SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State men's tennis team posted its second shutout of the season Thursday after recording a 7-0 whitewash of visiting San Diego Christian in the first-ever dual match between the two programs at Aztec Tennis Center.
The SDSU trio of Rafael Gonzalez Almazan, Ignacio Martinez and Aaro Pollanen were victorious in both doubles and singles, helping the Aztecs even their record at 5-5 on the year, while the Hawks slip to 4-6 overall.
San Diego State won two of three doubles matches before taking care of business in singles play with a sweep of all six encounters to complete the blanking.
Pollanen joined forces with Jan Kirchhoff at No. 3 doubles to pin a 6-0 defeat on the SDC pairing of Paul Niederle and Rodrigo Roxo, while Gonzalez Almazan and Martinez combined for a 6-2 triumph over Chris Papa and Ivan Smith in the No. 1 slot.
With a 1-0 lead safely in tow, the No. 2 match pitting Roensdorf and Arnaud Restifo against Nick Nienhaus and David Samardzija was abandoned after the SDSU tandem vaulted in front, 5-3.
Two Aztecs making their official spring debuts extended the host school's lead to 3-0 with a pair of relatively easy decisions. Jules Auffray encountered minimal resistance in a 6-0, 6-0 conquest of Niederle at No. 6, while Daniel Traxler nearly duplicated the feat after toppling Roxo in the fifth slot, 6-1, 6-0.
After cruising through the first set unscathed, Gonzalez Almazan found himself in a tight battle on the No. 4 court with Samardzija, but the SDSU senior prevailed, 7-5, giving the host school the requisite fourth point for victory.
With the outcome of the dual no longer in question, three encounters were allowed to finish, including Pollanen, who snapped a dubious seven-match losing streak with a three-set triumph over Smith in the third position, 6-2, 1-6, 6-3.
Shortly thereafter, Roensdorf dispatched a plucky opponent in Papa at the top of the ladder, 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-5, while Martinez survived a marathon battle with Nienhaus at No. 2, prevailing in a super-tiebreaker, 7-6(15), 3-6, 10-2.
San Diego State will be back in action this weekend when it competes in the 131st annual Pacific Coast Doubles Championships, March 6-8, at La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club in La Jolla, California.
San Diego State 7, San Diego Christian 0
March 5, 2020
San Diego, Calif.
Aztec Tennis Center
Doubles
1. Rafael Gonzalez Almazan/Ignacio Martinez (SDSU) def. Chris Papa/Ivan Smith (SDC), 6-2
2. Arnaud Restifo/Fabian Roensdorf (SDSU) vs. Nick Nienhaus/David Samardzija (SDC), 5-3 DNF
3. Jan Kirchhoff/Aaro Pollanen (SDSU) def. Paul Niederle/Rodrigo Roxo (SDC), 6-0
Order of finish: 3, 1
SDSU wins doubles point
Singles
1. Fabian Roensdorf (SDSU) def. Chris Papa (SDC), 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-5
2. Ignacio Martinez (SDSU) def. Nick Nienhaus (SDC), 7-6(15), 3-6, 10-2
3. Aaro Pollanen (SDSU) def. Ivan Smith (SDC), 6-2, 1-6, 6-3
4. Rafael Gonzalez Almazan (SDSU) def. David Samardzija (SDC), 6-1, 7-5
5. Daniel Traxler (SDSU) def. Rodrigo Roxo (SDC), 6-1, 6-0
6. Jules Auffray (SDSU) def. Paul Niederle (SDC), 6-0, 6-0
Order of finish: 6, 5, 4*, 3, 1, 2
* - match-clinching victory