BERKELEY - Andre Goransson upset Denis Nguyen, 5-7, 6-2, 7-5, on Newmark Stadium Court to propel 15th-ranked California to a 4-2 victory over 30th-ranked Harvard in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend on Friday. Goransson, a sophomore ranked 106th, beat the 57th-ranked Nguyen at the Hellman Tennis Complex, after the Golden Bears had earlier won the doubles point.
The Bears will play Mississippi State at 1 p.m. on Saturday in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend final at Hellman, with a berth to the ITA National Men's Team Indoor Championships on the line. Harvard will play N.C. State - which lost to MSU, 4-3, on Friday – on Saturday at 10 a.m. in the consolation match.
Cal quickly captured the doubles point with wins on courts three and one. First the pair of junior Mads Engsted and sophomore Filip Bergevi topped Alex Steinroeder/Grant Solomon, 6-4, on court three, which is now named Mascarin Court. On court one – or the Newmark Stadium Court – the 42nd-ranked pair of seniors Gregory Bayane and Chase Melton upset the seventh-ranked team of Denis Nguyen and Brian Yeung, 6-3, to close out doubles.
The match between Cal's 40th-ranked duo of Goransson and junior Oskar Wikberg and Harvard's Sebastian Beltrame/Nicky Hu on court two (or Bud Chandler Court) was abandoned when Cal clinched doubles.
“Today was a good breakthrough for us,” Melton said of his partnership with Bayane. “This was our first solid win for us so far. We had two tough matches down in San Diego, and then we won twice earlier this week. But we're starting to get it rolling and did really well today.”
In singles, the Crimson tied the overall score at 1-1 when the 86th-ranked Beltrame defeated Cal freshman Billy Griffith, 6-3, 7-6(4), on Mascarin Court. Bergevi, ranked 93rd, untied the score and gave Cal a 2-1 lead when he edged Hu, 7-6(5), 7-5, on Bud Chandler Court.
Bayane gave Cal a 3-1 lead with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 victory over Yeung on Hirschler-Davidson Court (court 5). Steinroeder kept Harvard alive by beating Wikberg, 5-7, 7-5, 6-3, on Savides Sullivan Court (court 4), before Goransson bounced back from his first-set loss to defeat Nguyen.
The match between Cal junior Hasier Pastor and Harvard's Kenny Tao on Walter A Haas, Jr. Court (court 6) went unfinished when Goransson clinched for the Bears.
“It was a really tough match with Harvard,” Wright said. “The doubles matches were very close today. In singles, there were four three-set matches, and we got some wonderful performances especially at the top of our lineup. For us, this was a great chance to play in our new facility.”
On Goransson, Wright said, “As a sophomore he's developed his game incredibly. He's had a good fall, but we know he's going to have a great spring.”
After Saturday's final – at roughly 4 p.m. – Cal will host a grand reopening ceremony commemorating the renovation of the Hellman Tennis Complex. Cal Athletic Director Mike Williams, men's tennis head coach Peter Wright, women's tennis head coach Amanda Augustus, student-athletes, donors and other campus dignitaries will speak about the project to refurbish the home of Cal Tennis.
The winner of the ITA Kickoff Weekend qualifies for the ITA National Men's Team Indoor Championships slated for Feb. 13-16 in Chicago.
ITA Kick-Off Weekend
No. 15 Cal (3-0) defeated Harvard (2-1) – 4-2
Jan. 23, 2015, in Berkeley, Calif.
Hellman Tennis Complex
Doubles
1. No. 42 Gregory Bayane/Chase Melton (Cal) def. Denis Nguyen/Brian Yeung (Harvard) - 6-3
2. No. 40 Andre Goransson/Oskar Wikberg (Cal) vs. Sebastian Beltrame/Nicky Hu (Harvard) – Abandoned
3. Filip Bergevi/Mads Engsted (Cal) def. Alex Steinroeder/Grant Solomon (Harvard) - 6-4
Cal captured the doubles point
Order of Finish: 3, 1*.
*Clinched the double point
Singles
1. No. 106 Andre Goransson (Cal) def. No. 57 Denis Nguyen (Harvard) – 5-7, 6-2, 7-5
2. No. 93 Filip Bergevi (Cal) def. Nicky Hu (Harvard) – 7-6(5), 7-5
3. No. 86 Sebastian Beltrame (Harvard) def. Billy Griffith (Cal) – 6-3, 7-6(4)
4. Alex Steinroeder (Harvard) def. Oskar Wikberg (Cal) – 5-7, 7-5, 6-3
5. Gregory Bayane (Cal) def. Brian Yeung (Harvard) – 6-3, 4-6, 6-2
6. Hasier Pastor (Cal) vs. Kenny Tao (Harvard) – Abandoned
Order of Finish: 3, 2, 5, 4, 1^.
^Clinched the overall match
No. 21 Mississippi State (3-0) defeated No. 27 N.C. State (3-1) – 4-3
Jan. 23, 2015, in Berkeley, Calif.
Hellman Tennis Complex
Doubles
1. Robbie Mudge/Ian Dempster (N.C. State) def. Florian Lakat/Juan Cruz Estevarena (MSU) 7-6(4)
2. Mate Cutura/Tassilo Schmid (MSU) def. Simon Norenius/Austin Powell (N.C. State) – 6-3
3. Thomas Weigel/Nick Horton (N.C. State) def. Robin Haden/Julian Cash (MSU) – 6-3
N.C. State captured the doubles point
Order of Finish: 2, 3, 1*.
*Clinched the double point
Singles
1. Florian Lakat (MSU) def. No. 51 Austin Powell (N.C. State) – 7-6(5), 6-2
2. Robbie Mudge (N.C. State) def. No. 63 Tassilo Schmid (MSU) – 6-1, 6-3
3. Juan Cruz Estevarena (MSU) def. No. 39 Nick Horton (N.C. State) – 6-4, 0-6, 6-2
4. Mate Cutura (MSU) def. Beck Bond (N.C. State) – 6-4, 3-6, 7-5
5. Rishab Agarwal (MSU) def. Simon Norenius (N.C. State) – 6-4, 7-6(5)
6. Thomas Weigel (N.C. State) def. Robin Haden (MSU) – 6-1, 4-6, 6-4
Order of Finish: 2, 1, 3, 5, 6, 4^.
^Clinched the overall match
