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Dear Friends of Cal Tennis,
This latest edition of the Cal Men's Tennis Newsletter provides a recap from this weekends action, an update on the Hellman Tennis Upgrade Campaign, our 2013 Summer Camps registration is now open, and a look ahead to this weekend's action.
Tough Weekend in LA
It was a rough weekend in LA for the Bears as they dropped two matches to USC and UCLA.
The Bears opened play on Friday afternoon against #2 USC. In doubles action, Cal lost senior Riki McLachlan to injury, forcing the 7th ranked duo of Riki and Ben McLachlan to retire. The Bears subsequently lost the doubles point, as the Cal team of sophomore Gregory Bayane and senior Christoffer Konigsfeldt lost to Eric Johnson and Emilio Gomez, 8-2, on court three. The court-two match between Campbell Johnson/Mads Engsted and USC's Roberto Quiroz/Max de Vroome was abandoned once USC won the point.
Cal also fell in all six singles matches, starting with Bayane losing to No. 84 Hanfmann, 6-3, 6-1, on court four and then 93rd-ranked freshman Mads Engsted dropping a 6-3, 6-3, result to USC's No. 61 Johnson on court five. USC clinched the match when Quiroz, ranked 24th, topped Johnson, 6-3, 6-1, on court three to take a 4-0 lead.
The teams played on, as, on court six, Cal's 92nd-ranked sophomore Chase Melton lost to 78th-ranked de Vroome, 6-1, 7-5, and 66th-ranked Ben McLachlan fell to 10th-ranked Sarmiento, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, on court one. In the last match, the 42nd-ranked Konigsfeldt suffered a 6-3, 7-6(5), setback against No. 27 Gomez.
"Losing our team captain in the doubles cast a pall over the match," Cal head coach Peter Wright said. "Our guys found a way to battle, but we couldn't put a W on the board."
The Bears returned to action the next day across town against #3 UCLA. The host Bruins took 1-0 lead after winning the doubles point. On court two, Cal sophomore Gregory Bayane and freshman Mads Engsted fell, 8-2, in the first doubles match to finish to UCLA's Puget and Karue Sell, while the Cal new pair of junior Ben McLachlan and sophomore Chase Melton dropped an 8-5 result on court three to Alex Brigham/Dennis Mkrtchian to wrap up the doubles point for UCLA.
In singles, UCLA extended its lead when the 41st-ranked Mkrtchian beat No. 93 Mads Engsted, 6-1, 6-2 on court four and then when Cal senior and 42nd-ranked Christoffer Konigsfeldt fell to 12th-ranked Marcos Giron on court two, 6-4, 6-4. The Bruins clinched the match when Sell topped No. 92 Melton on court six, 6-4, 6-3.
The teams played out the rest of the matches. Campbell Johnson, a junior, beat Adrien Puget, 7-5, 6-1, on court three. On court one, 66th-ranked Ben McLachlan dropped the first set to UCLA's Dennis Novikov, 6-4, before bouncing back to win the second set, 6-3. But Novikov won the last set, 6-3, and the match. On court five, Bayane also took his Bruin counterpart, Clay Thompson, to three sets before falling, 6-2, 3-6, 7-5.
"I felt we competed much better today, and even though we didn't get the win, we've now faced two of the top teams in the country, and our guys are motivated, not discouraged," Cal head coach Peter Wright said. "We're close to a breakthrough, and we'll continue to keep our focus on being at our best for the postseason."
Rendering of Upgrades to Hellman Tennis Complex
Hellman Tennis Complex Upgrade Campaign
California has launched a two-year, $2.5 million campaign to upgrade the Hellman Tennis Complex, home to the Cal men’s and women’s tennis programs. As the 30th anniversary of the Hellman Tennis Complex approaches, the $2.5 million Cal Tennis Campaign will provide much-needed upgrades to the facility as well as annual support to Cal student-athletes. The campaign will provide much needed upgrades including the following:
* New Elevated Chairback Seats for all six courts
* New Team Meeting/Academic Room
* New Separate Men’s and Women’s Locker Rooms (with showers)
* New Storage Area (below new seating)
* New Public Restrooms
CLICK HERE to view the official Cal Tennis Campaign brochure.
For more information about the campaign or to discuss making a donation, contact Brian Raney (510.643.0888 or braney@berkeley.edu) or Dennis Schrag (510.643.4268 or dschrag@berkeley.edu) in the Athletic Development Office.
Cal Summer Camps
The Nike Tennis Camp at UC Berkeley has something for everyone! Cal's tennis camps are designed for junior players of all ages and abilities. For beginners, drills will focus on stroke fundamentals. For advanced and high school players our drills are designed to teach how to construct points using spin, pace and placement. The afternoon session will focus on strategy, tactics and match play. Our experienced staff consists of current and former Cal men's and women's players. Join the fun at this youth summer tennis camp and get better!
Camps will be led by Men's Assistant Coach Tyler Browne, along with Men's Head Coach Peter Wright and Women's Head Coach Amanda Augustus. Registration is now open, be sure to sign up before the camps fill up.
http://www.ussportscamps.com/tennis/nike/nike-tennis-camp-at-uc-berkeley/
