BERKELEY – California captured the doubles point and the first singles match of the day to take a 2-0 lead over defending NCAA champion USC, but the fifth-ranked Trojans roared back to defeat the 27th-ranked Golden Bears, 4-2, and hand Cal its first Pac-12 loss on Friday at the Hellman Tennis Complex.

USC won four straight in singles to wrap up its victory. Cal junior Mads Engsted fell to the 86th-ranked Nick Crystal, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, on court six (Walter A. Haas, Jr. Court) to end the day.

The Bears – who also had their seven-match winning streak snapped – have a 16-6 record and a 4-1 conference mark. The Trojans – who are also the defending Pac-12 regular-season champions – improved to 19-3 and 5-0 in the Pac-12. Entering the day, Cal, USC, UCLA and Stanford were tied for the Pac-12 lead with 4-0 conference records, and after today each of those four teams has two conference matches left to play in the race for the regular-season title and the top seed in the Pac-12 tournament.

Cal was on fire in doubles, at one point taking a 5-2 lead on court one, a 5-3 lead on court two and a 5-3 lead on court three. In the end, the pair of sophomore Andre Goransson and junior Oskar Wikberg beat USC's Eric Johnson and Connor Farren, 6-3, on court two (Bud Chandler Court), and then the team of junior Mads Engsted and sophomore Filip Bergevi topped Max de Vroome and Thibault Forget, 6-3, on court three (Mascarin Court) to clinch the point for the Bears.

The match on court one (Newmark Stadium) – a potential upset with Cal's 42nd-ranked duo of seniors Gregory Bayane and Chase Melton leading the fifth-ranked Yannick Hanfmann and Roberto Quiroz – was abandoned.

Singles began well, as Cal won the first sets on courts one, two and three, while USC won the first sets on courts four, five and six. Court one got its upset when the 59th-ranked Goransson bested the sixth-ranked Hanfmann, 6-4, 6-1, and gave Cal its 2-0 lead.

But the Trojans began their comeback when the 33rd-ranked Jonny Wang beat Wikberg, 6-4, 6-1, on court four (Savides Sullivan Court). USC knotted the match at 2-2 when the 75th-ranked de Vroome defeated Cal freshman J.T. Nishimura, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, on court five (Hirschler-Davidson Court).

On court two, where the 74th-ranked Bergevi won the first set 6-3, the 19th-ranked Quiroz rebounded to win, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, and give USC a 3-2 lead, before the court-six result ended the match.

“That was a great college match today, and we played with confidence and energy,” Cal head coach Peter Wright said. “That was one of our best doubles points of the year, and we followed it up with good intensity in singles.”

Cal will play its last home match of the regular season on Saturday when it hosts No. 15 UCLA at 3 p.m. at Hellman. The Bears close the regular season in the Big Slam at Stanford on April 18.

“We've been playing well, and the guys have been putting in great sessions in practice,” Wright added.
“We know every match ahead is an opportunity to demonstrate how much we've improved over the course of the year. The team is energized about Senior Day tomorrow, and having McManus Legends Day as well tomorrow gives us even more incentive.”

Prior to the UCLA match, the Bears will honor its seniors with a short ceremony. Saturday is also McManus Legends Day, in which the Bears honor the memory of former Cal star Jim McManus.

No. 5 USC (19-3, 5-0 Pac-12) defeated No. 27 California (16-6, 4-1 Pac-12) – 4-2

April 10, 2015, in Berkeley, Calif.

Hellman Tennis Complex

Doubles

1. No. 42 Gregory Bayane/Chase Melton (Cal) vs. No. 5 Yannick Hanfmann/Roberto Quiroz (USC) – 5-3 abandoned

2. Andre Goransson/Oskar Wikberg (Cal) def. Eric Johnson/Connor Farren (USC) – 6-3

3. Filip Bergevi/Mads Engsted (Cal) def. Max de Vroome/Thibault Forget (USC) – 6-3

Cal won the doubles point

Order of Finish: 2, 3*

*Clinched the doubles point

Singles

1. No. 59 Andre Goransson (Cal) def. No. 6 Yannick Hanfmann (USC) – 6-4, 6-1

2. No. 19 Roberto Quiroz (USC) def. No. 74 Filip Bergevi (Cal) – 3-6, 6-3, 6-3

3. No. 123 Eric Johnson (USC) vs. Gregory Bayane (Cal) – 6-7(5), 6-0, 4-1 abandoned

4. No. 33 Jonny Wang (USC) def. Oskar Wikberg (Cal) – 6-4, 6-1

5. No. 75 Max de Vroome (USC) def. J.T. Nishimura (Cal) – 6-4, 4-6, 6-1

6. No. 86 Nick Crystal (USC) def. Mads Engsted (Cal) – 6-2, 4-6, 6-3

Order of Finish: 1, 4, 5, 2, 6^

^Clinched the overall match