April 5, 2017
SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego State men's tennis team returns to the courts this weekend when it welcomes Fresno State and Nevada to Montezuma Mesa for a pair of Mountain West dual matches. The Aztecs will battle the Bulldogs on Friday, April 7, beginning at 5 p.m. PT, before engaging the Wolf Pack on Sunday, April 9, starting at 11 a.m. PT.
SDSU (5-12, 1-1 MW) has split its first two conference duals this season, defeating Boise State by a 4-1 count on March 5, before suffering the opposite fate in a 4-1 loss at No. 42 Utah State on March 25. The Aztecs will be looking to put the brakes on a seven-match slide after suffering a 4-0 defeat to No. 22 Stanford at Rancho Santa Fe Tennis Club on March 29.
SDSU has been sparked by the senior doubles tandem of Marko Goles-Babic (Zagreb, Croatia) and Milen Ianakiev (Elz, Hesse, Germany), who have won four straight to raise their record to 5-1 this spring. Last month, the Aztec duo defeated two nationally ranked pairings in No. 40 Brian Yeung and Kenny Tao of Harvard and No. 42 Jayson Amos and Armando Soemarno of Oregon at the San Diego Spring Break Tournament. In addition, the SDSU teammates found themselves in a tight battle with No. 3 Julian Cash and Arjun Kadhe of Oklahoma State in a previous dual, trailing just 5-4, before the match was suspended. With their efforts, Goles-Babic and Ianakiev were ranked 51st nationally for two weeks by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA).
In singles play, Goles-Babic and freshman Rafael Gonzalez Almazan (Madrid, Spain) are tied for the team lead with six victories in dual matches, while Ianakiev and freshman Joel Popov (Tampere, Finland) have recorded five each. Alternating between the two spots in the Aztec rotation, Goles-Babic has racked up three wins apiece in the No. 1 and No. 2 positions, while Ianakiev has collected three of his own at No. 1 as well.
Fresno State (12-10, 2-0 MW) has won three straight, including a doubleheader sweep of Air Force and Cypress College at home on April 2. Individually, sophomore Mantas Bugailiskis leads the team with a 14-5 record in singles this spring alternating between the fourth, fifth and sixth positions on the Bulldogs' ladder, while junior Xander Veys has racked up 11 victories in dual-match competition playing primarily in the No. 1 spot. In addition, Fresno State has received nine wins apiece from senior Euan McIntosh and freshman Zdenek Derkas.
In doubles play, Veys and Bugailiskis have joined forces to post a 9-6 record this spring in the No. 2 position, while McIntosh and sophomore Patrik Pech are 7-4 in duals at the No. 1 spot.
The Aztecs are 10-11 against the Bulldogs dating back to 1989, but have won four in a row since Fresno State joined the Mountain West in 2013. Last season, SDSU claimed a narrow 4-3 decision in the Central Valley, with Ianakiev securing the winning point in a three-set victory over Bugailiskis at No. 2, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(4).
Meanwhile, Nevada (6-8, 1-1 MW) has dropped two straight, including a 4-1 loss to New Mexico at home in its last outing on April 2. Earlier, the Wolf Pack emerged victorious by a 4-1 in their conference opener vs. Air Force on March 31. Prior to its showdown with the Aztecs, Nevada will travel to Sin City on Friday to battle in-state rival UNLV.
The Wolf Pack are led by senior Mile Cilic and freshman Kostya Nesterenko, who have compiled seven singles victories apiece in dual-match play. Cilic has alternated between the second, third and fourth positions, while Nesterenko has seen the most action in the No. 4 and No. 5 spots. In addition, junior Robert Margitfalvi has recorded five wins rotating between the second and third slots, while Julien Evrard has occupied the No. 1 slot on Nevada's ladder throughout the spring, posting four victories of his own.
At No. 3 doubles, Cilic and Nesterenko have teamed up for eight wins in dual-match play, while Margitfalvi and fellow junior Peter O'Donovan have combined for seven victories in the No. 2 position, followed by Evrard and sophomore Augustin Delahodde, who are 5-5 in the No. 1 spot this spring.
SDSU is 8-2 against the Wolf Pack since 1989 and has won four of the last five encounters after Nevada joined the conference in 2013. Last season, the Aztecs posted a 4-0 shutout in Reno, with Gjoels-Andersen and Goles-Babic recording victories at No. 4 and No. 5 singles, respectively, to help clinch the match for the Scarlet and Black.
Following Sunday's match, San Diego State continues its conference schedule next weekend when it hits the road to face Air Force (April 14) and New Mexico (April 16).