HONOLULU – Despite winning the doubles point and getting a singles victory from Yuta Kikuchi, the California men's tennis team fell to No. 16 Florida State, 5-2, in the Golden Bears' dual-match opener on Sunday at the UH Tennis Complex.
 
Cal opens 2023 with a 0-1 record, while FSU is now 2-0.

"We expect as coaches that we have a good team on our hands, and the match today shows we can be competitive with any team in the country," said Kris Kwinta, Cal's Peter Wright Director of Men's Tennis. "The first dual match of the season is always tough. Guys were rusty and lacking match play, and that showed in key moments. But we definitely played really good doubles – that's to be expected – and were not able to take advantage of some situations in singles.
 
"Overall the team looks good, and we have great potential to be a very dangerous team going forward. The coaches and players are excited for the season."
 
In doubles, the pair of Kikuchi and Philip Hjorth defeated Andreja Petrovic and Loris Pourroy on court three, 6-2. With Cal's Siddhant Banthia and Carl Emil Overbeck close to winning on court one – the Bears were serving at match point – Ryder Jackson and Lucas Magnaudet beat FSU's Maks Silagy and Joshua Dous-Karpenschif, 6-3, on court two to clinch the doubles point.
 
Kikuchi, playing at court-two singles, knocked off Pourroy, 6-1, 7-5. But FSU won the remaining five singles matches to beat the Bears.
 
Cal next plays in the one-day Hawaii Invitational, with the Bears battling players from Duke and host Hawaii starting at 10 a.m. HST on Monday at the UH Tennis Complex.
 
No. 16 Florida State (2-0) def. California (0-1), 5-2
Jan. 8, 2023, in Honolulu, Hawaii
UH Tennis Complex
 
Doubles
1. Siddhant Banthia/Carl Emil Overbeck (Cal) vs. Antoine Cornut-Chauvinc/Barnaby Smith (FSU), 5-4 Unfinished
2. Ryder Jackson/Lucas Magnaudet (Cal) def. Maks Silagy/Joshua Dous-Karpenschif (FSU), 6-3*
3. Philip Hjorth/Yuta Kikuchi (Cal) def. Andreja Petrovic/Loris Pourroy (FSU), 6-2
 
Order of Finish – 3, 2*
*Clinched the doubles point
 
Singles
1. No. 12 Antoine Cornut-Chauvinc (FSU) def. No. 52 Ryder Jackson (Cal), 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
2. Yuta Kikuchi (Cal) def. Loris Pourroy (FSU), 6-1, 7-5
3. Andreja Petrovic (FSU) def. Siddhant Banthia (Cal), 6-4, 7-6(6)
4. No. 24 Youcef Rihane (FSU) def. Carl Emil Overbeck (Cal), 6-1, 6-4
5. No. 53 Jamie Connel (FSU) def. Derrick Chen (Cal), 7-5, 7-6 (3)
6. Joshua Dous-Karpenschif (FSU) def. Lucas Magnaudet (Cal), 6-4, 7-5