Unseeded Richer Survives Thriller, Then Dominates Final at Level 2 San Antonio

Noah Richer capped a remarkable run as an unseeded player, winning the Boys' 18 & Under singles title at the Level 2 in San Antonio, TX. The tournament was held February 7-9 at Alamo Heights ISD Tennis Center.

A Semifinal That Had Everything

The match of the tournament was Richer's semifinal against No. 6 seed Kahven Singh. After dropping the first set 1-6, Richer looked to be in deep trouble. He found his footing in the second set, taking it 6-4 to force a match tiebreak. What followed was a marathon — Richer saved match points and outlasted Singh 14-12 in one of the tightest tiebreaks you'll see at the junior level.

Richer Dominates the Final

Whatever the semifinal took out of Richer, it didn't show in the final. Facing No. 4 seed Miguel Rooney, Richer was ruthless from the start, winning 6-0, 6-1 in a completely one-sided championship match.

Rooney's Gutsy Run to the Final

Rooney had to fight hard just to get there. In the quarterfinals, he dropped the first set to No. 5 seed Elijah Mireles before battling back to win 4-6, 6-4, [10-8]. His semifinal against Eli Kaminski followed a similar pattern — after splitting sets 6-3, 2-6, Rooney pulled away in the match tiebreak 10-4. Two grueling three-setters in one day may have left Rooney with little left for the final.

Other Notable Results

Kaminski, who was also unseeded, earned his spot in the quarterfinals and dispatched John Gentek 7-5, 6-2 before falling to Rooney in the semis. Singh advanced to the last four with a solid 6-2, 7-6(4) win over Arjun Reiland. Richer's quarterfinal ended early when Brian Windsor was forced to retire due to injury.

Full Results

Quarterfinals

Kaminski d. Gentek, 7-5, 6-2

Rooney [4] d. Mireles [5], 4-6, 6-4, [10-8]

Richer d. Windsor, ret. (injury)

Singh [6] d. Reiland, 6-2, 7-6(4)

Semifinals

Rooney [4] d. Kaminski, 6-3, 2-6, [10-4]

Richer d. Singh [6], 1-6, 6-4, [14-12]

Final

Richer d. Rooney [4], 6-0, 6-1