Ohio State
California
Buckeyes Fall 4-3 to Cal in NCAA Quarterfinals
5/22/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
May 22, 2016
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TULSA, Okla. – For the second-straight round, the Ohio State men’s tennis team was pushed to the limit, having its match decided in a third-set tie-break on the final court. But unlike Friday, the Buckeyes fell 4-3 to No. 13 Cal in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament.
With the score tied 3-3, the match hinged on court one between Mikael Torpegaard and Cal’s Florian Lakat. After a back and forth third-set, Torpegaard fought-off three match points to force the tie-breaker. He fell behind 3-0 in the breaker but again battled back before ultimately falling 8-6.
The loss ended a great season for the Buckeyes. The team was 33-3 on the season and were Big Ten regular season and tournament champions.
Ty Tucker talks about the match with Cal https://t.co/tWloxpVgeg
— Ohio State M Tennis (@OhioState_MTEN) May 22, 2016
On Sunday, the Buckeyes lost the doubles point for the first time in 18 matches. Courts 1 and 3 were almost mirrors of each other. Torpegaard and Herkko Pollanen took care of business on one, racing out to a 5-0 lead and winning 6-1. Matt Mendez and Hugo Di Feo got into a 3-0 hole and were never able to get back on serve, falling 6-3.
That left the point in the hands of Ralf Steinbach and Martin Joyce at two. The Buckeyes grabbed the first break to go up 3-2 but Cal broke right back to even the score at 3-3. Leading 4-3, the Bears duo of Andre Goransson and Oskar Wikberg broke again and held serve to clinch the point 6-3.
The singles didn’t start much better for the Buckeyes as they lost five of the six first sets. But the momentum started to shift a little as Joyce, who was the only first set winner, finished-off his match 6-3, 6-2 to get the Buckeyes on the board. Joyce had a tremendous freshman season, going a perfect 21-0 in dual singles matches and finishing with a 24-2 record overall.
Cal pushed the lead to 3-1 with wins at the Nos. 4 and 5 spots. Filip Bergevi downed Steinbach 6-4, 6-2 at No. 4 and Oskar Wikberg defeated Herkko Pollanen 6-4, 6-3 at No. 5.
That meant the Buckeyes would have to win the final three matches which they nearly did. Di Feo rallied after losing the first set to No. 85 Billy Griffith to win his match 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. That win was a huge momentum boost for the Buckeyes who also had things going in the right direction on courts 1 and 2.
Diaz fell in a back and forth first set 7-5 to No. 31 Andre Goransson but rebounded with a 6-4 win in the second. The senior captain then wore Goransson down in the third set for a 6-3 victory, setting up the drama on court 1.
Torpegaard, who lost his first match of the season on Friday against Texas, lost the opening set to Lakat on Sunday 6-3. But he found his form in the second and would go on to win that set 6-2. In the third, he was the first to grab a break, going ahead 5-3 and served for the match. Lakat rallied and broke back and then also held serve to even the set at 5-5.
On Torpegaard ensuing serve, Lakat again was able to get the break and now it was his turn to serve for the match. He looked to have the match wrapped up as he took a 40-15 lead but Torpegaard battled for three incredible points to take the game. The deuce point rally lasted nearly a minute before Lakat forehand missed long.
In the tie-break, Torpegaard again fell behind 3-0 before coming back to even the score at 3-3. The two traded points up until 6-6 when Lakat won a point on Torpegaard’s final serve and then held serve for an 8-6 victory.
Torpegaard and Di Feo will start the NCAA Singles Championship on Wednesday while Torpegaard and Pollanen will compete in the NCAA Doubles Championship which begins on Thursday.
#13 California (21-6) def. #5 Ohio State (33-3), 4-3
Doubles
1. Herkko Pollanen/Mikael Torpegaard (Ohio State) def. #9 Filip Bergevi/Florian Lakat (California), 6-1
2. Andre Goransson/Oskar Wikberg (California) def. Martin Joyce/Ralf Steinbach (Ohio State), 6-3
3. Mads Engsted/J.T. Nishimura (California) def. Hugo Di Feo/Matt Mendez (Ohio State), 6-3
Order of Finish: 1, 3, 2
Singles
1. #30 Florian Lakat (California) def. #1 Mikael Torpegaard (Ohio State), 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (6)
2. #88 Chris Diaz (Ohio State) def. #31 Andre Goransson (California), 5-7, 6-3, 6-2
3. #45 Hugo Di Feo (Ohio State) def. #85 Billy Griffith (California), 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
4. #119 Filip Bergevi (California) def. Ralf Steinbach (Ohio State), 6-4, 6-2
5. #124 Oskar Wikberg (California) def. #103 Herkko Pollanen (Ohio State), 6-4, 6-3
6. Martin Joyce (Ohio State) def. J.T. Nishimura (California), 6-3, 6-2
Order of Finish: 4, 6, 5, 3, 2, 1
