SALT LAKE CITY - Mads Engsted won in three sets to secure No. 16 Cal's 4-2 victory over No. 52 Utah on Sunday at the Eccles Tennis Center. Cal improved its record to 12-3 (2-0 in the Pac-12), while the Utes fell to 12-5 (0-2 Pac-12).
The Golden Bears fell behind early when they lost the doubles point. First, the 67th-ranked Cal team of senior Ben McLachlan and freshman Andre Goransson fell in an upset to the Utah tandem of Slim Hamza and Cedric Willems upset the, 8-4, on court one. Utah secured the point when the Cal pair of junior Gregory Bayane and sophomore Wyatt Houghton lost to Alejandro Medinilla/Matt Cowley, 8-6, on court three.
Utah doubled its lead to 2-0 by taking the first match in singles, as Goransson fell to Willems, 6-2, 6-4, on court four.
The veteran McLachlan, ranked 70th in singles, led the comeback when he beat Hamza, 6-3, 7-6(7), on court one. Freshman Filip Bergevi tied the overall match at 2-2 when he topped Alejandro Medinilla, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-0, on court three.
Senior Campbell Johnson, ranked 89th, continued Cal's surge by beating Ben Tasevec, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, on court two, and Engsted completed the comeback with a 6-7(4), 6-1, 6-0 victory over Matt Cowley .
Cal continues conference play when it heads to Los Angeles to play at No. 5 UCLA on Friday, April 4, and at No. 1 USC on Saturday, April 5.
No. 16 Cal (12-3, 2-0 Pac-12) defeated No. 52 Utah (12-5, 0-2 Pac-12) – 4-2
March 30, 2014, in Salt Lake City, Utah
Eccles Tennis Center
Doubles
1: Slim Hamza/Cedric Willems (Utah) def. No. 67 Andre Goransson/Ben McLachlan (Cal) – 8-4
2: Filip Bergevi/Mads Engsted (Cal) vs. Ben Tasevec/Devin Laine (Utah) - Abandoned
3: Alejandro Medinilla/Matt Cowley (Utah) def. Gregory Bayane/Wyatt Houghton (Cal) – 8-6
Utah captured the doubles point.
Order of Finish: 1, 3*.
*Clinched the doubles point
Singles
1: No. 70 Ben McLachlan (Cal) def. Slim Hamza (Utah) – 6-3, 7-6(7)
2: No. 89 Campbell Johnson (Cal) vs. Ben Tasevec (Utah) – 4-6, 6-2, 6-2
3: Filip Bergevi (Cal) def. Alejandro Medinilla (Utah) – 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-0
4: Cedric Willems (Utah) def. Andre Goransson (Cal) – 6-2, 6-4
5: Gregory Bayane (Cal) vs. Devin Laine (Utah) – Abandoned
6: Mads Engsted (Cal) def. Matt Cowley (Utah) – 6-7(4), 6-1, 6-0
Order of Finish: 4, 1, 3, 2, 6^.
^Clinched the overall match
