SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State men's tennis team resumes its 2019 fall schedule this weekend with a split roster competing in the annual Aztec Fall Invitational, as well as the Saint Francis Health System ITA All-American Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Slated for Oct. 4-6, the three-day Aztec Fall Invitational commences on Friday at 9 a.m. PT and will feature three flights of singles competition, along with two doubles draws. Bracket play will run through the weekend at Aztec Tennis Center, with champions to be crowned on Saturday and Sunday.
In addition to SDSU, the tournament field includes competitors from Arizona, UCLA, UC Irvine, Loyola Marymount, Grand Canyon, San Diego, UC San Diego and San Diego Christian.
A total of four Aztecs will see action in singles for SDSU's home event, featuring senior David Hough (Traralgon, Australia) and sophomore Alex Scemanenco (San Diego, Calif.), along with freshmen Jules Auffray (Hyeres, France) and Daniel Traxler (Dallas, Texas).
Meanwhile in doubles play, Auffray and Traxler will join forces this weekend, while Hough and Scemanenco will comprise the other San Diego State tandem.
Auffray and Traxler will be looking to build on their success last month when they captured their bracket title at the Arizona Wildcat Invitational in Tucson, while Hough and Scemanenco will be paired for the first time this year.
Admission to the Aztec Fall Invitational is free and spectators are encouraged to park in Parking Structure 7 on the corner of 55th Street and Montezuma Road. Aztec Tennis Center is located just beyond Tony Gwynn Stadium, SDSU Softball Stadium and Aztec Aquaplex on the northwest edge of campus.
Additionally, the trio of junior Jan Kirchhoff (Berlin, Germany), junior Rafael Gonzalez Almazan (Madrid, Spain) and junior Aaro Pollanen (Helsinki, Finland) will represent the Scarlet and Black in the singles pre-qualifying draw of the ITA All-American Championships, which will be contested Saturday and Sunday on the University of Tulsa campus.
Following the pre-qualifying rounds, the qualifying draw is scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 7-8, while main draw is slated to run from Oct. 9-13. ESPNU will air the men's championship final live on Sunday, Oct. 13, starting at 8 p.m. CT/6 p.m. PT.
In addition to vying for the All-American national title, players will be challenging for a berth in the 2019 Oracle ITA National Fall Championships, which are scheduled for Nov. 6-10 in Newport Beach, California. Singles quarterfinalists, consolation singles champion and finalist, along with doubles semifinalists and consolation doubles champion and finalist, advance to the end of fall national championship.
Gonzalez Almazan will be making his first appearance of the fall for the Aztecs after posting 21 singles victories last season, marking the second-highest total on the squad behind Kirchhoff's 23. Kirchhoff and Pollanen will be competing for the second time this year after seeing action at the Silverado Invitational last month in Napa, California.
Following this week's events, San Diego State will return to the courts for the UCSB Fall Classic, Oct. 11-13, in Santa Barbara, California.
Parking Options in Effect at SDSU
There are three ways to pay for parking at San Diego State – in advance, day-of by the PayByPhone app and day-of at pay stations around campus. For those interested in paying in advance, visitors can purchase a permit online through Parking & Transportation Services' Aztec Parking Portal (https://aztecs.t2hosted.com/Account/Portal). The cost is $7 for a daily permit. The permit would need to be printed and displayed on the dash.
The first of two day-of options is using the PayByPhone app, which gives visitors the option of purchasing parking in all student and visitor lots. The app requires payment and vehicle information, and once that is complete, customers can choose a location on campus to park and pay through the app. The app also can send a text message when the permit is set to expire and allow for an extension of time. Through the app, it is $3 per hour plus a $0.35 per-transaction fee for 1-4 hours and $15 plus the $0.35 per-transaction fee for a 5-10-hour block.
The second day-of method is at pay stations located at CSL (Parking Info Booth), P3 Level 1, P7 Level 2 (structure closest to athletics facilities) and P12 Level 8. Permits purchased at any of these locations are valid in any student or visitor lot and require license plate information before the transaction is complete. The permit does not need to be printed since the license plate information will be entered into the system. Visitors who use a credit card for payment instead of cash can opt-in and have the system send a reminder text when the permit is set to expire with the ability to extend the time. There are no transaction fees at the pay station other than a $0.25 addition for those who extend their time.