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TULSA, Okla. - Virginia Tech senior Joao Monteiro becomes the first Hokie player to advance to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 20 years with a win on Thursday at the 2016 Men's Tennis Championships.

Monteiro is the first Hokie to move into the Sweet 16 round since Oliver Mayo made the quarterfinals in 1996.

Opening the day was 14th-ranked Monteiro in singles, facing off against Tulsa's 48th-ranked Or Ram-Harel. The Tech player took the opening set 6-2 and led 4-2 in the second before Ram-Harel rallied back to win the next three points to go up 5-4. Monteiro tied it up at 5-5, but Ram-Harel took the next two 7-5 to force the third. In the deciding set, the two were tied at 3-3, but Monteiro secured the final three games to win it 6-3.

He advances to face a familiar foe in rival UVA's eighth-ranked Ryan Shane. The two met during spring duals and battled to three sets with Shane holding on for the 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(2) win.

Monteiro also qualified in doubles with teammate Andreas Bjerrehus where the pair faced off with San Diego's 40th-ranked Jordan Angus and Filip Vittek. The Tech pair won the first set 7-5, but the Toreros' duo rallied to take the second in a tiebreak 7-6(4). In the super tiebreak Vittek and Angus closed out the win 1-0(6).

Tune in tomorrow for Monteiro's single match - Link

Photo credit: Bill Kallenberg

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