BOISE, Idaho – The San Diego State men's tennis team was in Boise, Idaho on Friday to play the No. 63-ranked Boise State Broncos. In their first Mountain West match of the season, the Aztecs fell behind early by dropping the doubles point. They won three singles matches and sent the deciding match to a third set tiebreaker but ultimately came up shy of a win in a 4-3 defeat.
The Scarlet and Black fall to 11-4 and 0-1 in conference while the Broncos climb to 12-9 and 1-0 in Mountain West play.
"We missed an opportunity today against a very good conference opponent in Boise State," SDSU head coach Gene Carswell said after the match. "Our slow start in doubles cost us. We responded well as we moved into singles but didn't complete the job."
In singles, Bora Sengul (5-4) played No. 98-ranked Jip van Assendelft on the second court. The Aztec earned a 6-0 shutout in the first set, but the Bronco sent the second to a tiebreaker. Sengul was able to close out his opponent in the tiebreaker with a 7-6 (7-3) win.
In his match, Chikaya Sato (5-7) went up against Jett Middleton on court No. 4. He won in straight sets 6-4, 6-4.
Robin Parts (10-0) faced John Chin on the fifth court. Parts won 6-3 in the first set but was bested 7-5 in the second. He bounced back with a 6-1 win in the deciding set to give the Aztecs a 3-2 lead.
The reigning Mountain West Player of the Week, Johannes Seeman (4-8) faced No. 110-ranked Sam Sippel on the top court. He took the first set 7-5 but could not close out a win, falling 6-0 and 6-1 in the ensuing sets.
Playing on the bottom court, Alexander Mandma (8-3) battled Idriss Haddouch. They split the first two sets with Haddouch taking the first 6-4 and Mandma winning the second 7-5. Haddouch earned a win in the deciding set 6-3.
On the fourth court, Eugenio Gonzalez Fitzmaurice (8-3) battled James Van Herzeele. The final match of the day, the winner would bring home a team victory. Gonzalez Fitzmaurice won the first set 6-3 but Van Herzeele took the second 6-1. The deciding set went to a tiebreaker, but Gonzalez Fitzmaurice ran out of steam, falling 7-6 (7-4).
In doubles, Parts played with Mandma (7-1) on the top court. Facing Jan Lucca Marquardt and Sippel, the Aztecs were bested 6-1 in their first defeat of the dual season. Gonzalez Fitzmaurice and Seeman (3-1) competed on the second court and battled Haddouch and van Assendelft. The Aztecs forced a tiebreaker but came up short 7-6 (7-3) as the Broncos clinched the doubles point. Sato and Sengul (2-1) faced off against Chin and Van Herzeele on the third court. The Aztecs trailed 6-5 when doubles play concluded.
San Diego State heads to Reno to play Nevada at 1 p.m. PT on Sunday, March 31.
No. 63 Boise State 4, San Diego State 3
Appleton Tennis Center – Boise, Idaho
March 29, 2024
Singles Competition
1. No. 110 Sam Sippel (BSU) def. Johannes Seeman (SDSU) 5-7, 6-0, 6-1
2. Bora Sengul (SDSU) def. No. 98 Jip van Assendelft (BSU) 6-0, 7-6 (7-3)
3. James Van Herzeele (BSU) def. Eugenio Gonzalez Fitzmaurice (SDSU) 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7-4)
4. Chikaya Sato (SDSU) def. Jett Middleton (BSU) 6-4, 6-4
5. Robin Parts (SDSU) def. John Chin (BSU) 6-3, 5-7, 6-1
6. Idriss Haddouch (BSU) def. Alexander Mandma (SDSU) 6-4, 5-7, 6-3
Doubles Competition
1. Jan Lucca Marquardt/Sam Sippel (BSU) def. Alexander Mandma/Robin Parts (SDSU) 6-1
2. Idriss Haddouch/Jip van Assendelft (BSU) def. Johannes Seeman/Eugenio Gonzalez Fitzmaurice (SDSU) 7-6 (7-3)
3. John Chin/James Van Herzeele (BSU) led Chikaya Sato/Bora Sengul (SDSU) 6-5
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (2,4,1,5,6,3)