'Dogs blank Aztecs 4-0 in semifinals, advance to the 2018 MW Championship

SAN DIEGO – The Fresno State men's tennis team punched its ticket to the 2018 Mountain West Championship with a 4-0 win over San Diego State in the semifinals, Friday afternoon. This is the Bulldogs' first time advancing to the MW Championship game since joining the MW in 2012.

"San Diego State had a great crowd today, but we kept our composure," said head coach Luke Shields. "We did a really good job in singles of dialing in and getting into our comfort zone. I'm really proud of our guys, because today was a tough environment today. This championship game is what we came here for. We thought this would probably be the matchup in the finals and our guys are amped up for this opportunity. Two really good teams are playing tomorrow and its going to come down to who wants it more."

Doubles – Fresno State earned a crucial doubles point. This is the fourth consecutive match the Bulldogs have won the doubles point.

SDSU had the advantage after taking the win at the No. 1 position 6-3.

Xander Veys and Cagatay Soke fired back when they defeated their opponents at the No. 2 position 6-3. The doubles point came down to court #3. Mantas Bugailiskis and Youssef Hassan bested the Aztecs in a hard-fought 6-4 match, securing a 1-0 lead for the Bulldogs.

Singles – Veys was the first off the court for the Bulldogs rolling past Ignacio Martinez at the No. 1 position 6-2, 6-2, extending Fresno State's lead to 2-0.

At the No. 4 position, Erturk defeated his opponent in straight sets 6-1, 6-4 to give the Bulldogs a 3-0 lead over the Aztecs. Erturk is a perfect 7-0 this season against MW opponents and the 2018 MW Freshman of the Year.

Jeremy Moser closed out the match for the Bulldogs defeating Raul de la Torre 6-4, 6-0, securing Fresno State's spot in the championship game.

"Today we were the better team today," said Cagatay Soke. "I believe that we played well and outworked our opponents. We are looking forward to the championship game against Utah State. We are looking for revenge after the regular season match we had against them. We are very excited to be in the championship!."

Results:
Semifinal No. 2
No. 2 Fresno State (19-11) vs No. 6 San Diego State (6-20)
April 27, 2018 at San Diego, California (Aztec Tennis Center)

Fresno State 4, San Diego State 0

Doubles competition
1. Sander Gjoels Andersen/Rafael Gonzalez Almazan (SDSU) def. Cem Erturk/Zdenek Derkas (FS) 6-3
2. Xander Veys/Cagatay Soke (FS) def. Jan Kirchoff/Raul de la Torre (SDSU) 6-3
3. Youssef Hassan/Mantas Bugailiskis (FS) def. Arnaud Restifo/David Hough (SDSU) 6-4
Order of finish: 1, 2, 3

Singles competition
1. Xander Veys (FS) def. Ignacio Martinez (SDSU) 6-2, 6-2
2. Mantas Bugailiskis (FS) vs. Arnaud Restifo (SDSU) 4-6, 6-0, 3-0, unfinished
3. Zdenek Derkas (FS) vs. Sander Gjoels Andersen (SDSU) 4-6, 5-4, unfinished
4. Cem Erturk (FS) def. Jan Kirchoff (SDSU) 6-1, 6-4
5. Catagay Soke (FS) vs. Rafael Gonzalez Almazan (SDSU) 6-4, 3-6, 0-1, unfinished
6. Jeremy Moser (FS) def. Raul de la Torre (SDSU) 6-4, 6-0
Order of finish: 1, 4, 6

Tournament Notes:

Fresno State entered the 2018 Men's Tennis MW Championship as the No. 2 seed for the second straight season.
The Bulldogs finished the season with a 17-11 (6-1 MW).
Xander Veys, Zdenek Derkas and Mantas Bugailiskis were named to the 2018 All-MW Singles Team.
Cem Erturk was named the 2018 MW Freshman of the Year.
Fresno State has won MW Freshman of the Year the last two seasons.
Fresno State has three players that remain undefeated against MW opponents.
Fresno State was 26-6 in singles matches during conference play.
Fresno State's only loss in conference was to #1 Utah State (4-2).

What's next – #2 Fresno State will face #1 Utah State in the 2018 MW Championship on Saturday, April 28 at 1 p.m. PT. The Bulldogs will take a five-match winning streak into Saturday's match. Fresno State and Utah State both won their semifinal match 4-0. The match will stream live on the Mountain West Network.

Utah State is the 2018 MW Regular Season Champion, the Aggies won the 2017 MW Championship.

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'Dogs blank Aztecs 4-0 in semifinals, advance to the 2018 MW Championship

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Players Mentioned

Mantas Bugailiskis

Zdenek Derkas

Cem Erturk

Youssef Hassan

Jeremy Moser

Cagatay Soke

Xander Veys

Fresno State Athletics