SDSU MEN'S TENNIS FALLS TO PEPPERDINE 6-1

Source: goaztecs.com

Photo:  Marko Goles-Babic was a winner at No. 2 singles vs. Pepperdine Thursday.  Courtesy goaztecs.com

March 2, 2017 (San Diego) - The San Diego State men’s tennis team put up a valiant fight in singles competition against visiting  Pepperdine Thursday, but ultimately came up on the short end of a 6-1 decision in a non-conference dual match at Aztec Tennis Center. With the loss, SDSU slips to 4-5 on the year, while the Waves snapped a two-match slide, improving to an identical 4-5 mark.

The Aztecs could not generate any momentum in the doubles round, with two tandems suffering  6-1 defeats to their Pepperdine adversaries. The No. 1 pairing of senior Marko Goles-Babic and sophomore Sander Gjoels-Andersen was toppled by the duo of  Stefan Menichella and Jack Van Slyke, while the No. 2 team of senior Milen Ianakiev and junior Santiago Cevallos experienced the same fate in their clash with Guilherme Hadlich and Gabriel Sidney. With the doubles point no longer in question, the No. 3 match pitting the SDSU freshman combo of Joel Popov and Rafael Gonzalez Almazan against the Waves’ Pedro Iamachkine and Lautaro Pane was abandoned.

The Aztecs gave the visitors everything they could handle in singles, taking four of the six encounters to three sets. However, SDSU managed just one victory of the bunch, with Goles-Babic vanquishing Iamachkine on the No. 2 court, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.

Moments earlier, Ianakiev suffered a 6-1, 6-0 setback to Hadlich at center court, while Gonzalez Almazan fell victim to Sidney in the sixth position, 6-1, 6-3, as the Waves built a commanding 3-0 advantage.

Goles-Babic’s aforementioned triumph put the Scarlet and Black on the scoreboard, while the three remaining matches were no less dramatic. However, Pepperdine secured the requisite fourth point when Pane outlasted Gjoels-Andersen in the No. 3 spot, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. Shortly thereafter, Van Slyke prevailed over Popov at No. 5, 6-3, 2-6, 6-3, while Cevallos battled to the bitter end in his clash with Menichella in the fourth position before falling, 6-3, 6-7(6), 7-5.

San Diego State will face its first Mountain West opponent of the season when it locks horns with Boise State on Sunday, March 5 at Aztec Tennis Center. Match time is set for 10 a.m. PT. SDSU players will also be represented at the 128th annual Pacific Coast Men’s Doubles Championships this weekend at La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club in La Jolla, Calif.

Pepperdine 6, San Diego State 1

March 2, 2017

Aztec Tennis Center

San Diego, Calif.

Doubles

1. Stefan Menichella/Jack Van Slyke (PEPP) def. Marko Goles-Babic/Sander Gjoels-Andersen (SDSU), 6-1

2. Guilherme Hadlich/Gabriel Sidney (PEPP) def. Santiago Cevallos/Milen Ianakiev (SDSU), 6-1

3. Pedro Iamachkine/Lautaro Pane (PEPP) def. Rafael Gonzalez Almazan/Joel Popov (SDSU), 3-4 DNF

Order of finish: 1, 2

Pepperdine wins doubles point

Singles

1. Guilherme Hadlich (PEPP) def. Milen Ianakiev (SDSU) def. 6-1, 6-0

2. Marko Goles-Babic (SDSU) def. Pedro Iamachkine (PEPP), 6-3, 3-6, 6-4

3. Lautaro Pane (PEPP) def. Sander Gjoels-Andersen (SDSU), 6-4, 3-6, 6-3

4. Stefan Menichella (PEPP) def. Santiago Cevallos (SDSU), 6-3, 6-7(6), 7-5

5. Jack Van Slyke (PEPP) def. Joel Popov (SDSU), 6-3, 2-6, 6-3

6. Gabriel Sidney (PEPP) def. Rafael Gonzalez Almazan (SDSU), 6-1, 6-3

Order of finish: 1, 6, 2, 3*, 5, 4

* - Match-clinching victory