No. 43 Cal Upsets No. 10 USC 4-3

Carl Emil Overbeck celebrates clinching Cal’s big win over No. 10 USC, as a proud Kris Kwinta looks on.

BERKELEY – The 43rd-ranked California men’s tennis team twice came back from deficits against 10th-ranked USC and eventually upset the visiting Trojans, 4-3, in the Golden Bears’ regular-season home finale on Saturday afternoon at the Hellman Tennis Complex. Cal sophomore Carl Emil Overbeck came back from deficits of his own before defeating Lodewijk Westrate in a clutch, three-set singles performance to clinch the big victory.
 
The Bears – who swept their Southern California Pac-12 rivals over the past two days – now have an 11-7 record (3-2 Pac-12). USC is 12-7 (2-2).
 
The day began with Cal honoring the legacy of late alumnus Jim McManus on McManus Legends Day. A two-time All-American at Cal, McManus played professionally and was a founding member of the ATP. The former tennis star – who was inducted into the Cal Athletic Hall of Fame and the USTA Northern California Hall of Fame – passed away in 2011 after a two-year battle with cancer.
 
Next, Cal held its Senior Day ceremony to celebrate the careers of senior Philip Hjorth and graduate students Yuta Kikuchi and Siddhant Banthia prior to their last regular-season home match. All three would play key roles in the match.
 
As in its 4-0 win over No. 28 UCLA on Friday, Cal started off its Saturday match with a win in doubles, as the 60th-ranked Lucas Magnaudet and Ryder Jackson beat Bradley Frye and Lodewijk Westrate, 6-1, on court two. But USC won 6-3 on court one and then 6-4 on court three to claim the doubles point and take a 1-0 lead.
 
Two of the three Senior Day honorees opened singles with straight-set victories, as the 37th-ranked Kikuchi bested No. 35 Stefan Dostanic, 6-3, 6-1, on court one and then Hjorth topped Samuel Rubell, 6-3, 6-1, on court six. Cal led 2-1.
 
The Trojans responded with wins on courts two and four that gave them a 3-2 lead – before Cal rebounded.
 
The final matches on courts five and three became three-setters, with Overbeck falling behind Westrate in his third set 4-1. Later facing two match points against while down 5-3, the Dane rallied to win the game and climb to within one of the Trojan at 5-4.
 
Meanwhile, Banthia, the third Senior Day honoree, defeated Ryan…