Sept. 25, 2011
ST. HELENA, Calif. - No. 45-ranked Nick Andrews emerged victorious as the champion of the 2011 Land Rover Napa Valley Tennis Classic on Sun., Sept. 25, at the Meadowood Resort. The California men's tennis senior defeated his sophomore teammate Ben McLachlan in an all Golden Bear shootout final to claim the wild card into a future USTA Pro Circuit event and the Norma Miner Outstanding Player award.
Andrews went 3-0 in pool play and added two victories in doubles matches to round out a successful opening weekend to the fall tournament season.
"What a phenomenal finish," said head coach Peter Wright. "It's really a dream come true. That's part of the excitement of this format. Anything can happen once the shootout starts."
Down, 7-5, in the shootout final, Andrews followed a shot to the net and hit a nice pick-up volley that passed McLachlan for an unlikely winner that left the crowd cheering, and both players smiling. Andrews said it was the he needed to make his comeback.
"I couldn't have been happier playing another Cal guy in the final," Andrews said. "I think after I double-faulted the second time, I told myself to just calm down a little bit, and then I made that little stab at the half volley that changed the momentum."
Andrews defeated Vanderbilt's Blake Bazarnik, 6-2, 6-0, on the final day after light rains delayed several matches. Fellow senior Ahmed Ismail also posted a 3-0 mark when he won his pool with a 6-3, 6-1 victory against USTA junior Nikko Madregallejo. McLachlan pushed Cal's overall singles record to 9-2 on the weekend upon his 11-9 win over USTA junior Luca Corinteli.
With three Bears in the shootout quarterfinals, Cal outnumbered all other constituents. UCLA had two, and the USTA had two juniors in the final eight, but Notre Dame's Sam Keeton was the only player from another school.
Andrews edged UCLA's Warren Hardie, 10-8, in the first round, while McLachlan turned away Adrien Puget of UCLA, 10-2, to advance. Ismail drew Connor Farren from the USTA juniors and stayed close before Farren claimed the 10-8 win. In the fourth quarterfinal, Alexios Halebian took out Keeton, 10-1.
McLachlan and Andrews each posted 10-7 wins in the semifinal round as McLachlan took out Halebian, and Andrews ousted Farren. No Cal player had ever played in the shootout final prior to this year. Andrews came up with one more 10-7 win in the final to defeat McLachlan.
The Bears are back in action in the Fresno State Bulldog Classic in Fresno, Calif., Sept. 30-Oct. 1. Please visit CalBears.com for more information.
EVENT FORMAT: Each school was represented by four players to compete alongside eight juniors, in a 32-man field split into eight pools featuring three collegians and a junior. Following three matches in pool play, the eight pool winners competed in a single-elimination, 10-point tiebreak tournament.
2011 Land Rover Napa Valley Tennis Classic
Meadowood Resort | St. Helena, Calif.
Sunday, Sept. 25, 2011
Completed Singles Matches
No. 45 Nick Andrews (CAL) def. Blake Bazarnik (VAN), 6-2, 6-0
Ahmed Ismail (CAL) def. Nikko Madregallejo (USTA), 6-3, 6-1
Ben McLachlan
(CAL) def. Luca Corinteli (USTA), 11-9
Shootout Quarterfinals
No. 45 Nick Andrews (CAL) def. Warren Hardie (UCLA), 10-8
Ben McLachlan (CAL) def. Adrien Puget (UCLA), 10-2
Connor Farren (USTA) def. Ahmed Ismail (CAL), 10-8
Alexios Halebian (USTA) def. Sam Keeton (UND), 10-1
Shootout Semifinals
Ben McLachlan (CAL) def. Alexios Halebian (USTA), 10-7
No. 45 Nick Andrews (CAL) def. Connor Farren (USTA), 10-7
Shootout Final
No. 45 Nick Andrews (CAL) def. Ben McLachlan (CAL), 10-7
