LOS ANGELES – Facing a formidable challenge in its first road match of the year, the San Diego State men's tennis team dropped a 7-0 decision to No. 1 USC on Sunday at Marks Tennis Stadium.
The Aztecs ceded the early doubles point and came up empty in five completed singles matches, falling to 0-2 on the young season, while the Trojans kept their unblemished record intact at 6-0.
SDSU found itself behind the proverbial eight-ball almost immediately, when the freshman doubles team of Judson Blair and Roni Rikkonen were dealt a 6-1 defeat at the hands of Colter Smith and Lodewijk Weststrate in the No. 3 position, while duo of Ignacio Martinez and Rafael Gonzalez Almazan fell short to Stefan Dostanic and Bradley Frye by a 6-4 count in the second slot.
With the doubles outcome no longer in question, the No. 1 match pitting Johannes Seeman and Aaro Pollanen against Mor Bulis and Riley Smith was abandoned with the score deadlocked at 5-5.
The Aztecs were unable to stem the tide in singles competition, as all five were decided in straight sets.
First off the court was Pollanen, who suffered a 6-3, 6-0 setback in the No. 2 slot by Dostanic, ranked 104th nationally in the latest ITA poll, while Martinez experienced a similar fate in the third position, falling to Bulis by a 6-2, 6-2 tally.
With the Trojans winning by default in the No. 6 slot, the host school had already compiled the requisite four points for victory on the team scoreboard. However, the remaining three encounters continued until completion.
In the fifth position, Blair was dispatched by Jake Sands, 6-1, 6-3, while Weststrate dispatched Rikkonen in the No. 4 spot, 6-2, 6-3.
Over on the No. 1 court, Seeman was unable to extend his match into a third set against 19th-ranked Riley, ultimately dropping a 6-2, 6-4 decision.
San Diego State returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 13, when it plays host to Loyola Marymount at Aztec Tennis Center. Match time is set for 1 p.m. PT.
No. 1 USC 7, San Diego State 0
Feb. 7, 2020
Marks Tennis Stadium
Los Angles, Calif.
Doubles
1. Mor Bulis/Riley Smith (USC) vs. Aaro Pollanen/Johannes Seeman (SDSU), 5-5, DNF
2. Stefan Dostanic/Bradley Frye (USC) def. Ignacio Martinez/Rafael Gonzalez Almazan (SDSU), 6-4
3. Colter Smith/Lodewijk Weststrate (USC) def. Judson Blair/Roni Rikkonen (SDSU), 6-1
Order of finish: 3, 2
USC wins doubles point
Singles
1. #19 Riley Smith (USC) def. Johannes Seeman (SDSU), 6-2, 6-4
2. #104 Stefan Dostanic (USC) def. Aaro Pollanen (SDSU), 6-3, 6-0
3. Mor Bulis (USC) def. Ignacio Martinez (SDSU), 6-2, 6-2*
4. Lodewijk Weststrate (USC) def. Roni Rikkonen (SDSU), 6-2, 6-3
5. Jake Sands (USC) def. Judson Blair (SDSU), 6-1, 6-3
6. Colter Smith (USC) won by default
Order of finish: 6, 2, 3*, 5, 4, 1
*Match-clinching victory
Men's Tennis Toppled at No. 1 USC
