University of Georgia Athletics
Georgia Men's Tennis Wins Southern Intercollegiate Doubles
September 11, 2006 | Men's Tennis
ATHENS, Ga. --- The University of Georgia men’s tennis team claimed another title Monday afternoon as senior John Isner (Greensboro, N.C.) and junior Luis Flores (Xalapa, Mexico) teamed up to win the Southern Intercollegiate Doubles Championship at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex. Isner and Flores defeated Duke’s Joey Atas and David Goulet in the finals, 8-2.
“John and Luis were tremendous in the final match,” said Georgia head coach Manuel Diaz. “That may be as good of a final match that was played here in a long time. I think they showed they are capable of being one of the best teams we have ever had. They still have a lot to accomplish and it sets the bar very high for them, but I really think it is within their reach. They have special skills and they compete well.”
Duke’s Joey Atas has now reached the championship match at this event two years in a row. Last year he won the tournament with Jonathan Stokke.
Georgia’s Omerzel and junior transfer Travis Helgeson made a successful run of their own through the doubles draw, fighting to the semifinals before falling to Atas and Goulet.
In other action on Monday, it was an all-East Tennessee State division II doubles final Lisandro Picardo and Felix Insaurralde defeated their Buccaneer teammates, Enrique Oliveras and Alex Ahlgren, 8-6. The division III singles final was played as well, a match which saw ETSU’s Travis Sandlat take down Sam Huffman of Samford, 7-6 (2), 6-4.
The championship singles division final match between Isner and Flores will be played at a later date. The division II singles final will be played between two Tennessee players at a later date as well.
Monday’s agate:
Division III singles championship:
Travis Sandlat (ETSU) def. Sam Huffman (Samford) 7-6 (2), 6-4
Division I doubles semifinals:
Isner/Flores (UGA) def. Doskarayev/Nagel (USA), 8-6
Atas/Goulet (Duke) def. Helgeson/Omerzel (UGA), 8-4
Division I doubles finals:
Isner/Flores (UGA) def. Atas/Goulet (Duke) 8-2
Division II doubles semifinals:
Picardo/Insaurralde (ETSU) def. Larrengola/Delgado (VT) 8-5
Division II doubles finals:
Picardo/Insaurralde (ETSU) def. Oliveras/Ahlgren (ETSU) 8-6
Additional quotes from Georgia Head Coach Manuel Diaz:
(More on Isner and Flores’ doubles victory)
“They were very mediocre in the semifinal match, that is one thing they will have to guard against. Their attitudes weren’t the best. This tournament is about a month earlier than it was last year and it is a long and grinding event, so maybe we were not physically in the kind of shape we needed to be in. But, they did a good job of overcoming a poor start to win the match, overcoming a break. They went from being very average to just playing fantastically in the finals.”
(On the weekend as a whole with two of his doubles teams winning their respective events)
“The U.S. Open juniors is a huge win for Jamie and Nate. We are so happy that a Georgia freshman could come away with such a prestigious title. When you add that to John and Luis’ win here, it makes for a great weekend for our team.
(On the future of the team after this weekend)
“I think as a team it could be another wonderful year. Having said that, it is going to a tall order because a lot of the programs that may have been a little bit down last year have completely rebuilt themselves, so I think it is going to be another tough, challenging year ahead.”
