SAN ANTONIO – Coming off a ranked victory over No. 62 Oregon last week at the UTSA Tennis Center, the UTSA men’s tennis team (9-8) will go back-to-back on ranked foes, as the newly-ranked No. 69 Roadrunners host to fellow American Athletic Conference squad, the No. 51 Rice Owls (14-6). UTSA and Rice will square off on Saturday afternoon at UTSA’s home facility.
Following along with this week’s match
In this week’s lone competition, Rice will come west along I-10 for the first time since 2022 to face the Roadrunners for the 30th time overall, set for Saturday, April 6 on the courts at the UTSA Tennis Center. First serve is scheduled for 1 p.m., but delays are possible, as the men’s match follow’s the 10 a.m. matchup between the UTSA women’s tennis team and UTEP.
There will be no live video from this week’s match, but the Roadrunners will have live stats at the following link: No. 69 UTSA vs. No. 51 Rice
Last Time Out
The Roadrunners notched their second ranked victory in the month of March, and the fifth win in the last six outings with a dominant sweep of 62nd-ranked Oregon at home on March 26. UTSA hit the courts hard from the opening serve of doubles, led off by a ranked doubles win on the top court via Tomás Pinho and Tiago Torres defeating 33rd-ranked Matthew Burton and Quinn Vandecasteele, 6-1. Jackson Ross and Garrett Skelly continued their victory-heavy run this season, putting away David Cierny and Avi Shugar, 6-3, to clinch the doubles point for UTSA. UTSA got the early edge with first-set win on four courts and Pinho dropped the first singles point quickly with a straight-sets victory over Vlad Breazu, 6-3, 6-1. Torres followed on two with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Cierney, while Miguel Alonso clinched the match and won his fifth straight on a 6-2, 6-4 besting of Zian Vanderstappen. Alonso paces the team in singles with an 11-1 record ahead of Torres and Danijal Muminovic, both with eight wins. In doubles action, Ross/Skelly are the pacesetters at 9-3, while Alonso and Alan Magadan are 5-0 since the doubles lineup shift in early March.
Reigning Player of the Week
For his efforts in helping UTSA to oust Oregon, Torres was named the American Athletic Conference Men’s Tennis Player of the Week – marking the third career conference weekly honor for the Lisbon, Portugal junior and UTSA’s second AAC honoree of the season (previously Pinho on January 30).
On the Slate this Week
Sitting at No. 51, the Owls are 14-6 in the 11th season under two-time conference Coach of the Year Efe Ustundag. Notching four ranked wins this season, the Owls are paced in singles by sophomore Kabeer Kapasi with a 12-2 record this spring and a seven-match win streak on court six – likely set for square-off with Alonso. In addition, junior Emir Sendogan is 11-5 and rookie Petro Kuzmenok is at 10-3. In doubles action, the Owls have tested 13 different combinations – the most success belonging to Gonzaga transfer Arthus de la Bassetiere and Eduardo Morais at 8-4 on court three. Kuzmenok also has paired with 2023 All-CUSA senior Trinity Grear for a 6-2 mark on the second doubles court.
The Series with Rice
Renewing one of UTSA’s longer series, now in the second conference field together, UTSA and Rice will meet for the 30th time in a series that dates to 1983. The Owls have been dominant over the years, racking up a 23-6 advantage. However, UTSA has earned wins in two of the last four outings. Last year’s ranked matchup in Houston came down to the absolute final game point as Rice squeaked out a 4-3 win at home, snapping UTSA’s NCAA-leading 14-match win streak just ahead of the Conference USA Tournament.
Up Next
The home finale and Senior Day are on the horizon, as UTSA closes the regular season at home against Incarnate Word on April 13. The American Athletic Conference tournament is scheduled for April 18-21 in Tulsa.
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