BERKELEY – California shut out both Pacific and Saint Mary's in a Monday doubleheader at the Hellman Tennis Complex, as Yuta Kikuchi clinched the 4-0 win over the Tigers and later Paul Barretto clinched a 7-0 victory over the Gaels.
 
After the two nonconference matches, Cal improved its record to 6-5 – and ran its home record to 4-0 – while the Tigers fell to 3-8 and the Gaels dropped to 1-9.

In the morning match, the fourth time was the charm for Cal and Pacific, which finally played a dual match after three previous rained out attempts in 2019. The doubleheader was itself postponed from last Tuesday, March 5, due to rain. Kikuchi, a freshman, clinched the victory over the Tigers with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Ross Watson under a sunny sky at Hellman.
 
In the afternoon, Barretto, a sophomore, defeated Matis Bot, 6-1, 6-1 – seconds before teammate Bjorn Hoffmann won his singles match – to secure the win over Saint Mary's. In the latter match the teams played singles first and doubles last.
 
Against the Tigers, the Bears won yet another doubles point when the 33rd-ranked pair of Barretto and Can Kaya knocked off Ross Watson and Philip Hjorth, 6-1. In singles, Cal got wins from Ben Draper on court five, Barretto on court three and then Kikuchi on court one to wrap up the result over Pacific.

Cal then hosted Saint Mary's at 3 p.m., with every Bear playing singles notching a win. That included the court-one match, as Gael Damon Kesaris retired with an injury after Kikuchi won the first set, 6-4. Leading 6-0, the Bears proceeded to sweep three doubles matches, with the duo of Kaya and Thomas Wright defeating David Abfalter and Brian Lee, 6-3, on court two to clinch the point. Cal has now captured the doubles point in nine of its 11 dual matches.
 
"Playing a doubleheader in the sunshine is just what our team needed," said Cal's Director of Men's Tennis Peter Wright. "I liked our efficiency today because we looked to create opportunities, and we were quick to capitalize. Overall, I see improvement every day especially in the way we identify short balls and transition to the net. If we play fundamentally strong tennis, then we'll be ending more and more points at the net."
 
The Bears hope to defend their title in the next competition – the BNP Paribas Open Collegiate Tennis Challenge presented by Oracle, which runs from Friday through Sunday in Indian Wells, California. The draw for the tournament is expected to be released on Tuesday. Cal defeated Arizona State, 4-3, to win the 2018 tournament.
 
California (5-5) defeated Pacific (3-8), 4-0
March 11, 2019, in Berkeley, Calif.
Hellman Tennis Complex
 
Doubles
1. No. 33 Paul Barretto/Can Kaya (Cal) def. Ross Watson/Philip Hjorth (Pacific), 6-1*
2. Jack Molloy/Mert Zincirli (Cal) def. Tadiwa Chinamo/Akram El Sallaly (Pacific), 6-0
3. Ben Draper/Yuta Kikuchi (Cal) vs. Josef Southcombe/John Horoz Garner (Pacific), 4-3 Did Not Finish
 
Cal won the doubles point
Order of Finish: 2, 1*
*Clinched the doubles point
 
Singles: 
1. Yuta Kikuchi (Cal) def. Ross Watson (Pacific), 6-4, 6-3^
2. Jack Molloy (Cal) vs. Philip Hjorth (Pacific), 6-4, 3-3 Did Not Finish
3. Paul Barretto (Cal) def. Akram El Sallaly (Pacific), 6-1, 6-3
4. Bjorn Hoffmann (Cal) vs. Tadiwa Chinamo (Pacific), 7-5, 5-2 DNF
5. Ben Draper (Cal) def. Johnathan Lieu (Pacific), 6-3, 6-2
6. Mert Zincirli (Cal) vs. Josef Southcombe (Pacific), 6-0, 5-4 DNF
 
Order of Finish: 5, 3, 1^
^Clinched the overall match

California (6-5) defeated Saint Mary's (1-9), 7-0
March 11, 2019, in Berkeley, Calif.
Hellman Tennis Complex
 
Singles: 
1. Yuta Kikuchi (Cal) def. Damon Kesaris (SMC), 6-4 ret. (inj)
2. Jack Molloy (Cal) def. James Watt (SMC), 6-1, 6-2
3. Paul Barretto (Cal) def. Matis Bot (SMC), 6-1, 6-1^
4. Bjorn Hoffmann (Cal) def. Daniel Krutik (SMC), 6-2, 6-2
5. Ben Draper (Cal) def. David Abfalter (SMC), 2-6, 6-2, 6-2
6. Dominic Barretto (Cal) def. Boris Reckow (SMC), 6-1, 6-3
 
Order of Finish: 2, 1, 6, 3^, 4, 5
^Clinched the overall match
 
Doubles
1. Jack Molloy/Mert Zincirli (Cal) def. James Watt/Matis Bot (SMC), 6-2
2. Can Kaya/Thomas Wright (Cal) def. David Abfalter/Brian Lee (SMC), 6-3*
3. Dominic Barretto/Bjorn Hoffmann (Cal) def. Daniel Krutik/Andy Watterson (SMC), 6-4
 
Cal won the doubles point
Order of Finish: 1, 2*, 3
*Clinched the doubles point