April 16, 2006
SALT LAKE CITY - In a showdown between two league heavyweights, the 59th-ranked San Diego State men's tennis team upset No. 33 TCU, 4-3, to capture the Mountain West Conference regular season championship for the second year in a row. After racing to an early 3-0 lead, the Aztecs survived a furious Horned Frogs' rally to escape with the victory at Snowbird Canyon Club in Salt Lake City, Utah. With the win, SDSU concluded the regular season with a perfect 6-0 mark in the MWC and moved to 14-7 overall. Meanwhile, TCU finished at 5-1 in the conference and 14-9 on the year.
"This was a great win for us," said Aztec head coach Gene Carswell. "We beat a very good team in TCU. We knew we had to maintain our focus in order to have a chance, and our guys stepped up to the challenge. This is a special group of players."
SDSU came out determined in doubles play as the scarlet and black took two of three matches. The duo of Christian Groh and Robert Sabo started things off with an 8-4 triumph over the Frogs' Cosmin Cotet and Radu Barbu at the No. 3 position. SDSU then clinched the crucial point on the No. 1 court after the 21st-ranked tandem of Markus Dickhardt and Benedikt Stronk knocked off No. 48 Rafael Abreu and Jordan Freitas by the same 8-4 count. The pairing of Stephan Timu and Anthony Gomez were poised to give the Aztecs the sweep, but ultimately succumbed to Kriegler Brink and Jacopo Tezza at the No. 2 spot, 8-6.
Still, SDSU had all the momentum after increasing its advantage to 3-0 with victories at Nos. 3 and 5 in singles competition. Stronk pinned a 6-2, 6-1 defeat on Cotet, while Gomez won for the sixth time in his last seven outings with a straight-set triumph over Freitas, 6-4, 6-3.
TCU then mounted a huge comeback to tie the score with three straight wins. Dickhardt was roughed up by No. 40 Andrei Mlendea, 6-3, 6-1, at the No. 2 position, while over on the No. 6 court, Sabo was dealt a 6-1, 6-3 beating at the hands of Barbu. Despite a close opening set, Timu also fell victim to the Frogs' onslaught with a 7-6(4), 6-2 loss to Tezza at the No. 4 spot.
With the MWC regular season title on the line, all eyes shifted to the No.1 court where Groh engaged No. 96 Abreu in the decisive contest. Groh got off to a rocky start, falling into a 5-2 hole in the first set. However, the Aztec junior kept his composure and clawed his way back to take the set, 7-6(2). Sparked by his rally, Groh took care of business in the second set by a 6-3 margin to secure the crown for SDSU.
The Aztecs will return to action April 27, when they compete in the 2006 MWC Tennis Championships at Barnes Tennis Center in San Diego. The full tournament schedule will be available at a later date.
No. 59 SAN DIEGO STATE 4, No. 33 TCU 3
Snowbird Canyon Club--Salt Lake City, Utah
Doubles:
1. No. 21 Benedikt Stronk/Markus Dickhardt (SDSU) def. No. 48 Rafael Abreu/Jordan Freitas (TCU), 8-4.
2. Kriegler Brink/ Jacopo Tezza (TCU) def. Stephan Timu/Anthony Gomez (SDSU), 8-6.
3. Christian Groh/Robert Sabo (SDSU) def. Cosmin Cotet/Radu Barbu (TCU), 8-4.
Singles:
1. Christian Groh (SDSU) def. No. 96 Rafael Abreu (TCU), 7-6(2), 6-3.
2. No. 40 Andrei Mlendea (TCU) def. Markus Dickhardt (SDSU), 6-1, 6-3.
3. Benedikt Stronk (SDSU) def. Cosmin Cotet (TCU), 6-2, 6-1.
4. Jacopo Tezza (TCU) def. Stephan Timu (SDSU), 7-6(4), 6-2.
5. Anthony Gomez (SDSU) def. Jordan Freitas (TCU), 6-4, 6-3.
6. Radu Barbu (TCU) def. Robert Sabo (SDSU), 6-3, 6-1.
Order of Finish:
Doubles: 3, 1, 2
Singles: 3, 5, 2, 6, 4, 1*
*Match-clinching victory