ORLANDO – In what has become a trend this year for these particular Roadrunners, UTSA men's tennis' tandem of Sebastian Rodriguez and Alan Magadan have yet again made history for the program. After being weather-delayed over 24 hours for competition at the NCAA Division I Doubles Championship, the duo earned UTSA's first postseason victory, defeating NC State's 11th-ranked pair of Robin Catry and Luca Staeheli in straight sets to advance to the Round of 16.
The UTSA pair entered this week's tournament ranking No. 36 in the latest ITA standings and grew their record together to 15-8 on the year.
With Rodriguez a graduated senior making his final NCAA appearance and Magadan a junior in his first appearance, the pair took care of business right out of the gate. Beginning this afternoon's play under cloudy Florida skies, the Roadrunners won 30-of-57 points in the opening set, capturing 3-of-4 break-points over the Wolfpack's pair. Rodriguez and Magadan jumped out to a 2-0 lead and countered an NC State score with three consecutive points for a 5-1 advantage. Catry and Staeheli clawed their way back with two straight scores, but Rodriguez and Magadan produced with the set on the line, rallying from a 30-0 deficit to secure the deciding point in the 6-4 win.
The Roadrunners fell behind on the first point of the second set but swept through the second game to knot the score at 1-1. However, Central Florida's weather got in the way once again, forcing the teams first into an hour-and-10-minute delay, before continuing competition indoors.
Rodriguez and Magadan were down 40-30 when rains forced them off the courts but scored three straight points upon restart to pull in front, 2-1. In consecutive games, the Roadrunners tandem rallied from deficits, assuming a 4-1 lead after coming back from trailing 40-15 in the fifth game. Again, the Wolfpack pair grabbed two quick points to make it close, but UTSA regained momentum with Magadan's strong serving, en route to another 6-4 victory, claiming the match in straight sets.
Gallery: (5-24-2023) '23 NCAA Tennis (M) Doubles Round of 32
NCAA Doubles Results
#36 Sebastian Rodriguez/Alan Magadan def. No. 11 Robin Catry/Luca Staeheli: 6-4, 6-4
Quoting Coach Sergey Avdeyev
"This was a very special win for the program and for the guys. Going into the match we felt good, and the boys have the game to advance further. We just have to clean up a few things before tomorrow.
We started the match very good. We made less mistakes overall. We had double break in both sets, lost focus both times and almost lost the lead. However, it came down to deciding points in both sets and we were clutch. Overall, we were more physical throughout the match, and we served better when it mattered."
Up Next
The pair from Texas, third-ranked Cleeve Harper and Eliot Spizzirri await the Roadrunners in the Round of 16 after defeating Virginia Tech's No. 24 pair of Jordan Chrysostom/Ryan Fishback, 6-3, 7-6 (3).
- UTSA -
