BERKELEY – Yuta Kikuchi won a three-setter at court-one singles to give the California men's tennis team a 4-3, upset win over 13th-ranked Stanford in the Big Slam on Friday at the Hellman Tennis Complex. The result also represented the Golden Bear veteran's first win over the Cardinal.
 
Cal improved its record to 2-1, while Stanford evened its record at 1-1 after the nonconference match.
 
"It feels amazing," Kikuchi said of the win. "In my five years here, we hadn't beaten them even once. When we lost in the past, it was always a close match. There were small differences between the teams. We didn't have it, and they had it. But today, we had the small differences, and we could win as a team. That's a great feeling for sure."
 
"It was a great team win," said Kris Kwinta, Cal's Peter Wright Director of Men's Tennis. "The guys really stepped up when we needed it the most. We started out hot, were really good in doubles, had really good energy and carried that into singles. We thought we had a wave going, and then the moment comes when you look at the scoreboard and think, 'Okay, who's going to close out the match?' And we got a little tight in a couple of spots. It was great to see guys step up when it mattered the most, when the pressure was the highest."
 
Kikuchi, now a graduate student, defeated Arthur Fery, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, and earlier partnered with Philip Hjorth to beat Samir Banerjee and Aryan Chaudhary, 6-2, at court-three doubles. Siddhant Banthia and Carl Emil Overbeck then bested Fery and Neel Rajesh, 6-4, on court one to clinch the doubles point.
 
Hjorth got the Bears off to a good start in singles, beating Filip Kolasinski, 6-2, 6-3, on court five to give Cal a 2-0 lead. After a Stanford win on court four, Cal junior Lucas Magnaudet rallied to beat the Cardinal's Rajesh in three sets on court six, 6-3, 5-7, 6-0, and the Bears led 3-1.
 
Kikuchi followed with the clincher to give Cal a 4-1 lead, before Stanford won the remaining two matches to make the final score 4-3.
"I still don't think we played the right way in many spots, and there's room for improvement, which is great," Kwinta said. "It's definitely a step forward for all of us, being able to get over the hump and beat these guys here at home."
 
Kwinta added, "I can't be prouder of Yuta, who trusted us and stayed one more year and is improving tremendously. He's playing the best tennis of his career. We know that he's an incredible player. He's proving that every day now. There's a bright future for him and for us. Hopefully we can carry the momentum over to when we play Texas."
 
Cal next plays in the ITA Kickoff Weekend in Austin, where the Bears open against the host Longhorns on Jan. 28. The winner of the four-team event advances to the ITA National Team Indoor Championship in Chicago in February.
 
California (2-1) defeats No. 13 Stanford (1-1), 4-3
Jan. 20, 2023, in Berkeley, Calif.
Hellman Tennis Complex
 
Doubles
1. Siddhant Banthia/Carl Emil Overbeck (Cal) def. Arthur Fery/Neel Rajesh (Stanford), 6-4*
2. Ryder Jackson/Lucas Magnaudet (Cal) vs. Max Basing/Filip Kolasinski (Stanford), 5-4 Unfinished
3. Philip Hjorth/Yuta Kikuchi (Cal) def. Samir Banerjee/Aryan Chaudhary (Stanford), 6-2
 
Order of Finish – 3, 1*
*Clinched the doubles point
 
Singles
1. Yuta Kikuchi (Cal) def. Arthur Fery (Stanford), 6-3, 2-6, 6-4^
2. No. 7 Max Basing (Stanford) def. No. 52 Ryder Jackson (Cal), 7-6(1), 7-5
3. Samir Banerjee (Stanford) def. Carl Emil Overbeck (Cal), 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-3
4. Aryan Chaudhary (Stanford) def. Siddhant Banthia (Cal), 6-3, 6-2
5. Philip Hjorth (Cal) def. Filip Kolasinski (Stanford), 6-2, 6-3
6. Lucas Magnaudet (Cal) def. Neel Rajesh (Stanford), 6-3, 5-7, 6-0
 
Order of Finish – 5, 4, 6, 1^, 2, 3
^Clinched the overall match