After reaching the finals of the Mountain West Championship in 2019, the San Diego State men's tennis team was primed for another deep run in the conference tournament this season, thanks largely to an experienced core of five determined seniors.
Along with a strong showing at the Pacific Coast Doubles Championships, the Aztecs (5-5, 1-0 MW) posted three victories in their last four dual matches and seemed destined for a breakout campaign. However, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 NCAA spring sports schedule, denying the SDSU senior class its final shot at collegiate glory.
"This special group of seniors was one of our largest in recent history and they will be tough to replace," said Aztec head coach Gene Carswell. "They came within a whisker of winning the Mountain West Championship last year, but will not have the opportunity for redemption unfortunately. "They will be sorely missed."
With no Senior Day festivities to provide a proper sendoff, below is a look at the SDSU men's tennis senior class of 2020, featuring their success both on the court and in the classroom.
RAFAEL GONZALEZ ALMAZAN
Hometown: Madrid, Spain
Previous School: Colegio Everest Monteclaro
Major: Business Marketing
Honors to Date: 2017-18 All-Mountain West Doubles Selection; 2017-18 Mountain West All-Academic Team; 2018-19 Mountain West All-Academic Team; 2019-20 All-Mountain West Doubles Selection; Mountain West Player of the Week (2-28-18 and 3-11-20)
During his final season on The Mesa, Gonzalez Almazan earned all-Mountain West honors in doubles for the second time in his career after teaming with junior Ignacio Martinez to post a 7-1 record, including a 3-0 mark at the No. 1 position in dual matches. The tandem supplied the clinching doubles point in SDSU's shutout victories over UC Davis and San Diego Christian while emerging victorious in another encounter against UC Santa Barbara.
In addition, Gonzalez Almazan and Martinez enjoyed a successful run at the prestigious Pacific Coast Men's Doubles Championships, compiling a 4-1 record after advancing to the quarterfinal round. Among the victories for the Aztec duo featured an 8-5 upset in the first round over the fourth-seeded combo of Etienne Donnet and Mathieu Scaglia from Oklahoma State, who were ranked 21st nationally by the ITA at the time. For his efforts, the business marketing major received MW Player of the Week recognition for the second time in his career.
Gonzalez Almazan also excelled in singles play, compiling a team-high 51 victories over the past four years. As a junior in 2018-19, he logged a career-best 21-13 record, joining Jan Kirchhoff (23-10) to give the Scarlet and Black multiple 20-match winners in the same season for the first time since Marko Goles-Babic (23-7), Hendrik Jebens (22-4) and Milen Ianakiev (20-9) completed the feat in 2015. In dual-match competition that year, Gonzalez Almazan tied for the team lead with 13 wins, including an 8-3 ledger in the No. 6 position. The Spanish national saved his best for last, helping the Aztecs upset No. 1 seed New Mexico in the Mountain West semifinals with a three-set decision over the Lobos' Nicholas Prieto, which tied the match at 3-3.
In 2017-18, Gonzalez Almazan topped the squad with an 18-12 singles record, including a 9-5 mark in dual matches at the No. 5 position. That spring, he played a significant role in SDSU's upset of No. 28 San Diego with a straight-set victory over the Toreros' David Norfeldt, earning MW Player of the Week honors in the process. Earlier, Gonzalez Almazan also captured the Flight 2 singles crown at the Aztec Fall Invitational after defeating Liberty's Eddie Gutierrez in the title match.
Not to be outdone, Gonzalez Almazan garnered all-MW accolades in doubles after posting a 6-2 record alongside Sander Gjoels-Andersen. The tandem helped San Diego State secure the crucial doubles point vs. New Mexico in the conference tournament with a 7-5 nail-biter over the Lobos' Bart Van Leijsen and Jorge Escutia. In addition, he teamed with Raul de la Torre to post a 6-2 ledger during the fall tournament schedule, including a flight championship at the Aztec Invitational.
DAVID HOUGH
Hometown: Traralgon, Victoria, Australia
Previous School: Lavalla Catholic College
Major: Business Management
Honors to Date: Mountain West Player of the Week (1-24-20)
Hough was arguably the Aztecs' most improved player this past season, leading the team with a career-high 12 victories in singles competition after overcoming a herniated disk, which plagued him throughout the 2018-19 campaign. The business management major also topped the squad with a 5-2 mark in dual matches, finishing the year with three straight wins, including a straight-set triumph over Boise State's Michael Bott on Feb. 23, which clinched SDSU's first road victory over the Broncos since 1994. Earlier in the year, Hough garnered the first Mountain West Player of the Week accolade of his career after playing a key role in the Aztecs' 6-1 thumping of UC San Diego when he emerged victorious in both doubles and singles play.
During the fall tournament slate, Hough reached the semifinals of his respective singles flights at the SDSU Fall Invitational and the UCSB Classic to go with a victory in the main draw at ITA Southwest Regional Championships. He also combined with fellow classmate Jan Kirchhoff for a pair of wins in doubles play at the Silverado Invitational in Napa, California.
Despite an ailing back, Hough still witnessed success late in the 2019 campaign, providing the clinching point in the Aztecs' 4-0 whitewash of conference rival Nevada with a straight-set victory over the Wolf Pack's Matvey Radionov at the No. 6 position.
JAN KIRCHHOFF
Hometown: Berlin, Germany
Previous School: Max-Beckmann-Oberschule
Major: Interdisciplinary Studies
Honors to Date: Mountain West Player of the Week (3-27-19); 2018-19 MW All-Academic Team
Kirchhoff, who completed his undergraduate degree in three years, enjoyed his finest season as an Aztec during the 2018-19 campaign when he led the team with a 23-10 record in singles competition, including a 13-5 mark in dual matches. With his effort, the Berlin, Germany, native joined Rafael Gonzalez Almazan (21-13) to give SDSU multiple 20-match winners in the same year since 2015 when Marko Goles-Babic (23-7), Hendrik Jebens (22-4) and Milen Ianakiev (20-9) accomplished the feat. During the spring slate, Kirchhoff won six of his first seven matches, highlighted by a triumph via super-tiebreaker over Alexey Nesterov of No. 23 Alabama. In addition, he captured Mountain West Player of the Week honors after providing the clinching point in the Aztecs' home upset of Memphis with a come-from-behind victory over the Tigers' Jeremy Taylor in three sets.
After alternating between the fourth and fifth spots on SDSU's singles ladder at the outset of spring, Kirchhoff rose to the No. 2 position for the final eight matches of the year, posting a 4-1 record during that stretch with three unfinished results. The interdisciplinary studies major saved his best for last, logging a perfect 3-0 mark at the Mountain West Championship, featuring a gritty three-set nail-biter in the semifinals over Dominic West of No. 1 seed New Mexico , which propelled the Aztecs into the title match for the first time since 2010. Kirchhoff also witnessed success earlier during the fall tournament schedule that year, winning the consolation bracket at the ITA Southwest Regional Championships in Malibu.
Additionally, Kirchhoff has amassed 23 wins in doubles competition over the last two years, including a 6-3 mark with Gonzalez Almazan in 2018-19. The SDSU duo caught fire at the 2019 MW Championship, punctuated by a decisive 6-4 victory over Fresno State's Mantas Bugailiskis and Cem Erturk in the title match, which gave the Scarlet and Black an early 1-0 lead before the Bulldogs rallied in singles.
ARNAUD RESTIFO
Hometown: Nice, France
Previous School: Oklahoma
Major: Social Science (Minor in Management)
Honors to Date: 2017-18 All-Mountain West Singles Selection; 2018-19 MW All-Academic Team
Restifo has been one of the Aztecs' most steady performers since transferring from Oklahoma prior to the 2017-18 campaign, posting 14 victories in each of his first two seasons on The Mesa before logging six wins this past year. The social science major capped his first tour of duty at San Diego State by earning all-Mountain West honors in singles after recording three wins against conference foes during the spring slate, including the clinching point in the Aztecs' come-from-behind 4-3 victory at Nevada with a three-set triumph over the Wolf Pack's Kostya Nesterenko. Although Restifo finished with a modest seven wins in dual-match play that season, he faced five opponents from teams that finished the regular season among the ITA rankings. Among those encounters, the Nice, France, native scored straight-set victories over Simon Stevens of No. 35 Oregon, 6-4, 6-3 and Patrick Kaukovalta of No. 50 Alabama, 6-4, 6-1.
As a junior the following year, Restifo rotated between the lower three spots on SDSU's singles ladder in dual-match competition, logging 10 victories, highlighted by a come-from-behind win over Harris Walker of 28th-ranked Harvard in three sets. Later, he fashioned a four-match winning streak, sparked by a straight-set decision over Boise State's Simon Arca Costa, as the Scarlet and Black completed a 4-0 shutout.
This past year, Restifo totaled six wins, featuring the clinching point over UC Davis' Chethan Swanson, helping the Aztecs claim a 4-0 victory.
In doubles competition, Restifo enjoyed his most productive season in 2018-19, combining for 11 wins playing alongside five different teammates, including five straight with Fabian Roensdorf at the No. 3 position late in the year, as San Diego State went 4-1 during that stretch. The Aztec duo joined forces for five additional victories in 2019-20, highlighted by a 6-3 conquest of Boise State's Mark Papadopoulos and Michael Bott, which gave San Diego State the pivotal doubles point in its narrow 4-3 victory over the Broncos.
FABIAN ROENSDORF
Hometown: Dortmund, Germany
Previous School: Deutsche Sporthocschule Köln
Major: Master of Business Administration
Honors to Date: 2019-20 All-Mountain West Singles Selection; 2018-19 MW All-Academic Team
Roensdorf joined the Aztecs in time for the 2019 dual-match season, rotating among the top three spots on San Diego State's singles ladder in 25 starts. The Dortmund, Germany product became firmly entrenched in the No. 1 position in all 10 matches during the 2020 spring campaign, collecting four wins before finishing his collegiate career with all-Mountain West singles honors. The Aztecs emerged victorious in all four duals in which he won, as the Scarlet and Black raced past UC San Diego, UC Irvine, UC Davis and San Diego Christian.
Additionally, Roensdorf flashed his mettle against a pair of nationally ranked opponents, dropping hard-fought decisions to No. 41 Matej Vocel of Oklahoma State and No. 7 Keegan Smith of UCLA. He also had an unfinished battle against San Diego's August Holmgren, who was rated 52nd in the last ITA singles poll of the spring.
Earlier during the fall tournament schedule, Roensdorf recorded a victory in the main draw of the ITA Southwest Regional Championships, rallying for a three-set triumph over Carter Juan of Loyola Marymount, followed by another win in consolation play.
In doubles, Roensdorf combined with Arnaud Restifo for 10 wins over the past two seasons, including five straight toward the end of the 2019 campaign, helping the Aztecs to a 4-1 record in that stretch. Among their victims were UNLV's Tom Ciszewski and Richard Solberg, who suffered a 6-4 setback in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West Championship, as SDSU rolled to a 4-1 win.