SDSU MEN'S TENNIS SUFFERS 4-3 HEARTBREAKER TO RICE

Aztecs finish San Diego Spring Classic at 0-3

Source:  goaztecs.com

Photo:  Nicholas Mitchell was victorious in his first singles dual of the spring on Saturday vs. Rice.  Courtesy goaztecs.com

March 18, 2018 (La Jolla) - Hoping to salvage a victory in its final match at the San Diego Spring Classic on Saturday, the SDSU men’s tennis team instead suffered a heartbreaking 4-3 defeat to Rice at Northview Tennis Courts on the campus of UC San Diego.

Despite capturing the doubles point for just the second time this spring, the Aztecs (2-12) saw a 3-0 lead gradually evaporate, as the Owls (6-11) closed with four straight victories in singles competition to keep the Scarlet and Black winless for the tournament at 0-3.

The Aztecs shuffled their doubles lineup somewhat on Saturday and the results paid off, with junior Sander Gjoels-Andersen joining forces with freshman Ignacio Martinez for the first time this season in a 6-2 conquest of Mohamed Abdel-Aziz and Sumit Sarkar in the No. 1 spot to give SDSU a 1-0 advantage in the team score.

Earlier, the SDSU sophomore tandem of Joel Popov and Arnaud Restifo emerged with a 6-4 triumph over Jared Aiman and Ashton Duke in the No. 3 position. Over on court two, junior Raul de la Torre and freshman Jan Kirchhoff also combined for the first time this year, grabbing a 4-2 lead over Jacob Eskeland and Conrad Russell before the match was abandoned.

The Aztecs padded their cushion at the outset of singles play when sophomore David Hough pinned a 6-0, 6-2 defeat on Duke in the fifth slot, while fellow classmate Nicholas Mitchell soon followed with a 6-2, 6-1 triumph over Aiman at No. 6 in his first dual of the spring.

Moments later, Rice finally dented the scoreboard after Abdel-Aziz dispatched Gjoels-Andersen, 6-2, 6-3, in the No. 2 position.

Stung, SDSU could not prevent an Owls comeback as the visitors quickly seized the momentum with three additional wins to escape with the victory. Restifo fell victim to Sarkar in the No. 1 spot, 7-6(2), 6-2, while Martinez experienced a similar fate at No. 3, dropping a close decision to Eskeland by a count of 7-6(5), 6-4.

With the score knotted at 3-3, all eyes turned to the No. 4 court where Popov found himself in a tight battle with Russell. After dropping the first set 6-4, the Tampere, Finland, native fought tooth-and-nail to extend the match, but came up short in a tiebreaker 7-6(4), saddling the Aztec with the hard-luck defeat.

SDSU returns to the friendly environs of Montezuma Mesa this week when it battles Denver and Liberty in a doubleheader on Wednesday, March 21 at Aztec Tennis Center. Match times are set for 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. respectively.

Rice 4, San Diego State 3

March 17, 2018

La Jolla, Calif.

Northview Tennis Courts

Doubles

1. Sander Gjoels-Andersen/Ignacio Martinez (SDSU) def. Mohamed Abdel-Aziz/Sumit Sarkar (Rice), 6-2

2. Raul de la Torre/Jan Kirchhoff (SDSU) vs. Jacob Eskeland/Conrad Russell (Rice), 4-2, DNF

3. Joel Popov/Arnaud Restifo (SDSU) def. Jared Aiman/Ashton Duke (Rice), 6-4

Order of finish: 3, 1

SDSU wins doubles point

Singles

1. Sumit Sarkar (Rice) def. Arnaud Restifo (SDSU), 7-6(2), 6-2

2. Mohamed Abdel-Aziz (Rice) def. Sander Gjoels-Andersen (SDSU), 6-2, 6-3

3. Jacob Eskeland (Rice) def. Ignacio Martinez (SDSU), 7-6(5), 6-4

4. Conrad Russell (Rice) def. Joel Popov (SDSU), 6-4, 7-6(4)

5. David Hough (SDSU) def. Ashton Duke (Rice), 6-0, 6-2

6. Nicholas Mitchell (SDSU) def. Jared Aiman (Rice), 6-2, 6-1

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

* Match-clinching victory

Records: SDSU (2-12), Rice (6-11)