AUSTIN, Texas – Paul Barretto clinched No. 34 California's 4-1 upset win over No. 24 N.C. State in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Friday at the Texas Tennis Center, as the Golden Bears rallied after dropping the doubles point to dominate in singles. On Saturday at 3 p.m. CT, Cal will play host and 12th-ranked Texas in the round of 32 in Austin for the right to advance to the remainder of the NCAA tournament in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
 
Barretto, a freshman, beat the Wolfpack's Robert Turzak, 7-5, 6-4, to clinch the victory at court-five singles.
 
Cal improved to 12-9, while N.C. State ended its season at 17-9, after the Bears won the first meeting between the two programs.
 
The Wolfpack took a 1-0 lead and clinched the doubles point when the 69th-ranked pair of Igor and Ivan Saveljic upset the 33rd-ranked pair of Cal seniors Billy Griffith and J.T. Nishimura, 6-2, on court one. Earlier on court three, Cal sophomore Dominic Barretto and freshman Can Kaya lost to Tadas Babelis and Georgiy Malyshev, 6-2.
 
The Bears rebounded in singles, as they captured five of the six first sets and ultimately won four matches in straight sets. Nishimura led the comeback when he defeated Babelis, 6-3, 6-1, on court two to tie the match, 1-1. Freshman Ben Draper lifted Cal to a 2-1 lead when he upended Ivan Saveljic, 6-3, 6-3, on court four, and then the 54th-ranked Griffith upset the 43rd-ranked Alexis Galarneau, 6-4, 6-2, on court one to give Cal a 3-1 lead.
 
Over on court six, freshman Jacob Brumm was close to clinching for the Bears, as he was in the midst of a second-set tiebreak with Malyshev after winning the first set. But Barretto finished first to end the match.
 
"First, you've got to give N.C. State credit for their great season," said Peter Wright, Cal's Director of Men's Tennis. "They fought hard today and put us on our heels by winning the doubles point. I'm pleased our guys came out strong in the singles as we played in some challenging hot and windy conditions. Our seniors led the charge with two very strong performances in singles, and I think their energy had a very positive impact on the rest of the team. That's been the story this year: When our seniors lead, our team is hard to beat.
 
"In terms of tomorrow's match, we know Texas has been having a very good season, and they're playing at home, so we'll have to bring our best stuff."
 
The 11th-seeded Longhorns (18-6) beat Bryant, 4-0, in Friday's other NCAA first-round match at the Texas Tennis Center. Cal has a 5-9 record in the all-time series with Texas. That includes a 4-3 loss to the Longhorns last season in Berkeley. The last time Cal played Texas in Austin was in 2016, when the Bears won, 4-0.

NCAA Championship Round of 64
 
No. 34 California (12-9) defeated No. 24 N.C. State (17-9), 4-1
May 11, 2018, in Austin, Texas
Texas Tennis Center
 
Doubles
1. No. 69 Igor Saveljic/Ivan Saveljic (N.C. State) def. No. 33 Billy Griffith/J.T. Nishimura (Cal), 6-2*
2. No. 57 Alexis Galarneau/Michael Ogden (N.C. State) vs. Ben Draper/Jack Molloy (Cal), 5-4 Unfinished
3. Tadas Babelis/Georgiy Malyshev (N.C. State) def. Dominic Barretto/Can Kaya (Cal), 6-2
 
N.C. State won the doubles point
*Clinched doubles point
Order of Finish: 3, 1
 
Singles
1. No. 54 Billy Griffith (Cal) def. No. 43 Alexis Galarneau (N.C. State), 6-4, 6-2
2. J.T. Nishimura (Cal) def. Tadas Babelis (N.C. State), 6-3, 6-1
3. Jack Molloy (Cal) vs. No. 120 Igor Saveljic (N.C. State), 6-7(7), 6-1 Unfinished
4. Ben Draper (Cal) def. Ivan Saveljic (N.C. State), 6-3, 6-3
5. Paul Barretto (Cal) def. Robert Turzak (N.C. State), 7-5, 6-4^
6. Jacob Brumm (Cal) vs. Georgiy Malyshev (N.C. State), 6-3, 6-6(2-4) Unfinished
 
^Clinched the match
Order of Finish: 2, 4, 1, 5