SAN DIEGO – Coming down to the final singles match at court two, #24 San Diego men's tennis opened up the 2020 season with a 4-3 win over Fresno State at the Hogan Tennis Center on Saturday.
 
After the Toreros (1-0) earned singles wins at positions three, four and one to overcome losing the doubles point, Joel Gamerov bounced back from a close second set loss and took down the Bulldogs' Angus Bradshaw 6-4 in the third to clinch the match for the Toreros. The senior served out at 5-4 to lock down the win.
 
"Our upperclassmen stepped up," said USD head coach Ryan Keckley. "At the end of the day, that's how this 4-3 result goes down as a win. Both teams experienced nerves throughout the entire dual match. Fresno State handled the pressure better and secured the doubles point giving them the early edge. I thought we grabbed onto the momentum early in singles, but we hesitated and let them stick around in second sets. They are a tough team and if you allow well-coached teams to believe, they will."
 
Gamerov was in position to win the clinching match thanks a 6-0 win over Bradshaw in the first.
 
"August (Holmgren) and Joel came up clutch in the end," added Keckley. "Joel is a true, raw competitor and he's made a living during his collegiate career finding himself in these moments. We were happy to see the senior come through in the end for this team."
 
Nico Borter (6-1, 6-0 at No. 3) and David Norfeldt (6-4, 6-2) quickly captured their singles matches to give the Toreros a 2-1 lead. However, Henrique Osorio of Fresno State bounced back from a 6-0 loss in the first set to beat USD's Armin Rostami 0-6, 6-1, 6-0 at No. 6 to even the score.
 
Playing No. 1 in place of Gui Osorio, USD's August Holmgren won in straight sets but was stretched in the second set with a 12-10 tiebreaker. The junior beat Zdenek Derkas, who is ranked No. 124 in the ITA singles rankings, 6-2, 7-6 (10) to put the Toreros one match away from the victory.
 
Freshman Marvin Schaber fought in his duals debut for the Toreros, pushing the second set before falling at the No. 5 position to Cagatay Soke 6-3, 7-5. The loss tied it at 3-3 and set up Gamerov to seal the win in his three-set battle.
 
The Toreros lost the doubles point despite a push to a tiebreaker by the No. 1 pair Holmgren and Gamerov. Facing a 6-5 deficit, the Toreros staved off Fresno State's Johannes Seeman and Soke, but their efforts fell short at 7-5 in the tiebreaker.
 
Schaber and Borter, playing their first doubles match together in duals, picked up the lone USD doubles win by defeating Derkas and Bradshaw, 6-4.
 
USD has now beaten Fresno State three times in a row (Previous: 2018, 2012).
 
The Toreros will return to action next weekend for a pair of matches on the campus of UCLA. They face UCF on Saturday, January 25 at 9 a.m.
 
 
Results (in order of finish)
Doubles
No. 3: Alschev/Osorio (FSU) def. Rostami/Norfeldt (USD) 6-3
No. 2: Schaber/Borter (USD) def. Derkas/Bradshaw (FSU) 6-4
No. 1: Seeman/Soke (FSU) def. Holmgren/Gamerov (USD) 7-6 (5)
 
Singles
No. 3: Nico Borter (USD) def. Johannes Seeman (FSU) 6-1, 6-0
No. 4: David Norfeldt (USD) def. Alexey Alschev (FSU) 6-4, 6-2
No. 6: Henrique Osorio (FSU) def. Armin Rostami (USD) 0-6, 6-1, 6-0
No. 1: August Holmgren (USD) def. #124 Zdenek Derkas (FSU) 6-2, 7-6 (10)
No. 5: Cagatay Soke (FSU) def. Marvin Schaber (USD) 6-3, 7-5
No. 2: Joel Gamerov (USD) def. Angus Bradshaw (FSU) 6-0, 5-7, 6-4