SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State men's tennis team embarks on a four-match road swing, starting this week when it heads to the Beehive State for a battle with former conference adversary Utah on March 30, before locking horns with Mountain West rival Utah State on April 1.
The Aztecs will square off against the Utes on Tuesday in Salt Lake City, beginning at noon MT/11 a.m. PT, while Thursday's engagement with the Aggies in Logan, Utah, is set to get underway at 11 a.m. MT/10 a.m. PT.
SDSU (3-7) is coming off a narrow 4-3 loss to Washington at home on March 26, dropping a match for the first time this year after capturing the early doubles point.
Against the Huskies, the Aztecs were led by Johannes Seeman, who defeated 83rd-ranked Clement Chidekh in the No. 1 position, 6-1, 6-4, raising his record to 7-2 on the year. In addition, the SDSU sophomore combined with Victor Castro defeat the UW pairing of Chidekh and Thibault Cancel at the top of the rotation, 6-2.
The duo of Ignacio Martinez and Judson Blair emerged triumphant against the Huskie as well, defeating the tandem of Alexis Alvarez and Jack Davis in a marathon tiebreaker at the second spot, 7-6(10). However, the Scarlet and Black picked up one additional win in singles play, where Roni Rikkonen posted a straight-set decision over Jack Pulliam at No. 5, 6-1, 7-6(5).
For the season, both Aztec tandems of Martinez/Blair and Seeman/Castro sport 3-1 records in their respective positions.
Utah (11-8) steps out of Pac-12 play on Tuesday vs. the Aztecs after falling to Stanford at home Sunday in a conference dual, 5-2. The Utes are undefeated against three Mountain West schools this year, logging victories over New Mexico (4-1), Boise State (7-0) and Utah State (4-0).
Francisco Bastias has been Utah's top winner thus far in 2021, posting an 11-8 singles record alternating between the third, fourth and fifth spots on the team's ladder, while Geronimo Busleiman has compiled a 10-8 mark in the second, third and fourth positions. In addition, Slava Shaimyan (9-8) has seen the bulk of action this spring at No. 1, while Franco Capalbo (9-3) has played primarily in the second slot.
In doubles play, Busleiman and Capalbo have joined forces for an 8-4 record in the No. 1 spot.
Since 1989, San Diego State owns an 18-12 record against Utah, including a 14-1 mark when the Utes were members of the Mountain West from 2000-11. The Aztecs have won six straight in the series, including a 5-2 neutral-site victory in Santa Barbara, California, the last time the teams met on March 10, 2013.
Meanwhile, Thursday's clash at Utah State (9-4) will mark the Aggies' conference opener. San Diego State fell short in its MW lid-lifter with a 4-0 defeat at Boise State on March 13.
Sergiu Bucur has racked up a 7-5 record at No. 1 singles this spring for USU, while Felipe Acosta is 7-6, playing mostly at No. 2. In addition, Javier Ruiz has logged an 8-4 mark primarily in the fifth slot, while Souf El Mesbahi has recorded an 8-3 ledger alternating between the second, third and fourth positions in the Aggies' rotation.
In doubles, Jack Ninteman and Roko Savin have combined for a 6-5 record at both the No. 2 (3-4) and No. 3 (3-1) spots, while Ruiz and Acosta are 5-8 at the top of the USU lineup.
SDSU is 1-5 against Utah State all-time, including a 4-2 setback on the road in 2019. The Scarlet and Black won the doubles point, including a 6-3 triumph at No. 1 by Martinez and former Aztec Sander Gjoels-Andersen. However, SDSU picked up one victory in five completed singles matches, as Gjoels-Andersen held on for a three-set win at the top of the ladder.
Following this week's matches, the Aztecs continue their conference slate with dual matches at Air Force (April 9) and New Mexico (April 11).
Aztecs Set for Two Road Matches This Week
