University of Georgia Athletics
Zielinski Continues Stellar Fall Run
October 23, 2018 | Men's Tennis, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Jan Zielinski was on the attack Tuesday morning at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex. The Georgia senior, one win from the biggest singles title of his Bulldog career, played with purpose and aggression, just as he has throughout a spectacular fall campaign.
Facing Miami's Adria Soriano Barrera in the finals of the ITA Southeast Regional, Zielinski fought his way out of a big hole in the first-set tiebreaker and dominated the second set, winning 7-6 (10-8), 6-1.
"I'm just trying to play my game; in the last couple of years even though I was 19, 20, 21 years old, I was still kind of looking for my game," Zielinski said afterward. "I'm pretty good on defense, pretty good on offense and I was just kind of trying to mix them both. You've always got to try to find the right balance."
Clearly he has: Tuesday's win lifted the Warsaw, Poland, native's fall record to 17-4. This was the second final he'd reached this fall, having advanced to the final round of the marquee Battle in the Bay last month, beating top-ranked Petros Chrysochos of Wake Forest in the semifinals.
Zielinski came up short that day, to 10th-ranked Alex Rybakov of TCU, but he wouldn't be denied Tuesday. The 22nd-ranked Zielinski kept putting the ball deep against the 41st-ranked Barrera and then attacked the net whenever possible.
An elite doubles player who is very comfortable and capable at the net, Zielinski used his skill set very effectively through his run to the title.
"He's got tremendous instincts around the net, but in this day and age you have to really make sure you come up [to net] with a good ball, not just any ball," Georgia coach Manny Diaz said. "He's hitting the ball so aggressively off the ground and creates his own opportunities."
At 5-foot-10, Zielinski isn't physically imposing, but he's about as strong and fit as any Bulldog ever, and he uses that to his benefit on the court. His quickness and stamina allow him to chase down balls and extend points, while his strength allows him to really put some heat on his groundstrokes, even from awkward positions.
"He's fit and physical, and you add that with a little bit more consistency and it takes it to another level," Diaz said.
On several occasions Tuesday, Zielinski roamed far behind the baseline, getting to balls and keeping the point alive, forcing Barrera to hit another shot and another, until eventually the Hurricane made an error.
"It's always a matter of finding a way to win, even if you're not playing your best tennis," said Zielinski, who admitted that Tuesday's performance wasn't his best.
He trailed 5-2 in the first-set tiebreaker and slammed his racket down, which apparently did the trick. After that, he won four straight points and ultimately the tiebreaker, 10-8.
"It was just a mental breaker; it wasn't who was going to hit the biggest shots, it was who can handle it better, and I think I handled it a little bit better," he said.
Zielinski then won the first four games of the second set and soon after was posing for pictures with a big smile on his face. Suited up in a black shirt with a large "G" and red shorts, red socks, red tennis shoes and a red hat, it struck me just how far Zielinski has come in his three-plus years in Athens and also just how far from his home of Warsaw he is.
Zielinski arrived at Georgia in January 2016 and went 11-10 as a freshman. He improved to 29-11 as a sophomore, including 15-6 in dual-match play, and improved on that as a junior, going 29-9 overall and 16-3 in duals. He mostly played No. 4 singles, going 8-2, but also went 3-1 at No. 2, 1-0 at No. 3 and 4-0 at the No. 5 spot.
"I didn't know anything about college tennis five years back. I knew there was college tennis but I honestly could have named maybe two schools," he said. "Right now, coming to Georgia, I think it was one of the best decisions I ever made. My tennis improved, I matured over the last couple of years and I think I'm a much better player."
The results speak for themselves.
John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
