SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State men's tennis team closes out its 2021 spring schedule this week, playing host to UC Santa Barbara on Wednesday, April 28, before heading across town to battle the University of San Diego on Saturday, May 1.
The Aztecs' clash with the Gauchos is scheduled to get underway at 2 p.m. PT, while their showdown with the Toreros is slated to begin at 12:30 p.m. PT.
SDSU (5-13, 2-5 MW) is coming off a dramatic 4-3 home victory over UNLV in its final Mountain West match of the season on April 24, rallying from a 3-1 deficit with wins in the final three singles encounters.
Johannes Seeman provided the clinching point vs. the Rebels at No. 1 singles with a three-set triumph (7-6(7), 2-6, 6-3) over Alex Kobelt, who entered the match as the reigning MW Player of the Week. Also emerging victorious in order of finish were Judson Blair, Rafael Gonzalez Almazan and Ignacio Martinez.
Seeman leads the Aztecs with eight victories on the year, while Blair and Gonzalez Almazan have five apiece, with the latter enjoying a three-match winning streak.
Against UNLV, San Diego State captured a dual match for the first time this season after dropping the doubles point. The Aztecs have won six doubles points in their last 10 outings but have compiled just a 2-4 record in those matches. SDSU defeated Loyola Marymount and Nevada but fell short in singles during that stretch vs. Washington, Utah State, Air Force and Santa Clara.
Individually, the tandem of Seeman and Castro lead the Aztecs with a 7-4 record at the top of the rotation, while the duo of Blair and Martinez are 6-5 entering the week.
UC Santa Barbara (6-5, 4-2 Big West) has been idle since April 17, when it dropped a 4-3 decision at home to Cal Poly in its Big West regular-season finale.
Individually, the Gauchos are led by Victor Krustev, who sports an 8-3 singles record rotating between the No. 1 and No. 3 positions, while Pablo Masjuan has compiled a 7-4 playing at four different spots on the team's ladder, including 2-0 marks in both the fourth and fifth slots. Elsewhere, Joseph Guillin has notched a 5-2 record exclusively in the No. 1 position.
In doubles, UCSB has competed with eight different tandems this spring, including Guillin and Kai Brady, who boast a 4-0 record in the No. 3 slot, while Krustev and Joseph Rotheram are 4-3 in the second position.
Despite leading the all-time series 16-13 since 1989, San Diego State will be looking to snap a four-match losing streak to the Gauchos after dropping a narrow 4-3 decision in Santa Barbara last year before the balance of the 2020 campaign was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Martinez is lone Aztec returner to post a singles victory in that match, downing Rotheram in three sets at No. 4, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, which tied the match at 3-3. However, teammate Aaro Pollanen suffered the opposite fate moments later, falling to Alejandro Vedri, which allowed the host school to escape with the win. Earlier, Martinez and Gonzalez Almazan combined for a 6-4 victory over Vedri and Guillin at No. 1 doubles, as the Scarlet and Black grabbed a 1-0 lead.
The Aztecs are 80-29 against current members of the Big West Conference since 1989, including a 2-3 mark this year, with all five matches contested at home. SDSU swept a doubleheader from new league member UC San Diego (4-2, 5-0), followed by consecutive defeats to UC Irvine (4-0) and UC Davis (4-2). In addition, San Diego State fell to Cal Poly in its season opener to Cal Poly (5-2).
Meanwhile, San Diego is 8-10 on heading into its last match of the 2021 campaign after finishing with a 5-3 mark in the West Coast Conference. The Toreros were shut out by No. 30 Pepperdine in their last outing on April 25, 4-0, coming out on the losing end against six ranked opponents for the season.
Despite playing against a top-heavy schedule, USD's August Holmgren finds himself tied for 82nd in the last Oracle/ITA singles poll released on April 21 and has compiled a 13-3 record at the No. 1 position. In addition, David Norfeldt and Nico Borter have racked up seven wins apiece this spring, with both players seeing action in the second and third spots.
In doubles, Holmgren and Norfeldt have joined forces to produce an 8-7 record at the top of the rotation. However, Norfeldt has teamed with Marvin Schaber for the past two matches in the No. 2 slot, earning a victory against Loyola Marymount before falling to Pepperdine, while Holmgren has paired with Borter in the same stretch, winning at LMU, followed by a no-decision to Pepperdine.
Despite suffering a 4-0 defeat to the Toreros in the 2020 ITA Kickoff Weekend on UCLA's home courts in Los Angeles, San Diego State still maintains a slim 18-17 lead vs. USD dating back to 1989. The Aztecs recorded a 4-3 upset of the then-28th-ranked Toreros on Feb. 23, 2018, the last time the Scarlet and Black played at Hogan Tennis Center.
Martinez provided the clinching point in that memorable match with a three-set triumph in the No. 6 singles spot, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5, while Gonzalez Almazan posted a straight-set decision over Norfeldt earlier in the fifth position. Gonzalez Almazan was also victorious at No. 2 doubles, combining with former teammate Santiago Cevallos for a 6-4 win.
Aztecs Set for Two Matches to Close Out Season
