April 4, 2004

SAN DIEGO -- Henner Nehles won a showdown at the top position to earn the UNLV men's tennis team a 4-3 over 64th-ranked San Diego State at the Fertitta Tennis Complex in Las Vegas on Sunday.

The Rebels, who now sit all alone in first place in the Mountain West Conference at 2-0, improved to 11-5 overall. The Aztecs, who had their four-match winning streak snapped, fell to 8-5 and 1-1.

UNLV took a 1-0 lead after winning the doubles point by taking two of three matches. The Aztecs got a win from 34th-ranked Felix Hardt and Ryan Redondo at number one but were unable to win a second doubles match.

Needing to win four of six singles matches, SDSU won the first set on all but two courts and eventually raced to a 3-1 lead by winning at spots 3-5. Markus Dickhardt, Jung and Dontia Haynes all recorded straight-set victories for the Aztecs.

However, Aviram Salomon finished off Redondo at the second position, 6-2, 6-3. On court six, Blagojevic shook off a tiebreaker loss in the first-set to down Mike Coehlo 6-7, 6-1, 6-2.

Tied at three apiece, the match would come down to court one in a duel between two nationally ranked players. 77th-ranked Nehles eked out the first set over 63rd-ranked Hardt 7-6 before dropping the second frame 6-3. The Rebel leader responded in the deciding set to take a 3-0 lead and was three points from winning when Hardt retired because of cramping to end it at 7-6, 3-6, 5-1 (retired).

The Aztecs return home to face South Alabama on Thursday at the SDSU Courts.

UNLV 4, No. 64 San Diego State 3

DOUBLES --
No. 1 - No. 34 Hardt/Redondo (SDSU) def. Massaro/Kielbowicz (UNLV) - 8-4
No. 2 - Nehles/Salomon (UNLV) def. Dickhardt/Haynes (SDSU) - 8-5
No. 3 - DiMartino/Blagojevic (UNLV) def. Jung/Coehlo (SDSU) - 8-2


SINGLES --
No. 1 - No. 77 Henner Nehles (UNLV) def. No. 63 Felix Hardt (SDSU) - 7-6, 3-6, 5-1 (retired)
No. 2 - Aviram Salomon (UNLV) def. Ryan Redondo (SDSU) - 6-2, 6-3
No. 3 - Markus Dickhardt (SDSU) def. Romain Massaro (UNLV) - 6-2, 6-1
No. 4 - Daniel Jung (SDSU) def. Joel Kielbowicz (UNLV) - 6-4, 7-5
No. 5 - Dontia Haynes (SDSU) def. David DiMartino (UNLV) - 6-2, 6-2
No. 6 - Marko Blagojevic (UNLV) def. Mike Coehlo (SDSU) - 6-7, 6-1, 6-2