LOS ANGELES – Sixteenth-ranked started off the day on the right foot, winning the doubles point to take a 1-0 lead against No. 9 USC at Marks Tennis Stadium. But the Trojans won four times in singles to secure a 4-2 Pac-12 Conference victory against the Golden Bears and snap Cal's three-match winning streak.
The Bears' record now stands at 11-4, including 2-1 in the Pac-12. USC is 12-4 (2-1 Pac-12).
Cal's Florian Lakat, ranked 28th in singles, was back in the lineup and made an immediate impact. The 44th-ranked pair of Lakat and fellow junior Filip Bergevi won at court one, 6-0, over No. 38 Nick Crystal and Laurens Verboven in the first completed doubles match. The Bears eventually clinched the point when the pair of freshman Ryan Shen and sophomore J.T. Nishimura beat Thibault Forget and Tanner Smith, 6-3, on court three.
Leading 1-0, Cal then lost three straight in singles to fall behind, 3-1. First USC's Forget beat 62nd-ranked senior Oskar Wikberg, 6-3, 6-1, on court five, Cal's 40th-ranked sophomore Billy Griffith lost to the 55th-ranked Crystal, 6-2, 6-4, on court two and then 17th-ranked Cal junior Andre Goransson fell to the 58th-ranked Logan Smith, 6-2, 6-4, on court three.
Bergevi briefly stemmed the tide when he beat the 109th-ranked Jake DeVine, 7-6(5), 6-4, on court four to make the score 3-2.
But Cal finally fell when Lakat lost to the 25th-ranked Max de Vroome, 5-7, 6-2, 6-1, on court one.
“We did a great job in doubles, but we struggled to bring that same energy to the singles,” Cal head coach Peter Wright said. “We had our opportunities today, and it's certainly disappointing to come away with a loss. We're looking forward to a battle with UCLA tomorrow.”
Cal plays at No. 5 UCLA tomorrow at 3 p.m. in another Pac-12 match in Los Angeles.
No. 9 USC (12-4, 2-1 Pac-12) defeated No. 16 California (11-4, 2-1 Pac-12) – 4-2
April 1, 2016, in Los Angeles, Calif.
Marks Tennis Stadium
Doubles
1. No. 44 Filip Bergevi/Florian Lakat (Cal) def. No. 38 Nick Crystal/Laurens Verboven (USC) – 6-0
2. Jack Jaede/Max de Vroome (USC) def. Andre Goransson/Billy Griffith (Cal) – 6-2
3. J.T. Nishimura/Ryan Shen (Cal) def. Thibault Forget/Tanner Smith (USC) – 6-3
Cal won the doubles point
Order of Finish – 1. 2, 3*
*Clinched the doubles point
Singles
1. No. 25 Max de Vroome (USC) def. No. 28 Florian Lakat (Cal) – 5-7, 6-2, 6-1
2. No. 55 Nick Crystal (USC) def. No. 40 Billy Griffith (Cal) – 6-2, 6-4
3. No. 58 Logan Smith (USC) def. No. 17 Andre Goransson (Cal) – 6-2, 6-4
4. Filip Bergevi (Cal) def. No. 109 Jake DeVine (USC) – 7-6(5), 6-4
5. Thibault Forget (USC) def. No. 62 Oskar Wikberg (Cal) – 6-3, 6-1
6. Rob Bellamy (USC) vs. J.T. Nishimura (Cal) – 2-6, 7-6(5), 2-1 susp.
Order of Finish – 5, 2, 3, 4, 1*
*Clinched the overall match
