Upset Win Sends No. 17 Sooners to ITA Kickoff Championship Match

Friday, January 23

Berkeley, Calif.

4 p.m.

University of Oklahoma

California

Upset Win Sends No. 17 Sooners to ITA Kickoff Championship Match

January 23, 2026 | Men's Tennis

Box Score OU 4, Cal 2 Box Score

BERKELEY, Calif. – The No. 17 Sooners topped the No. 15 California Golden Bears, 4-2, to head to the championship match of ITA Kickoff Weekend.

Oklahoma claimed the win on the Golden Bears' home courts in Berkeley, Calif. on Friday evening following a delayed start.

After dropping the doubles point, the Sooners bounced back in singles, mirroring last week's win over then-No. 11 Arizona.

Sophomore Alejandro Melero competed at the six singles line and took a swift 6-0, 6-1 win to tie the match, 1-1. The win for the Spain native marked the momentum shift in favor of Oklahoma.

Next off the court for the Sooners was No. 57 Oscar Lacides with a 6-2, 6-2 victory at the one positon, putting his team ahead. Sophomore Orel Kimhi put Oklahoma closer to the finish line, winning 6-3, 6-3.

Freshman and No. 2 ITA newcomer Johan Rodriguez fell behind 0-6 in the first set but bounced back to claim the next two sets, 6-4, 6-4. Rodriguez's win improves his singles record to 3-0 on the season and continues his streak of contributing singles points to the Sooners' dual results.

UP NEXT

Oklahoma advances to the championships match of ITA Kickoff Weekend and will face No. 12 UCF at 4 p.m. CT. The winning team will punch their ticket to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships.

FOLLOW THE SOONERS

For updates, follow @OU_MTennis on Instagram and X or like Oklahoma Men's Tennis on Facebook.

RESULTS

Oklahoma vs. Cal

#15 California (4-1) vs #17 Oklahoma (3-0)

01/23/2026 at Berkeley, CA -- Hellman Tennis Complex

Match Score: Oklahoma 4, California 2

DOUBLES DRAWS

1. Bruno Nhavene and Oscar Lacides (OU) def. Tiago Silva and Timofey Stepanov (CAL) 7-5

2. F Lechno-Wasiutyski and Andrea Meduri (CAL) def. Luis Alvarez and Alejandro Melero (OU) 6-4

3. Alex Aney and Leonardo Cattaneo (CAL) def.Hank Trondson and Asahi Harazaki (OU) 7-6 [12-10]

SINGLES DRAWS

1. #57 Oscar Lacides (OU) def. Tiago Silva (CAL) 6-2 6-2
2. Timofey Stepanov (CAL) def. #46 Luis Alvarez (OU) 6-4 7-6 (7-2)
3. Johan Rodriguez (OU) def. F Lechno-Wasiutyski (CAL) 0-6 6-4 6-4
4. Orel Kimhi (OU) def. Bernardo Munk Mesa (CAL) 6-3 6-3
5. Andrea Meduri (CAL) vs. #74 Asahi Harazaki (OU) 3-6 6-4 2-0 match was unfinished
6. Alejandro Melero (OU) def. Leonardo Cattaneo (CAL) 6-0 6-1