was a pretty clean tourney for him. He beat opponents convincingly.”
 
UC Davis player Ryan Torres was the other singles finalist and also qualified for Battle in the Bay Classic, which is slated to start Wednesday and end next Sunday at the California Tennis Club in San Francisco. Since both of the singles finalists were already guaranteed main draw spots in the Battle in the Bay Classic, the singles final in Berkeley wasn’t played.
 
Sunday’s doubles final featured Cal’s duo of sophomore John Kim and freshman Alex Aney against Pacific’s Peter Alam and Justas Trainauskas. The Bears were seeded fourth, but the Tigers prevailed, 8-3, to send Alam and Trainauskas to the Battle in the Bay Classic. Only the doubles champions and two singles finalists advanced from the qualifier to San Francisco.
 
“After Derrick, other Bears had up and down tourneys,” Kwinta said. “Some had good wins and disappointing losses. Everybody battled hard, and that’s the key for me. They left it all on the line. They hope to come out and improve over time. Guys always want to win a match, but you can draw so much even from losses. We got a lot of positive feedback and information on certain players. As they progress this fall, we know what to work on in their games.”
 
Four Cal…