Oct. 7, 2017
SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego State tandem of Rafael Gonzalez Almazan (Madrid, Spain) and Raul de la Torre (Calexico, Calif.) captured the Flight 2 doubles championship Saturday to lead the Aztec men's tennis team at the Aztec Fall Invitational.
In the semifinal round, the SDSU duo eliminated the UC San Diego combo of Zachary Ermert and Marius Ruh by a 6-4 count, before knocking off the split pairing of the Aztecs' Daniel de la Torre and Liberty's Max Borcuti by an identical 6-4 tally in the title.
Gonzalez Almazan was also triumphant in singles play, recording a 7-6, 6-2 conquest of USD's Garrett Kurtz in the semifinals of Flight 2, to clinch a spot in the title match against Liberty's Eddie Gutierrez on Sunday morning. Earlier, Gutierrez ousted Daniel de la Torre in the other semifinal encounter, 6-2, 6-1.
In Flight 1 doubles, the SDSU tandem of Sander Gjoels-Andersen (Klampenborg, Denmark) and Nicholas Mitchell (Ojai, Calif.) will play also for a crown after posting a pair of victores on Saturday. The Aztec teammates faced minimal resistance in a 6-1 decision over Grand Canyon's Valentin Lang and Lucas Grego in the quarterfinals before dismissing the USD pairing of August Holmgren and Alex Araouzos by a 6-2 margin in the semifinals. With their results, Gjoels-Andersen and Mitchell will square off against UCLA's Austin Rapp and Ben Goldberg for the championship on Sunday.
In Flight 1 singles, sophomore Arnaud Restifo (Nice, France) remains the only Aztec alive in the main bracket after posting a straight-set triumph over Grand Canyon's Lorenzo Fucile in the quarterfinals, 6-0, 6-2. A transfer from the University of Oklahoma, Restifo will battle USD's Holmgren in the semifinals on Sunday morning for the right to face the winner of the Araouzos/Rapp encounter later in the afternoon.
Elsewhere, David Hough (Traralgon, Australia) was a three-time winner on Saturday, posting a pair of wins in Flight 1 consolation play to go along with a victory in doubles. In his first consolation match, the native Australian upended UCSD's Justin Zhang (UCSD), 6-2, 6-2, before pinning another straight-set defeat on Liberty's Diego Castano, 7-6(3), 6-2. Hough also joined forces with Jan Kirchhoff in Flight 1 doubles to vanquish the Grand Canyon combo of Fucile and Mathieu Rajaonah in the quarterfinals, 6-4, before falling the aforementioned Rapp/Goldberg duo.
The Aztec Fall Invitational concludes on Sunday with both singles and doubles competition.
Aztec Fall Invitational
Day Two
Saturday, Oct. 7, 2017
Aztec Tennis Center
San Diego, Calif.
SDSU Results Only
Doubles Flight 1
Quarterfinals
Sander Gjoels-Andersen/Nicholas Mitchell (SDSU) def. Valentin Lang/Lucas Grego (GCU), 6-1
David Hough/Jan Kirchholff (SDSU) def. Lorenzo Fucile/Mathieu Rajaonah (GCU), 6-4
Semifinals
Austin Rapp/Ben Goldberg (UCLA) def. David Hough/Jan Kirchholff (SDSU), 6-3
Sander Gjoels-Andersen/Nicholas Mitchell (SDSU) def. August Holmgren/Alex Araouzos (USD), 6-2
Doubles Flight 1
Consolation Semifinals
Sebastian Mermersky/Chase Burton (Liberty) def. Joel Popov/Ignacio Martinez (SDSU), 7-5
Doubles Flight 2
Semifinals
Raul de la Torre/Rafael Gonzalez Almazan (SDSU) def. Zachary Ermert/Marius Ruh (UCSD), 6-4
Daniel de la Torre (SDSU)/Max Borcuti (Liberty) def. Justin Cvitanovic/Leo Andreolli (GCU), 6-4
Championship
Raul de la Torre/Rafael Gonzalez Almazan (SDSU) def. Daniel de la Torre (SDSU)/Max Borcuti (Liberty), 6-4
Singles Flight 1
Quarterfinal Round
Arnaud Restifo (SDSU) def. Lorenzo Fucile (GCU), 6-0, 6-2
Singles Flight 1
Consolation Draw--First Round
David Hough (SDSU) def. Justin Zhang (UCSD), 6-2, 6-2
Jan Kirchhoff (SDSU) def. Sebastian Mermersky (Liberty), 6-3, 3-6, 10-4
Lucas Grego (GCU) def. Sander Gjoels-Andersen (SDSU), 7-6, 4-6, 10-4
Raul de la Torre (SDSU) def. Zachary Ermert (UCSD), 6-4, 4-6, 10-7
Ignacio Martinez (SDSU) def. Justin Cvitanovic (GCU), 6-4, 6-3
Joel Popov (SDSU) def. Marc Isaia (UCSD), 6-2, 6-0
Consolation Draw--Second Round
David Hough (SDSU) def. Diego Castano (Liberty), 7-6(3), 6-2
Vince Salas (Liberty) def. Jan Kirchhoff (SDSU), 4-6, 6-1, 10-6
Singles Flight 2
Semifinals
Eddie Gutierrez (Liberty) def. Daniel de la Torre (SDSU), 6-2, 6-1
Rafael Gonzalez Almazan (SDSU) def. Garrett Kurtz (USD), 7-6, 6-2
Singles Flight 2
Consolation Rounds
Justin Zhang (UCSD) def. Nicholas Mitchell (SDSU), 6-1, 6-2