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Cal Hosts Santa Clara, Opens Pac-12s Vs. Utah

by calbears.com
Mar 9, 2022
Yuta Kikuchi and the Bears return to dual-match play after competing in the doubles tournament in La Jolla.

BERKELEY – The 43rd-ranked California men's tennis team returns to the Hellman Tennis Complex to host Santa Clara and No. 22 Utah. The Golden Bears take on the Broncos on Friday at 3 p.m. and then play Utah in their Pac-12 Conference opener on Sunday at 12 p.m.
 
Cal brings a 5-3 record into the match with the Broncos, who are 4-5. Utah is 16-0 ahead of a Friday match at Stanford.
 
Admission is free to regular-season tennis matches at the Hellman Tennis Complex. Fans can also follow all the action via the Hellman live stream and live scores by clicking here and can follow match updates on Twitter at @CalMensTennis.
 
Cal Athletics follows all state and local public health guidelines to mitigate risk and support the health and well-being of those who attend Cal athletic events. Under these policies, fans attending outdoor events on campus are strongly encouraged to wear facial coverings in outdoor areas.
  
Individuals who are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms or are under a quarantine or isolation order should not attend.
 
These protocols are subject to change based on local, state and national guidelines.
 
Last Time: Kwinta, Sargeant Prevail In La Jolla
Cal captured the consolation final of the Pacific Coast Men's Doubles Championship when Kris Kwinta, the Peter Wright Director of Men's Tennis, and assistant coach Francis Sargeant defeated current Cal players Sean Hill and Lucas Magnaudet on Sunday in the open tournament.
 
Kwinta – a former doubles All-American at UCLA – and Sargeant – who was an All-WCC doubles player at BYU – beat the Golden Bears, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3.
 
In Sunday's semifinals, Hill and Magnaudet beat UC San Diego's Daniel Traxler and Jett Cole, 6-2, 6-4, while Sargeant and Kwinta bested Boston College's William Kasten and Jake Vassel, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
 
Sargeant and Kwinta defeated another Cal duo in the consolation quarterfinals in a 6-1, 3-6, 7-6(5) win over Philip Hjorth and Alex Chang on March 5.
 
Poll Position
Cal is ranked 43rd in the ITA's team poll this week. In singles, senior Yuta Kikuchi (14-9 record) is ranked 91st, and in doubles, Cal's top duo of Kikuchi and freshman Carl Emil Overbeck (13-3 record) is ranked 17th.
 
Scouting Cal

  • Cal has a 4-1 home record
  • At the Pacific Coast Men's Doubles Championship, the pair of Yuta Kikuchi and Carl Emil Overbeck won three matches to reach the main draw round of 16
  • Derrick Chen and Mikey Wright advanced to the main draw's round of 32 in La Jolla
  • Senior Philip Hjorth, who clinched the season-opening win over Saint Mary's, and Overbeck, who clinched vs. Army, are tied for the team's most singles victories with 17 each
  • Overbeck won the consolation final of the ITA Northwest Regional Championships in the fall beating Utah's Ryan Ali, 6-2, 7-5
  • Kris Kwinta (UCLA '08) is in his first season as the Peter Wright Director of Men's Tennis
  • Kwinta's first-year staff includes assistant coach and former BYU player Francis Sargeant along with volunteer assistant coach and former professional player Jared Donaldson

Scouting Santa Clara

  • The Broncos have lost three straight dual matches
  • In its most recent action, SCU fell to UC Santa Barbara, 7-0, on March 5 and to Florida Atlantic, 5-2, on March 6
  • In the fall, Santa Clara's Guillaume Dalmasso finished as the singles runner-up in the ITA Northwest Regional Championships
  • Niall Angus is in his sixth season as Santa Clara's head coach

Scouting Utah

  • At 16-0, Utah is off to its best start in program history
  • In its most recent action, Utah beat San Diego State 4-0, and UC San Diego, 4-0, with both matches taking place on March 6 in San Diego
  • Sophomore Franco Capalbo earned All-Pac-12 honorable mention in 2021
  • Roeland Brateneau is in his eighth year as head coach at Utah

Goransson Wins Battle Of Cal Alums To Reach Davis Cup
Cal alumnus Andre Goransson qualified for the Davis Cup finals with Sweden on March 5, when his team defeated Japan and former Cal teammate Ben McLachlan, 3-2, in Helsingborg, Sweden.
 
Goransson paired with Elias Ymer to beat McLachlan and Yasutaka Uchiyama, 2-6, 7-6(9), 7-5, in a doubles match that took two hours and 40 minutes. Sweden clinched the victory over Japan when Ymer beat Yosuke Watanaki in singles, 6-3, 6-3.
 
McLachlan – currently ranked 34th in the world in doubles – and Goransson – who's ranked 69th in doubles – partnered in doubles while at Cal in the 2013-24 season, when McLachlan was a senior and Goransson was a freshman.
 
The United States also qualified for the Davis Cup finals on March 5 when the U.S. beat Colombia, 4-0, in Reno, Nevada. The U.S. team features former Cal volunteer assistant coach Rajeev Ram, who's ranked fourth in doubles. Ram paired with Jack Sock to clinch the victory when they beat Colombia's Nicolas Barrientos and Juan-Sebastian Cabal, 6-3, 6-4.

Stay Posted
For further coverage of the Bears, follow them on Twitter (@CalMensTennis), Instagram (@CalMensTennis) and Facebook (@CalMensTennis).
 
Next Time
Cal returns to nonconference play when it hosts Purdue on March 16, Yale on March 19 and Cal Poly on March 20.
 

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