SDSU MEN'S TENNIS FALLS SHORT TO NO. 20 MISSISSIPPI STATE 5-2

Source: goaztecs.com

Photo:  Milen Ianakiev won his No. 2 singles match on Saturday vs. MSU.  Courtesy goaztecs.com

January 21, 2017 (San Diego) - The San Diego State men’s tennis team came up short in its home opener Saturday, falling to 20th-ranked Mississippi State by a 5-2 count at Aztec Tennis Center. The Aztecs (1-2) posted a pair of victories in singles play, but it wasn’t enough against the veteran Bulldogs (1-0), who returned the bulk of their lineup after advancing to the round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament a year ago.

MSU grabbed a quick 1-0 lead after recording two wins in doubles competition. The SDSU freshmen tandem of Joel Popov (Tampere, Finland) and Nicholas Mitchell (Ojai, Calif.) joined forces for the first time in 2017, but were unable to avoid a 6-0 defeat at the hands of Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic on the No. 3 court. Shortly thereafter, the Aztec tandem of Marko Goles-Babic (Zagreb, Croatia) and Sander Gjoels-Andersen (Klampenborg, Denmark) experienced a similar fate against Mate Cutura and Vaughn Hunter, dropping a 6-2 decision in the No. 1 position. Meanwhile, the Scarlet and Black pairing of Santiago Cevallos (Queretaro, Mexico) and Milen Iankiev (Elz, Hesse, Germany) found themselves in a tight 4-4 battle with the Bulldogs’ 59th-ranked duo of Niclas Braun and Trevor Foshey on court two; however, the match was abandoned with the doubles point no longer in doubt.

Stung, the Aztecs fell further behind 3-0 after dropping the first two encounters. Gjoels-Andersen was toppled by Rakic in the third spot, 6-2, 6-2, while Goles-Babic gave MSU’s sixth-ranked Borges all he could handle in the early going before ultimately suffering a straight-set defeat at center court, 7-6(3), 6-2.

Moments later, SDSU finally dented the scoreboard when Rafael Gonzalez Almazan (Madrid, Spain) dispatched Foshey, 6-4, 6-2.  The momentum was short-lived, however, as the Bulldogs secured the clinching fourth point despite valiant effort on court four by Popov, who came up short to Braun, 6-2, 7-6(4).

The Aztecs rebounded with a victory at No. 2, where Ianakiev outlasted Cutura in a nail-biter, 7-5, 7-6(2), but MSU recorded the final point of the day in the fifth position as Baudry registered a narrow 7-6, 6-4 triumph over Cevallos, who was making his first singles appearance in a dual match this season.

SDSU will have the next two weeks off from competition before returning to action against crosstown adversary San Diego on Saturday, Feb. 4, at Aztec Tennis Center. First serve is set for 1:30 p.m.

No. 20 Mississippi State 5, San Diego State 2

Aztec Tennis Center

San Diego, Calif.

Jan. 21, 2017

Doubles

1. Mate Cutura/Vaughn Hunter (MSU) de. Marko Goles-Babic/Sander Gjoels-Andersen (SDSU), 6-2

2. Santiago Cevallos/Milen Ianakiev (SDSU) vs. #59 Niclas Braun/Trevor Foshey (MSU), 4-4, DNF

3. Nuno Borges/Strahinja Rakic (MSU) def. Joel Popov/Nicholas Mitchell (SDSU), 6-0

Order of finish: 3, 1

MSU wins doubles point

Singles

1. #6 Nuno Borges (MSU) def. Marko Goles-Babic (SDSU), 7-6(3), 6-2

2. Milen Ianakiev (SDSU) def. Mate Cutura (MSU), 7-5, 7-6(2)

3. Strahinja Rakic (MSU) def. Sander Gjoels-Andersen (SDSU), 6-2, 6-2

4. Niclas Braun (MSU) def. Joel Popov (SDSU), 6-2, 7-6(4)

5. Simon Baudry (MSU) def. Santiago Cevallos (SDSU), 7-6(1), 6-4

6. Rafael Gonzalez Almazan (SDSU) def. Trevor Foshey (MSU), 6-4, 6-2

Order of finish: 3, 1, 6, 4*, 2, 5

*Match-clinching victory