It was a fitting end for seniors Walker Duncan, Emil Reinberg and Jan Zeilinski as the trio guided the Georgia men’s tennis team to a 6-1 victory against Arkansas on Sunday at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex. 

Georgia’s three veterans, playing in their final regular season home match, finished the day with a perfect 3-0 singles record to give the Bulldogs their fourth-straight win of the season. Georgia is now 11-8 overall and in fourth place in the SEC standings with a 6-4 league record. 

“It’s always a tough challenge because it’s an emotional moment for all seniors and it’s always kind of a little nostalgic,” head coach Manuel Diaz said. “We didn’t play too poorly at one or two in doubles, but we didn’t have our best day at three, and they played a terrific doubles point. To see our guys come back out and then handle them the way they did, I was quite impressed, and it feels great to get this win.” 

Georgia got off to a slow start in doubles. The two teams split at courts one and three, with the Bulldogs taking a 6-4 win at court three, followed by a 6-4 Arkansas victory at No. 1. 

The doubles point came down to seniors Duncan and Reinberg, who were down 3-1 and facing a deuce point to go down 4-1. The Bulldog tandem broke back, but it was not enough as Maxim Verboven and Enrique Maya held for the 6-4 victory. 

Down 1-0, the Bulldogs had work to do in singles. Before the seniors stole the spotlight late in the match, rookies Trent Bryde and Blake Croyder delivered a pair of straight-set wins. For Croyder — the reigning SEC Freshman of the Week — it marks his fourth consecutive win of the season. 

Reinberg won his second-straight match with ease — this time in a 6-3, 6-1 victory at the No. 2 singles court against Adam Sanjurjo. 

With a 3-1 advantage, the clincher fittingly came from Duncan as he ousted Enrique Paya, 6-1, 6-4 in front of an exuberant contingent of Bulldog faithful. 

Loeb and Zielinski then finished the day with wins to push the final tally to 6-1 in the Bulldogs’ favor. 

“We knew it was going to be a tough day, and we came out a little slow in doubles,” Duncan said. “Our energy was great and we knew that we could win every singles match. That was our goal. Manny, he wanted us to come out with some fire, and I think we did. It was awesome. The crowd was really into it, and it was a beautiful day and couldn’t be a better senior day.” 

Georgia now hits the road to face Kentucky and Vanderbilt next weekend. 

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

Tennis Match Results 
Arkansas vs Georgia
April 7, 2019 at Athens, Ga. 
(Dan Magill Tennis Complex) 

#19 Georgia 6, #44 Arkansas 1

Singles

1. #15 Jan Zielinski (UGA) def. #60 Oscar Mesquida (AR) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 
2. #26 Emil Reinberg (UGA) def. Adam Sanjurjo (AR) 6-3, 6-1
3. Trent Bryde (UGA) def. Josh Howard-Tripp (AR) 6-2, 6-2
4. Robert Loeb (UGA) def. Alex Reco (AR) 7-5, 6-4 
5. Walker Duncan (UGA) def. Enrique Paya (AR) 6-1, 6-4 
6. Blake Croyder (UGA) def. Pedro Alonso (AR) 6-3, 6-2 

Doubles

1. #21 Robert Loeb/Jan Zielinski (UGA) def. Adam Sanjurjo/Oscar Mesquida (AR) 6-4 
2. Maxim Verboven/Enrique Paya (AR) def. Walker Duncan/Emil Reinberg (UGA) 6-4 
3. Alex Reco/Jose Alonso (AR) def. Trent Bryde/Blake Croyder (UGA) 6-4 

Match Notes:
Arkansas 13-13, 2-8 SEC; National ranking #44 
Georgia 11-8, 6-4 SEC; National ranking #19
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (3,2,6,5,4,1) 
Official: Karen Badger-Mabry Time: 2:45 Attendance: 1,271