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SDSU fell to Arkansas 4-3 at the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club
Source: goaztecs.com
Photo courtesy goaztecs.com
January 14, 2023 (La Jolla) - The San Diego State men’s tennis team opened its 2023 dual-match schedule against Arkansas at the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club on Friday morning. The Aztecs split the singles matches but could not complete the comeback after dropping the doubles point.
The Scarlet and Black fall to 0-1 on the season while Arkansas moves to 1-0 with the win.
Head coach Gene Carswell, entering his 20th season leading the squad, thinks the team learned a lot about themselves despite the loss. He was impressed by the spirit of the Aztecs, who never gave up and brought the match down to the wire.
In doubles, SDSU was bested 2-0. In the top slot, Alexander Mandma and Johannes Seeman lost 6-4 to Stefanos Savva and Melvin Manuel. Chikaya Sato and Bora Sengul were defeated 6-3 by Adrien Burdet and Alan Sau Franco on the second court. Mathieu Josserand and Eugenio Gonzalez Fitzmaurice trailed 5-3 to Gerard Planelles Ripoll and Jakob Mosvold, but their match went unfinished as the Razorbacks claimed the doubles point.
The Scarlet and Black were more successful in singles competition, winning three of the six matches and sending a fourth to a deciding third set.
Playing on the top court, Seeman trailed 4-1 to Savva in the first set before going on a run of eight consecutive games to take the first set 6-4 and go up 3-0 in the second. He would not relinquish the lead again, winning San Diego State’s first point 6-4, 6-3.
Consecutive defeats for the Scarlet and Black further down the lineup card had them on the brink of defeat. Playing in the fourth singles spot, Sengul was bested 6-3, 6-2 by Sau Franco while in the fifth spot, Josserand lost 6-2, 6-1 to Planelles Ripoll and Arkansas led 3-1.
SDSU battled back as Gonzalez Fitzmaurice edged out Foster Rogers in the third set 6-3, 0-6, 7-5 on the sixth court. On the second court, Sato was triumphant in similar fashion. After a hard-fought 7-5 win in his opening set, he fell 6-2 in the second before storming back 6-3 to take the third and the point.
It all came down to Mandma and Manuel. After the Razorback took the first set 6-2 and held a lead in the second, he appeared to have Mandma and the Aztecs on the ropes until Mandma clawed his way back to take the second set 7-5. He fell shy of completing the comeback in the third set, 6-3, to bring the match to a close.
San Diego State is back in action on Saturday, Jan. 21, against San Francisco in their first match at the Aztec Tennis Center this season.
Arkansas 4, San Diego State 3
La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club – La Jolla, Calif.
January 13, 2023
Singles Competition
1. Johannes Seeman (SDSU) def. Stefanos Savva (Ark.) 6-4, 6-3
2. Chikaya Sato (SDSU) def. Adrien Burdet (Ark.) 7-5, 2-6, 6-3
3. Melvin Manuel (Ark.) def. Alexander Mandma (SDSU) 6-2, 5-7, 6-3
4. Alan Sau Franco (Ark.) def. Bora Sengul (SDSU) 6-3, 6-2
5. Gerard Planelles Ripoll (Ark.) def. Mathieu Josserand (SDSU) 6-2, 6-1
6. Eugenio Gonzalez Fitzmaurice (SDSU) def. Foster Rogers (Ark.) 6-3, 0-6, 7-5
Doubles Competition
1. Stefanos Savva/Melvin Manuel (Ark.) def. Alexander Mandma/Johannes Seeman (SDSU) 6-4
2. Adrien Burdet/Alan Sau Franco (Ark.) def. Chikaya Sato/Bora Sengul (SDSU) 6-3
3. Gerard Planelles Ripoll/Jakob Mosvold (Ark.) led Mathieu Josserand/Eugenio Gonzalez Fitzmaurice (SDSU) 5-3
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (1,5,4,6,2,3)
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