SAN DIEGO – San Diego State men’s tennis earned its fourth win of the season on Wednesday, taking down Cal Poly 4-1 at the Aztec Tennis Center.
The Scarlet and Black captured the doubles point in dramatic fashion. Alexander Mandma and Mathieu Josserand cruised to their fourth win of the dual season, taking court one 6-2 over Sean Kamyshev and Raz Haviv.
Courts two and three came down to the wire. Eugenio Gonzalez Fitzmaurice and Denis Maijorov were behind 6-5 to Bastiaan Weststrate and John Cross on the second court when Liam Spiers and Marc Kleber clinched the point over Sean Ferguson and Aaron Eliscu in a 7-6 (7-5) thriller.
"We made some steps in the right direction in doubles," said Head Coach Gene Carswell. "That's something that we've been focusing on in the last few days of practice. Against a team like Cal Poly, who is a gritty and scrappy team, if you give them a reason to hang around, it's going to be a long day. I'm very proud of the guys for securing the doubles point."
Spiers carried the momentum into singles play, putting the second point on the board for the Aztecs with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Ferguson on court six. It’s the senior’s third win of the season in the sixth spot. Josserand extended San Diego State’s lead, taking court three 6-2, 7-5 over Kamyshev.
The Mustangs responded, getting on the board with a win on court two. Gonzalez Fitzmaurice was bested 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 by Weststrate to make the score 3-1. Returning from an injury, it was the junior's first match since Feb. 14.
It wasn’t long before Philipp Bosse clinched the match for the Aztecs. The sophomore earned his first win on the top court this season, taking down Cal Poly’s Haviv in three sets, 7-6 (7-4), 0-6, 6-4.
Courts four and five were left unfinished. In the fourth spot, Mandma had completed a big second set rally when the match was called. After falling 5-7 in the first set, the senior forced a third set after taking the second 7-5. Denis Maijorov was in the midst of a three-set battle on court five when Bosse clinched the victory. The freshman was behind 3-6, 7-6 (6), 3-2 to Jack McGary when the court was abandoned.
San Diego State men’s tennis is back in action tomorrow. Mandma/Josserand, Spiers/Kleber and Gonzalez Fitzmaurice/Maijorov are set to compete in day one of the Pacific Coast Doubles Championships at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club, beginning at 9 a.m. The team will then host Pomona-Pitzer in a dual match at the Aztec Tennis Center, which will get underway at 4 p.m.
Doubles
1. Alexander Mandma/Mathieu Josserand (SDSU) def. Sean Kamyshev/Raz Haviv (CPSU) 6-2
2. Bastiaan Weststrate/John Cross (CPSU) vs Eugenio Gonzalez Fitzmaurice/Denis Maijorov (SDSU) 6-5
3. Liam Spiers/Marc Kleber (SDSU) def. Sean Ferguson/Aaron Eliscu (CPSU) 7-6 (5)
Singles
1. Philipp Bosse (SDSU) def. Raz Haviv (CPSU) 7-6 (4), 0-6, 6-4
2. Bastiaan Weststrate (CPSU) def. Eugenio Gonzalez Fitzmaurice (SDSU) 3-6, 6-4, 6-1
3. Mathieu Josserand (SDSU) def. Sean Kamyshev (CPSU) 6-2, 7-5
4. Alexander Mandma (SDSU) vs. John Cross (CPSU) DNF 5-7, 7-5, 0-0
5. Jack McGary (CPSU) vs. Denis Maijorov (SDSU) DNF 3-6, 7-6 (6), 3-2
6. Liam Spiers (SDSU) def. Sean Ferguson (CPSU) 6-4, 6-2
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (6,3,2,1)