BERKELEY – In its ACC home opener, the No. 26 California men's tennis team took a 3-1 lead over No. 25 Florida State on Friday evening only to see FSU tie the match 3-3. Freshman Fryderyk Lechno-Wasiutynski prevailed in a clutch three-setter under the lights at the Hellman Tennis Complex to clinch the Golden Bears' 4-3 victory that marked their first win in the ACC.
 
Cal improved its record to 8-2 (1-2 ACC). FSU's record is now 10-4 (2-1).
 
The Golden Bears claimed the doubles point thanks to wins on court three – where Lechno-Wasiutynski and Mikey Wright defeated Jamie Connel and Jan Sebesta 6-3 – and court one – where the 32nd-ranked pair of Theo Dean and Carl Emil Overbeck earned an impressive win over third-ranked Alex Bulte and Youcef Rihane 6-4 to clinch the point.
 
The talented Dean, a graduate student ranked 36th in singles, soon gave Cal a 2-0 lead when he bested Bulte 6-2, 6-2 at court-three singles.
 
Florida State cut into the lead on court four, where Cal's Timofey Stepanov fell to Erik Schiessl 7-6(4), 7-6(2). Cal led 2-1.
 
Another veteran in senior Derrick Chen followed with a 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 result over Joshua Dous-Karpenschif on court five to lift the Bears to a 3-1 advantage.
 
But close losses on court one, where Cal's sixth-ranked Overbeck lost a battle to 19th-ranked Craig 6-3, 6-7(5), 7-5, and court two, where 49th-ranked Chang fell to 46th-ranked Connel 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4, left the match tied 3-3.
 
Over on court six, Lechno-Wasiutynski was in a battle of his own with Azariah Rusher. After winning the first set 6-1 and dropping the second set 7-6(4), the newest Bear – who joined Cal in January – was down 4-2 in the third and final set. But he rallied to win the set, win the match 6-1, 6-7(4), 7-5, secure Cal's win and set off a celebration with his teammates.
 
"An hour into it, you look at the scoreboard, and you think, Okay, we're going to be eating dinner soon," said Kris Kwinta, Cal's Peter Wright Director of Men's Tennis. "And then the next thing you know, you let them back in. That's the beauty of sports – you have to finish your opponents. You have to keep reminding them what got you into that winning position, and you've got to continue doing that. Maybe the instinct is to back off a little bit and maybe they'll give the win to us. But a wounded animal fights back harder. We certainly learned a valuable lesson today by winning a tough match. Some gutsy play by the freshman. He hasn't been in that position ever for us, so kudos to him. Great effort from Carlo, who's not 100 percent. Great win for Derrick, who came through in a big moment. Obviously, Theo Dean was off the court quickly.
 
"Doubles was good, quick, we capitalized on our chances, and we really went after our shots. And the energy was awesome. But lessons to be learned from this match for sure going forward – you can't let opponents hang around. You have to visualize playing aggressively and finish your opponents when you have a lead.
 
"They're a heck of a team. We knew that. They battled hard. But it was a good win for the Bears."
 
The Bears play another ACC contest Sunday at 1 p.m. PT, when they host Miami at the Hellman Tennis Complex.
 
No. 26 California (8-2, 1-2 ACC) defeated No. 25 Florida State (10-4, 2-1), 4-3
March 7, 2025, in Berkeley, Calif.
Hellman Tennis Complex
 
Doubles
1. No. 32 Theo Dean/Carl Emil Overbeck (Cal) def. Alex Bulte/Youcef Rihane (FSU), 6-4^
2. Alex Chang/Derrick Chen (Cal) vs. Joshua Dous-Karpenschif/Erik Schiessl (FSU), 6-5 Unfinished
3. Fryderyk Lechno-Wasiutynski/Mikey Wright (Cal) def. Jamie Connel/Jan Sebesta (FSU), 6-3
 
Order of Finish – 3, 1*
*Clinched the doubles point for Cal
 
Singles
1. No. 19 Correy Craig (FSU) def. No. 6 Carl Emil Overbeck (Cal), 6-3, 6-7(5), 7-5
2. No. 46 Jamie Connel (FSU) def. No. 49 Alex Chang (Cal), 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4
3. No. 36 Theo Dean (Cal) def. Alex Bulte (FSU), 6-2, 6-2
4. Erik Schiessl (FSU) def. Timofey Stepanov (Cal), 7-6(4), 7-6(2)
5. Derrick Chen (Cal) def. Joshua Dous-Karpenschif (FSU), 6-4, 2-6, 6-4
6. Fryderyk Lechno-Wasiutynski (Cal) def. Azariah Rusher (FSU), 6-1, 6-7(4), 7-5^
 
Order of Finish – 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, 6^
^Clinched the overall win for Cal
 
Stay Posted
For further coverage of the Bears, follow them on X (@CalMensTennis), Instagram (@CalMensTennis) and Facebook (/CalMensTennis).