MORAGA, Calif. - After a five-match win streak that helped him surged through the Intercollegiate Tennis Assosciation Northwest Regional bracket, No. 40 John Lamble fell to No. 16 Ben McLachlan of Cal in the tournament's final.
After defeating Stanford's Nolan Paige 7-5, 6-3 in the semifinal, the Broncos' top-ranked singles player could not overcome McLachlan. Lamble fell 6-2, 6-1 to McLachlan.
Lamble - a junior from Saratoga, Calif. - is the highest ranked player to begin a season in program history. He was also the first Bronco to receive a Main Draw bid to the ITA All-American Championships earlier this fall.
"I thought John had a strong tournament," said Santa Clara head coach Derek Mills. "We have never had a player get to the finals so it is obviously something that he can be proud of. The good thing about John is I know he is disappointed with the result and he will work hard to get ready for a big dual match season for himself and the team."
This fall Lamble has amassed a 5-3 record. All three of his losses are to players ranked in the ITA top-70 players, including two players in the top-20 (No. 10 KU Singh and No. 16 McLachlan).