March 10, 2017
SAN DIEGO -- For the first time since mid-January, the San Diego State men's tennis team will leave the friendly environs of Montezuma Mesa this weekend, venturing to Stillwater, Okla., to face a pair of non-conference opponents in No. 26 Memphis and No. 4 Oklahoma State.
The Aztecs will square off against the Tigers in a neutral-site clash Saturday, beginning at 1 p.m. CT/11 a.m. PT, before battling the host Cowboys on Sunday, starting at noon CT/10 a.m. PT. Links to live stats and streaming video will be available on GoAztecs.com.
San Diego State split two duals at home last week, falling to Pepperdine by a 6-1 count on March 2, before rebounding for a 4-1 triumph over Boise State in the Mountain West opener for both sides March 5. Against the Broncos, SDSU claimed a dramatic doubles point, before posting three wins in singles competition to capture their conference lid-lifter for the sixth year in a row.
Senior Milen Ianakiev (Elz, Hesse, Germany) are freshman Joel Popov (Tampere, Finland) are tied for the team lead with five singles victories in dual-match play, while senior Marko Goles-Babic (Zagreb, Croatia), junior Santiago Cevallos (Queretaro, Mexico) and freshman Rafael Gonzalez Almazan (Madrid, Spain) have recorded four each. Alternating between the two spots in the Aztec rotation, Ianakiev has collected three wins in the No. 1 position, while Goles-Babic has pocketed three of his own at No. 2.
In doubles competition, the tandem of Goles-Babic and sophomore Sander Gjoels-Andersen (Klampenborg, Denmark) has racked up four victories this spring, matching the duo of Gonzalez Almazan and Popov. SDSU has emerged with the doubles point in six matches this year.
Entering the weekend, Memphis has won eight in a row, including a 4-3 nail-biter over then-No. 18 Cornell on March 5. Prior to their encounter with the Aztecs, the Tigers will lock horns with Oklahoma State on Friday afternoon.
Junior Andrew Watson, who is currently ranked 78th by the Intercollegiate Tennis Associaton (ITA), leads Memphis with a 17-5 singles record, including an unblemished 9-0 mark in dual matches playing primarily in the No. 2 spot. In addition, sophomore Chris Patzanovsky (13-7) is 7-1 this spring rotating between the second, third and fourth positions, while junior Ryan Peniston (15-6), the reigning American Athletic Conference player of the week, is 6-2 at the top of the Tigers' ladder.
Peniston has joined forces with sophomore Felix Rauch to compile a 7-2 record at No. 2 doubles for Memphis, while the pairing of Watson and fellow junior Kai Lemke is 5-4 in the No. 1 position.
The Aztecs have come up short in three previous meetings to the Tigers, all in San Diego. SDSU fell to Memphis last year, 4-0, during the second day of the Hilton San Diego Mission Valley Spring Classic, giving the Scarlet and Black an 8-11 record against members of the AAC.
Oklahoma State (11-3), meanwhile, is coming off a 4-1 victory over No. 9 Michigan in a neutral-site clash in La Jolla, Calif., on March 2, for their third straight conquest of a Big Ten team. Earlier, the Cowboys were triumphant at No. 25 Minnesota and No. 13 Northwestern.
OSU sports four players in the latest ITA singles rankings, including junior Julian Cash, who finds himself at No. 22 this week, while senior Arjun Kadhe sits at No. 53, followed by junior Lukas Finzelberg (No. 62) and senior Lucas Gerch (No. 124). Cash has won three straight to raise his record to 7-2 in dual matches at No. 1, while Kadhe is 9-2 this spring rotating between the top four positions. Not to be outdone, Gerch is 9-1 in four different spots between No. 2 and No. 5, winning five straight.
In doubles play, Cash and Kadhe have earned a No. 3 ITA ranking this week and are 9-1 in dual matches at the top of the ladder, while the No. 71 pairing of Gerch and junior Jurence Mendoza is 7-3 this spring, primarily in the No. 2 spot. In addition, Kadhe and Gerch combined to win the 128th Pacific Coast Men's Doubles Championships, March
The Aztecs are 4-1 against the Cowboys all-time, but dropped a 4-0 decision in the last meeting between the two squads in 2014. Oklahoma State will be SDSU's highest-ranked opponent since facing No. 3 TCU last season. Prior to that engagement with the Horned Frogs, the Scarlet and Black squared off against No. 1 USC in 2014.
Following this weekend's action, San Diego State will return to "America's Finest City" for the San Diego Classic, March 16-18, with opponents to be determined.