April 29, 2006
SAN DIEGO - The 48th-ranked San Diego State men's tennis team had its hopes for a second straight Mountain West Conference tournament title dashed Saturday afternoon, suffering a 4-1 setback at the hands of No. 33 TCU in the championship final at Barnes Tennis Center. The Aztecs trailed, 3-0, after losing the doubles point and two singles matches. The deficit proved too much to overcome as SDSU (15-8) saw its five-match winning streak come to a halt. Meanwhile, the Horned Frogs (17-9) avenged an earlier defeat to the scarlet and black in the regular season, and captured the MWC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The Aztecs got into early trouble, dropping two matches in doubles competition. The tandem of Stephan Timu and Anthony Gomez were overpowered by TCU's Andrei Mlendea and Cosmin Cotet, 8-3, at the No. 2 position. Then on the No. 3 court, the duo of Christian Groh and Robert Sabo quickly found themselves on the wrong end of a 7-2 score in their clash with Kriegler Brink and Jacopo Tezza. The Aztec combo was able to close the gap, but ultimately succumbed, 8-5, giving the Frogs the crucial point. Meanwhile at the No. 1 spot, the 13th-ranked pairing of Benedikt Stronk and Markus Dickhardt were stranded on the court when the point was clinched, holding a 7-6 lead over No. 24 Rafael Abreu and Jordan Freitas.
SDSU fell further behind in singles action when Timu was dealt a straight-set defeat by Tezza, 6-4, 6-3, at the No. 4 position. At the No. 5 spot, Gomez experienced a similar fate after falling to TCU's Radu Barbu by an identical 6-4, 6-3 count.
Stronk gave the scarlet and black a ray of hope with a three-set victory over Cotet at No. 3, which cut the lead to 3-1. After dropping the first set, 1-6, the Aztec senior engineered a fierce rally to take the next two sets, 6-2, 6-1.
With three matches still in progress, the focus shifted to the No. 6 court where Sabo engaged Freitas in another three-set affair. Needing a victory to keep SDSU alive, Sabo raced to a quick advantage, taking the first set, 6-1. The Aztec sophomore suffered a reversal of fortune, however, dropping the next two sets, 1-6, 3-6, which gave TCU the requisite four points for the championship. Meanwhile, Groh and Dickhardt had their close matches suspended with the outcome already decided.
SDSU will await word whether it receives an at-large NCAA Tournament bid on Wednesday, May 3, when team brackets will be announced.
No. 33 TCU 4, No. 48 SAN DIEGO STATE 1
Barnes Tennis Center--San Diego, Calif.
Doubles:
1) No. 13 Benedikt Stronk/MarkusDickhardt (SDSU) vs. No. 24 Rafael Abreu/Jordan Freitas (TCU); 7-6 DNF.
2) Andrei Mlendea/Cosmin Cotet (TCU) def. Stephan Timu/Anthony Gomez (SDSU); 8-3.
3) Kriegler Brink/Jacopo Tezza (TCU) def. Christian Groh/Robert Sabo (SDSU); 8-5.
TCU wins doubles point
Singles:
1) No. 32 Andrei Mlendea (TCU) vs. No. 86 Christian Groh (SDSU); 6-4 , 3-2 DNF.
2) No. 93 Rafael Abreu (TCU) vs. Markus Dickhardt (SDSU); 7-5, 3-5 DNF.
3) Benedikt Stronk (SDSU) def. Cosmin Cotet (TCU); 1-6, 6-1, 6-2.
4) Jacopo Tezza (TCU) def. Stephan Timu (SDSU); 6-4, 6-3.
5) Radu Barbu (TCU) def. Anthony Gomez (SDSU); 6-4, 6-3.
6) Jordan Freitas (TCU) def. Robert Sabo (SDSU); 1-6, 6-1, 6-3.
Order of Finish
Doubles: 2, 3
Singles: 4, 5, 3, 6*
*match-securing victory