SDSU MEN'S TENNIS EDGED BY NEVADA 4-3

Aztecs’ three singles victories not enough to prevent ninth straight loss

Source:  goaztecs.com

Photo:  Joel Popov snapped a personal five-match skid with a victory at No. 4 singles vs. Nevada on Sunday.  Courtesy goaztecs.com

April 9, 2017 (San Diego) - Despite three victories in singles play, San Diego State was unable to put the brakes on a lengthy losing streak Sunday, dropping a narrow 4-3 decision to Nevada in a Mountain West dual match at Aztec Tennis Center.

With the defeat, SDSU lost its ninth in a row, falling to 5-14 overall and 1-3 in league play, while the Wolf Pack put an end to a three-match slide of their own, raising their record to 7-9 on the year and 2-2 in the MW.

Nevada jumped out to a 1-0 lead after capturing the pivotal doubles point. Although the Aztecs shuffled their lineup on Sunday, the new combinations could not break into the win column. For the first time this spring, sophomore Raul de la Torre (Calexico, Calif.) and freshman David Hough (Traralgon, Australia) joined forces, but suffered a 6-2 setback to the Wolf Pack’s Robert Margitfalvi and Augustin Delahodde in the No. 3 position. Shortly thereafter, the new pairing of sophomore Sander Gjoels-Andersen and freshman Nicholas Mitchell dropped a tight battle to Mile Cilic and Kostya Nesterenko, 7-5, in the No. 2 spot, while the senior tandem of Marko Goles-Babic and Milen Ianakiev abandoned their match with Julien Evrard and Peter O'Donovan (NEV) at No. 1 with the score deadlocked at 6-6.

Nevada extended its advantage to 3-0 after claiming the first two singles matches. First off the court was Gjoels-Andersen, who came up on the wrong side of a 6-3, 6-2 score to Margitfalvi in the No. 3 spot, while Hough fell victim to O’Donovan in the sixth spot, 6-3, 6-3.

However, SDSU fought back with a vengeance, winning the next three encounters to forge a 3-3 tie on the team scoreboard. Ianakiev sparked the comeback, surviving a gritty first-set tiebreaker before dispatching Nesterenko in the No. 2 position, 7-6(6), 6-3. Moments later, Goles-Babic prevailed in three sets over Evrard at center court, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, while freshman Joel Popov snapped an individual five-match losing streak with a triumph in straight sets over Cilic in the fourth spot.

All eyes turned to the No. 5 court, where Rafael Gonzalez Almazan found himself in a nail-biter against Delahodde. After dropping the first set, 6-3, the Aztec freshman took the second by a 6-4 count, but ran out of steam in the third as his Wolf Pack adversary pulled away, 6-1, dealing the Scarlet and Black a heart-breaking loss.

San Diego State continues its Mountain West schedule next weekend when it hits the road for a pair of dual matches at Air Force (April 14) and New Mexico (April 16).

Nevada 4, San Diego State 3

April 9, 2017

Aztec Tennis Center

San Diego, Calif.

Doubles

1. Marko Goles-Babic/Milen Ianakiev (SDSU) vs. Julien Evrard/Peter O'Donovan (NEV), 6-6, DNF

2. Mile Cilic/Kostya Nesterenko (NEV) def. Sander Gjoels-Andersen/Nicholas Mitchell (SDSU), 7-5

3. Robert Margitfalvi/Augustin Delahodde (NEV) def. Raul de la Torre/David Hough (SDSU), 6-2

Order of finish: 3, 2

Nevada wins doubles point

Singles

1. Marko Goles-Babic (SDSU) def. Julien Evrard (NEV), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3

2. Milen Ianakiev (SDSU) def. Kostya Nesterenko (NEV), 7-6(6), 6-3

3. Robert Margitfalvi (SDSU) def. Sander Gjoels-Andersen (SDSU), 6-3, 6-2

4. Joel Popov (SDSU) def. Mile Cilic (NEV), 7-6(4), 6-2

5. Augustin Delahodde (NEV) def. Rafael Gonzalez Almazan (SDSU), 6-3, 4-6, 6-1

6. Peter O'Donovan (NEV) def. David Hough (SDSU), 6-3, 6-3

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

* - Match-clinching victory

Records:

SDSU (5-14, 1-3 MW); Nevada (7-9, 2-2 MW)