NORFOLK, Va. – Theo Dean clinched the 10th-ranked California men's tennis team's 6-1 victory at No. 60 Old Dominion on Wednesday at the Folkes-Stevens Tennis Center. The Golden Bears have won seven consecutive matches, including the last three in the state of Virginia.
 
Dean, a Cal graduate student ranked 37th, defeated 115th-ranked Connor van Schalkwyk 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 to claim the win, as the Bears improved their record to 14-2 with the nonconference victory. ODU is 10-8.
 
Cal fell behind 1-0 after dropping the doubles point.
 
Fryderyk Lechno-Wasiutynski tied the match 1-1 in singles, beating ODU's Jean-Karim Olivier de Sardan 6-2, 6-4 on court five. With the win, the freshman, who joined the Bears in January, improved his record to 10-1. Derrick Chen followed with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Yanis Moundir on court four to give the Bears a 2-1 advantage. The senior has been on tear of late in singles, posting a seven-match winning streak of his own.
 
After a quick first two completed matches, the final four matches went to three sets apiece. Ninth-ranked Carl Emil Overbeck lost the first set on court one and rebounded to top Cosme Rolland De Ravel 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 and make the score 3-1. Dean then made the score 4-1 with the clincher on court two. Timofey Stepanov and ACC Freshman of the Week Bernardo Munk Mesa added two more wins to complete the 6-1 score.
 
"They're a tough opponent," said Kris Kwinta, Cal's Peter Wright Director of Men's Tennis. "ODU is a very-well coached group and feisty. They played a heck of a match. They took it to us in doubles. We were still probably thinking about the doubles when we started the singles and fell behind on a few courts. You could feel the pressure in the air and there were tough conditions. It was windy.
 
"But that's good. We want adversity, and we understand that teams are going to come after us and play loose. Our guys responded. Carlo, Timo and Berni lost first sets and all won in three, and Theo also won in three. We've won 10 of the last 11 three-setters we've played. The guys responded really well in singles. It was a great group effort."
 
Cal returns to ACC competition when it plays at Boston College on Friday at SMU on Sunday.
 
No. 10 California (14-2) defeated No. 60 Old Dominion (10-8), 6-1
March 26, 2025, in Norfolk, Va.
Folkes-Stevens Tennis Center
 
Doubles
1. Cosme Rolland De Ravel/Connor van Schalkwyk (ODU) def. Derrick Chen/Theo Dean (Cal), 6-2*
2. Yanis Mounder/Thomas Nelson (ODU) vs. Carl Emil Overbeck/Timofey Stepanov (Cal), 5-4 Unfinished
3. Jean-Karim Olivier de Sardan/Adam Majchrzak (ODU) def. Mikey Wright/Fryderyk Lechno-Wasiutynski (Cal), 6-3
 
Order of Finish – 3, 1*
*Clinched the doubles point for ODU
 
Singles
1. No. 9 Carl Emil Overbeck (Cal) def. Cosme Rolland De Ravel (ODU), 2-6, 6-3, 6-2
2. No. 37 Theo Dean (Cal) def. No. 115 Connor van Schalkwyk (ODU), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4^
3. Timofey Stepanov (Cal) def. Adam Majchrzak (ODU), 5-7, 6-2, 6-3
4. Derrick Chen (Cal) def. Yanis Moundir (ODU), 6-2, 6-4
5. Fryderyk Lechno-Wasiutynski (Cal) def. Jean-Karim Olivier de Sardan (ODU), 6-2, 6-4
6. Bernardo Munk Mesa (Cal) def. Aryan Saleh (ODU), 1-6, 7-6(3), 7-5
 
Order of Finish – 5, 4, 1, 2^, 3, 6
^Clinched the doubles point for Cal
 
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