STANFORD, Calif. – Seven Golden Bears – including the top-seeded Yuta Kikuchi – advanced to the third round of singles as the Cal men's tennis team went 17 of 19 overall on the first day of the ITA Northwest Regional Championships. Three Cal pairs also won in the first round of doubles on Friday at Stanford's Taube Family Tennis Center.
 
The main draw doubles champions and the main draw singles finalists from regionals will qualify for the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships in November.
 
Each of Cal's seeded singles players reached the round of 32 with wins on Friday. The 75th-ranked Kikuchi, who got to the semifinals last year, had a bye in the opening round of 128 bye on Friday and then defeated Abhishek Bastola of Saint Mary's, 3-6, 6-1, 6-3, in the round of 64. Cal also claimed wins from the fifth-seeded Paul Barretto, who beat Daniel Landa of UC Davis, 6-3, 6-2; the ninth-seeded Kent Hunter, who topped San Francisco's Mitchell Johnson, 6-1, 6-1; and the ninth-seeded Jacob Brumm, who bested Oregon's Luke Vandecasteele, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4. Cal's three seniors – Mert Zincirli, Dominic Barretto and Bjorn Hoffmann – also reached Saturday's singles third round.
 
In doubles, Cal's fourth-seeded Can Kaya and Paul Barretto, who also reached last year's regional semifinals, had a bye in Friday's first round. The two Bears will join the fifth-seeded Brumm and Hunter – who beat San Francisco's Nitzan Ricklis/Paul Giraud, 8-6; the fifth-seeded Kikuchi and Zincirli – who knocked off Sacramento State's Louis Chabut and Hermont Legaspi, 8-1; and the ninth-seeded Hoffmann and Ben Draper, who topped Stanford's Dean Stratakos and Sam Turchetta, 8-4, in Saturday's round of 32.
 
The ITA Northwest Regional Championships include two rounds of main draw doubles and one round of main draw singles as well as consolation action on Saturday. The annual event concludes on Tuesday.
 
ITA Northwest Regional Championships
Oct. 25, 2019, in Stanford, Calif.
Taube Family Tennis Center
 
Cal Results
 
Main Draw Doubles – Round of 64
[5] Jacob Brumm/Kent Hunter (Cal) def. Nitzan Ricklis/Paul Giraud (USF), 8-6
[5] Yuta Kikuchi/Mert Zincirli (Cal) def. Louis Chabut/Hermont Legaspi (Sac. St.), 8-1
[9] Ben Draper/Bjorn Hoffmann (Cal) def. Dean Stratakos/Sam Turchetta (Stanford), 8-4
Bye, [4] No. 58 Paul Barretto/Can Kaya (Cal)
 
Main Draw Singles – Round of 128
[9] Kent Hunter (Cal) def. Adrian Alvarez-Sanabria (Seattle), 6-1, 6-2
Mert Zincirli (Cal) def. Hunter Egger (Gonzaga), 6-4, 6-2
Dominic Barretto (Cal) def. Sahal Bukary (Portland St.), 6-0, 6-1
[9] Jacob Brumm (Cal) def. Jack Pulliam (Washington), 6-3, 1-6, 6-1
Can Kaya (Cal) def. Eleftherios Neos (Portland), 6-2, 6-2
Bjorn Hoffmann (Cal) def. Ryan Ali (Santa Clara), 6-0, 6-3
[5] No. 121 Paul Barretto (Cal) def. Erik Grimes (E. Wash.), 6-3, 6-1
[9] Damon Kesaris (Saint Mary's) def. Thomas Wright (Cal), 6-1, 6-3
Bye, [1] No. 75 Yuta Kikuchi (Cal)
 
Main Draw Singles – Round of 64
[9] Kent Hunter (Cal) def. Mitchell Johnson (USF), 6-1, 6-1
Mert Zincirli (Cal) def. Otto Holtari (Portland St.), 6-2, 6-1
[1] No. 75 Yuta Kikuchi (Cal) def. Abhishek Bastola (Saint Mary's), 3-6, 6-1, 6-3
[5] No. 121 Paul Barretto (Cal) def. Daniel Landa (UC Davis), 6-3, 6-2
Johan Garpered (USF) def. Can Kaya (Cal), 3-6, 6-3, 6-3
Dominic Barretto (Cal) def. Vasileios Iliopoulis (Santa Clara), 6-4, 7-5
[9] Jacob Brumm (Cal) def. Luke Vandecasteele (Oregon), 3-6, 6-2, 6-4
Bjorn Hoffmann (Cal) def. Ivan Thamma (UC Davis), 6-2, 5-7, 6-4