SAN DIEGO – San Diego State rebounded from a tough loss with an uplifting 4-1 victory over Santa Clara in a non-conference dual match Saturday at Aztec Tennis Center.
Any residual effects from Friday's heartbreaking defeat to Fresno State were quickly expunged, as SDSU (10-8) defeated a game Bronco squad that entered the weekend having won eight of its last nine matches.
The Aztecs set the tone in doubles, posting a pair of wins to stake a 1-0 advantage and were never headed. Sander Gjoels-Andersen and Ignacio Martinez got the proverbial ball rolling with a 6-4 victory over Andrew Gu and Robert Seby in the No. 1 position, while Rafael Gonzalez Almazan and Jan Kirchhoff replicated the feat with a 6-4 triumph of their own over Arthur Neuhaus and Vasileios Iliopoulos in the second spot.
With the doubles result no longer hanging the balance, Arnaud Restifo and Fabian Roensdorf had their match on the No. 3 court abandoned after falling behind 5-4 to Connor Garnett and Kamran Khan.
SDSU soon extended its lead to 3-0 after winning the first two singles encounters. Restifo took care of business against Arthur Neuhaus on the fifth court, 6-0, 6-2, while Martinez prevailed over Seby in the No. 4 position, 6-4, 6-3.
Santa Clara (12-5) finally dented the scoreboard at the top of the rotation, where Gu rallied to defeat Gjoels-Andersen in three sets, 3-6, 6-2, 6-1.
After falling short in his dual on Friday, Gonzalez Almazan redeemed himself against the Broncos, securing the requisite fourth team point with a three-set victory over Santiago Hinojosa, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(7), in the sixth slot.
Consequently, two matches were suspended in the third set after the Aztecs' clincher. On court two, Kirchhoff was knotted at 5-5 with Garnett after splitting the first two sets, 6-4, 4-6, while Roensdorf was leading 3-1 against Iliopoulos in the third position after winning a second-set tiebreaker 7-6(4).
SERIES NOTE
SDSU improves to 6-2 vs. Santa Clara dating back to 1989.
UP NEXT
San Diego State wraps up its weekend slate on Sunday when it plays host to Mountain West rival Nevada at Aztec Tennis Center. First serve is set for noon PT. Admission is free.
San Diego State 4, Santa Clara 1
April 6, 2019
San Diego, Calif.
Aztec Tennis Center
Doubles
1. Sander Gjoels-Andersen/Ignacio Martinez (SDSU) def. Andrew Gu/Robert Seby (SCU), 6-4
2. Rafael Gonzalez Almazan/Jan Kirchhoff/ (SDSU) def. Arthur Neuhaus/Vasileios Iliopoulos (SCU), 6-4
3. Connor Garnett/Kamran Khan (SCU) vs. Arnaud Restifo/Fabian Roensdorf (SDSU), 5-4, DNF
Order of finish: 1, 2
San Diego State wins doubles point
Singles
1. Andrew Gu (SCU) def. Sander Gjoels-Andersen (SDSU), 3-6, 6-2, 6-1
2. Jan Kirchhoff (SDSU) vs. Connor Garnett (SCU), 6-4, 4-6, 5-5, DNF
3. Fabian Roensdorf (SDSU) vs. Vasileios Iliopoulos (SCU), 2-6, 7-6(4), 3-1, DNF
4. Ignacio Martinez (SDSU) def. Robert Seby (SCU), 6-4, 6-3
5. Arnaud Restifo (SDSU) def. Arthur Neuhaus (SCU), 6-0, 6-2
6. Rafael Gonzalez Almazan (SDSU) def. Santiago Hinojosa (SCU), 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(7)
Order of finish: 5, 4, 1, 6*
* Match-clinching victory