Lobos Run Streak to Six with MW Opening Shutout
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A hot Georgio Samaha fell behind early and then laid down a hurting on his opponent Lucas Hammond, winning 11 of the final 12 games, leading the way for New Mexico’s sixth consecutive win as the Lobos shutout Nevada 4-0 in the Mountain West opener for both teams. The match was UNM’s only one of the week.
New Mexico moved to 10-5 overall and 1-0 in the Mountain West, while Nevada dropped to 9-5 overall and 0-1 in the league.
UNM scratch out the doubles point, doing it in a different way as the No. 1 team of Aram Noroozian and Georgio Samaha, ranked No. 64 in the nation, lost for the first time in over a month as their five-match winning streak ended 6-3 to Hammond and Youssef Kadiri. Instead, it was UNM’s other two doubles teams that pulled it out. Aditya Balsakar and Avery Tallakson won convincingly 6-2 for the opening half of the doubles point, and UNM took it when the No. 2 team of Nicolas Recoura and Daniil Kakhniuk won 7-5.
That set up UNM for singles, and there is was basically all UNM. The Lobos took three opening sets early in the back three flights, and then the top three flights gave the Lobos needed cushion, and all were dramatic in their own way. Noroozian was able to wiggle his way from a match that stayed on serve the whole way through. That put him in a tiebreaker with Kadiri, and Aram bolted out to a 4-0 lead, taking the first point off serve, than sweeping his serve and hitting a passing shot for a 4-0 lead. After a Kadiri ace, Aram forced an error by Kadiri, and he eventually took the set 7-4.
Balkasar was likewise in a set where no one could break, until he did so in the 11th game, and then he served the set out at 7-5. But it was Samaha that really turned the table. Trailing 5-2 in a match where he probably felt like he gave points away, he broke at 5-2 and 5-4 to even things up, and then he broke a third straight time for the set.
That gave UNM leads in all six, and it was just a matter of time. The first finish was Tallakson, who won 6-3, 6-0 over Greg Valente, his ninth consecutive win. Dario Ciobotaru then picked up a fourth win in last five outings with a 6-1, 6-3 over Remy Tregoures. From there it was a matter of which match would finish first as Noroozian, Balsekar and Samaha were all at five games, but it was Samaha who finished off his fifth straight win with a 6-1 final set.
The Lobos now have nine days off until playing at Air Force on Saturday at 11 am. UNM then stays north to face Denver in the final non-conference match, on Sunday at 11 am.
NOTES: Tallakson tied Noroozian and Kakhniuk for the team lead in wins … The Lobos remained unbeaten at home at No. 1 singles for over five years since the last lost on March 7, 2020 to Old Dominion … Samaha now has 79 career wins, one away from 12th on the all-time UNM list … Noroozian stayed tied for 28th with his 64 wins.
