STANFORD, Calif. – No. 22 Stanford will play host to Bay Area rival No. 18 California on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Taube Family Tennis Stadium.
The Cardinal (5-3) is coming off tough losses against No. 2 TCU and No. 26 Texas. Stanford battled hard in each of the matches, falling 4-2 and 4-3 respectively. Tom Fawcett has emerged as a star this spring with a seven-match win streak in the No. 1 position, which has seen him skyrocket to the No. 3 ranking in ITA singles.
Nolan Paige has also made a jump in the rankings, checking in at No. 72 after a 4-3 dual season. Paige has faced off against eight ranked players this year, amassing a 4-4 record.
A big highlight for the Cardinal this dual season has been freshman sensation Sameer Kumar, who is undefeated in singles play with a 7-0 record in the Nos. 3-6 spots. Entering into this week’s match versus Cal, Kumar also defends a seven-match winning streak while jumping into the rankings for the first time in his career at No. 113.
While the Cardinal stumbled in doubles in the last two matches, it has traditionally been a strength for Stanford as it enters Saturday with two ranked doubles teams in No. 21 Nolan Paige and Maciek Romanowicz and No. 59 Tom Fawcett and Sameer Kumar. Paige and Romanowicz have essentially owned the No. 1 position with only one loss in dual action.
California (4-1) is coming off a defeat of then-No. 26 Texas to move up six spots. A marquee matchup on Saturday could include third-ranked Tom Fawcett taking on fourth-ranked Andre Goransson (15-4 singles record).
The match will be broadcast live here.