SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State men's tennis team played its first match in three weeks, against Santa Clara at the Aztec Tennis Center on Saturday. Johannes Seeman led the team with a win in the top singles spot as he moves to 3-0 on the season, but that was the lone win in a 4-1 loss to the Broncos.
The Scarlet and Black fall to 1-2 this season, while Santa Clara improves to 4-2 with the victory. Overall, the Aztecs lead the all-time series 6-4.
"We'll set our sights on continuing to improve as we focus on next weekend's matches against LMU and Utah," head coach Gene Carswell said after the match. "Johannes continues to shine in our lineup with another victory in the top singles position. He tied the match at 1-1 after we had dropped the doubles point, his win gave us a chance to grab the momentum. Unfortunately, we came up short before the singles got closed out."
Seeman has been the most reliable player for SDSU this season. He won in straight sets for the third consecutive match to begin the spring season, beating Arthur Neuhaus 6-4, 6-1. The Pärnu, Estonia native has played on the No. 1 court in each match this season.
Entering the day with a 2-0-mark, senior Chikaya Sato's record was blemished falling to Guillaume Dalmasso on the second court 6-4, 6-3.
Coming off a win against San Francisco, Alexander Mandma (1-2) was bested 6-1, 6-2 by Christian Lerby on the No. 3 court.
Playing on the No. 4 court, Mathieu Josserand (0-2) put up a fight but fell short to Mann Shah 6-4, 6-2.
On the bottom two courts, Eugenio Gonzalez Fitzmaurice (1-1) and Andre Saleh (1-0) did not finish their matches but led when the clinching point was scored. Gonzalez Fitzmaurice battled his way to a 7-6 (6) first set victory over Jack Pulliam but the match was decided during the first game of the second set. Saleh took the first set 6-4 and was looking to finish off the second in a 4-4 duel with Santiago Hinojosa when the match was called.
In doubles play, Seeman and Josserand teamed up on the top court but were defeated by Shah and Neuhaus 6-4. On the second court, Mandma and Gonzalez Fitzmaurice struggled to find success versus the duo of Dalmasso and Lerby, losing 6-2. On the No. 3 court, Liam Spiers made his dual play debut for San Diego State and paired with Sato. The combo trailed 5-4 in a tightly contested matchup with Pulliam and Hinojosa when the Broncos claimed the doubles point.
San Diego State will look to get back on track next weekend. They play at Loyola Marymount at 2 p.m. PT on Friday, February 17, and face Utah at noon the next day in a neutral site match hosted by LMU.
Santa Clara 4, San Diego State 1
Aztec Tennis Center – San Diego, Calif.
February 11, 2023
Singles Competition
1. Johannes Seeman (SDSU) def. Arthur Neuhaus (SCU) 6-4, 6-1
2. Guillaume Dalmasso (SCU) def. Chikaya Sato (SDSU) 6-4, 6-3
3. Christian Lerby (SCU) def. Alexander Mandma (SDSU) 6-1, 6-2
4. Mann Shah (SCU) def. Mathieu Josserand (SDSU) 6-4, 6-2
5. Eugenio Gonzalez Fitzmaurice (SDSU) led Jack Pulliam (SCU) 7-6 (6), 0-0
6. Andre Saleh (SDSU) led Santiago Hinojosa (SCU) 6-4, 4-4
Doubles Competition
1. Mann Shah/Arthur Neuhaus (SCU) def. Johannes Seeman/Mathieu Josserand (SDSU) 6-4
2. Guillaume Dalmasso/Christian Lerby (SCU) def. Alexander Mandma/Eugenio Gonzalez Fitzmaurice (SDSU) 6-2
3. Jack Pulliam/Santiago Hinojosa (SCU) led Chikaya Sato/Liam Spiers (SDSU) 5-4
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (1,3,2,4)