March 31, 2006
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State men's tennis team opened Mountain West Conference action Friday morning with a resounding 6-1 triumph over Utah in Las Vegas, Nev. Fueled by a stirring upset in doubles competition, the Aztecs won five of six singles matches to capture the neutral-site contest, which was played at Fertitta Tennis Complex on the campus of UNLV. With the victory, SDSU improves to 8-6 overall and 1-0 in league play, while the Utes fall to 12-6 and 0-1 in the conference.
Despite an early starting time, SDSU came out strong in doubles action as the No. 3 pairing of Stephan Timu and Anthony Gomez prevailed in an easy 8-1 conquest of Utah's Wes Hancock and Ryan Scott. The highlight of the day, however, was the surprise at the No. 1 position where Aztecs' duo of Benedikt Stronk and Markus Dickhardt engineered an 8-5 victory over the Utes' 26th-ranked tandem of Nick Coutts and Zach Ganger. Although Christian Groh and Eugenio Romero were defeated at the No. 2 spot in an epic battle, 9-8 (17-15), Stronk and Dickhardt's upset clinched the crucial point, giving the scarlet and black a 1-0 lead.
Utah came back in singles play to tie the score at 1-1 when Jason Yap upended Billy Timu, 6-1, 6-3, at the No. 6 position. The Utes would get no closer, however, as SDSU dominated the rest of the way, sweeping the next five matches in straight sets. Stephan Timu led the barrage with a 6-0, 6-4 triumph over Wes Hancock at the No. 4 spot, followed by Markus Dickhardt, who pinned a 6-4, 6-3 defeat on Tomasz Grzyb. Benedikt Stronk then secured the match for the Aztecs, knocking off Zach Ganger by the same score.
Over on the No. 3 court, meanwhile, Christian Groh showed no ill-effects from his prolonged doubles encounter, disposing of Nick Coutts, 6-3, 6-3, to win his fifth in row. Robert Sabo rounded out the day's action by beating Ryan Scott, 7-5, 6-2, to give the contest its final outcome.
SDSU continues its conference slate on Saturday, remaining in Las Vegas for a clash with Air Force. The match is scheduled to get underway at 9 a.m.
No. 72 SAN DIEGO STATE 6, No. 54 UTAH 1
Fertitta Tennis Complex--Las Vegas, Nev.
Doubles:
1) Benedikt Stronk/Markus Dickhardt (SDSU) def. No. 26 Nick Coutts/Zach Ganger (UU), 8-5.
2) Tomasz Gryzb/Jason Yap (UU) def. Christian Groh/Eugenio Romero (SDSU), 9-8 (17-15).
3) Stephan Timu/Anthony Gomez (SDSU) def. Wes Hancock/Ryan Scott (UU), 8-1.
SDSU wins doubles point
Singles:
1) No. 116 Markus Dickhardt (SDSU) def. Tomasz Grzyb (UU), 6-4, 6-3.
2) Benedikt Stronk (SDSU) def. Zach Ganger (UU), 6-4, 6-3.
3) Christian Groh (SDSU) def. Nick Coutts (UU), 6-3, 6-3.
4) Stephan Timu (SDSU) def. Wes Hancock (UU), 6-0, 6-4.
5) Robert Sabo (SDSU) def. Ryan Scott (UU), 7-5, 6-2.
6) Jason Yap (UU) def. Billy Timu (SDSU), 6-1, 6-3.
Order of finish
Doubles: 3, 1, 2
Singles: 6, 4, 1, 2*, 3, 5
*match-securing victory