URBANA, Ill. – After dealing with some adversity late in the regular season, the young Cal men's tennis team rebounded to win five of its next six matches – including a 4-1 upset at 15th-seeded Illinois in Saturday's NCAA round of 32 – and book its ticket to play second-seeded Texas in next week's NCAA super regionals. Ben Draper clinched the victory over the Illini when he defeated Siphosothando Montsi, 6-4, 7-5, at court-four singles.
 
The 24th-ranked Golden Bears will play second-ranked Texas in the super regional round on May 11 at 1 p.m. CT in Austin, Texas.
 
The Bears improved their record to 16-12 with Saturday's win, while the 15th-ranked Illini ended their season with a 19-9 record.
 
Cal was just 11-11 after a 4-3 loss on April 19 at Washington, the Pac-12 Conference's eighth-place team. But the Bears quickly righted the ship with a 4-0 throttling of Oregon the next day in the regular-season finale. Cal proceeded to beat Arizona State, 4-1, in the Pac-12 tournament quarterfinals and upset top-seeded UCLA, 4-1, in the semifinals.
 
The Bears suffered a 4-0 loss to powerhouse USC in the conference final. Cal – which doesn't have a senior on its roster – then earned its spot in the NCAA Championship, proving its quality in a 4-1 round of 64 win over Drake on Friday and in Saturday's upset of the Illini.
 
Doubles has been a strength for the Bears the whole season, including late in the year. In those five of six wins – as well as in the Washington match – Cal won the doubles point. Against the Illini, the Bears clinched the point when sophomores Can Kaya and Paul Barretto edged Vuk Budic and Gui Gomes, 7-6(4), on court two.
 
In singles, Cal won the first set in three matches – the three the Bears would go on to win. Cal built a 3-0 lead thanks to Bjorn Hoffmann's 6-3, 6-0 victory over Budic on court six and Jack Molloy's 6-3, 6-4 upset of the 64th-ranked Alex Brown on court two. Illinois claimed its only point of the day when Cal freshman Yuta Kikuchi – trailing 7-5, 5-2 on court one – retired, giving the 10th-ranked Aleks Kovacevic the win.
 
Leading 3-1, Cal ended the match when Draper clinched on court four.
 
"This team has a ton of heart, and we're peaking at the right time," said Peter Wright, Cal's Director of Men's Tennis. "We've had some ups and downs this season, but we've poured ourselves into the postseason, playing well at the Pac-12 Championship and getting off to a good start at the NCAAs.
 
"Today was another example of a well-played doubles point helping us build momentum going into the singles. We faced a very strong Illinois team today, and we played some of the best tennis we've played all year. I'm so proud of our guys and how they stuck to the game plan through thick and thin.
 
"We're looking forward to our next match, and we know Texas will be tough. But we also know we have a young, passionate team that thrives on challenges."

NCAA Round of 32

Saturday, May 4, 2019
Atkins Tennis Center
Urbana, Ill.
 
Saturday, May 4  
#24 California 4, #15 Illinois 1
 
Singles competition: Order of Finish (6,2,1,4)
1. #10 Aleks Kovacevic (UI) def. Yuta Kikuchi (CAL) 7-5, 5-2, retired
2. Jack Molloy (CAL) def. #46 Alex Brown (UI) 6-3, 6-4
3. Zeke Clark (UI) vs. Paul Barretto (CAL), 7-5, 0-4, unfinished
4. Ben Draper (CAL) def. Siphosothando Montsi (UI) 6-4, 7-5
5. Noe Khlif (UI) vs. Jacob Brumm (CAL), 2-6, 2-5, unfinished
6. Bjorn Hoffmann (CAL) def. Vuk Budic (UI) 6-3, 6-0
 
Doubles competition: Order of finish (1,3,2)
1. #47 Aleks Kovacevic/Alex Brown (UI) def. #28 Yuta Kikuchi/Jacob Brumm (CAL) 6-3
2. Paul Barretto/Can Kaya (CAL) def. Vuk Budic/Gui Gomes (UI) 7-6(7-4)
3. Jack Molloy/Ben Draper (CAL) def. Keenan Mayo/Fletcher Scott (UI) 7-6(7-3)
 
Records:
Illinois 19-9; National ranking #15
California 16-12; National ranking #24