BERKELEY – Down 3-0 to No. 22 Tulane, 19th-ranked California clawed its way back to tie the Green Wave 3-3 in their ITA Kick-Off Weekend opener on Sunday at the Hellman Tennis Complex. But Cal senior J.T. Nishimura lost to Ewan Moore in the last match to give Tulane a 4-3 victory and a spot in Monday's 1 p.m. final at Hellman.
 
The Green Wave (2-0) will play No. 12 Stanford (2-0) in the final, with a berth in the ITA National Team Indoor Championship on the line. In Monday's 10 a.m. consolation match, Cal (2-1) will face Oregon (3-1), which lost 4-0 to the Cardinal on Sunday at Hellman.
 
Cal was a point away from winning at court-two doubles when the Green Wave clinched the point. The Bears' 52nd-ranked pair of Nishimura and senior Billy Griffith were tied at 6-6 with Moore and Constantin Schmitz on court one, and the Bears were leading the tiebreak 6-4. But Tulane wrapped up the doubles point when the 16th-ranked duo of Tyler Schick and Luis Erlenbusch beat freshmen Ben Draper and Jack Molloy, 7-6(1), on court two.
 
After Tulane won twice in singles to build a 3-0 lead, freshmen won three-straight times for the Bears. Jacob Brumm upset the 107th-ranked Schick, 6-2, 6-3, on court five, Paul Barretto upset the 46th-ranked Luis Erlenbusch, 7-5, 6-2, on court three, and then Molloy beat Hamish Stewart, 6-2, 6-2, on court three.
 
In the end, Nishimura fell in three sets to the 112th-ranked Moore, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1, on court two, to end the match.
 
"All credit to the Tulane team, as they edged us in the doubles and came back from a set down to beat us at the top of our order," said Peter Wright, Cal's Director of Men's Tennis. "The freshmen were a bright spot for us today, as they brought incredible energy to the match."

 
ITA Kick-Off Weekend
Jan. 28, 2018, in Berkeley, Calif.
Hellman Tennis Complex
 
No. 22 Tulane (2-0) defeated No. 19 Cal (2-1), 4-3
 
Doubles
1. No. 52 Billy Griffith/J.T. Nishimura (Cal) vs. Constantin Schmitz/Ewan Moore (Tulane), 6-6 (6-4) Unfinished
2. No. 16 Tyler Schick/Luis Erlenbusch (Tulane) def. Ben Draper/Jack Molloy (Cal), 7-6(1)*
3. No. 47 Hamish Stewart/Tim Ruetzel (Tulane) def. Dominic Barretto/Paul Barretto (Cal), 6-2

Tulane won the doubles point

Order of Finish: 3, 2*
*Clinched the doubles point
 
Singles
1. No. 21 Constantin Schmitz (Tulane) def. Billy Griffith (Cal), 0-6, 6-1, 6-1
2. No. 112 Ewan Moore (Tulane) def. J.T. Nishimura (Cal), 5-7, 6-1, 6-1^
3. Jack Molloy (Cal) def. Hamish Stewart (Tulane), 6-2, 6-2
4. Paul Barretto (Cal) def. No. 46 Luis Erlenbusch (Tulane), 7-5, 6-2
5. Jacob Brumm (Cal) def. No. 107 Tyler Schick (Tulane), 6-2, 6-3
6. Tim Ruetzel (Tulane) def. Ben Draper (Cal), 6-2, 6-3

Order of Finish: 6, 1, 5, 3, 4, 2^
^Clinched the overall match
 
  
No. 12 Stanford (2-0) defeated Oregon (3-1), 4-0
 
Doubles
1. Sameer Kumar/Michael Genender (Stanford) def. No. 17 Thomas Laurent/Cormac Clissold (Oregon), 6-3*
2. Tom Fawcett/Axel Geller (Stanford) def. Armando Soemarno/Charles Roberts (Oregon), 6-2
3. Ty Gentry/Simon Stevens (Oregon) def. Eric Fomba/David Wilczynski (Stanford), 6-1
 
Stanford won the doubles point

*Clinched the doubles point
Order of Finish: 3, 2, 1*
 
Singles
1. No. 6 Thomas Laurent (Oregon) vs. No. 101 Tom Fawcett (Stanford), 6-3, 3-6, 2-1 Unfinished
2. Axel Geller (Stanford) def. Simon Stevens (Oregon), 6-1, 6-2
3. Sameer Kumar (Stanford) def. Akihiro Tanaka (Oregon), 6-3, 6-2
4. David Wilczynski (Stanford) def. Riki Oshima (Oregon), 7-6(6), 6-2^
5. Cormac Clissold (Oregon) vs. Michael Genender (Stanford), 6-3, 3-6, 3-0 Unfinished
6. Eric Fomba (Stanford) vs. Ty Gentry (Oregon), 6-1, 6-7(5), 2-1 Unfinished
 
^Clinched the overall match
Order of Finish: 2, 3, 4^