LOGAN, Utah - Utah State men's tennis (14-7, 2-0 MW) remained undefeated in Mountain West play with a 4-2 victory over San Diego State (8-7, 0-1) on Friday inside the Sports Academy & Racquet Club.
"To bounce back like we did today after a tough loss to Cal Poly on Wednesday was awesome," head coach James Wilson said. "Jose Carvajal winning his second set after losing the first was kind of the turning point in the match. I was really proud of the way everyone competed and they did a good job."
The Aggies trailed when the match began as the Aztecs captured the doubles points behind a 6-3 victory at No. 1 doubles and a 7-5 win at No. 2 doubles. However, the score was squared up following a victory at No. 4 singes, as sophomore Felipe Acosta posted a 6-1, 6-4 win over SDSU's Ignacio Martinez.
Utah State then posted wins at No. 2 and No. 3 singles, with junior Sergiu Bucur taking a 6-4, 7-5 win on court number three, followed by a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 win by sophomore Jose Carvajal on court number two. The Aztecs won their only other point of the day with a victory at No. 1 singles, but freshman Rithvik Bollipalli secured the match for the Aggies with a 6-3, 6-1 win at the No. 5 spot over San Diego State's Arnaud Restifo. Bollipalli has now won three-straight singles matches, all in straight-sets and is now 8-3 at the No. 5 spot.
"Everyone did a great job and even when we lost the doubles point, we fought back," Bollipalli said. "When you clinch the match and your team surrounds you is amazing. That's the best feeling I've had since I've been here. To be able to win is awesome too."
Junior Duro Opacic had won his first set, 6-1, against San Diego State's Rafael Gonzalez in No. 6 singles, and was leading 1-0 in the second set, but the match was left unfinished with the result in hand.
The Aggies will close out the home portion of their schedule with matches against Air Force on Friday, April 5, at 3 p.m., and New Mexico on Sunday, April 7, at 1 p.m.
Fans can follow USU's men's tennis team on Twitter @USUMensTennis, on Facebook at UtahStateMensTennis or on Instagram at USUTennis. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program on Twitter at @USUAthletics, on Facebook at Utah State University Athletics or on Instagram at @USUAthletics.
RESULTS
Utah State 4, San Diego State 2
Doubles
1. Sander Andersen (SDSU) def. Isaac Arevalo Gómez (USU) 4-6, 6-3, 7-5
2. Jose Carvajal (USU) def. Fabian Roensdorf (SDSU) 4-6, 6-4, 6-2
3. Sergiu Bucur (USU) def. Jan Kirchhofff (SDSU) 6-4, 7-5
4. Felipe Acosta (USU) def. Ignacio Martinez (SDSU) 6-1, 6-4
5. Rithvik Bollipalli (USU) def. Arnaud Restifo (SDSU) 6-3, 6-1
6. Duro Opacic (USU) vs. Rafael Gonzalez (SDSU) 6-1, 1-0, unfinished
Singles
1. Sander Andersen/Ignacio Martinez (SDSU) def. Isaac Arevalo Gómez/Jose Carvajal (USU) 6-3
2. Jan Kirchhofff/Fabian Roensdorf (SDSU) def. Rithvik Bollipalli/Sergiu Bucur (USU) 7-5
3. Felipe Acosta/Duro Opacic (USU) vs. Rafael Gonzalez/Arnaud Restifo (SDSU) 5-6, unfinished
Match Notes:
San Diego State 8-7, 0-1 MW
Utah State 14-7, 2-0 MW
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (4,3,2,1,5)
-USU-
