March 23, 2006
SAN DIEGO - The 72nd-ranked San Diego State men's tennis team swept all nine matches en route to its second straight shutout as it defeated Princeton, 7-0, Thursday afternoon at Fairbanks Ranch Country Club in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. Coupled with a 7-0 whitewash of Portland on March 18, Thursday's win marks the first time SDSU has blanked an opponent in consecutive dual matches since a doubleheader sweep over UC Riverside and Northern Arizona, Jan. 29, 2005, at La Jolla Tennis Club. With the victory, the Aztecs improve to 6-5 on the year, while the Tigers drop to 4-8.
Displaying great tenacity and team spirit throughout the contest, SDSU set the tone for the day by taking all three matches in doubles competition. At the No. 1 position, Benedikt Stronk joined forces with Billy Timu and the Aztec duo promptly took care of business with an 8-5 triumph over the Princeton tandem of Hans Plukas and Andrew Lieu. SDSU teamed Markus Dickhardt with Stephan Timu for the first time this season and the move paid dividends as the No. 2 pairing clinched the point for the scarlet and black with a hard-fought victory over the Tigers' Ted Mabrey and Alex Krueger-Wyman, 9-7. The Aztecs then completed the sweep as Christian Groh and Eugenio Romero notched a win at the No. 3 spot.
SDSU kept the momentum in singles play, securing the match with three consecutive straight-set victories. Markus Dickhardt was first off the court with a 6-2, 6-1 decision over Darius Craton at the No. 1 position, while Benedikt Stronk extended his winning streak to four with a triumph at the No. 2 spot over Sratha Saengsuwarn, 6-3, 6-3. Junior Anthony Gomez then posted his second straight win with a 6-4, 6-4 effort over Shannon Morales.
With the outcome in hand, two of the remaining three matches were decided in a super tie-breaker format. After Christian Groh's straight-set victory at the No. 3 position, Stephan Timu overcame a sore back to dispatch Hans Plukas, 6-3, 3-6, 10-7. It was up then to Robert Sabo to preserve the shutout for the second match in a row, and the sophomore from Rancho Mirage, Calif., did not disappoint, hanging on for a 7-5, 4-6, 10-7 decision over Alex Vuckovic.
SDSU returns to courts on Saturday, squaring off against cross-town rival San Diego at USD's West Courts. The match is scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m.
No. 72 SAN DIEGO STATE 7, PRINCETON 0
Fairbanks Ranch Country Club--Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.
Doubles:
1) Benedikt Stronk/Billy Timu (SDSU) def. Hans Plukas/Andrew Lieu (Princeton), 8-5.
2) Markus Dickhardt/Stephan Timu (SDSU) def. Ted Mabrey/Alex Krueger-Wyman (Princeton), 9-7.
3) Christian Groh/Eugenio Romero (SDSU) def. Shannon Morales/Darius Craton (Princeton), 8-6.
SDSU wins doubles point
Singles:
1) No. 116 Markus Dickhardt (SDSU) def. Darius Craton (Princeton), 6-2, 6-1.
2) Benedikt Stronk (SDSU) def. Sratha Saengsuwarn (Princeton), 6-3, 6-3.
3) Christian Groh (SDSU) def. Andrew Lieu (Princeton), 6-4, 6-2.
4) Stephan Timu (SDSU) def. Hans Plukas (Princeton), 6-3, 3-6, 10-7^.
5) Anthony Gomez (SDSU) def. Shannon Morales (Princeton), 6-4, 6-4.
6) Robert Sabo (SDSU) def. Alex Vuckovic (Princeton), 7-5, 4-6, 10-7^.
Order of finish
Doubles: 1, 2, 3
Singles: 1, 2, 5*, 3, 4, 6
*match-securing victory
^super tie-breaker