Stepanov, Chang, Wright Qualify For NCAAs As Sectionals End

Timofey Stepanov will compete in his first NCAA Singles Championship later this month at Baylor.

MTEN11/10/2024 1:22 PM | By: Cal Athletics

MALIBU – California men’s tennis seniors Alex Chang and Mikey Wright won a third-place match and sophomore Timofey Stepanov captured a playoff to qualify for the NCAA individual championships on Sunday as the ITA West Sectional Championships ended at Pepperdine. Cal now has two doubles teams – including Theo Dean and Carl Emil Overbeck – and four singles players – Stepanov, Chang, Dean and Overbeck – set to compete at the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships later this month.
 
Wright and Chang, ranked 13th, defeated Nevada’s Youssef Kadiri and Lucas Hammond 6-1, 6-2 to claim their first NCAA doubles berth.
 
Stepanov bested UCLA’s 104th-ranked Aadarsh Tripathi 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 to earn his first trip to NCAA singles.
 
Overbeck and Dean were slated to play in the doubles final Sunday in Malibu, but the match was not played, with both finalist pairs already qualified for NCAAs. Likewise, the singles semifinals, which would have included Chang and Dean, were not played.
 
Chang, Dean, Overbeck, Stepanov and Wright will play at the NCAA individual championships from Nov. 19-24 at Baylor in Waco, Texas.
 
ITA West Sectional Championships – Cal Results
Nov. 10, 2024, in Malibu, Calif.
Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center
 
Doubles Third-Place Match
No. 13 Alex Chang/Mikey Wright (Cal) def. Lucas Hammond/Youssef Kadiri (Nevada), 6-1, 6-1
 
Singles Playoff Match
Timofey Stepanov (Cal) def. No. 104 Aadarsh Tripathi (UCLA), 5-7, 6-3, 6-4
 
Stay Posted
For further coverage of the Bears, follow them on X (@CalMensTennis), Instagram (@CalMensTennis) and Facebook (/CalMensTennis).