SAN DIEGO – Following an 18-day delay, the San Diego State men's tennis team opens its 2022 dual-match schedule in earnest on Wednesday, Feb. 2, when it plays host to local adversary UC San Diego at Aztec Tennis Center. The Aztecs-Tritons showdown is slated to commence at 3:30 p.m. PT, and admission is free.
COVID-19 concerns forced SDSU to reschedule its encounter with UCSD, which was originally set for Jan. 15. The Aztecs postponed two additional matches during that stretch against San Diego Christian (home) and UC Irvine (road), with no make-up dates announced at press time.
SDSU returns six veterans to this spring's lineup, including 2021 all-Mountain West honorees Johannes Seeman and Victor Castro, along with Iowa transfer Joe Tyler and true freshman Alexander Mandma.
Seeman, who garnered all-conference accolades in both doubles and singles last year, led the Scarlet and Black with eight singles victories at the top of SDSU's ladder in 2021 before ending the campaign with a No. 20 ranking by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) for the Southwest Region.
Castro, meanwhile, received all-MW doubles recognition last season after posting a 9-4 mark with Seeman in the No. 1 spot. During this past fall's tournament schedule, the native Brazilian joined forces with newcomer Tyler to produce a 7-2 ledger, earning the Aztec duo a No. 57 national ranking by the ITA heading into the spring. Meanwhile, Mandma and Seeman are projected to fill one of the other spots in SDSU's doubles rotation.
In singles play, Tyler and Mandma each recorded six victories in the fall, with both players pocketing two wins last October in the prequalifying round of the ITA All-American Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
In addition, SDSU is expecting continued improvement from Judson Blair, who led the team with seven wins during the fall, including an impressive decision over UCLA's Max Wild in the opening round of the ITA Southwest Regional Championships, as well as a pair of victories at the San Diego Veterans Tennis Classic.
Also back in the mix are Jules Auffray and Alex Scemanenco, who both sat out the 2021 campaign on a pandemic pause, while Roni Rikkonen figures to compete for added playing time this spring, too.
San Diego State will be looking to put the brakes on a four-match losing streak in season openers after dropping a 5-2 decision to Cal Poly at home last season. The Aztecs have not won a season lid-lifter since claiming a 5-2 triumph at Hawai'i to open the 2017 campaign.
The Aztecs have won all 11 meetings vs. UCSD after sweeping a twin bill from the Tritons last season by scores of 4-2 and 5-0. Among SDSU returners, Seeman, Blair and Rikkonen notched two singles victories apiece, with Blair and Castro combining for a pair of wins at No. 3 doubles.
The Tritons, who are in their second year of transition to the Division I level, posted an 0-9 dual-match record last year in a schedule that was abbreviated due to the COVID-19 pandemic. UCSD has fallen short in its first three matches of the season at home, dropping a doubleheader on Jan. 16 to Mountain West member Nevada, 6-1, 4-0, before suffering a 5-0 blanking at the hands of Sacramento State on Jan. 20.
Since 1989, the Aztecs are 80-30 against current members of the Big West. On the flip side, the Tritons will battle two additional Mountain West teams this spring, including a single encounter with Air Force at home on March 11 and a twin bill at UNLV on March 26.
Following Wednesday's action, San Diego State returns to the court this weekend when it battles Portland on Saturday, Feb. 5 in a neutral-site encounter at Nordstrom Tennis Center in Seattle, Washington. The Aztecs will remain in the Emerald City to face host Washington the following day on Feb. 6.