SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State men's tennis team ventures away from "America's Finest City" for the first time in 2019 when it travels to the Evergreen State to face Washington and Portland in a pair of non-conference dual matches this weekend. The Aztecs will visit the Huskies on Friday, Feb. 22, starting at 4 p.m. PT, before remaining in Seattle to battle the Pilots on Saturday, Feb. 23, in a neutral-site affair, beginning at noon.
SDSU (3-3) put the brakes on a two-match skid with a 4-3 triumph over San Francisco on Feb. 17, clinching the doubles point for the second time this season, before notching three victories in singles play.
Sophomore Jan Kirchhoff joined forces with fellow classmate Ignacio Martinez to post a thrilling 7-6(2) victory at No. 3 doubles, which gave the Scarlet and Black a 1-0 lead they would not relinquish. Later in singles, the Berlin, Germany, native also provided the Aztecs' winning tally at No. 4 singles with a three-set decision to extend his unbeaten streak to five matches and improve to a team-best 15-6 on the year.
In addition, junior Arnaud Restifo snapped a personal five-match slide with a straight-set triumph in the No. 6 slot, while classmate Rafael Gonzalez Almazan emerged victorious in a hard-fought three-setter at No. 5 to raise his record to 12-8 overall and 4-1 in dual matches.
Washington (2-5) has lost three straight, including a pair of 5-2 setbacks on the road to Big Ten opponents Michigan (Feb. 8) and Wisconsin (Feb. 10). The Huskies beat Portland, the Aztecs' opponent on Saturday, in the season opener 6-1 on Jan. 19. Washington has faced one other Mountain West school already last month, falling to Utah State by a 4-2 tally in the consolation round of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend on Jan. 26 in Austin, Texas.
Senior Piers Foley and freshman Ernesto Turegano lead the Huskies with four victories apiece this spring, while fellow classmate Ewen Lumsden has three to his credit. All four of Foley's wins have been captured at the No. 3 position, while Turegano is 3-0 in the fifth slot. Senior Enzo Sommer has started all seven duals at the top of UW's ladder, while Foley has split time with sophomore Jack Davis at No. 2.
Davis and Foley have combined to post a 3-3 mark at No. 1 doubles this spring, while Sommer and senior Kawika Lam are 2-1 in the second spot.
SDSU 4-8 against the Huskies since 1989, including a 5-2 loss last season at Aztec Tennis Center. In that match, the Scarlet and Black had five sets decided by a tiebreaker in singles competition but were only able to record a pair of wins in the fifth and sixth positions. San Diego State last defeated Washington in the first round of the 2000 NCAA Championships in Malibu, Calif., where it claimed a 4-3 decision. However, the Huskies have won five straight in the series, including a 4-3 victory in the second round of the 2003 NCAA tourney in San Diego.
Portland (2-5), meanwhile, broke a four-match losing streak with a 5-2 decision over visiting Idaho on Feb. 16. The Pilots have dropped two matches to Mountain West foes this year, falling to UNLV 4-3 on the road Jan. 27, before suffering a 6-1 defeat at the hands of Nevada in Eugene, Ore., on Feb. 1. In addition, Portland and the Aztecs have faced one common opponent, with the Pilots claiming a 4-3 victory over Northern Arizona in Las Vegas, Nev., on Jan. 26, while SDSU was dealt a 4-3 loss by the Lumberjacks at home on Feb. 10.
Sophomore Tom Hann, freshman Sema Pankin and fellow classmate Eleftherios Neos have each collected four wins apiece for Portland this spring. Pankin is 3-3 at the top of the Pilots' rotation, while Hann has pocketed two wins in both the second and third spots. In addition, Neos is 4-3 in the No. 4 position.
Pankin and freshman Issa Yoshida have been Portland's most successful doubles team in dual matches, compiling a 3-1 record in the No. 2 slot.
The Aztecs and Pilots have met on one previous occasion, with the Scarlet and Black posting a 7-0 shutout on neutral courts in 2006 at Tucson, Ariz.
Following this weekend's action, San Diego State returns to the friendly confines of Aztec Tennis Center on Thursday, Feb. 28, when it plays host to UC Davis, starting at 2 p.m. PT.