UCLA
California
Men's Tennis Falls at California, 4-2
January 31, 2020 | Men's Tennis
BERKELEY, Calif. – Playing in its first road match of the 2020 season, the No. 10 UCLA men's tennis team dropped a non-conference decision to No. 15 California, 4-2, on Friday afternoon at Hellman Tennis Complex.
Govind Nanda and Keegan Smith posted singles wins against top-50 opponents for the Bruins (3-1), but the Golden Bears (2-1) would never trail. Ben Draper clinched the victory, beating Patrick Zahraj in straight sets on Court 5.
Paul Barretto and Can Kaya set the tone early for Cal, dispatching of Nanda and Smith by a 6-1 score on the top court. The loss marked the first of the dual-match season for the UCLA pair and first for Smith in a dual match since 2017. With Drew Baird and Connor Rapp inching closer to a win on Court 2, the 22nd-ranked Golden Bear pair of Ben Draper and Bjorn Hoffmann sealed the day's initial point. Playing against Zahraj and Bryce Pereira on Court 3, Draper/Hoffmann took control down the stretch for a 6-2 win.
With the Bruins trailing by a 1-0 score, No. 7 Smith took over up top. Five days removed from his three-set loss to 22nd-ranked Gabriel Decamps in the ITA Kickoff Weekend championship match, Smith delivered a 6-4, 6-2 victory against No. 34 Kikuchi to momentarily shift momentum in favor of UCLA.
Cal's Kent Hunter held off Ben Goldberg on Court 4, 6-4, 6-4, to give the Bruin his first dual-match loss of the campaign. Making his dual-match debut on Court 6, UCLA's Eric Hahn pushed 81st-ranked Bjorn Hoffmann in the match's first set before being overpowered in the second for a 7-5, 6-1 loss.
Nanda earned his second top-50 win in as many tries on Court 2, beating No. 49 Jack Molloy by a 6-3, 6-4 score. The victory improved the sophomore's record to 7-1 (4-0 in dual matches) and trimmed the Bruins' deficit to 3-2.
Baird recovered from a lost first set to force a third, but he would not be able to finish, as Draper defeated Zahraj on Court 5, 7-5, 6-3. Zahraj held a 5-3 lead in the first set before dropping his first dual-match decision.
UCLA will have a chance to bounce back Saturday, when it heads to Taube Tennis Center to take on No. 11 Stanford in another non-conference match. First serve is set for 2 p.m., PT.
Tennis Match Results
UCLA vs California
1/31/2020 at Berkeley, CA
(Hellman Tennis Complex)
#15 California 4, #10 UCLA 2
Singles competition
1. #7 Keegan Smith (UCLA) def. #34 Yuta Kikuchi (CAL) 6-4, 6-2
2. Govind Nanda (UCLA) def. #49 Jack Molloy (CAL) 6-3, 6-4
3. Paul Barretto (CAL) vs. Drew Baird (UCLA) 6-2, 3-6, 1-2, unfinished
4. Kent Hunter (CAL) def. Ben Goldberg (UCLA) 6-4, 6-4
5. Ben Draper (CAL) def. Patrick Zahraj (UCLA) 7-5, 6-3
6. #81 Bjorn Hoffmann (CAL) def. Eric Hahn (UCLA) 7-5, 6-1
Doubles competition
1. Paul Barretto/Can Kaya (CAL) def. Govind Nanda/Keegan Smith (UCLA) 6-1
2. Jack Molloy/Yuta Kikuchi (CAL) vs. Drew Baird/Connor Rapp (UCLA) 3-4, unfinished
3. #22 Ben Draper/Bjorn Hoffmann (CAL) def. Bryce Pereira/Patrick Zahraj (UCLA) 6-2
Match Notes
UCLA 3-1; National ranking #10
California 2-1; National ranking #15
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (1,4,6,2,5)
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
1,3
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
1,4,6,2,5
Players Mentioned
