SAN DIEGO – After a two-match road swing, San Diego State returns to the friendly environs of Aztec Tennis Center on Thursday, Feb. 28, when it entertains UC Davis in a non-conference showdown, beginning at 2 p.m. PT.
In addition, the entire SDSU roster and two coaches will compete in the 130th annual Pacific Coast Men's Doubles Championships, set for March 1-3 at La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club in La Jolla, Calif.
The Aztecs split a pair of duals during last weekend's trip to Seattle, falling to host Washington 6-1, before rebounding with a 5-2 triumph over Portland on neutral courts, which gave Gene Carswell his 200th career victory as a head coach.
In the latter match against the Pilots, SDSU secured the doubles point for just the third time this season, with the tandems of Sander Gjoels-Andersen/Rafael Gonzalez Almazan and Fabian Roensdorf/Gavin Spencer both posting 6-3 decisions.
Later in singles, the Aztecs collected four singles victories by Gjoels-Andersen, Ignacio Martinez and Jan Kirchhoff in the second through fourth spots, respectively, while Arnaud Restifo won his third straight in the No. 6 position.
For the season, Kirchhoff leads the Scarlet and Black with a 16-7 overall record, including a 6-2 mark in dual matches, while Gonzalez Almazan is 12-10, including a 4-3 mark this spring. In addition, Gjoels-Andersen has compiled a 5-3 ledger in duals and is 9-8 overall.
The Aztecs have faced UC Davis in one previous engagement, suffering a narrow 4-3 setback at home in 2017. SDSU split three singles matches, but it wasn't enough after dropping a hotly contested doubles point earlier that day. Gjoels-Andersen and Gonzalez Almazan are the lone Aztec holdovers from that encounter, falling at No. 3 and No. 6 singles, respectively.
The Aggies (7-3) have lost three of four, including a 4-0 shutout at then-No. 6 Stanford in their last outing on Feb. 22. Earlier that day, UC Davis dispatched Division II Holy Names by 6-1 count at Mills College in Oakland before driving across San Francisco Bay to face the Cardinal.
In singles action, Nil Giraldez leads the Aggies with a 6-2 dual-match record alternating between the fourth and fifth spots, while David Goulak and Arjith Jayarama are both 5-3 this spring.
UC Davis has excelled in doubles competition, capturing points in eight of nine matches that have included doubles. Goulak and Ivan Thamma have compiled a 7-1 record in the No. 1 spot and are 15-2 overall, while Alex Scemanenco and Daniel Landa have rotated starts in the No. 2 and No. 3 slots, posting a 7-2 mark in duals.
The Aggies have defeated two Mountain West opponents already this season, edging Fresno State (Jan. 12) and Nevada (Jan. 26) by identical 4-3 scores at home. UC Davis will be seeking its first win in a true road match this spring after falling to USC, Santa Clara and Stanford.
SDSU's weekend also includes six tandems participating in the Pacific Coast Men's Doubles Championships. The tournament kicks off Thursday night, when the duo of Arnaud Restifo and Fabian Roensdorf are scheduled to lock horns with Villanova's Collin Klumb and Danny Nomura no earlier than 6 p.m.
The Aztecs will also have two other combos battling opponents from the same Wildcats squad, including Gjoels-Andersen and Gonzalez Almazan, who will tackle Dylan Flanagan and Charlie Schuls on Friday at 8 a.m., while Kirchhoff and Martinez tangle with Tommy Mulflur and Stefan Agustin Suarez at the same time.
In addition, SDSU head coach Gene Carswell and assistant coach Jeff Thomsen will square off against Ball State's Tom Carney and Lucas Andersen on Friday at 8 a.m. as well, while Nicholas Mitchell and Gavin Spencer will join forces against UC Davis' Daniel Landa and Alex Scemanenco at 10:15 a.m.
The brackets also include the pairing of David Hough and Aztec women's tennis assistant coach Nico Vinel, who received a bye and will await the winner of the match pitting Boston College's Peter Campana and Nicolas de Quesada against unattached Brandon Beardsley and Rodolfo Bukich.
The second-oldest tennis event in the United States, the Pacific Coast Men's Doubles Championships features tandems from numerous college teams, including nationally ranked squads in No. 5 Stanford, No. 16 USC, No. 23 UCLA, No. 32 Oklahoma State, No. 35 San Diego and No. 47 California.
In addition to the Aztecs and their aforementioned opponents, the field also features competitors from such schools as Chapman, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, Pepperdine and UC San Diego.
Past winners include such notables as Jack Kramer, Ted Schroeder, Bobby Riggs, Pancho Segura, Don Budge, Tony Trabert, Stan Smith, Bob Lutz, Arthur Ashe, Dennis Ralston, John McEnroe and many other world-class champions.
Following this weekend's competition, San Diego State will take a two-week break from the courts before playing host to 35th-ranked San Diego on Saturday, March 16 at Aztec Tennis Center, starting at noon PT.