SEATTLE – Despite a closely contested doubles round, the San Diego State men's tennis team was unable to generate any momentum in singles, as host Washington claimed a 4-0 victory on Sunday in a non-conference dual match at Nordstrom Tennis Center.
With the setback, the Aztecs (2-1) experienced their first loss of the spring, while the Huskies (7-0) kept their unblemished record intact.
The 57th-ranked doubles tandem of Victor Castro and Joe Tyler notched the Scarlet and Black's lone victory of the day with a 6-3 triumph over Jack Davis and Brandon Wong at the No. 1 position.
Shortly thereafter, Johannes Seeman and Alexander Mandma fell short to the Huskies' duo of Clement Chidekh and Nedim Suko by a narrow 6-4 tally in the second position. Still, SDSU had a chance to escape with the 1-0 lead after the combo of Jules Auffray and Judson Blair reached match point with a 5-3 lead against Cesar Bouchelaghem and Ewen Lumsden on the No. 3 court. However, the UW pairing rallied for an improbable 7-5 victory, breaking the Aztecs' serve to vault in front 6-5 before serving out for the win.
Perhaps reeling from its near-miss, San Diego State found itself on the wrong side of the scoreboard after three singles encounters, as the Huskies extinguished any hopes of an Aztec comeback.
Auffray was the first to feel UW's wrath, dropping a 6-0, 6-2 decision to Suko in the fifth spot, while Castro was upended by Han-Chih Lin at No. 4 by a similar 6-2, 6-1 score. Moments later, the host school netted the clinching fourth point when Lumsden disposed of Mandma on the No. 3 court, 6-4, 6-0.
With Sunday's outcome no longer in question, the remaining three matches were suspended without a result. In his first action of the spring, Roni Rikkonen fell behind to Bouchelaghem by a 4-2 count in the second set at No. 6 after dropping the opener 6-3. At the top of the ladder, Seeman was locked in a tight battle with Chidekh, the Huskies' No. 3 nationally ranked player, but still trailed by an identical 4-2 score in the second set following a close shave in the first, 7-5.
Rounding out the Aztec delegation was Tyler, who was the lone SDSU player to capture a singles set, winning the second by a 6-3 tally against Davis in the No. 2 position after his UW opponent posted the same score in the opener.
San Diego State will look to rebound from its defeat when it travels to UC Santa Barbara for its next match on Friday, Feb. 11, starting at 1 p.m. PT.
Washington 4, San Diego State 0
Nordstrom Tennis Center—Seattle, Wash.
Feb. 6, 2022
Doubles
1. #57 Victor Castro/Joe Tyler (SDSU) def. Jack Davis/Brandon Wong (UW) 6-3
2. Clement Chidekh/Nedim Suko (UW) def. Johannes Seeman/Alexander Mandma (SDSU) 6-4
3. Cesar Bouchelaghem/Ewen Lumsden (UW) def. Jules Auffray/Judson Blair (SDSU) 7-5
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3
Washington wins doubles point
Singles
1. #3 Clement Chidekh (UW) vs. Johannes Seeman (SDSU) 7-5, 4-2 DNF
2. Jack Davis (UW) vs. Joe Tyler (SDSU) 6-3, 3-6 DNF
3. Ewen Lumsden (UW) def. Alexander Mandma (SDSU) 6-4, 6-0
4. Han-Chih Lin (UW) def. Victor Castro (SDSU) 6-2, 6-1
5. Nedim Suko (UW) def. Jules Auffray (SDSU) 6-0, 6-2
6. Cesar Bouchelaghem (UW) vs. Roni Rikkonen (SDSU) 6-3, 4-2 DNF
Order of Finish: 5, 4, 3*
* - match-clinching victory