SDSU MEN'S TENNIS ENDS SLIDE, DEFEATS AIR FORCE 4-2

Aztecs capture four victories in singles play

Source:  goaztecs.com

Photo courtesy goaztecs.com

April 14, 2017 (Colorado Springs, Colo.) - San Diego State opened its weekend road trip on Friday with a 4-2 triumph over Air Force in a Mountain West dual match at Cadet Gymnasium Outdoor Tennis Courts.

After yielding the doubles point, the Aztecs roared back with four victories in singles competition to snap a nine-match losing streak, moving to 6-14 on the season and 2-3 in conference play, while the Falcons slip to 7-14 overall and 1-4 in the MW.

SDSU faced another uphill climb on Friday, dropping two of three doubles matches, including the No. 1 spot, where senior Milen Ianakiev and junior Santiago Cevallos fell in a tiebreaker to Air Force’s Max Olson and Tadhg Collins, 7-6(4), which provided the host school an early advantage. Earlier, the tandem of sophomore Sander Gjoels-Andersen and freshman Nicholas Mitchell emerged with a 6-3 triumph over Isaac Perez and Luke Sanderson in the No. 2 position. However, the Scarlet and Black experienced another tough defeat in a tiebreaker at No. 3, as the newly installed pairing of senior Marko Goles-Babic and freshman David Hough were edged by Lucas Fumagalli and Mack Galvin 7-6 (6).

Unfazed, the Aztecs went back to work with resolve in singles, capturing the first two encounters to take a 2-1 lead on the team scoreboard. First off the court was Ianakiev, who knocked off Perez in straight sets at No. 2, 6-3, 6-3, while Gjoels-Andersen soon followed with 6-3, 6-4 conquest of Fumagalli in the No. 3 slot, which put the brakes on a personal six-match slide.

After Popov came up short to Sanderson by a 6-2, 6-3 count at No. 5, Cevallos ended a lengthy eight-match skid of his own with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Galvin in the fourth position to put SDSU back on top 3-2.

Meanwhile, Goles-Babic found himself in a tight battle with Olson at center court, before outlasting his Falcon adversary, 7-5, 7-6, to help the Aztecs end nearly six weeks of frustration.  One match was left unfinished at No. 6, where Hough took a 6-5 lead in the second set after falling in a tiebreaker in the first.

San Diego State returns to action on Sunday, April 16 when it squares off against New Mexico in another MW match, starting at 1 p.m. MT/noon PT in Albuquerque, N.M.

San Diego State 4. Air Force 2

April 14, 2017

Cadet Gymnasium Outdoor Tennis Courts

USAF Academy, Colo.

Doubles

1. Max Olson/Tadhg Collins (AFA) def. Santiago Cevallos/Milen Ianakiev (SDSU), 7-6(4)

2. Sander Gjoels-Andersen/Nicholas Mitchell (SDSU) def. Isaac Perez/Luke Sanderson, 6-3

3. Lucas Fumagalli/Mack Galvin (AFA) def. Marko Goles-Babic/David Hough (SDSU), 7-6(6)

Order of finish: 2, 3, 1

Air Force wins doubles point

Singles

1. Marko Goles-Babic (SDSU) def. Max Olson (AFA), 7-5, 7-6

2. Milen Ianakiev (SDSU) def. Isaac Perez (AFA), 6-3, 6-3

3. Sander Gjoels-Andersen (SDSU) def. Lucas Fumagalli (AFA), 6-3, 6-4

4. Santiago Cevallos (SDSU) def. Mack Galvin (AFA), 6-4, 6-4

5. Luke Sanderson (FS) def. Joel Popov (SDSU), 6-2, 6-3

6. Tadhg Collins (AFA) vs. David Hough (SDSU), 7-6, 5-6, DNF

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

* - Match-clinching victory

Records:

SDSU (6-14, 2-3 MW); Air Force (7-14, 1-4 MW)