SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State men's tennis team battled No. 66-ranked New Mexico at the Aztec Tennis Center on Monday morning. The Aztecs came back from an early deficit to take the doubles point and won three singles matches to knock off the Lobos 4-3.
The Scarlet and Black improve to 13-5 and 2-2 in conference while the Lobos fall to 11-8 and 2-1 in Mountain West play.
In doubles, Robin Parts played with Alexander Mandma (7-4) on the top court. They faced Arda Azkara and Alex Maggs. The Aztecs dropped the first three games but came back to even the score at three. Their comeback attempt fell short as the Lobos won three more games in a 6-3 result. Chikaya Sato and Bora Sengul (4-2) faced off against Ryoma Matsushita and Avery Tallakson on the third court. The Aztec pair won the first four sets on their way to a 6-4 win. The doubles point came down to Eugenio Gonzalez Fitzmaurice and Johannes Seeman (6-1) on the second court against Georgio Samaha and Nicolas Recoura. The Aztecs fell into an early 4-1 deficit but powered back to send the set to a tiebreaker, where they came through with a 7-6 (7-4) victory to take the ever-important doubles point.
In singles, Parts (13-0) faced Rafael Abdulsalam on the fifth court. Parts coasted to a 6-1, 6-2 victory to stay perfect on the season.
Sengul (7-5) played Aram Noroozian on court No. 2. Sengul trailed 5-4 in the first set but won the final three games to win 7-5. He dropped the second 6-3 but came back with a 6-1 final in the deciding set to win.
On the fourth court, Gonzalez Fitzmaurice (10-4) battled Samaha. The Aztec forced a tiebreaker in the first set but was tripped up 7-6 (7-3). He came back to win the ensuing two sets 6-1, 6-3 to clinch a team win over the ranked Lobos.
Last week's Mountain West Player of the Week, Seeman (4-11) faced Azkara on the top court. He was bested 6-2, 6-4 in straight sets.
Playing on the bottom court, Mandma (9-4) went up against Maggs. Mandma also fell in straight sets 6-4, 6-3.
In his match, Sato (7-9) went up against Arthur Bellegy on court No. 3. After trailing 4-3 in the first set, Sato responded by winning the next three games to earn a 6-4 set victory. He was unable to carry that momentum over into the following sets, falling 6-3, 6-2.
San Diego State finishes up its regular season with a road match at UNLV on the afternoon of Thursday, April 18, and a home match against Utah State at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 20, at the Aztec Tennis Center. The team will honor seniors Parts, Andre Saleh, Sato, Seeman and Sengul prior to the Utah State match.
San Diego State 4, No. 66, New Mexico 3
Aztec Tennis Center – San Diego, Calif.
April 8, 2024
Singles Competition
1. Arda Azkara (UNM) def. Johannes Seeman (SDSU) 6-2, 6-4
2. Bora Sengul (SDSU) def. Aram Noroozian (UNM) 7-5, 3-6, 6-1
3. Arthur Bellegy (UNM) def. Chikaya Sato (SDSU) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
4. Eugenio Gonzalez Fitzmaurice (SDSU) def. Georgio Samaha (UNM) 6-7 (3-7), 6-1, 6-3
5. Robin Parts (SDSU) def. Rafael Abdulsalam (UNM) 6-1, 6-2
6. Alex Maggs (UNM) def. Alexander Mandma (SDSU) 6-4, 6-3
Doubles Competition
1. Arda Azkara/Alex Maggs (UNM) def. Alexander Mandma/Robin Parts (SDSU) 6-3
2. Johannes Seeman/Eugenio Gonzalez Fitzmaurice (SDSU) def. Georgio Samaha/Nicolas Recoura (UNM) 7-6 (7-4)
3. Chikaya Sato/Bora Sengul (SDSU) def. Ryoma Matsushita/Avery Tallakson (UNM) 6-4
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (1,5,6,2,4,3)
Aztecs Take Down New Mexico 4-3 on Monday
