SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State men's tennis team earned its second victory of the season on Saturday against UC San Diego. The doubles point and the beginning of singles play happened on the night of Wednesday, April 12, before rain suspended the remainder of the match until 2 p.m. PT on Saturday afternoon. From there, SDSU took over, winning four of the first five singles matches and a set on all six singles courts to earn the victory.
The Scarlet and Black improve to 2-12 this season, while the Tritons drop to 7-15 with the loss.
"It was great to see Bora Sengul clinch the team win for the first time as an Aztec" Head Coach Gene Carswell said following the win. "Good competing from all our guys today, winning sets at every singles position. Alexander Mandma led the charge, getting off the court first with a quick win at No. 4 singles."
Sengul (1-9) faced Diogo Tinoco on the third court. After a 7-6 (5) tiebreaker victory in the first set, Sengul cruised to a 6-1 win in the second for his first win as an Aztec and a team victory for San Diego State.
Mandma (4-5) played on the No. 4 court against Charles Qian. He neared perfection as he coasted to a 6-1, 6-0 win.
Chikaya Sato (4-8) drew Phillip Lan on the second court. He earned a win in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4.
Eugenio Gonzalez Fitzmaurice (2-7) played on the No. 5 court versus Jett Cole. The Aztec won 6-1 in the first set but required more effort to close out the match, winning 7-6 (2) in the second.
Johannes Seeman (5-6) battled Daniel Traxler on the top court. After dropping the first set 6-2, he battled back to take the second 6-3. However, his comeback fell shy with a 6-3 result in the third set in favor of Traxler.
Mathieu Josserand (0-6) played Pelayo Rodriguez on the sixth court. He fell 6-1 in the first set but stormed back to take the second by the same score. The third set was still going on when San Diego State clinched the victory, but the two played it out and Rodriguez won 6-3.
In doubles, on the top court, the team of Seeman and Sato faced Traxler and Rodriguez but fell 6-4. On the third court, Andre Saleh and Gonzalez Fitzmaurice battled Tinoco and Joseph Teh but were bested 6-4. Mandma and Sengul went up against William Lan and Eric Silberman on court No. 2. The Aztecs led 5-3 when UC San Diego clinched the doubles point.
San Diego State will look to build on the momentum from today's win against Nevada tomorrow, Saturday, April 16, at 2 p.m. PT in their final match of the season at the Aztec Tennis Center.
San Diego State 4, UC San Diego 3
Aztec Tennis Center – San Diego, Calif.
April 15, 2023
Singles Competition
1. Daniel Traxler (UCSD) def. Johannes Seeman (SDSU) 6-2, 1-6, 6-3
2. Chikaya Sato (SDSU) def. Phillip Lan (UCSD) 6-2, 6-4
3. Bora Sengul (SDSU) def. Diogo Tinoco (UCSD) 7-6 (5), 6-1
4. Alexander Mandma (SDSU) def. Charles Qian (UCSD) 6-1, 6-0
5. Eugenio Gonzalez Fitzmaurice (SDSU) def. Jett Cole (UCSD) 6-1, 7-6 (2)
6. Pelayo Rodriguez (UCSD) def. Mathieu Josserand (SDSU) 6-1, 1-6, 6-3
Doubles Competition
1. Daniel Traxler/Pelayo Rodriguez (UCSD) def. Johannes Seeman/Chikaya Sato (SDSU) 6-4
2. Alexander Mandma/Bora Sengul (SDSU) led William Lan/Eric Silberman (UCSD) 5-3
3. Diogo Tinoco/Joseph Teh (UCSD) def. Eugenio Gonzalez Fitzmaurice/Andre Saleh (SDSU) 6-4
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (4,5,2,1,3,6)