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Source: goaztecs.com
Photo courtesy goaztecs.com
February 9, 2018 (Starkville, Miss.) - The San Diego State men’s tennis team ran into a buzz saw Friday, dropping a 6-1 decision to No. 14 Mississippi State in a non-conference dual match at A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.
After grabbing the early doubles point, the Bulldogs (5-1) captured five of six singles encounters in straight sets to keep the Aztecs (0-5) winless on the year.
The SDSU tandem of sophomores Rafael Gonzalez Almazan and David Hough were the first to experience MSU’s wrath, falling to Florian Broska and Trevor Foshey by a 6-1 count at No. 3 doubles, while the pairing of senior Santiago Cevallos and Arnaud Restifo suffered a nearly identical fate in a 6-2 setback to Niclas Braun and Giovanni Oradini in the second spot. Over on the No. 1 court, junior Sander Gjoels-Andersen and sophomore Nicholas Mitchell kept things close in their battle with Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic, but the match was abandoned with the Aztec duo trailing 5-4.
Trailing 1-0, SDSU was unable to keep pace in singles play against a Bulldog squad that featured three nationally ranked competitors.
First off the court was Cevallos, who was toppled by No. 2 Borges at the top of the ladder, 6-0, 6-1, while Gjoels-Andersen had his hands full with 60th-ranked Rakic in the third position, but came up on the short end of a 6-3, 6-2 score. Shortly thereafter, 13th-ranked Oradini provided the clincher with a 6-2, 6-1 triumph over Restifo in the second slot.
With the outcome no longer in question, the remaining three matches were allowed to finish. In just his second appearance of the spring, Hough prevented a shutout with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Hunter Harrison on the No. 6 court. Previously, Gonzalez Almazan was dismissed by Foshey in the fifth spot, 6-0, 6-4, while sophomore Joel Popov fell victim to Braun, 6-1, 6-3 at No. 4.
Up Next
San Diego State resumes its season-long road trip on Sunday, Feb. 11, when it squares off against Alabama, starting at 1 p.m. CT/11 a.m. PT.
No. 14 Mississippi State 6, San Diego State 1
February 9, 2018
Starkville, Miss.
A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre
Doubles
1. Nuno Borges/Strahinja Rakic (MSU) vs. Sander Gjoels-Andersen/Nicholas Mitchell (SDSU), 5-4 DNF
2. Niclas Braun/Giovanni Oradini (MSU) def. Santiago Cevallos/Arnaud Restifo (SDSU), 6-2
3. Florian Broska/Trevor Foshey (MSU) def. Rafael Gonzalez Almazan/David Hough (SDSU), 6-1
Order of finish: 3, 2
MSU wins doubles point
Singles
1. #2 Nuno Borges (MSU) def. Santiago Cevallos (SDSU), 6-0, 6-1
2. #13 Giovanni Oradini (MSU) def. Arnaud Restifo (SDSU), 6-2, 6-1
3. #60 Strahinja Rakic (MSU) def. Sander Gjoels-Andersen (SDSU), 6-3, 6-2
4. Niclas Braun (MSU) def. Joel Popov (SDSU), 6-1, 6-3
5. Trevor Foshey (MSU) def. Rafael Gonzalez Almazan (SDSU), 6-0, 6-4
6. David Hough (SDSU) def. Hunter Harrison (MSU) def. 6-4, 6-4
Order of finish: 1, 3, 2*, 5, 4, 6
* Match-clinching victory
Records: SDSU (0-5), Mississippi State (5-1)