After a poor doubles display, the Cal men’s tennis team started singles play at a 1-0 deficit against Stanford. Not many at Hellman Tennis Complex on Sunday afternoon expected the quick turnaround in singles.
The Bears took five of six courts in singles play, defeating their Bay Area rival Stanford, 5-2.
On the top doubles court, Campbell Johnson and Christoffer Konigsfeldt for the Bears and Denis Lin and John Morrissey for the Cardinal battled back and forth. Stanford (3-4) took an early 2-0 lead thanks to Lin.
Lin’s serves were unreturnable for Johnson and Konigsfeldt during the first half of the match. The Cal pair could not hide its discouragement and frustration.
Johnson and Konigsfeldt continued to battle, smashing overheads at Lin and Morrissey. Johnson’s serves became more consistent, sprinting toward every ball. Eventually, the duo came back and won, 8-4.
The Cardinal, however, were victorious on the second and third courts, taking the doubles point.
On the third court especially, Ben McLachlan was out of his element, paired with Wyatt Houghton for the first time this season in doubles play. McLachlan said he and Houghton practiced together only once before the game. McLachlan usually plays with his brother Riki McLachlan, currently out with a foot injury.
The Bears have suffered two other injuries this spring. Although not for long periods, Ben McLachlan and Chase Melton were out with a knee and shoulder injury, respectively. With multiple injuries, the Bears “can’t afford the luxury of looking too far down the road,” Cal coach Peter Wright said.
Wright was worried after the slow start in doubles, but the single matches changed the direction of the game. In four of the six singles courts, the Bears took the first points at the start.
At the top court, Ben McLachlan swept his opponent John Morrissey in two sets, 6-3, 6-0. He had Morrissey running back and forth, leaping for balls. McLachlan made one incredible return after another, wearing out his opponent and impressing the lively crowd.
Shouts from the fans of “finish him!” were echoing in the courts as McLachlan took six straight points in the second set of the match.
McLachlan attributes his stamina to training with his team.
Referring to a Stanford player who was cramping up in a nearby court, McLachlan commented, “Getting tired like that will lose you a match right away.”
Konigsfeldt finished strong in his first set against Nolan Paige, winning 6-2. However, Paige battled hard in the second set until Konigsfeldt eventually took the win, 8-6.
Stanford’s sole singles victory was on court six, on which the freshman Houghton played Anthony Tsodikov. Houghton competed very well, filling in admirably after a couple of players were inactive due to injuries.
Wright was happy about the win over Stanford but more importantly, very proud of his team for achieving their three goals of the day: the love of the game, the fight to win and its passion to play hard.
Contact Alexa Cammarano at [email protected].