April 28, 2006
SAN DIEGO - Fourth-seeded San Diego State dropped a 4-3 decision to fifth-seeded New Mexico in the quarterfinal round of the Mountain West Conference Championship Friday morning at Aztec Tennis Center. The match originally scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday at Barnes Tennis Center, did not get underway until Thursday evening at approximately 5:30 p.m. due to two rain delays and a change of venue. The contest was called at 9:23 p.m. Thursday night because of rain with the match deadlocked at 3-3. Play resumed Friday morning with the Lobos taking the remaining match at No. 4.
When play was suspended Thursday night, Milana Yusupov and Ola Abou-Zekry were engaged in a back-and-forth thriller. Abou-Zekry posted a 6-3 win to begin the evening only to have the Aztec freshman fight back and pocket a 7-6(3) decision. In the final set, Abou-Zekry jumped out to a 5-0 lead as the rain began to fall. After a five-minute delay, officials suspended the match until Friday morning.
The match commenced Friday with Abou-Zekry serving and trailing 30-40 in the game. Both players exchanged numerous shots until Yusupov hit one down the left side to cut her deficit to 5-1. After a brief timeout, Yusupov dug herself an early hole, but fought back to 30-40. In the end, Abou-Zekry hit a shot that Yusupov could not reach giving the Lobos the victory.
On Thursday, New Mexico opened the evening by taking the doubles point behind the strength of their victories at No. 1-2. Fifth-ranked Maja Kovacek and Iva Gersic were first off the court as they posted an 8-2 win over No. 46 Dita Hauerlandova and Sisse Nielsen at first doubles. Later, New Mexico secured the point when Lucy Scott and Abou-Zekry tallied an 8-5 victory over the SDSU duo of Eliska Krausova and Alesya Vidov. With the point decided, the match at No. 3 doubles was abandoned with the Aztecs' Esther Cadua and Yusupov leading 7-4.
In singles, Vidov dropped a straight-sets decision to No. 75 Iva Gersic at No. 2, but Krausova notched SDSU's first point when she cruised to a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Nora Quintal at No. 3.
Cadua tied the match at two apiece when she posted a tough, 6-3, 7-5, win at No. 6 over Mackenzie White.
Then the rain came again.
After a 14 minute rain delay, No. 88 Hauerlandova posted her third win of the season against a nationally-ranked player when she beat 31st-ranked Kovacek, 7-6(3), 6-3, at first singles. The decision came just minutes after play resumed and gave the Aztecs a 3-2 lead with two matches still in progress.
Nielsen, at No. 5, battled back from a 6-2 first-set loss and won the second by a score of 6-4 over UNM's Scott. Unfortunately, for Nielsen, she could not ride the momentum into the third set as she fell, 6-1, leaving the deciding match at No. 4.
The Aztecs finish the 2006 regular season with a 16-8 overall record and a 6-2 mark in conference play.
#56 (5)New Mexico 4, #32 (4)San Diego State 3
MWC Quarterfinals
Aztec Tennis Center (San Diego, Calif.)
Doubles
1. #5 Kovacek/Gersic (UNM) def. #46 Hauerlandova/Nielsen (SDSU), 8-2
2. Scott/Abou-Zekry (UNM) def. Krausova/Vidov (SDSU), 8-5
3. Yusupov/Cadua (SDSU) vs. Quintal/Sotirchos (UNM), 7-4 (DNF)
New Mexico wins doubles point
Singles
1. #88 Dita Hauerlandova (SDSU) def. #31 Maja Kovacek (UNM), 7-6(3), 6-3
2. #75 Iva Gersic (UNM) def. Alesya Vidov (SDSU), 6-1, 6-1
3. Eliska Krausova (SDSU) def. Nora Quintal (UNM), 6-1, 6-0
4. Ola Abou-Zekry (UNM) def. Milana Yusupov (SDSU), 6-3, 6-7(3), 6-1
5. Lucy Scott (UNM) def. Sisse Nielsen (SDSU), 6-2, 4-6, 6-1
6. Esther Cadua (SDSU) def. Mackenzie White (UNM), 6-3, 7-