Only a day after a close defeat against Stanford, the no. 51 Oregon Ducks men’s tennis team suffered a similar fate against no. 33 Cal on Saturday. They lost 5-2 on the outdoor courts of the Student Tennis Center.
Daan Maasland and Simon Stevens won the first doubles match 6-3, but Cal claimed the doubles point after getting wins on courts two and three. Head coach Nils Schyllander said afterwards that doubles is one area his team need to improve on going forward.
“Singles is there,” Schyllander said. “It’s a lot easier when you have that [doubles] point. It takes a little pressure off. When you don’t have to win four out of six three-setters, it makes a big difference.”
Jayson Amos gave the Ducks their first point after defeating Oskar Wikberg in straight sets 6-2, 6-2. Amos leads the team this season with 20 wins overall in singles.
Freshman Stevens continued his scorching-hot streak in singles, extending his perfect spring singles record to 13-0. He defeated Gregory Bayane in three sets: 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.
“I got some confidence I didn’t have during the fall,” Stevens said. “I know I trust myself more. When I have a problem on the court I try to find a solution, and I know I’m able to do it. It’s all about the confidence.”
Maasland faced no. 56-ranked Andre Goransson on court one and although he was dominant in the 6-0 first set, Goransson clawed his way back to win in three sets.
On court two, Daniel Sardu battled with no. 100-ranked Filip Bergev, but eventually fell to Bergevi in three decisive sets.
Cormac Clissold also started strong in his match against J.T. Nishimura, but ran out of momentum late as he fell in three sets: 6-3, 2-6, 3-6.
After facing the top four teams in the Pac-12 in the past two weeks, the Ducks are still looking for their first conference win.
“We’re playing some of the best in the country and we’re right there to win,” Schyllander said.
The Ducks now look ahead to a couple of conference matches to be played away from Eugene, beginning with a meeting at Arizona on April 10th and ending at Utah.
Follow Will Denner on Twitter @will_denner