LOS ANGELES – San Diego State men’s tennis went 1-1 in its season opening doubleheader in Los Angeles on Sunday, falling 4-0 to No. 19 USC before taking down UC San Diego 4-0 in the team’s first dual victory of the season. The Aztecs move to a 1-1 overall record as they prepare for three more road contests next week.
The Aztecs kicked off the season against 19th-ranked USC in a Sunday morning matchup. The Trojans took an early lead after capturing the doubles point. Sophomore Denis Maijorov and freshman William Kleege, who entered the match with a 9-2 record, were tripped up 6-2 by Connor Church and Nathan Trouve on court two. Aleksi Lofman and Brock Anderson then fell 6-1 to Branko Djuric and Max Eksted on court three to give USC a 1-0 advantage. USC’s Andrin Casanova and Jack McCarthy led Lars Johann and Imran Daniel Hazli 5-3 in the top court matchup when the point was clinched.
In singles competition, the Trojans claimed victories on courts two, four and six. In the fourth spot, Johann came up short 6-2, 6-1 to Eksted, while Hazli fell by the same score to Trouve on the second court and Anderson was bested 7-5 (7-5), 6-2 by Casanova in the sixth spot.
Lofman was neck-and-neck with Djuric on the top court, with the contest tied at 3-6, 6-4, 3-3 when the match was called. On court three, the newest Aztec, Finn Willman, fell 6-4 to McCarthy in the first set before bouncing back for a 6-3 win in the second. The third set was left unfinished at 3-1 in McCarthy’s favor. Eugenio Gonzalez Fitzmaurice jumped out to a quick advantage with a 6-3 victory over Niels Hoffman on the fifth court. The Trojan took the second set 6-1 and led 4-1 in the third.
The team quickly took the court once again following their morning matchup, facing UC San Diego at 1 p.m. This time around, the Aztecs grabbed a quick lead, earning the doubles point with wins on courts one and three. The Tritons took court two, with Kleege and Maijorov coming up short 6-2 to Abhinav Chudunru and Trevor Nguyen. Lofman and Anderson then downed Andrew Beceiro and Oliver Worth 6-3 on the third court before Johann and Gonzalez Fitzmaurice captured the doubles point with a 7-6 (7-4) win over Prathinav Chudunru and Zach Pellouchoud in the top spot.
San Diego State earned victories on courts four, six and five in singles competition. In the fourth spot, Gonzalez Fitzmaurice took down Abhinav Chudunru 6-1, 6-3, while Maijorov picked up a 6-3, 6-0 win over David Adamson on the sixth court. Anderson clinched the sweep for the Aztecs, defeating Beceiro 6-2, 6-1.
Hazli led Worth 6-2, 4-3 on the top court when the match was called. Willman was behind 6-3, 3-4 to Prathinav Chudunru on court two and Johann was at a 7-5, 0-1 disadvantage against Pellouchoud.
“Good competition in both matches today,” said head coach Gene Carswell. “Plenty to learn and improve upon from these first competitions of the spring. We’ll get home and have a couple of quality practice days before heading up to the Bay Area for a three-match swing.”
Next up, the Aztecs head to No. 4 Stanford at 2 p.m. PT on Jan. 15, followed by road matchups against No. 15 California on the 16th and Santa Clara on the 18th.
No. 19 USC 4, San Diego State 0
1. Andrin Casanova/Jack McCarthy (USC) vs. Lars Johann/Imran Daniel Hazli (SDSU) 5-3 unfinished
2. Connor Church/Nathan Trouve (USC) def. William Kleege/Denis Maijorov 6-2
3. Branko Djuric/Max Eksted (USC) def. Aleksi Lofman/Brock Anderson 6-1
1. Branko Djuric (USC) vs. Aleksi Lofman (SDSU), 6-3, 4-6, 3-3 unfinished
2. Nathan Trouve (USC) def. Imran Daniel Hazli (SDSU) 6-2, 6-1
3. Jack McCarthy (USC) 6-4, 3-6, 3-1 vs. Finn Willman (SDSU) unfinished
4. Max Eksted (USC) def. Lars Johann (SDSU) 6-2, 6-1
5. Niels Hoffmann (USC) vs. Eugenio Gonzalez Fitzmaurice (SDSU) 3-6, 6-1, 4-1 unfinished
6. Andrin Casanova (USC) def. Brock Anderson (SDSU) 7-5 (5), 6-2
Doubles Results
1. Lars Johann/Eugenio Gonzalez Fitzmaurice (SDSU) def. Prathinav
Chudunru/Zach Pellouchoud (UCSD) 7-6 (4)
2. Abhinav Chudunru/Trevor Nguyen (UCSD) def. William Kleege/Denis Maijorov
(SDSU) 6-2
3. Aleksi Lofman/Brock Anderson (SDSU) def. Andrew Beceiro/Oliver Worth
(UCSD) 6-3
Order of finish: 2,3,1*
Singles Results
1. Imran Daniel Hazli (SDSU) vs. Oliver Worth (UCSD) 6-2, 4-3 unfinished
2. Prathinav Chudunru (UCSD) vs. Finn Willman (SDSU) 6-3, 3-4 unfinished
3. Zach Pellouchoud (UCSD) vs. Lars Johann (SDSU) 7-5, 0-1 unfinished
4. Eugenio Gonzalez Fitzmaurice (SDSU) def. Abhinav Chudunru (UCSD) 6-1, 6-3
5. Brock Anderson (SDSU) def. Andrew Beceiro (UCSD) 6-2, 6-1
6. Denis Maijorov (SDSU) def. David Adamson (UCSD) 6-3, 6-0
Order of finish: 4,6,5*