Ducks Take Down No. 24 Stanford on Senior Day

EUGENE, Ore. – Four years—to the day—removed from its last win in the all-time series, the Oregon men's tennis capped its regular season Friday with a 4-2 victory over No. 24 Stanford. In the final home match of his career, senior Brandon Lam clinched the Ducks' win at No. 5 singles.
 
"It feels unbelievable," Lam said following the match. "We were so close at (USC) and we had some chances against UCLA so it feels really good to get over the hump and win the big one."
 
Oregon improves to 15-5 this season and caps an undefeated season at home. In addition to its top-25 ranking, the Cardinal entered Friday's match with a 5-0 mark in Pac-12 play. The Ducks last defeated Stanford—then ranked No. 15—on April 16, 2017, a 4-3 victory in Eugene.
 
Friday marked the program's highest-ranked win since beating No. 27 Dartmouth in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament. Before the match, seniors Lam and Emmanuel Coste were recognized for their career accomplishments.
 
"We have been playing so well all season and been close in other matches so it feels incredible to get this one today," head coach Nils Schyllander said. "I think we've only really played one poor match the entire dual season and that's a credit to the team and how hard they've worked.
 
"This is a big-time win over a very good Stanford team, and for one of our seniors in Brandon to finish it off…it couldn't have been a better ending."
 
How it Happened: Needing to win four of six singles matches after dropping the opening point to the visitors, the Ducks pulled even with a 6-2, 6-1 win by Quinn Vandecasteele over Tristan Boyer at No. 3 singles. Joshua Charlton followed with his first win against a ranked opponent this season, knocking off No. 36 Arthur Fery in three sets.
 
Charlton and Vandecasteele, the No. 42 doubles team in the country, picked up a win earlier in the day. The UO pair is now 8-2 this season.
 
The Ducks extended their lead to 3-1 with a win by Jesper Klöv-Nilsson at No. 4 singles. He posted a 7-6(4), 6-3 win over Timothy Sah, the reigning Pac-12 Player of the Week. With the result, Klöv-Nilsson tallied his team-leading 15th win of the season.
 
Stanford (8-4, 5-1 Pac-12) pulled to within one—Oregon 3-2—with a win by Neel Rajesh in the No. 6 spot in the lineup.
 
However, Lam was in position to serve out his match. He led 5-2 earlier in the second set before Stanford's William Genesen rattled off two-consecutive games. But with a service winner, Lam secured the 7-5, 6-4 victory and sent the Ducks to victory. The UO senior ends the regular season on a four-match winning streak.
 
"I was playing pretty well up until 5-2," Lam said of the finish. "Then it kinda hit me and I got a little tight but Coach (Arron) Spencer just told me to let it all out. 'I don't care if you miss, just rip it.' That's what I did and it worked. I'm just really happy."
 
Up Next: Friday marked the end of the regular season for the Ducks who now await seeding position for the upcoming Pac-12 Tournament. In a move from its usual location in Ojai, Calif., this year's conference tournament will be held April 23-26 at the Barnes Tennis Center in San Diego.
 
Oregon 4, #24 Stanford 2
Doubles
1. Charlton/Q. Vandecasteele (ORE) d. Boyer/Sah (STAN) – 6-3
2. Geller/Kopczynski (STAN) d. Coste/Klöv-Nilsson (ORE) – 6-4
3. Fery/Rotsaert (STAN) d. Lam/Matsushita (ORE) – 6-4
Order of Finish: 1, 3, 2
 
Singles
1. Emmanuel Coste (ORE) vs #89 Axel Geller (STAN) – 4-6, 4-3 unfinished
2. Joshua Charlton (ORE) d. #36 Arthur Fery (STAN) – 6-2, 3-6, 6-1
3. Quinn Vandecasteele (ORE) d. Tristan Boyer (STAN) – 6-2, 6-1
4. Jesper Klöv-Nilsson (ORE) d. Timothy Sah (STAN) – 7-6(4), 6-3
5. Brandon Lam (ORE) d. William Genesen (STAN) – 7-5, 6-4
6. Neel Rajesh (STAN) d. Luke Vandecasteele (ORE) – 7-6(5), 6-3
Order of Finish: 3, 2, 4, 6, 5*
* - clincher
 
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