BERKELEY – California withstood the absence of one of its top players and the rare loss of the doubles point to defeat Arizona State, 4-2, as Ben Draper clinched the Pac-12 match on Saturday at the Hellman Tennis Complex. The Cal sophomore edged the Sun Devils' Justin Roberts, 7-6(4), 7-6(2), in singles to wrap up the victory.
 
The Golden Bears improved to 4-5. Including their 4-2 win over No. 21 Arizona on Friday at Hellman, they are now 2-0 in the Pac-12 Conference and 2-0 at home. ASU has a 4-7 record (0-2 Pac-12).
 
Cal has had its share of success in doubles this season, but Saturday marked just the second time that the Bears have lost the doubles point in 2019. The Sun Devils clinched a 1-0 lead when the 49th-ranked pair of Dominik Kellovsky and Nathan Pontwith upended Cal's 33rd-ranked sophomores Paul Barretto and Can Kaya, 6-3, on court one.
 
Jacob Brumm was unavailable to play doubles or singles on Saturday due to an undisclosed injury, meaning the 11th-ranked Brumm and Yuta Kikuchi didn't play court-one doubles. ASU also won on court three, as the 39th-ranked Andrea Bolla and Tim Ruehl bested Cal juniors Dominic Barretto and Bjorn Hoffmann, 6-3.
 
In singles, ASU took a 2-0 lead when Makey Rakotomalala defeated Dominic Barretto, 6-2, 6-3, on court six.
 
But Cal rallied to tie things at 2-2, as first Hoffmann beat Ruehl, 6-2, 7-5, on court four, and then sophomore Jack Molloy knocked off ASU's Bolla by the same score on court three. Kikuchi won the first set on court one over Kellovsky, 6-4, but trailed in the second 3-4. The Cal freshman came back to force a tiebreak, which he won to take the match, 6-4, 7-6(11), and give Cal a 3-2 advantage.
 
Paul Barretto came close to clinching Cal's victory, as he led the 74th-ranked Ponwith, 6-4, 5-4, on court two, but Draper finished his match first on court five to end the day.
 
"It's a great feeling for our team to open up at home with two Pac-12 wins," said Director of Cal Men's Tennis Peter Wright. "I'm proud of how our guys competed today, and I'm even more excited about how much our team has improved in pressure situations. We showed today that we're not just known for our doubles, and we showed this weekend that having a hard schedule early in the year has toughened us up and prepared us for the season ahead."
 
Cal next hosts two nonconference matches on Monday, when the Bears play Pacific at 10:30 a.m. and take on Saint Mary's at 3 p.m. at the Hellman Tennis Complex.
 
California (4-5, 2-0 Pac-12) defeated Arizona State (4-7, 0-2 Pac-12), 4-2
March 9, 2019, in Berkeley, Calif.
Hellman Tennis Complex
 
Doubles
1. No. 49 Dominik Kellovsky/Nathan Ponwith (ASU) def. No. 33 Paul Barretto/Can Kaya (Cal), 6-3*
2. Jack Molloy/Mert Zincirli (Cal) vs. No. 55 Makey Rakotomalala/Justin Roberts (ASU), 5-3 Did Not Finish
3. No. 39 Andrea Bolla/Tim Ruehl (ASU) def. Dominic Barretto/Bjorn Hoffmann (Cal), 6-3
 
ASU won the doubles point
Order of Finish: 3, 1*
*Clinched the doubles point
 
Singles
1. Yuta Kikuchi (Cal) def. Dominik Kellovsky (ASU), 6-4, 7-6(11)
2. Paul Barretto (Cal) vs. No. 74 Nathan Ponwith (ASU), 6-4, 5-4 Did Not Finish
3. Jack Molloy (Cal) def. Andrea Bolla (ASU), 6-2, 7-5
4. Bjorn Hoffmann (Cal) def. Tim Ruehl (ASU), 6-2, 7-5
5. Ben Draper (Cal) def. Justin Roberts (ASU), 7-6(4), 7-6(2)^
6. Makey Rakotomalala (ASU) def. Dominic Barretto (Cal), 6-2, 6-3
 
Order of Finish: 6, 4, 3, 1, 5^
^Clinched the overall match