Former Cal star captures Challenger doubles crown

Andre Goransson claimed his seventh career Challenger
doubles title. 2015 photo by Paul Bauman

   No. 1 seeds Andre Goransson (University of California, Berkeley, 2014-17) of Sweden and Nathaniel Lammons of Dallas defeated No. 2 seeds Rafael Matos and Felipe Meligeni Rodrigues Alves of Brazil 7-6 (3), 6-3 today to win the €44,820 ($54,189) Biella (Italy) Challenger on red clay.

   Goransson earned his second Challenger doubles title of the year, seventh of his career and first with Lammons. They eked out a 6-4, 3-6 [10-8] victory over N.Sriram Balaji and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan of India in the quarterfinals and ended the 10-match winning streak of No. 4 seeds Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul of France in the semifinals. 

   Goransson will rise two notches to No. 84 in the world in doubles, four off his career high, on Monday. He and Lammons split €2,670 ($3,248). 

   NCAA Tournament — The host Pepperdine women, ranked fifth, beat No. 27 Stanford, which has won the last two NCAA titles and three of the last four, 4-2 in the second round in Malibu, Calif.

   With the score tied 2-2, No. 111 Angelica Blake and No. 34 Michaela Gordon, a senior from Saratoga, Calif., in the San Francisco Bay Area, lost three-setters. Gordon fell to Ashley Lahey, the NCAA singles runner-up in 2018, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.

   The Cardinal ended the season at 15-5. The NCAA singles and doubles championships begin May 23 in Orlando, Fla. Gordon and California's Haley Giavara earned berths in singles and doubles. Gordon will team with junior Niluka Madurawe of Sunnyvale in the Bay Area, and Giavara will pair with Valentina Ivanov.

   The No. 13 Cal women eliminated No. 26 Kentucky 4-2 in Berkeley, Calif., in the second round. Jada Bui clinched the victory with a 2-6, 6-1, 7-5 victory over Elizabeth Stevens on Court 4.

   The Bears (19-6) will face No. 1 North Carolina (28-0) on May 16 in the round of 16 in Orlando, Fla. 

   The No. 21 Stanford men blanked No. 40 LSU 4-0 in the first round in Charlottesville, Va. The Cardinal (11-5) will meet host Virginia (22-2), ranked fifth, in Charlottesville on Sunday at 9 a.m.