USAF ACADEMY, Colo. – San Diego State men’s tennis wrapped up its final regular season road trip on Sunday morning, facing Air Force at the USAFA Outdoor Tennis Courts. After dropping the doubles point, the Aztecs struggled to find momentum in singles competition, ultimately falling 4-0 to the Falcons.
The Aztecs fall to 8-12 overall and 1-4 in the Mountain West while the Falcons improve to 11-9 on the season and 2-2 in the league.
Air Force put the first point on the board with wins on courts one and three in doubles play. Alexander Mandma and Denis Maijorov came up short 6-4 to Arjun Kersten and Jack Brown in the top spot while Eugenio Gonzalez Fitzmaurice and Mathieu Josserand fell to AJ Moore and Langdon Tingleaf by the same score. Liam Spiers and Marc Kleber were trailing 6-5 in a tight matchup against Phillip Deaton and Tyler Leaird on court two.
On the top court in singles competition, Gonzalez Fitzmaurice fell 7-5 to Deaton in the first set, but led 4-3 in the second when the match was called.
In the second spot, Mandma was bested 6-4, 6-1 by Kersten.
Philipp Bosse fell 6-3, 6-3 to Moore on court three.
On the fourth court, Josserand came up short 7-6 (7-3) to Alec Fritzinger in the first set. The Falcon led 1-0 in the second set when the match was clinched.
Spiers also battled in the first set, but was bested 7-5 by Matthew Staton on court five. The Aztec led 4-3 in the second set of the unfinished match.
On the bottom court, Maijorov fell 6-1, 6-4 to Brown.
“It’s a very tough result to swallow,” said head coach Gene Carswell. “We got out-worked by an Air Force team that’s been strong at home all year. We’ll make adjustments and see who’s ready to step up and take advantage of an opportunity.”
Next up, San Diego State returns to the Aztec Tennis Center for its final regular season match vs. Nevada on April 19 at noon. The Aztecs will honor seniors Mathieu Josserand, Alexander Mandma and Liam Spiers.
Doubles
1. Arjun Kersten/Jack Brown (AF) def. Alexander Mandma/Denis Maijorov (SDSU) 6-4
2. Phillip Deaton/Tyler Leaird (AF) vs. Liam Spiers/Marc Kleber (SDSU) DNF 6-5
3. AJ Moore/Langdon Tingleaf (AF) def. Eugenio Gonzalez Fitzmaurice/Mathieu Josserand (SDSU) 6-4
Singles
1. Phillip Deaton (AF) vs. Eugenio Gonzalez Fitzmaurice (SDSU) DNF 7-5, 3-4
2. Arjun Kersten (AF) def. Alexander Mandma (SDSU) 6-4, 6-1
3. AJ Moore (AF) def. Philipp Bosse (SDSU) 6-3, 6-3
4. Alec Fritzinger (AF) vs. Mathieu Josserand (SDSU) DNF 7-6 (7-3), 1-0
5. Matthew Staton (AF) vs. Liam Spiers (SDSU) DNF 7-5, 3-4
6. Jack Brown (AF) def. Denis Maijorov (SDSU) 6-1, 6-4
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (6,2,3)