STANFORD, Calif. – Eighteenth-ranked California rolled out to a 3-0 lead at No. 22 Stanford on Saturday and then had to hold on for a 4-3 victory in the Big Slam, as senior Mads Engsted won in three sets in his last match on the Farm. He also teamed up with J.T. Nishimura to clinch the doubles point.
The Bears improved to 5-1, while Stanford fell to 5-4 after the nonconference dual match.
In singles, Engsted defeated Michael Genender on court six, 7-6(1), 3-6, 7-5, to clinch the victory. He was immediately mobbed by his exuberant teammates celebrating the win.
Earlier in doubles, Engsted and Nishimura won, 7-6(8), over Yale Goldberg and Sameer Kumar on court three to secure what was a close battle for the point, as the teams split on the other two courts with 7-5 scorelines.
Once Cal junior Filip Bergevi – who beat Kumar, 6-4, 6-2, on court four – and 32nd-ranked sophomore Billy Griffith – who knocked off the 72nd-ranked Nolan Paige, 7-5, 6-4, on court three – won in singles, the Bears held a commanding 3-0 lead.
But Stanford posted upsets on courts five and two, and then in a clash of two top-five players, Cal's fourth-ranked junior Andre Goransson lost to the third-ranked Tom Fawcett, 6-1, 6-7(6), 6-4, on court one, to tie the overall match at 3-3.
That left Engsted to pull out a three-set victory and wrap up the match.
“Another incredibly exciting match in our rivalry with Stanford,” Cal head coach Peter Wright said. “Each of our last three regular-season matches has come down to the last set of the last match. You have to credit Stanford for their incredible fight today; they were behind most of the match and managed to hang in there long enough to have a chance to win it.
“I have to thank our Cal fans who came out today to help create a wonderful atmosphere for our players. And credit goes to our team because this was a total team effort today – we lost at our top two spots and still found a way to win. It's a process, and our guys are learning how to maintain their competitive edge in many challenging situations.”
Cal next plays Pepperdine on Feb. 27 at the Hellman Tennis Complex.
No. 18 Cal (5-1) defeated No. 22 Stanford (5-4) – 4-3
Feb. 20, 2016, in Stanford, Calif.
Taube Family Tennis Stadium
Doubles
1. Filip Bergevi/Florian Lakat (Cal) def. Tom Fawcett/Maciek Romanowicz (Stanford) –7-5
2. Nolan Paige/David Wilczynski (Stanford) def. Andre Goransson/Billy Griffith (Cal) – 7-5
3. Mads Engsted/J.T. Nishimura (Cal) def. Yale Goldberg/Sameer Kumar (Stanford) – 7-6(8)
Cal won the doubles point
Order of finish – 2, 1, 3*
*Clinched the doubles point
Singles
1. No. 3 Tom Fawcett (Stanford) def. No. 4 Andre Goransson (Cal) – 6-1, 6-7(6), 6-4
2. No. 90 David Wilczynski (Stanford) def. No. 36 Florian Lakat (Cal) – 6-4, 6-4
3. No. 32 Billy Griffith (Cal) def. No. 72 Nolan Paige (Stanford) – 7-5, 6-4
4. Filip Bergevi (Cal) def. No. 113 Sameer Kumar (Stanford) – 6-4, 6-2
5. No. 106 Maciek Romanowicz (Stanford) def. No. 63 Oskar Wikberg (Cal) – 4-6, 6-3, 6-1
6. Mads Engsted (Cal) def. No. 119 Michael Genender (Stanford) – 7-6(1), 3-6, 7-5
Order of Finish – 4, 3, 2, 5, 1, 6*
*Clinched the overall match
