Ron Tong
Lucas Magnaudet won in three sets to clinch Cal’s win over the Toreros.
SAN DIEGO/LA JOLLA – The 35th-ranked California men’s tennis team began their Thursday in the San Diego area with a 5-2 victory at No. 30 San Diego, before heading to the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club to start play in the Pacific Coast Men’s Doubles Championship.
Golden Bear junior Lucas Magnaudet clinched the win over the Toreros, defeating Neo Niedner, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. The Bears – who have won five straight dual matches – saw their record improve to 7-2. USD is 7-4.
USD took the doubles point in what was its only lead of the day.
In singles, Cal’s 106th-ranked Yuta Kikuchi quickly tied the match at 1-1 when he beat the 76th-ranked Iiro Vasa, 6-3, 6-2, and Derrick Chen gave the Bears a 2-1 lead when he knocked off Sacchitt Sharrma, 6-0, 1-6, 6-1.
After the Toreros claimed their lone singles win to tie the match 2-2, Cal reeled off three three-set victories to wrap up the contest. First, Siddhant Banthia bested Marvin Schaber, 7-6(5), 2-6, 6-3, and then Magnaudet beat Niedner to give Cal its win with a 4-2 lead. Ryder Jackson, ranked 101st, ousted Oliver Tarvet, 7-5, 5-7, 6-3, to make the final score 5-2.
“To start 0-1 on an opponent’s court was tough,” said Kris Kwinta, Cal’s Peter Wright Director of Men’s Tennis. “To the guys’ credit, it was an opportunity to show what we could do in singles, and everybody stepped up. I couldn’t be prouder of the guys. They came out and fought hard. We had a lot of three-set battles, and guys were able to prevail. I was happy with everybody’s performance today against a scrappy San Diego team.”
In La Jolla, Cal’s 17th-seeded Chen and John Kim played in the opening round of 128 in the Pacific Coast Men’s Doubles Championship. But – while trailing 4-1, 3-2 against the UC Davis pair of Lucas Bollinger and Coleton Hootman – the Bears retired with an injury, and the Aggies advanced. Cal’s third-seeded Banthia and Carl Emil Overbeck and fourth-seeded Kikuchi and Philip Hjorth earned first-round byes and will start play in the round of 64 on Friday.
Pro Bears: Cal alumni Andre Goransson and Ben McLachlan are continuing their success in Mexico, with the duo reaching the doubles semifinal round of the Mexican Open….
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