BERKELEY – Fortieth-ranked Cal rallied from 2-0 down to tie No. 10/12 USC at 2-2, but the Trojans eventually prevailed, 4-2, to hand the Golden Bears their first Pac-12 Conference loss of the season on Friday evening at the Hellman Tennis Complex.
 
The Trojans clinched the victory when Mor Bulis defeated Cal junior Mert Zincirli, 6-1, 3-6, 6-0, at court-six singles.
 
USC captured the doubles point when Jack Jaede and Laurens Verboven beat Zincirli and sophomore Jack Molloy, 6-4, on court two. The Trojans double their lead when the 10th-ranked Daniel Cukierman topped Molloy, 6-2, 6-2, in singles.
 
But first Paul Barretto beat Riley Smith, 6-3, 6-4, and then fellow Cal sophomore Ben Draper knocked off Jake Sands, 7-6(4), 6-4, to tie the match, 2-2.
 
The Bears still had a chance to beat the Trojans, with two of the last three matches going to three sets and the court-four match staying close. But the 71st-ranked Logan Smith ultimately beat Cal junior Bjorn Hoffmann, 6-4, 6-4, on four to give USC a 3-2 lead, before Bulis clinched on court six.
 
"We got off to a slow start today in both doubles and singles, but this team has heart, and we fought back to give ourselves a chance to win," said Peter Wright, Cal's Director of Men's Tennis. "Unfortunately, we came up short today. We're now focused on bringing our best tennis against UCLA tomorrow."
 
Cal next hosts No. 14/19 UCLA on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Hellman.
 
No. 10/12 USC (12-6, 2-0 Pac-12) defeated No. 40 California (9-8, 2-1 Pac-12), 4-2
March 29, 2019, in Berkeley, Calif.
Hellman Tennis Complex
 
Doubles
1. No. 79 Paul Barretto/Can Kaya (Cal) vs. No. 16 Brandon Holt/Riley Smith (USC), 4-4 Did Not Finish
2. Jack Jaede/Laurens Verboven (USC) def. Jack Molloy/Mert Zincirli (Cal), 6-4*
3. Daniel Cukierman/Tanner Smith (USC) def. Yuta Kikuchi/Ben Draper (Cal), 6-3
 
USC won the doubles point
Order of Finish: 3, 2*
*Clinched the doubles point
 
Singles
1. No. 17 Brandon Holt (USC) vs. Yuta Kikuchi (Cal), 6-2, 3-6, 5-3 DNF
2. No. 10 Daniel Cukierman (USC) def. Jack Molloy (Cal), 6-2, 6-2
3. Paul Barretto (Cal) def. Riley Smith (USC), 6-3, 6-4
4. No. 71 Logan Smith (USC) def. Bjorn Hoffmann (Cal), 6-4, 6-4
5. Ben Draper (Cal) def. Jake Sands (USC), 7-6(4), 6-4
6. Mor Bulis (USC) def. Mert Zincirli (Cal), 6-1, 3-6, 6-0^
 
Order of Finish: 2, 3, 5, 4, 6^
^Clinched the overall match