Results (PDF)

IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine men's tennis (0-1) team fell to San Diego State, 5-2, in its dual-match opener Saturday at Anteater Tennis Stadium.
 
The Aztecs (2-3) took the early lead, winning a hard-fought doubles point that went down to the wire. After SDSU came out on top on court two, junior Antoine Barthe and senior Daniel Gealer evened the playing field with a 6-4 victory over Rafael Gonzalez/Jan Kirchoff at No. 3.
 
All eyes then turned to the top of the lineup where senior Bruce Man-Son-Hing and junior Mateusz Smolicki were locked in a back-and-forth battle against Ignacio Martinez/Aaro Pollanen. The 'Eaters went up, 6-5, before the visitors fought back for the 7-6 (3) win.
 
In singles, sophomore Mark Peneff dominated on court two, dispatching Jan Kirchhoff, 6-2, 6-4. Gealer was also victorious in his match at No. 3, bouncing back from a first-set loss to outlast Pollanen, 1-6, 6-4, 10-4.
 
Junior Jeremy Merville came up just short against Arnaud Restifo as he dropped a 6-7 (5), 7-5, 10-3 decision at the fourth spot. Smolicki (No. 1), freshman Ali Amiri (No. 5) and sophomore Mike Mkrtchian (No. 6) also fell in their respective matches.
 
UC Irvine is back in action next week when it starts a five-match road swing at San Francisco (Feb. 7) and Saint Mary's (Feb. 9).