BERKELEY – California men's tennis junior Derrick Chen advanced to the Battle in the Bay Classic as the Battle in the Bay Qualifier came to an end Sunday at the Hellman Tennis Complex and Channing Tennis Courts.
 
The Golden Bear won twice in the singles on the last day of the three-day event, defeating Nevada's Pedro Liborio, 6-3, 6-2, in the quarterfinals and San Francisco's Sam Edgar, 6-1, 6-2, in the semifinals. Chen did not lose a set in four matches.
 
"It was a good tournament, especially for Derrick," said Cal's Kris Kwinta, the Peter Wright Director of Men's Tennis. "I asked him what's the difference between now and two years ago, and he said it comes down to maturity, being able to see more on the court, stay calm in tough moments and stay composed. He understands how he's supposed to play and what his strengths and weaknesses are. It was a pretty clean tourney for him. He beat opponents convincingly."
 
UC Davis player Ryan Torres was the other singles finalist and also qualified for Battle in the Bay Classic, which is slated to start Thursday and end next Sunday at the California Tennis Club in San Francisco. Since both of the singles finalists were already guaranteed main draw spots in the Battle in the Bay Classic, the singles final in Berkeley wasn't played.
 
Sunday's doubles final featured Cal's duo of sophomore John Kim and freshman Alex Aney against Pacific's Peter Alam and Justas Trainauskas. The Bears were seeded fourth, but the Tigers prevailed, 8-3, to send Alam and Trainauskas to the Battle in the Bay Classic. Only the doubles champions and two singles finalists advanced from the qualifier to San Francisco.
 
"After Derrick, other Bears had up and down tourneys," Kwinta said. "Some had good wins and disappointing losses. Everybody battled hard, and that's the key for me. They left it all on the line. They hope to come out and improve over time. Guys always want to win a match, but you can draw so much even from losses. We got a lot of positive feedback and information on certain players. As they progress this fall, we know what to work on in their games."
 
Four Cal freshmen made their collegiate debuts in the qualifier, including Aney, Tim Stepanov, Ethan Schiffman and Jonthan Irwanto.
 
"I like this new group," Kwinta said. "They're feisty. They want to battle, spend time on the court, learn new ways and improve their style of play. They don't shy away from constructive criticism. They bring a lot of energy as well."
 
Next for the Bears in the Battle in the Bay Classic, with Chen joining Cal teammates Alex Chang and Carl Emil Overbeck in the singles field. Chang and Overbeck will also play in doubles at the California Tennis Club. Overbeck won the tournament's previous two doubles titles with former Cal teammate Yuta Kikuchi.
 
Battle in the Bay Qualifier – Day 3
Sept. 17, in Berkeley, Calif.
Hellman Tennis Complex/Channing Tennis Courts
 
Cal Results
 
Doubles
 
Final
Peter Alam/Justas Trainauskas (Pacific) def. [4] Alex Aney/John Kim (Cal), 8-3
 
Singles
 
Quarterfinal Round
[3] Derrick Chen (Cal) def. Pedro Liborio (Nevada), 6-3, 6-2
Sam Edgar (USF) def. Ethan Schiffman (Cal), 6-2, 6-4
 
Semifinal Round
[3] Derrick Chen (Cal) def. Sam Edgar (USF), 6-1, 6-2
 
Extra Singles Matches
Alex Aney (Cal) def. Loris Zisswiller (Nevada), 6-7(5), 6-3, 10-5
Roi Ginat (ASU) def. John Kim (Cal), 6-3, 7-6(4)
Jonathan Irwanto (Cal) def. Quinn Snyder (Hawaii), 6-1, 6-2
Aidan Watt (SMC) def. Mikey Wright (Cal), w/d (inj.)
 
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