SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Despite some spirited battles in singles play, the San Diego State men's tennis team was dealt a 4-2 defeat at the hands of UC Santa Barbara on Friday in a non-conference road match at Arnhold Tennis Center.
With the loss, the Aztecs suffered their sixth straight setback to the Gauchos, slipping to 2-2 on the young season, while UCSB moves to 5-1 overall.
SDSU quickly found itself in pursuit mode after ceding the early doubles point. The Aztec duo of Victor Castro and Joe Tyler had their four-match winning streak snapped by the tandem of Kai Brady and Phillip Jordan, who recorded a 6-2 decision in the No. 1 position, while the pairing of Jules Auffray and Judson Blair experienced the identical fate against Gianluca Brunkow and Pablo Masjuan in the third slot.
With the doubles round no longer in question, SDSU's Johannes Seeman and Alexander Mandma had their match suspended on the No. 2 court after building a 4-3 lead over Viktor Krustev and Jonathan Zhang.
The Aztecs dented the scoreboard with two victories in singles competition, including a 6-2, 6-2 triumph by Tyler over Stefano Tsorotiotis in the No. 2 position, which gave the reigning Mountain West Player of the Week his team-leading ninth win of the year and third straight this spring.
In addition, Castro put the brakes a modest two-match skid with a straight-set decision over Krustev in the third spot. The SDSU junior survived a thrilling opening-set tiebreaker, 7-6(6), before pulling away in the second by a 6-3 tally.
Over on the No. 4 court, Mandma gave Masjuan everything he could handle, extending the match to a decisive third set but ultimately ran out of steam, as his Gaucho adversary prevailed, 6-3, 2-6, 6-1, to clinch the victory for the host school.
With Friday's outcome no longer in doubt, Auffray's encounter vs. Brady in the fifth position was abandoned in the third set with the score tied at 1-1. Like Castro, Auffray claimed a narrow tiebreaker in the opening set of his match, 7-6(5), before Brady responded by winning the second, 6-4.
Earlier in the round, Blair was toppled by Brunkow in the sixth spot, 6-3, 6-0, while Seeman fell victim to Jordan at the top of the ladder, 6-2, 6-2.
San Diego State returns to the courts on Saturday when it battles Loyola Marymount in a neutral-site clash at Mustang Tennis Complex in San Luis Obispo, California. First serve is set for 10 a.m. PT.
UC Santa Barbara 4, San Diego State 2
Arnhold Tennis Center—Santa Barbara, Calif.
Feb. 11, 2022
Doubles
1. Kai Brady/Phillip Jordan (UCSB) def. Victor Castro/Joe Tyler (SDSU) 6-2
2. Johannes Seeman/Alexander Mandma (SDSU) vs. Alejandro Vedri/Jonathan Zhang (UCSB) 4-3, DNF
3. Gianluca Brunkow/Pablo Masjuan (UCSB) def. Jules Auffray/Judson Blair (SDSU) 6-2
UC Santa Barbara wins doubles point
Singles
1. Phillip Jordan (UCSB) def. Johannes Seeman (SDSU) 6-2, 6-2
2. Joe Tyler (SDSU) def. Stefano Tsorotiotis (UCSB) 6-2, 6-2
3. Victor Castro (SDSU) def. Viktor Krustev (UCSB) 7-6(6), 6-3
4. Pablo Masjuan (UCSB) def. Alexander Mandma (SDSU) 6-3, 2-6, 6-1
5. Jules Auffray (SDSU) vs. Kai Brady (UCSB) 7-6(5), 4-6, 1-1, DNF
6. Gianluca Brunkow (UCSB) def. Judson Blair (SDSU) 6-3, 6-0