April 1, 2006
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State men's tennis team won its third consecutive match Saturday morning with a 7-0 thrashing of Air Force in a Mountain West Conference contest played in Las Vegas, Nev. The victory improves the Aztecs' record to 9-6 on the season and 2-0 in conference action, while the Falcons fall to 11-6 overall and 0-2 in the MWC.
For the second day in a row, the tandem of Benedikt Stronk and Markus Dickhardt upset a nationally-ranked pairing in doubles competition, defeating No. 52 Shannon Buck and Trevor Johnson, 8-7 (7-0) at the No. 1 position. The win completed the sweep for SDSU and provided the scarlet and black with plenty of momentum heading into singles play.
The Aztecs lost only one set the rest of the way, using a business-like approach to post their fourth shutout of the season. First off the court was senior Eugenio Romero, who dispatched Ryan White at the No. 6 spot, 6-2, 6-0, while Anthony Gomez followed with a 6-2, 6-2 triumph over Greg Farry. Christian Groh then delivered the knockout blow with a 6-2, 6-1 pummeling of Trevor Johnson at the No. 2 position to extend his winning streak to six.
Over on the No. 1 court, Stronk used an inspired effort to hand Buck his first defeat in dual-match competition this season, rallying from an early deficit to win, 2-6, 7-5, 10-7. Because the outcome was no longer in question, the third set was played in a super tie-breaker format. Meanwhile, Robert Sabo and Stephan Timu were also victorious in their respective matches.
SDSU will remain in Las Vegas on Sunday to complete its trio of conference matches with a showdown with No. 61 UNLV at Fertitta Tennis Complex. The match is scheduled to get underway at 1:30 p.m. PDT.
No. 72 SAN DIEGO STATE 7, AIR FORCE 0
Fertitta Tennis Complex--Las Vegas, Nev.
Doubles:
1. Benedikt Stronk/Markus Dickhardt (SDSU) def. No. 52 Shannon Buck/Trevor Johnson (AFA), 8-7 (7-0).
2. Christian Groh/Stephan Timu (SDSU) def. Robby Alexander/Greg Ferry (AFA), 8-4.
3. Robert Sabo/Billy Timu (SDSU) def. Ryan White/Keith Cronican (AFA), 8-5.
SDSU wins doubles point
Singles:
1. Benedikt Stronk (SDSU) def. No. 107 Shannon Buck (AFA), 2-6, 7-5, 10-7.^
2. Christian Groh (SDSU) def. Trevor Johnson (AFA), 6-2, 6-1.
3. Stephan Timu (SDSU) def. Robby Alexander (AFA), 6-3, 6-4.
4. Robert Sabo (SDSU) def. Keith Cronican (AFA), 6-1, 6-2.
5. Anthony Gomez (SDSU) def. Greg Ferry (AFA), 6-2, 6-2.
6. Eugenio Romero (SDSU) def. Ryan White (AFA), 6-2, 6-0.
Order of Finish:
Doubles: 2, 3, 1
Singles: 6, 5, 2*, 4, 1, 3
*Match-clinching victory
^-Super tie-breaker