Georgia Takes Down No. 24 South Carolina, 5-2

ATHENS, Ga. —  Georgia men's tennis senior Jan Zielinski delivered a match-clinching victory to put the finishing touches on the 26th-ranked Bulldogs' 5-2 win against No. 24 South Carolina on Sunday at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex. 

With his team up 3-1 following straight-set triumphs from Robert Loeb and Walker Duncan at the fifth and sixth spots, Zielinski recovered after a tough start. He ousted South Carolina's 88th-ranked Daniel Rodrigues, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, to give his team its second win in its last three matches. 

The Bulldogs are now 7-6 overall and 3-2 in SEC action. Georgia will play at Ole Miss at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, before traveling to Mississippi State for a 2 p.m. ET match on Sunday. 

"It was a great win by our guys," associate head coach Jamie Hunt said. "We took a tough loss on Friday and we challenged our guys to come back and show some resiliency, and they did just that. They did an awesome job. Walker and Robert did great to get us two wins early and help us build a 3-1 lead quickly. And then Jan did a great job of turning his match around and giving us a big win." 

A veteran duo at court No. 1 and a freshman combo at No. 3 led the Bulldogs in doubles play. 

First, veterans Loeb and Zielinski found themselves down a break and in an early 2-1 hole. The Bulldog tandem not only rebounded but built a 5-3 lead. Loeb and Zielinski were down 15-40 in the deciding game, before reeling off three-straight points to take a 6-3 victory over Paul Jubb and Raphael Lambling. 

Bulldog rookies Trent Bryde and Philip Henning went up a break, 2-1, at court No. 3 to seize some early momentum. The duo never looked back and clinched the doubles point with an impressive 6-4 triumph. It marks the fifth victory of the season for the young Georgia tandem. 

In singles, Loeb won his second match in three days, using a dominating performance to down Patrick Cacciatore, 6-2, 6-0, to put Georgia up 2-0. After Henning retired in the second set, the Gamecocks were able to cut the lead to 2-1.

Duncan made quick work at court No. 6, downing his Gamecock counterpart Beau Pelletier, 6-3, 6-4, to help the Bulldogs hold to a 3-1 advantage. It would come down to courts 1, 2 and 3, where the Bulldogs were locked in back-and-forth affairs. 

That is when Zielinski delivered the clincher and Bryde rallied for a 7-6 (3), 6-7 (6), 10-6 victory to put the final tally at 5-2 in the Bulldogs' favor. 

For more information on the Georgia men's tennis team, follow the Bulldogs on Twitter (@UGAtennis) and Instagram (@ugatennis). 

Final Results

#26 Georgia (7-6, 3-2 SEC) vs. #24 South Carolina (11-5, 1-4 SEC)

Sunday, March 17

Doubles 

1. #65 Robert Loeb/Jan Zielinski (Georgia) def. Paul Jubb/Raphael Lambling (South Carolina), 6-3

2. Walker Duncan/Emil Reinberg (Georgia) vs. Joseph Brailovsky/Jake Beasley (South Carolina), 4-5, uf

3. Trent Bryde/Philip Henning (Georgia) def. Beau Pelletier/Daniel Rodrigues (South Carolina), 6-4

Order of finish (1,3)

Singles 

1. #12 Paul Jubb (South Carolina) def #20 Emil Reinberg (Georgia), 2-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2

2. #10 Jan Zielinski (Georgia) def. #88 Daniel Rodrigues (South Carolina), 3-6, 6-3, 6-3

3. Trent Bryde (Georgia) def. Raphael Lambling (South Carolina), 7-6 (3), 6-7 (6), 10-6

4. Joseph Brailovsky (South Carolina) def. #95 Philip Henning (Georgia), 7-5, 4-2, ret.

5. Robert Loeb (Georgia) def. Patrick Cacciatore (South Carolina), 6-2, 6-0

6. Walker Duncan (Georgia) def. Beau Pelletier (South Carolina), 6-3, 6-4

Order of finish (5, 4, 6, 2, 1, 3)