SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State men's tennis team opens its 2019 fall schedule this weekend when it travels north for the Silverado Collegiate Invitational, Sept. 13-15, in Napa, California.
In addition to the Aztecs, the three-day tournament at Silverado Resort and Spa will feature players from such schools as Buffalo, Hawai'i, Oklahoma State, Pacific, San Francisco, Tulsa and UNLV.
A total of four SDSU players will make the trek to wine country, led by junior Jan Kirchhoff (Berlin, Germany), who will join seniors Arnaud Restifo (Nice, France) and David Hough (Traralgon, Australia), as well as junior transfer Aaro Pollanen (Helsinki, Finland).
Kirchhoff was the Aztecs' top singles winner last year when he finished with a 23-10 overall record, including a 10-5 mark in fall tournament play, highlighted by a consolation title at the ITA Southwest Regional Championships in Malibu. He also notched 15 victories in doubles competition, logging a 6-3 record with Gonzalez Almazan.
Not to be outdone, Kirchhoff supplied the clinching point at the No. 2 position in SDSU's dramatic comeback victory over New Mexico in the semifinals of the Mountain West Championship, helping the Aztecs advance to the conference tournament final for the first time since 2010.
Gonzalez Almazan logged the Scarlet and Black's second-highest win-total last year, finishing with a 21-13 record, including a 13-6 ledger in dual matches, alternating between the fifth and sixth spots. He also formed a formidable duo with Kirchhoff, producing a 5-1 mark at No. 2 doubles during the spring slatte.
In addition, Restifo posted a 14-16 record in his second season on The Mesa, including a 10-9 mark in dual-match play. The French national went 3-0 in the No. 6 slot and also reeled off three straight victories late in the regular season at No. 5, including a triumph vs. Nevada to help the Scarlet and Black complete its fourth of five shutouts on the spring.
Hough, meanwhile, saw spot action during his junior campaign, collecting three victories apiece in both the fall and spring schedules. His trio of wins in dual-match competition helped San Diego State secure team victories over UC Irvine, Eastern Washington and Nevada.
Rounding out the Aztec contingent this weekend will be Pollanen, who played parts of two seasons at Arizona before transferring to SDSU over the summer. The native Finn enjoyed his best year in Tucson as freshman in 2017-18, when he finished with a 9-12 record, playing primarily in the No. 2 spots. He capped the season by earning scholar-athlete honors from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA).
Ironically, Pollanen contributed to Arizona's dual-match victory over the Aztecs at Rancho Santa Fe Tennis Club in March 2018, posting a win at No. 1 doubles, while his singles encounter against Restifo went unfinished.
San Diego State finished with a 15-10 record in dual-match play during the 2018-19 campaign, marking its highest victory total since logging a 19-9 mark in 2015 to earn an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Following this weekend's action, the Aztecs will have select players compete in the Wildcat Invitational, Sept. 20-22, in Tucson, Arizona.