SEATTLE – California's impressive run at the ITA Northwest Regional Championships came to an end on Sunday, as the Golden Bears lost in the doubles semifinals and two Bears fell in the late stages of the singles draw at the Nordstrom Tennis Center.
 
Cal's Can Kaya and Paul Barretto won four matches to get to the final four, with the sophomores taking on Jack Davis and Piers Foley of host Washington on Sunday. The duo pushed the Huskies to a first-set tiebreaker – falling 7-6(5) – then wound up losing the second set, 6-3.
 
Cal had two Bears – sophomore Jacob Brumm and freshman Yuta Kikuchi – in the singles quarterfinals. Brumm – seeded fifth and ranked 102nd – lost to Stanford's top-seeded and 63rd-ranked Sameer Kumar, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1. Kikuchi – also seeded fifth – prevailed in his Cal-Stanford matchup, beating the ninth-seeded Timothy Sah in a tight contest, 7-6(5), 7-6(4).
 
Later Sunday, Kikuchi battled Oregon's Emmanuel Coste in the semifinals. The Japan native won the first set before dropping a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 result to the Duck.
 
"We had a good showing in singles and doubles this weekend at the regionals," said Cal Director of Men's Tennis Peter Wright. "Freshman Yuta Kikuchi reaching the semifinals of singles is clearly a boost for our team and bodes well for the future. Can Kaya and Paul Barretto were also impressive in reaching the semifinals of doubles.
 
"All of our guys competed well, and even though some of them didn't get the results they were looking for, it's clear to me that we're making significant strides in many areas."
 
The Bears next play in the Saint Mary's Invitational from Oct. 26-28 in Moraga, California.
 
ITA Northwest Regional Championships
Oct. 14, 2018 in Seattle, Wash.
Nordstrom Tennis Center
 
Doubles Semifinal Round
Jack Davis/Piers Foley (UW) def. Paul Barretto/Can Kaya (Cal), 7-6(5), 6-3
 
Singles Quarterfinal Round
[1] No. 63 Sameer Kumar (Stanford) def. [5] No. 102 Jacob Brumm (Cal), 6-3, 3-6, 6-1
[5] Yuta Kikuchi (Cal) def. [9] Timothy Sah (Stanford), 7-6(5), 7-6(4).
 
Singles Semifinal Round
Emmanuel Coste (Oregon) def. [5] Yuta Kikuchi (Cal), 4-6, 6-3, 6-3