BERKELEY – Andre Goransson delighted a mostly pro-California crowd when he defeated David Wilczynski at court-two singles to clinch No. 16 Cal's 4-1 Pac-12 dual-match victory over No. 29 Stanford in the Big Slam on Saturday at the Hellman Tennis Complex.
The 27th-ranked Goransson rebounded from losing the first set to win in three, 3-6, 7-5, 6-1, against the 72nd-ranked Wilczynski.
Cal improved its overall record to 15-5 (5-2 in the Pac-12). Stanford ended the regular season with a 13-9 (4-3 Pac-12) record.
That gave Cal a regular-season sweep of the Cardinal, as the Golden Bears beat Stanford, 4-3, in nonconference action on Feb. 20 on the Farm.
Saturday was also Senior Day, with Cal honoring seniors Mads Engsted, Wyatt Houghton and Oskar Wikberg in their last regular-season match between doubles and singles. The Bears also thanked Jordan Smith for his contributions; the now former Bear graduated in December after just three and a half years at Cal.
Engsted paired with sophomore J.T. Nishimura to win at court-three doubles, 6-1, over Sameer Kumar and Yale Goldberg. Goransson and Wikberg clinched the doubles point with a 6-2 victory over Wilczynski and Nolan Paige on court two, giving Cal a 1-0 lead heading into singles.
In a busy day at Hellman, Cal welcomed its alumni and honored the career of the late Jim McManus as part of McManus Legends Day. Fuddruckers also provided free hamburgers for the fans.
The match was televised on Pac-12 Bay Area and will appear again on the network at Monday at 10 p.m.
“We knew today was going to be a challenge,” Cal head coach Peter Wright said, “and Stanford came to Berkeley a day early to prepare, so we knew we had to bring out our best tennis. Seniors Mads Engsted and Oskar Wikberg were instrumental in earning us the doubles point.
“With Pac-12 Bay Arear doing live TV, we also had Senior Day and McManus Legends Day, so it was our best crowd this year. Our fans are amazing, and they definitely made a difference today.”
In singles, Filip Bergevi, a junior, doubled Cal's lead to 2-0 when he dispatched Paige, 6-0, 7-6(3), on court four. But Engsted – playing his last regular-season match at Hellman – lost to Brandon Sutter, 6-4, 6-3, on court six to make the score 2-1.
That was the last win for the Cardinal.
In a battle of powerful right handers, Cal junior Florian Lakat, ranked 30th, upset the 10th-ranked Tom Fawcett on court one, 7-6(2), 6-3, to make the score 3-1. That set up Goransson to close the door for good on Stanford.
“Florian played one of his best matches of the year, and Andre is really starting to play well,” Wright said. “Filip deserves a lot of credit for playing incredibly disciplined tennis. We're all excited to finish the regular season with a win over our rival, and now we're focusing our attention on the Pac-12 Championships and the NCAAs.”
Cal returns to action when it competes in the Pac-12 Championships from April 20-23 in Ojai, California. The Bears will find out more about their postseason fate on May 3, when the NCAA announces the field for the national team tournament.
No. 16 California (15-5, 5-2 Pac-12) defeated No. 29 Stanford (13-9, 4-3 Pac-12) – 4-1
April 16, 2016, in Berkeley, Calif.
Hellman Tennis Complex
Doubles
1. No. 11 Filip Bergevi/Florian Lakat (Cal) vs. No. 41 Tom Fawcett/Maciek Romanowicz (Stanford) 4-3 Abandoned
2. Andre Goransson/Oskar Wikberg (Cal) def. David Wilczynski/Nolan Paige (Stanford) – 6-2
3. Mads Engsted/J.T. Nishimura (Cal) def. Sameer Kumar/Yale Goldberg (Stanford) – 6-1
Cal won the doubles point
Order of Finish – 3, 2*
*Clinched the doubles point
Singles
1. No. 30 Florian Lakat (Cal) def. No. 10 Tom Fawcett (Stanford) – 7-6(2), 6-3
2. No. 27 Andre Goransson (Cal) def. No. 72 David Wilczynski (Stanford) – 3-6, 7-5, 6-1
3. No. 68 Billy Griffith (Cal) vs. Michael Genender (Stanford) – 6-4, 6-7(6) Abandoned
4. Filip Bergevi (Cal) def. Nolan Paige (Stanford) – 6-0, 7-6(3)
5. No. 103 Oskar Wikberg (Cal) vs. Sameer Kumar (Stanford) – 6-4, 5-7, 0-2 Abandoned
6. Brandon Sutter (Stanford) def. Mads Engsted (Cal) – 6-4, 6-3
Order of Finish – 4, 6, 1, 2*
*Clinched the overall match