SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The UC Santa Barbara men's tennis team escaped the Recreation Center courts with a 4-3 win over the San Diego State Aztecs on Sunday. The win marks three straight victories for the Gauchos, the longest streak of the season. UCSB improves to 5-8 while the Aztecs fall to 3-5, and this home win took every ounce of effort from the Gauchos, who stay put for four out of the next five matches.
DOUBLES TROUBLES
The Gauchos are snakebitten in doubles play in dual meets this season; the team dropped the doubles point for the tenth time in 13 opportunities. The matches on Sunday were all close throughout, starting with the first-off match on court one. Joseph Guillin and Alejandro Vedri battled to a 6-4 loss in what turned out to the quickest match of the day. The Gauchos hit back with the win on court two, after the pair of Victor Krustev and Joseph Rotheram notched their second win this season, 7-5. On court three, Alex Soto and Josh Williams held the match point but were overcome by the Aztecs for the match and doubles point, 7-6.
"That was a tough match, one we had right there in front of us," said senior co-captian Soto. "We've been improving as pairs, learning how to better play with one another, but we still need to clean things up to be where we want to be." The team will have another opportunity to prove themselves on Monday, when University of San Diego comes into town: they come equipped with the No. 31 doubles tandem in the nation, Gui Osorio and Nico Borter.
GAUCHOS STRONG IN SINGLES
The Gauchos have only won the doubles point one time in their five wins in dual meets, so they know what kind of energy is required to win four of six matches against a team with momentum on their side. On Sunday, the team again showed the resilience required for a comeback with timely wins and superior fitness.
Victor Krustev picked up where he left off last week with another win on court two for UCSB. Krustev won a tough first set 6-4, but he locked in for a 6-1 win to even the match up against the Aztecs. The junior from Canada is hot right now, riding a four match win streak, the longest on the team.
No. 16 Guillin helped set the tone with a 6-2, 7-6 win on court one. Gaucho fans that have not yet seen Guillin play should do all that they can to catch a match of his; his artistry on the court is best illustrated in his singles play, slicing heavy-spin balls at awkward angles to coax his opponent out of position. Wilhelm Saiga matched Guillin with three consecutive singles win after he picked up a 6-2, 7-6 win on court five. Saiga is taking advantage of the opportunites that come his way at the last two singles spots.
Josh Williams got another opportunity himself on court six, but he gave the Aztecs their second point after he lost deuce point in set one, then fell 6-3 in set two. Rotheram was dealing with some back-and-forth scoring on court four, apparently seizing momentum in the third and final set after he went up 2-1. Unfortunately, his opponent got the break and knotted the match up with a 6-4, come from behind win.
Moments later, Vedri had match point on court three and sealed the Gaucho victory with a strong return. Vedri's win makes him the third Gaucho with three straight singles wins, making clear the trend that the Gauchos enter singles matches with a certian confidence that doesn't always show itself in doubles play.
Up next are the University of San Diego Toreros, riding a two-game winning streak. The match is scheduled at the Rec Cen courts on Monday at 1:30pm
RESULTS
Order of finish: Singles - 2,1,5,6,4,3
Doubles - 1,2,3
S1: Joseph Guillin def. Fabian Roensdorf 6-2, 7-6
S2: Victor Krustev def. Jan Kirchhoff 6-4, 6-1
S3: Alejandro Vedri def. Aaro Pollanen 7-5, 4-6, 6-4
S4: Ignacio Martinez def. Joseph Rotheram 7-5, 4-6, 6-4
S5: Wilhelm Saiga def. Arnaud Restifo 6-2, 7-6
S6: David Hough def. Joshua Williams 7-6, 6-3
D1: Ignacio Martinez / Rafael Gonzalez Almazan def. Joseph Guillin /
Alejandro Vedri 6-4
D2: Victor Krustev / Joseph Rotheram def. Arnaud Restifo / Fabian Roensdorf 7-5
D3: Jan Kirchhoff / Aaro Pollanen def. Alex Soto / Joshua Williams 7-6
