BERKELEY – Bjorn Hoffmann defeated Joseph Rotheram, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2, to hand No. 46 California a 4-1 victory over UC Santa Barbara on Monday at the Hellman Tennis Complex.
 
The Golden Bears improved to 11-9 after the nonconference result. The Gauchos are now 10-6.

Cal won the doubles point when the pair of junior Mert Zincirli and sophomore Jack Molloy topped Rotheram and Alex Soto, 6-3.
 
The Bears went on to put on an impressive display against a talented Gauchos roster that featured three nationally ranked players.
 
Cal increased the lead to 2-0 when sophomore Ben Draper beat Hironori Koyanagi at court-four singles, 6-2, 6-4. But UCSB pulled one back on court six – with Anders Holm defeating Zincirli, 6-1, 6-2 – to trail 2-1. Cal sophomore Paul Barretto lifted the Bears to a 3-1 advantage with a 6-3, 6-3 win over the 100th-ranked Victor Krustev, 6-3, 6-3.
 
Each of the last three matches was in a third set – Cal freshman Yuta Kikuchi was leading UCSB's 16th-ranked Nicolas Moreno de Alboran on court one, 2-6, 7-6(2), 4-1, and Molloy was tied, 4-4, in the last set against the 51st-ranked Joseph Guillin – until Hoffmann's three-setter on court five settled the win for the Bears.
 
"We played a very strong match today against a very strong UCSB team," said Peter Wright, Cal's Director of Men's Tennis. "It was great to be back on our home courts, and our strong play in doubles gave us the lead in the match. Our singles has been improving every week, and it's great to see our guys playing with so much confidence.
 
"Now we turn our attention to Stanford on Saturday, and we're looking forward to celebrating McManus Legends Day and the opening of our new Grand Slam Legacy Wall with all of our Cal fans."
 
The Bears host the Cardinal in the Big Slam in Cal's last regular-season home match on April 13 at 1 p.m.
 
No. 46 Cal (11-9) defeated UC Santa Barbara (10-6), 4-1
April 8, 2019, in Berkeley, Calif.
Hellman Tennis Complex
 
Doubles
1. Nicolas Moreno de Alboran/Anders Holm (UCSB) def. No. 17 Jacob Brumm/Yuta Kikuchi (Cal), 6-3
2. Paul Barretto/Can Kaya (Cal) def. Joseph Guillin/Victor Krustev (UCSB), 6-3
3. Jack Molloy/Mert Zincirli (Cal) def. Joseph Rotheram/Alex Soto (UCSB), 6-3*
 
Cal won the doubles point
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3*
*Clinched the doubles point
 
Singles
1. Yuta Kikuchi (Cal) vs. No. 16 Nicolas Moreno de Alboran (UCSB), 2-6, 7-6(2), 4-1 DNF
2. Jack Molloy (Cal) vs. No. 51 Joseph Guillin (UCSB), 6-3, 3-6, 4-4 Unfinished   
3. Paul Barretto (Cal) def. No. 100 Victor Krustev (UCSB), 6-3, 6-3
4. Ben Draper (Cal) def. Hironori Koyanagi (UCSB), 6-2, 6-4
5. Bjorn Hoffmann (Cal) def. Joseph Rotheram (UCSB), 6-4, 2-6, 6-2^
6. Anders Holm (UCSB) def. Mert Zincirli (Cal), 6-1, 6-2
 
Order of Finish: 4, 6, 3, 5^
^Clinched the overall match