BERKELEY - California showed that its present as well as its future is in good hands, as a junior and two sophomores scored the last three points of a 4-0 win over Army West Point in the NCAA round of 64 at the Hellman Tennis Complex on Saturday. J.T. Nishimura, one of the sophomores, clinched the victory with his court-six singles win.
The 13th-seeded and 13th-ranked Golden Bears advance to play Mississippi in Sunday's round of 32 at Hellman for the right to advance to Tulsa, Oklahoma, for the rest of the NCAA Championships.
Cal improved its record to 18-6 with Saturday's result, while the Black Knights ended their season with an 18-9 record.
“It was important for us to start the NCAA tournament with a solid performance, and that's just what we did today,” Cal head coach Peter Wright said. “Army has a great team, and they posted solid results all season. Our guys did a good job of staying focused on their game plans, and we were excited to get back on the courts after a three-week break.
“Tomorrow will be a big challenge for us as Mississippi is playing well. The key for us will be staying aggressive and being quick to see the opportunities as they develop in the match.”
In doubles, Cal's ninth-ranked team of juniors Filip Bergevi and Florian Lakat quickly posted a 6-1, court-one victory over Kyle Barnes and Austin McCasin. The Bears clinched the doubles point when Nishimura and senior Mads Engsted beat Grant Riechmann and David Mitchell, 6-3, on court three.
Andre Goransson doubled Cal's lead to 2-0 in singles with a strong performance on court two. A junior ranked 31st nationally, the Swede notched a 6-3, 6-0 victory over Riechmann. Sophomore Billy Griffith – ranked 85th – followed with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Mitchell nearby on court three. Nishimura ended the day with his 6-2, 6-0 win over Michael Sienko.
The Bears will face Ole Miss at 1 p.m. on Sunday at Hellman. The Rebels defeated 47th-ranked Denver, 4-3, in the earlier match at Hellman on Saturday, battling back from 1-0, 2-0, 2-1 and 3-2 deficits before prevailing on Gustav Hansson's court-one singles win, 7-5, 2-6, 6-2, over Denver's Henry Craig.
NCAA Championship Round of 64
No. 27 Mississippi (16-10) defeated No. 47 Denver (18-8) – 4-3
May 14, 2016, in Berkeley, Calif.
Hellman Tennis Complex
Doubles
1. Henry Craig/Alex Gasson (Denver) def. Fabian Fallert/Grey Hamilton (Ole Miss) – 6-4
2. Yannik James/Jesse Ruder-Hook (Denver) def. Gustav Hansson/Stefan Lindmark (Ole Miss) – 6-3
3. Ricardo Jorge/Zvonimir Babic (Ole Miss) def. Diogo Rocha/Zach Fryer (Denver) – 6-3
Denver won the doubles point
Order of Finish – 2, 3, 1
Singles
1. Gustav Hansson (Ole Miss) def. Henry Craig (Denver) – 7-5, 2-6, 6-2
2. Stefan Lindmark (Ole Miss) def. Diogo Rocha (Denver) – 0-6, 6-2, 6-4
3. Ricardo Jorge (Ole Miss) def. Yannik James (Denver) – 7-6(3), 6-3
4. David Fox (Denver) def. Fabian Fallert (Ole Miss) – 6-3, 7-6(4)
5. Grey Hamilton (Ole Miss) def. Alex Gasson (Denver) – 6-2, 7-5
6. Wyatt Lovera (Denver) def. Zvonimir Babic (Ole Miss) – 6-3, 6-2
Order of Finish – 6, 5, 3, 4, 2, 1
[13] No. 13 California (18-6) defeated Army West Point (18-9) – 4-0
May 14, 2016, in Berkeley, Calif.
Hellman Tennis Complex
Doubles
1. No. 9 Filip Bergevi/Florian Lakat (Cal) vs. Kyle Barnes/Austin McCasin - 6-1
2. Andre Goransson/Oskar Wikberg (Cal) vs. Sam Lampman/Michael Nguyen (Army) – 5-4 Abandoned
3. Mads Engsted/J.T. Nishimura (Cal) def. Grant Riechmann/David Mitchell (Army) – 6-3
Cal won the doubles point
Order of Finish – 1, 3
Singles
1. No. 30 Florian Lakat (Cal) vs. Sam Lampman (Army) – 6-4, 4-2 Abandoned
2. No. 31 Andre Goransson (Cal) def. Grant Riechmann (Army) – 6-3, 6-0
3. No. 85 Billy Griffith (Cal) def. David Mitchell (Army) – 6-0, 6-2
4. No. 119 Filip Bergevi (Cal) vs. Michael Nguyen (Army) – 6-4, 4-4 Abandoned
5. No. 124 Oskar Wikberg (Cal) vs. Austin McCasin (Army) – 6-2, 4-3 Abandoned
6. J.T. Nishimura (Cal) def. Michael Sienko (Army) – 6-2, 6-0
Order of Finish – 2, 3, 6
