NORFOLK, Va. — Joao Riquelme outlasted Theophile Lanthiez in three sets to help UTSA upset No. 58 Old Dominion in the Conference USA Tournament semifinals on Saturday at the Folkes-Stevens Tennis Center.
The Roadrunners improved to 16-8 on the year with their third consecutive win and fourth victory in the last five outings. UTSA will face top-seeded and 54th-ranked Rice (11-13), a 4-1 winner over Charlotte in the other semifinal, in Sunday's championship match at 10 a.m. (CT). UTSA beat the Owls, 4-3, in the last meeting between the teams on Jan. 16 in Houston.
UTSA took a 1-0 lead after winning a pair of doubles matches and were up on the host Monarchs (16-3) by a 3-2 count with all eyes on the fifth and sixth courts, where the only two singles matches still were playing.
Riquelme, a freshman from Chile, fought back from a 7-5 setback in the opening set at No. 5 with a 6-0 blanking in the middle frame. He then secured the Roadrunners' first-ever win against ODU in four all-time meetings with a 6-1 decision in the third set.
UTSA's 67th-ranked doubles tandem of Tito Moreiras and Tomas Stillman knotted the doubles competition at one apiece with an 8-4 triumph over Adam Moundir and Michael Weindl at No. 1. The pair improved to 8-1 on the season.
Jake Rother and Joel Rubio then clinched the point with an 8-3 decision against Zvonimir Podvinski and Lanthiez at the third position.
In singles, ODU evened the contest at 1-1 when Javier Jover Maestre swept Rubio, 6-0, 6-1, at No. 4.
The Monarchs then took a 2-1 advantage with a 6-2, 6-4 win by Moundir against Yannick Junger on the second court.
Stillman, the ITA's No. 82-ranked singles player, gained revenge against Carlos Lopez Villa for an earlier loss this season with a 6-3, 6-3 victory at the top spot to run his record to 19-3 on the year and make it 2-2.
Moreiras gave UTSA the lead back with a 6-3, 6-2 win against Weindl at No. 3, setting up the dramatic ending.
UTSA 4, #58 Old Dominion 2
Doubles
1. #67 Moreiras/Stillman (UTSA) def. Moundir/Weindl (ODU) 8-4
2. Jover Maestre/Lopez Villa (ODU) def. Casa/Junger (UTSA) 8-2
3. Rother/Rubio (UTSA) def. Lanthiez/Podvinski (ODU) 8-3
Singles
1. #82 Tomas Stillman (UTSA) def. Carlos Lopez Villa (ODU) 6-3, 6-3
2. Adam Moundir (ODU) def. Yannick Junger (UTSA) 6-2, 6-4
3. Tito Moreiras (UTSA) def. Michael Weindl (ODU) 6-3, 6-2
4. Javier Jover Maestre (ODU) def. Joel Rubio (UTSA) 6-0, 6-1
5. Joao Riquelme (UTSA) def. Theophile Lanthiez (ODU) 5-7, 6-0, 6-1
6. Diogo Casa (UTSA) vs. Zvonimir Podvinski (ODU) 6-2, 3-6, 5-5, unfinished
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (4,2,1,3,5)