April 6, 2007
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The 46th-ranked San Diego State men's tennis team posted its ninth straight victory with a 4-3 decision over No. 70 Utah in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Friday afternoon. Snow in the area forced the Aztecs to play the match indoors for a second straight day, but SDSU managed to clinch at least a share of the Mountain West Conference regular season title as it improved to 5-0 in league play (14-6 overall).
A day after winning all nine matches, San Diego State quickly found itself in a different position as the Utes swept through doubles play to take an early 1-0 lead. After Utah's Miron Mann and Zach Ganger defeated No. 14 Markus Dickhardt and Christian Groh, 8-4, the Aztecs made the Utes work for the doubles point. Both matches at second and third doubles were tight throughout, but Utah's Jason Smits and Timmy Allin were able to outlast Juan Gomez and Robert Sabo at No. 3, notching a 9-8(5) victory to pocket the point. At No. 2, SDSU suffered a similar fate as Anthony Gomez and Achim Ceban were dealt a 9-8(4) loss to complete the sweep.
Singles proved to be just as competitive with No. 57 Ganger upsetting 30th-ranked Dickhardt, 7-5, 6-3. The loss snapped the SDSU senior's 15-match winning streak and dropped his dual-match record to 17-3. More importantly, Utah took a 2-0 lead with the win.
Later, the Aztecs tied the score at 2-2 thanks to Anthony Gomez's straight sets victory over Wes Hancock (7-5, 6-4) at third singles and Ceban's three-set thriller at No. 4 over Othman Zerouali-Ouariti (7-6(2), 2-6, 6-1). The match was only knotted for a short time as Utah's Mann recorded a 6-4, 6-7, 7-6(2) decision over Christian Groh, pulling the Utes to within one point of victory.
San Diego State would not let Utah thwart its quest for at least a share of the regular season title as Robert Sabo and Juan Gomez registered a pair of three-set victories to clinch the match. Sabo knotted the match at 3-3 when he beat Allin, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, and Juan Gomez followed suit with a 5-7, 7-6, 6-4 triumph at No. 5 to provide the final score. Juan Gomez's win extended his winning streak to a career-best eight straight matches.
The Aztecs will look to go undefeated in conference play for a third consecutive season when they take on No. 68 Brigham Young on Saturday in Colorado Springs, Colo. First serve is set for 1 p.m. MDT.
#46 San Diego State 4, #70 Utah 3
Doubles
1. Zach Ganger/Miron Mann (UTAH) def. #14 Markus Dickhardt/Christian Groh, 8-4
2. Wes Hancock/Othman Zerouali-Ouariti (UTAH) def. Anthony Gomez/Achim Ceban, 9-8(4)
3. Jason Smits/Timmy Allin (UTAH) def. Juan Gomez/Robert Sabo, 9-8(5)
Utah wins doubles point
Singles
1. #57 Zach Ganger (UTAH) def. #30 Markus Dickhardt (SDSU), 7-5, 6-3
2. Miron Mann (UTAH) def. Christian Groh (SDSU), 6-4, 6-7, 7-6(2)
3. Anthony Gomez (SDSU) def. Wes Hancock (UTAH), 7-5, 6-4
4. Achim Ceban (SDSU) def. Othman Zerouali-Ouariti (UTAH), 7-6(2), 2-6, 6-1
5. Juan Gomez (SDSU) def. Jason Smits (UTAH), 5-7, 7-6, 6-4
6. Robert Sabo (SDSU) def. Timmy Allin (UTAH), 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
Order of Finish
Doubles: 1, 3, 2
Singles: 1, 3, 4, 2, 6, 5*
* Match-securing victory