INDIAN WELLS, Calif. – Fourteenth-ranked California fought back from 3-1 down to tie No. 15 Oklahoma at 3-3, but 10th-ranked Andre Goransson lost to Alex Ghilea, 7-5, 6-4, to complete a 4-3 Cal loss on Sunday in the BNP Paribas Open Collegiate Challenge presented by Oracle.
The Bears' record fell to 8-3, while Oklahoma improved to 8-7 after the nonconference contest at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
Cal split its two matches at the Indian Wells Tennis Stadium, winning a 4-1 match against No. 21 Baylor on Saturday.
The Bears pushed the Sooners in doubles, with juniors Filip Bergevi and Florian Lakat upsetting the 46th-ranked Axel Alvarez Llamas and Andrew Harris, 6-2, on court one to make the court-three match the decider. But senior Mads Engsted and sophomore J.T. Nishimura lost to Andre Biro and Max Mora, 7-5, and the Sooners won the doubles point.
In singles, 52nd-ranked senior Oskar Wikberg defeated the 92nd-ranked Mora, 6-1, 6-2, to tie the overall contest at 1-1.
But first Biro beat Nishimura, 6-3, 6-2, on court six and then OU's Spencer Papa upset 37th-ranked sophomore Billy Griffith, 6-3, 7-6, on court two to give the Sooners its 3-1 advantage.
The 31st-ranked Lakat began the comeback with a 7-6, 6-2 victory over the 41st-ranked Llamas on court one, and then Bergevi beat Florin Bragusi, 7-6(2), 6-3, on court four to knot things at 3-3 – before court four ended the match.
Lakat had an eventful day. Before winning in doubles and singles against Oklahoma, he warmed up with Novak Djokovic on center court, as the world No. 1 was preparing to play in – and eventually win – the men's final on Sunday at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.
Novak Djokovic (above left) with Florian Lakat (above right). (Photo courtesy Oracle)
“Amazing,” Lakat said. “I'd never hit with one of those top players before. Obviously I was a little nervous coming in. It was kind of a dream that's come true. We all want to maybe go pro after college, and getting to play my favorite player – the No. 1 player in the world before his final – was an amazing privilege. It was a great 45 minutes. It was a lot of fun.”
“We played an incredibly exciting match today, and even though we lost, we are playing high-quality tennis,” Cal head coach Peter Wright added. “This has been an incredible weekend for us on many levels, including having dinner at (Oracle chairman) Larry Ellison's house where Rafael Nadal gave an inspirational talk to all of the players on Friday night. We played on the tournament grounds of the BNP Paribas event, and we were treated to exceptional hospitality. Florian Lakat had an incredible experience warming up Novak Djokovic on center court for the final today.
“We played two very high-quality teams, and I feel we're engaged in a process that will lead us to success in the postseason. Doubles turned out to be key for us today, and while it's obviously disappointing to lose, there were many bright spots along the way.
“We're excited about starting the Pac-12 season next weekend.”
The Bears open Pac-12 play at Utah on Friday and then play at Arizona next Sunday.
BNP Paribas Open Collegiate Challenge presented by Oracle
No. 15 Oklahoma (8-7) defeated No. 14 California (8-3) – 4-3
March 20, 2016, in Indian Wells, Calif.
Indian Wells Tennis Garden
Doubles
1. Filip Bergevi/Florian Lakat (Cal) def. No. 46 Axel Alvarez Llamas /Andrew Harris (OU) – 6-2
2. Alex Ghilea/Spencer Papa (OU) def. Andre Goransson/Billy Griffith (Cal) – 6-0
3. Andre Biro/Max Mora (OU) def. Mads Engsted/J.T. Nishimura (Cal) – 7-5
Oklahoma won the doubles point
Order of Finish – 2, 1, 3*
*Clinched the doubles point
Singles
1. No. 31 Florian Lakat (Cal) def. No. 41 Axel Alvarez Llamas (OU) – 7-6, 6-2
2. Spencer Papa (OU) def. No. 37 Billy Griffith (Cal) – 6-3, 7-6
3. Alex Ghilea (OU) def. No. 10 Andre Goransson (Cal) – 7-5, 6-4
4. Filip Bergevi (Cal) def. Florin Bragusi (OU) – 7-6(2), 6-3
5. No. 52 Oskar Wikberg (Cal) def. No 92 Max Mora (OU) – 6-1, 6-2
6. Andre Biro (OU) def. J.T. Nishimura (Cal) – 6-3, 6-2
Order of Finish – 5, 6, 2, 1, 4, 3*
*Clinched the overall match
