Aztecs fall to 1-2 in MW dual matches
Source: goaztecs.com
Photo: Rafael Gonzalez Almazan was triumphant at No. 5 singles vs. USU on Sunday. Courtesy goaztecs.com
April 1, 2018 (San Diego) - San Diego State dropped its second straight dual match to a conference opponent Sunday, falling to Utah State by a 4-1 count in Mountain West action at Aztec Tennis Center.
The Aggies (12-8, 3-0 MW) seized control in doubles competition before claiming three of four singles encounter to remain unbeaten in league play.
SDSU (3-17, 1-2 MW) posted its lone victory of the afternoon at No. 5 singles, where Rafael Gonzalez Almazan logged his team-leading 16th win of the year and ninth of the spring with a 6-3, 6-4 conquest of Jose Carvajal.
The Aztecs were met with frustration otherwise, as Arnaud Restifo experienced a 6-1, 6-2 setback to Jaime Barajas on the No. 1 court, while Ignacio Martinez was dismissed by Sergiu Burcur in the No. 2 slot by a similar 6-2, 6-0 tally.
Shortly after Gonzalez Almazan’s triumph, USU’s Valdemar Holm squelched the Scarlet and Black’s comeback hopes with a 6-4, 6-3 decision over Jan Kirchhoff in the No. 4 position to secure the visitors’ clinching point.
With the outcome no longer in question, two matches were left unfinished as Sander Gjoels-Andersen was moments away from dispatching Felipe Acosta in the third spot after building a 7-5, 5-2 advantage, while Raul de la Torre was deadlocked with Addy Vashistha 4-4 in the second set on court six after falling short in the first, 6-2.
Earlier, SDSU stumbled out of the gates in doubles, as the tandem of Restifo and Nicholas Mitchell suffered a 6-2 defeat at the hands of Barajas and Carvajal in the No. 1 spot, while Kirchhoff and de la Torre were blitzed by Holm and Andrew Nakajima in the second position, 6-3. Conversely, Gjoels-Andersen and Gonzalez Almazan raced to a 5-2 lead against Acosta and Vashistha at No. 3, but the match was halted with Aggies already in possession of the point.
UP NEXT
San Diego State continues its home stand next weekend when it squares off against New Mexico on Friday, April 6 starting at 2 p.m., followed by a showdown vs. Air Force on Sunday, April 8 beginning at 1 p.m.
Utah State 4, San Diego State 1
April 1, 2018
San Diego, Calif.
Aztec Tennis Center
Doubles
1. Jaime Barajas/Jose Carvajal (USU) def. Nicholas Mitchell/Arnaud Restifo (SDSU), 6-2
2. Valdemar Holm/Andrew Nakajima (USU) def. Raul de la Torre/Jan Kirchhoff (SDSU), 6-3
3. Sander Gjoels-Andersen/Rafael Gonzalez Almazan (SDSU) vs. Felipe Acosta (USU)/Addy Vashistha, 5-2, DNF
Order of finish: 1, 2
USU wins doubles point
Singles
1. Jaime Barajas (USU) def. Arnaud Restifo (SDSU), 6-1, 6-2
2. Sergiu Bucur (USU) def. Ignacio Martinez (SDSU), 6-2, 6-0
3. Sander Gjoels-Andersen (SDSU) vs. Felipe Acosta (USU), 7-5, 5-2, DNF
4. Valdemar Holm (USU) def. Jan Kirchhoff (SDSU), 6-4, 6-3
5. Rafael Gonzalez Almazan (SDSU) def. Jose Carvajal (USU), 6-3, 6-4
6. Raul de la Torre (SDSU) vs. Addy Vashistha (USU), 2-6, 4-4, DNF
Order of finish: 1, 2. 5, 4*
* Match-clinching victory