DURHAM, N.C. – The California men's tennis team lost to Middle Tennessee in its ITA Kickoff Weekend opener, 4-1, at Duke's Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center.
 
John Kim fell to the Blue Raiders' Demis Taramonlis, 6-2, 6-7(3), 6-2, in singles to end the match.
 
Cal got off to a good start when Alex Chang and Jonathan Irwanto defeated Karim Al-Amin and Shu Matsuoka, 6-1, in doubles. Kim and Timofey Stepanov lost to Ondrej Horak and Leo Raquin, 6-1, leaving the court-one match to settle the doubles point. Cal's Carl Emil Overbeck and Mikey Wright took a 6-5 lead on court one, but Javier Cueto Ramos and Jakub Kroslak forced the tiebreaker at 6-6 and ultimately beat the Golden Bears, 7-6(5), to give Middle Tennessee a 1-0 lead.
 
With Cal down 2-0 after Overbeck lost to the 25th-ranked Raquin, 6-0, 6-2, at court-one singles, Stepanov beat Matsuoka, 6-4, 6-4, on court four to make the score 2-1.
 
A close loss by Cal freshman Ethan Schiffman – who fell to Kroslak, 7-5, 7-6(2), on court six – left the Bears trailing 3-1, with the remaining three matches going to three sets apiece. Court five then decided Saturday's result.
 
In Sunday's ITA Kickoff Weekend consolation match, Cal (0-2) plays the losing team from Saturday's battle between No. 8 Duke and No. 23 N.C. State.
 
ITA Kickoff Weekend

Middle Tennessee (4-1) defeated Cal (0-2), 4-1
Jan. 27, 2024, in Durham, N.C.
Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center
 
Doubles
1. Javier Cueto Ramos/Jakub Kroslak (MT) def. Carl Emil Overbeck/Mikey Wright (Cal), 7-6(5)*
2. Alex Chang/Jonathan Irwanto (Cal) def. Karim Al-Amin/Shu Matsuoka (MT), 6-1
3. Ondrej Horak/Leo Raquin (MT) def. John Kim/Timofey Stepanov (Cal), 6-1
 
Order of Finish – 2, 3, 1*
*Clinched the doubles point
 
Singles
1. No. 25 Leo Raquin (MT) def. Carl Emil Overbeck (Cal), 6-0, 6-2
2. No. 47 Marcel Kamrowski (MT) vs. Alex Chang (Cal), 7-6(2), 2-6, 4-4 UNF
3. No. 105 Ondrej Horak (MT) vs. Jonathan Irwanto (Cal), 7-5, 4-6, 5-3 UNF
4. Timofey Stepanov (Cal) def. Shu Matsuoka (MT), 6-4, 6-4
5. Demis Taramonlis (MT) def. John Kim (Cal), 6-2, 6-7(3), 6-2^
6. Jakub Kroslak (MT) def. Ethan Schiffman (Cal), 7-5, 7-6(2)
 
Order of Finish – 1, 4, 6, 5^
^Clinched the overall match
 
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