BERKELEY - J.T. Nishimura clinched No. 16 California's eventual 6-1 victory over No. 69 UC Davis and also combined with Billy Griffith to clinch the doubles point on a sunny Wednesday afternoon at the Hellman Tennis Complex.
Nishimura defeated Tommy Lam at court-six singles, 6-4, 6-1, to clinch an official victory at 4-0. Earlier, Nishimura and fellow sophomore Griffith beat James Wade and Eli Whittle, 6-3, on court three to secure the doubles point. Cal's court-one pair of senior Mads Engsted and junior Florian Lakat won at court-one doubles, beating Alec Adamson and Adam Levie, 6-2, to set up the Bears on court three for the clincher.
In singles, the 27th-ranked Goransson finished his 6-1, 6-2 victory over the Aggies' Brett Bacharach on court three just before Bergevi beat Bryce McKelvie, 6-1, 6-4, on court four, which lifted Cal to a 3-0 lead. After Nishimura's triumph, the 30th-ranked Lakat lost in an upset to Adamson, 1-6, 6-3, 1-0(3), on court one to put the Aggies on the scoreboard at 4-1.
Griffith, ranked 68th, turned the tide Cal's way again with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Wade on court two. Senior Oskar Wikberg – playing in his second to last regular-season dual match at Hellman – ended the day with a 6-3, 4-6, 1-0(3) win over Everett Maltby on court five.
“This was the type of opponent we needed to play at this point in the season,” Cal head coach Peter Wright said. “UC Davis is always strong in doubles, and their guys fight and never give up, so our team had to step up our game today. It was important for us to get some doubles matches in today because we didn't get to play doubles last weekend because of the rain.”
Cal closes the regular season when the Bears host No. 29 Stanford in the Big Slam on Saturday at 12 p.m. at the Hellman Tennis Complex. The Bears will also honor their seniors as part of Senior Day and honor their alumni as part of McManus Legends Day. Pac-12 Bay Area will also televise the match, with the network's live coverage beginning at 1 p.m. with singles.
“We are looking forward to another exciting match with Stanford this weekend,” Wright said. “The rivalry tends to produce the highest quality tennis from both teams, and it's certainly a treat for the fans.”
Speaking of treats, the first 300 fans attending the Big Slam at Hellman will receive free hamburgers, courtesy of Fuddruckers. Saturday is also Cal Day on campus, with the University's annual open house including free parking in designated/limited areas. Fans are still encouraged to take public transportation to campus.
No. 16 California (14-5) defeated No. 69 UC Davis (15-4) – 6-1
April 13, 2016, in Berkeley, Calif.
Hellman Tennis Complex
Doubles
1. Mads Engsted/Florian Lakat (Cal) def. Alec Adamson/Adam Levie (UC Davis) – 6-2
2. Bryce McKelvie/Brett Bacharach (UC Davis) vs. Andre Goransson/Oskar Wikberg (Cal) – 5-4 Abandoned
3. Billy Griffith/J.T. Nishimura (Cal) def. James Wade/Eli Whittle (UC Davis) – 6-3
Cal won the doubles point
Order of Finish – 1, 3*
*Clinched the doubles point
Singles
1. Alec Adamson (UC Davis) def. No. 30 Florian Lakat (Cal) – 1-6, 6-3, 1-0(3)
2. No. 68 Billy Griffith (Cal) def. James Wade (UC Davis) – 6-4, 6-1
3. No. 27 Andre Goransson (Cal) def. Brett Bacharach (UC Davis) –6-1, 6-2
4. Filip Bergevi (Cal) def. Bryce McKelvie (UC Davis) – 6-1, 6-4
5. No. 103 Oskar Wikberg (Cal) def. Everett Maltby (UC Davis) – 6-3, 4-6, 1-0(3)
6. J.T. Nishimura (Cal) def. Tommy Lam (UC Davis) – 6-4, 6-1
Order of Finish – 3, 4, 6*, 1, 2, 5
*Clinched the overall match
