Zielinski and Duncan Win SICs Doubles Title

Monday, September 26

Athens, Ga.

All Day

University of Georgia

Southern Intercollegiates

September 26, 2016 | Men's Tennis

Highlights from Monday's competition at the Southern Intercollegiate Championships in Athens, Ga.

Sept. 26, 2016

ATHENS, Ga. -- Georgia men's tennis players Jan Zielinski and Walker Duncan won the main draw doubles championship on the final day of the 2016 Southern Intercollegiate Championships on Monday at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex.

In the final match, the Bulldog pair of Zielinski and Duncan defeated Florida's Elliott Orkin and Maxx Lipman in the third-set tiebreaker 10-5 after splitting the first two sets 4-6, 7-5. The tiebreaker saw Georgia win four consecutive points after a 4-4 tie to make it 8-4. After winning two of the next three points, Zielinski and Duncan were crowned champions. Orkin and Lipman were the main draw's fifth-seeded doubles team.

"It was a great tournament for our guys in many ways," said Georgia coach Manny Diaz. "To have a team like Jan and Walker come through -- Walker has made such improvements in his doubles game, and I think this gives him a big boost in confidence."

Earlier in the day, Zielinski and Duncan advanced after a semifinal matchup which featured two pairs of Georgia players, defeating fellow Bulldogs Wayne Montgomery and Robert Loeb 6-2, 7-5 on their way to the finals.

"Unfortunately we had to play each other," said Diaz, "but two of the four teams in the semifinals in doubles is great. We've been working, I think, a little bit better at our doubles, and a little bit more conscientiously, our guys bought into it the last couple weeks."

This year's edition of the Southern Intercollegiates represents the 21st time a pair of Bulldogs has won the main draw doubles title. Austin Smith and Ben Wagland, who went 29-12 as a pair in 2016, won the championship last season.

Monday was the final day of action at the Southern Intercollegiates. The Bulldogs are back in action next week at the All-America Championships in Tulsa, Okla. Qualifying matches take place Monday through Wednesday, with the championships running from Thursday through the following Monday.

FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS
For more information on the Georgia men's tennis team and updates throughout the weekend, follow the team on Twitter (@UGATennis), Instagram (@ugatennis) and Facebook (UGA Men's Tennis).