BERKELEY – Another tight match came down to the final set on the final court, and California lost another 4-3 result, this time to Texas on Saturday at the Hellman Tennis Complex.
 
Cal junior J.T. Nishimura was battling the Longhorns' Leonardo Telles in the fourth three-set singles match of the day, with the Golden Bear winning the first set. But, with both teams gathered around court five to cheer on their respective teammates, Telles finally won, 6-7(6), 7-5, 6-2, to give Texas the victory.
 
The Golden Bears, ranked fifth in the USTA Top 25 and sixth in the Oracle/ITA Rankings, now have a 9-4 record after its third straight, 4-3 loss. Texas, ranked eighth and sixth in the respective polls, improved to 14-4 after the nonconference match.
 
Texas clinched the doubles point when Yuya Ito and Colin Markes defeated Cal senior Andre Goransson and freshman Connor Heap, 6-1.
 
Cal never led the match, though it tied things up with each of its three singles wins. Filip Bergevi, a senior ranked 109th, beat UT's George Goldhoff, 6-1, 6-4, on court three to make the score 1-1.
 
Eventually trailing 3-2, Cal tied the score again when freshman Bjorn Hoffmann upset the 34th-ranked Yuya Ito, 7-6(2), 4-6, 6-3, on court four, before court five ultimately untied the match.
 
"We've had some tough matches with some very strong teams lately, and we've been one or two points from victory in all of them," Cal head coach Peter Wright said. "We have tough guys on this team who are motivated and determined to learn and improve from every match, win or lose, so I'm feeling good about where we're headed."
 
Cal is next headed to Indian Wells, California, where it will be the top seed in the eight-team field in the BNP Paribas Open Collegiate Tennis Challenge Presented by Oracle. The Bears will open with eighth-seeded and unranked Purdue on Friday, March 17, at 8:30 a.m.
 
No. 6/8 Texas (14-4) defeated No. 5-6 California (9-4), 4-3
March 11, 2017, in Berkeley, Calif.
Hellman Tennis Complex
 
Doubles
1. No. 1 Filip Bergevi/Florian Lakat (Cal) vs. Leonardo Telles/George Goldhoff (Texas), 4-3 Unfinished
2. Yuya Ito/Colin Markes (Texas) def. Andre Goransson/Connor Heap (Cal), 6-1*
3. Christian Sigsgaard/Julian Zlobinsky (Texas) def. Bjorn Hoffmann/J.T. Nishimura (Cal), 6-2
 
Texas won the doubles point
 
Order of Finish: 3, 2*
 
*Clinched the doubles point
 
Singles
1. No. 14 Florian Lakat (Cal) def. No. 12 Christian Sigsgaard (Texas), 7-6(5), 6-1
2. No. 70 Harrison Scott (Texas) def. No. 30 Andre Goransson (Cal), 3-6, 6-2, 6-4
3. No. 109 Filip Bergevi (Cal) def. George Goldhoff (Texas), 6-1, 6-4
4. Bjorn Hoffmann (Cal) def. No. 34 Yuya Ito (Texas), 7-6(2), 4-6, 6-3
5. No. 108 Leonardo Telles (Texas) def. J.T. Nishimura (Cal), 6-7(6), 7-5, 6-2^
6. Rodrigo Banzer (Texas) def. Connor Heap (Cal), 6-4, 6-3
 
Order of Finish: 3, 6, 1, 2, 4, 5^
 
^Clinched the overall match