Men’s Tennis Plays Weekend Pair Against Hampton, No. 17 North Carolina State – Elon University Athletics – Elon University Athletics

ELON, N.C. – Fresh off a dramatic victory against Gardner-Webb on Thursday, the Elon University men’s tennis team (4-3) looks to continue its four-match winning streak this weekend with a pair of contests. 
 
The Phoenix will close its five-match homestand Saturday with a 10 a.m. battle against CAA opponent Hampton before traveling to face No. 17 North Carolina State in Raleigh on Sunday at noon. 
 
HOW TO FOLLOW

• Saturday’s match against Hampton will start with doubles at 10 a.m. with singles to follow shortly after.
• Live scoring for Saturday’s match can be accessed here. 
• Admission to the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center is free. 
• Sunday’s contest against No. 17 North Carolina State in Raleigh will begin with doubles at noon and will conclude with singles after. 
• Live scoring for Sunday’s match can be accessed here.
• Live streams of each court during Sunday’s match against the Wolfpack can be accessed by clicking here.
• For live updates throughout the match, follow @ElonMTennis on Twitter and Instagram. 

 
THE MATCHUPS

• Elon and Hampton met for the first time last season, with the Phoenix defeating the Pirates 7-0 on March 4, 2023, at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center. 
• The Wolfpack is 8-0 all-time against the Phoenix with all eight matchups coming in Raleigh. 
• Last season, Elon won a pair of singles matches at No. 35 North Carolina State in a 5-2 loss on Feb. 26. Daniel Martin and Nicholas Campbell both came away with victories, with Martin’s coming against No. 75 Rafa Izquierdo in a match tiebreak. 
• The Phoenix has won two or more points against the Wolfpack on four occasions.  

 
ABOUT THE PHOENIX

• Elon is coming off a 15-9 season in the spring and its second consecutive appearance in the CAA championship match. 
• Headlining Elon’s returners from last season is Daniel Martin, who earned CAA Player of The Year and CAA Tournament MVP honors in the spring. Martin posted an 18-6 singles record in 2023 with all 18 wins coming at the No. 1 spot. 
• Elon also returns reigning CAA Rookie of the Year Veljko Krstic, who racked up 16 singles victories in his freshman season. 
• Back for his senior season is Ben Zipay, who took home Third Team All-CAA Doubles honors in 2023. Zipay also won 12 singles contests.
• The other returner for the Phoenix is sophomore Oskar Antinheimo, who took home a CAA Player of the Week and two CAA Doubles Team of the Week honors as a freshman. 
• Elon welcomes four newcomers in 2023 – Dylan Heap, Juan Sengariz, Jack Curtis and Alonso Roca. Heap is a graduate student who played last season at Rice and Sengariz joins the Phoenix after spending the last two seasons at Anderson. Curtis and Roca are both freshman this season.
• Elon is led by head coach Michael Leonard, who is in his 20th season leading the program. 

LAST TIME OUT

• Elon fended off Gardner-Webb on Thursday in a dramatic 4-3 victory at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center. 
• The Phoenix won all three matches to secure a competitive doubles point. 
• Playing the No. 3 spot, Oskar Antinheimo and Jack Curtis rolled to their fourth straight win together with a 6-1 result. The duo leads the team this season with five doubles victories and has not lost more than three games in any of those contests. 
• Reigning CAA Player of the Week Juan Sengariz and Ben Zipay clinched the doubles point by winning 7-4 in a tiebreak on Court 2. The win is the tandem’s first since they won at the No. 3 spot against then No. 25 North Carolina on Feb. 8. 
• Daniel Martin and Dylan Heap extended their winning streak to four at No. 1 doubles with a tiebreak win of their own. The duo won 7-3 in the breaker to complete the doubles sweep for the Phoenix. 
• This was Elon’s fourth straight match converting the doubles point. In its four-match homestand, the Phoenix is 9-1 in completed doubles contests. 
• Veljko Krstic made quick work of Gardner-Webb’s Alex Lepine on Court 2, as he rolled to a 6-2, 6-4 victory to move Elon ahead 2-0. The sophomore is 3-0 this season playing the No. 2 spot. 
• The Runnin’ Bulldogs responded with a win at the No. 1 spot to trim Elon’s lead to 2-1. 
• After dropping his opening set at the No. 5 position, Jack Curtis rallied to defeat Chrisjan Van Wyk 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-0. It is the freshman’s second victory this season from a set down and his second in a final set. He has won his last four singles matches and his six singles victories are tied with Antinheimo for the most on the team.
• Gardner-Webb pulled back within 3-2 when Zipay was forced to retire down 2-1 in the third set on Court 6. Zipay had a match point while leading 5-4 in the second. 
• With Elon needing a point from either Antinheimo or Sengariz to clinch the victory, both players were forced into a third set after winning their opening frames.
• After falling behind 4-1 in the third set, Antinheimo mounted a memorable comeback to deliver what turned out to be the decisive point for the Phoenix. 
• Antinheimo saved a match point with an incredible cross-court backhand pass on a deuce point while down 5-6 in the third. The shot took the match into a winner-take-all tiebreak, where Antinheimo won the final four points to seal an epic victory and secure a dramatic win for the maroon and gold. 
• In the last match to finish, Sengariz also fell behind early in his third set, as he trailed 5-2 when Antinheimo entered his tiebreak. However, the junior worked his way back to 5-5 before falling 7-5. 
• The win was Elon’s first by a 4-3 score this season and its first by that score since defeating Dartmouth on March 21, 2023. 
• This is the second time in 12 meetings Elon has beaten Gardner-Webb by a 4-3 score, with the other coming on Jan. 27, 2011, in Boiling Springs. 

 
BIG O COMES UP BIG 

• Sophomore Oskar Antinheimo was the hero for Elon in its most recent outing against Gardner-Webb on Thursday.
• Playing No. 3 singles, Antinheimo won the opening set 6-3 before dropping the second 6-4 against Gardner-Webb’s Numa Lemieux Monette, sending the match to a third. Lemieux Monette defeated Antinheimo in a third last season playing the No. 4 spot in Elon’s loss to the Runnin’ Bulldogs in Boiling Springs. 
• Antinheimo trailed 4-1 in the final set but battled back with three straight games to tie the score at 4-4. After Lemieux-Monette held serve to go up 5-4, Antinheimo responded in kind to even the set at 5-5. Needing another hold after Lemieux-Monette made it 6-5 in his favor, Antinheimo found himself at deuce, needing the next point to send the set to a tiebreak. 
• Lemieux-Monette dictated the deuce point, but Antinheimo saved the match with an incredible winner on a cross-court backhand pass to stay alive. In the tiebreak, Antinheimo fell behind 2-0 early but leveled the score at 3-3 entering the changeover. 
• Antinheimo won the next four points after the changeover to deliver the clinching point for the Phoenix. It was his sixth singles win of the season and the second of his career in a final-set tiebreak.
• To read more about Antinheimo’s dramatic clinching victory courtesy of Rising Phoenix, click here.

SENSATIONAL SENGARIZ

• On Tuesday, Juan Sengariz earned a CAA weekly honor for the second consecutive week, becoming the first Elon player since 2017 to do so.
• After a 3-0 week playing No. 4 singles, Sengariz was tabbed as the CAA Player of the Week. 
• In Elon’s home opener against South Carolina State on Feb. 13, Sengariz defeated Vanja Petrov 6-2, 6-0 in the first match to finish. Against CAA foe Campbell on Feb. 17, Sengariz was again the first player to finish in singles with a 6-2, 6-3 triumph over Tomas Balazi. Finally, in Elon’s victory over UNC Asheville on Feb. 18, Sengariz came from a set down to defeat Tarek Erlewein 5-7, 6-0, 14-12 as the Phoenix ended the Bulldogs’ seven-match winning streak.
• The honor backs up his CAA Doubles Team of the Week recognition last week with partner Ben Zipay after the duo won at No. 3 doubles against then No. 25 North Carolina on Feb. 8.  
• Sengariz is the first Elon player to win a CAA weekly honor in consecutive weeks since Petar Tomic and Chris Humphreys won CAA Doubles Team of the Week on Feb. 15 and 22, 2017. 

DAN THE MAN

• In Elon’s 3-0 run last week, Daniel Martin picked up his first two singles and three doubles victories of the season. 
• Playing No. 1 doubles alongside Dylan Heap, Martin went 3-0 in doubles, including a crucial 7-5 victory to clinch against Campbell on Feb. 17.
• Martin also won at the No. 1 singles spot against South Carolina State on Feb. 13 and the No. 2 position against UNC Asheville on Feb. 18. 
• He added another doubles victory with Heap at the No. 1 spot in Elon’s victory against Gardner-Webb on Thursday. 
• Last season, Martin racked up several prestigious CAA honors in his second year with the program. 
• Martin became the third Elon player to be named CAA Player of the Year, joining Stefan Fortmann and Felipe Sarrasague, who took home the award twice. 
• After going 3-0 in singles at the CAA Tournament, Martin was also chosen as the Most Outstanding Player of the event. This was the first time since 2019 that Elon took home both CAA Player of the Year and CAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player in the same season. 
• Martin was also named to the All-CAA First Team for singles after posting an 18-6 record, with all 18 wins coming at the No. 1 spot. He won his final six singles contests, four of which came against conference opponents. 
• Since coming to Elon, Martin is 37-14 in completed singles contests. 
• In addition to his accolades on the court, Martin was also selected as Elon’s Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year and received the CAA’s 2022-23 Leadership and Sport Excellence Award for men’s tennis. 

SUPER SOPHOMORES

• Sophomores Oskar Antinheimo and Veljko Krstic have been steady producers throughout their Elon careers and are off to strong starts in their second seasons with the Phoenix. 
• Krtsic is 4-3 in singles this season, with three of the wins coming at the No. 2 position. 
• As a freshman last season, Veljko Krstic became Elon’s first player to win CAA Rookie of the Year and was also named to the All-CAA Second Team for singles.
• The Belgrade, Serbia, native went 16-4 in singles a season ago, with 15 of the victories coming at the No. 3 position. 
• Two of Krstic’s three wins this season have come in a decisive set this season, with one coming in a match tiebreak and the other in a full third set. 
• Fellow sophomore Oskar Antinheimo is thriving early this season for the maroon and gold.
• Antinheimo is tied for the team lead with six singles victories on the season, four of which have come at the No. 3 spot. He also has a team-high five doubles wins on the season alongside partner Jack Curtis. 
• After a 2-0 start to the season in singles, Antinheimo was chosen as the CAA Player of the Week on Jan. 23. It was the second time he has won the award in his career.
• Antinheimo won three CAA weekly honors last season – CAA Co-Doubles Team of the Week on Jan. 25, CAA Player of the Week on Feb. 14 and CAA Doubles Team of the Week on March 28, which he earned with Krstic. 
• The Helsinki, Finland, native went 14-6 in singles and finished the season on a four-match winning streak. Nine of the victories came at the No. 5 spot. 

VERSATILE ZIPAY 

• Senior Ben Zipay picked up his first singles win of the season in Elon’s win against UNC Asheville on Feb. 18, as he came back from 4-1 down in the final set on Court 6 to pick up the victory. It was the second win of his career in a full third set.
• Zipay enters 2024 coming off the most productive campaign of his Elon career. He went 23-10 last season across singles and doubles, with 12 singles and 11 doubles victories. 
• The 12 singles victories all came at the Nos. 5 and 6 positions and were tied for the third most on the team behind just Daniel Martin and Veljko Krstic.
• Of Zipay’s 12 singles victories last season, 11 came in straight sets.  
• In doubles, Zipay teamed up with Nicholas Condos last season to earn CAA Doubles Team of the Week honors twice. The duo earned All-CAA Third Team recognition in doubles.
• Zipay has teamed up with Juan Sengariz for a pair of doubles wins this season. The duo clinched a fourth-straight doubles point for the Phoenix on Thursday against Gardner-Webb with a win at the No. 2 spot. 
• The tandem of Zipay and Sengariz also won CAA Doubles Team of the Week earlier this season after a win at No. 3 doubles against then No. 25 North Carolina. 

NEW GUYS ON THE BLOCK

• Elon welcomes four newcomers for the 2024 season ­– transfers Dylan Heap and Juan Sengariz, and freshmen Jack Curtis and Alonso Roca. 
• Heap joins the Phoenix after completing prior stints at the University of Minnesota (2019-21) and Rice University (2021-23). Heap won 10 dual doubles matches in his two seasons at Rice and appeared at the Nos. 1-4 singles spots for the Owls.
• Heap has been a stalwart in doubles early this season for the Phoenix. During Elon’s current four-match winning streak, he has gone 4-0 at No. 1 doubles with partner Daniel Martin, a streak that included a pivotal clinching victory against Campbell on Feb. 17.
• In his last two singles appearances, Heap has come out victorious against South Carolina State and Campbell playing the No. 5 position. 
• Sengariz comes to Elon after spending the last two seasons at Anderson University. Sengariz had a career singles record of 19-4 at Anderson and was named to the South Atlantic Conference Second Team for singles in 2022 and the league’s First Team for singles in 2023. Sengariz was also named Anderson’s MVP for the 2023 season. 
• Roca appeared in all four of Elon’s fall tournaments while Curtis joined the Phoenix in January for the spring season. 
• Curtis is tied with Antinheimo for the most singles wins (6) on the team this season. 
• In Elon’s most recent win against Gardner-Webb, Curtis came from a set down for his second career win at the No. 5 position. 
• Curtis has also been a force on the doubles court early in his freshman campaign, as he has teamed up with Antinheimo for a team-best five wins on the season. 

 
MEET THE CAPTAINS

• Daniel Martin and Ben Zipay are Elon’s captains for the 2024 season. 
• Martin is a Letchworth, England, native who joined the Phoenix during the 2021-22 season after spending two years at Minnesota. 
• Zipay hails from Osprey, Florida, and was Elon’s Most Improved Player Award last season.  
• To learn more about Elon’s captains courtesy of Rising Phoenix, click here. 

 
TWO-TIME DEFENDING CAA FINALISTS

• Elon advanced to the championship match at the CAA Tournament for the second consecutive year in 2023. The tournament was hosted by William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va. 
• As the tournament’s No. 3 seed, the Phoenix opened with a 4-1 victory over No. 6 Delaware in the quarterfinals. Singles was played first due to the match being moved indoors. Daniel Martin, Oskar Antinheimo and Nicholas Condos all won their matches to put Elon up 3-1, allowing Nicholas Campbell to clinch the victory with a thrilling three-set win on Court 2.
• In the semifinals, Elon lost the doubles point to No. 7 Monmouth but rolled in singles to earn a 4-1 win. Campbell again secured the decisive point for the Phoenix after Martin, Ben Zipay and Veljko Krstic won their contests.
• In a rematch of the 2022 championship match, No. 1 UNCW defeated Elon 4-1 to defend its conference title. 
• Last year marked the first time since joining the CAA that Elon has advanced to the championship match in consecutive years. 

 
THE LEONARD ERA

• Head coach Michael Leonard is entering her 20th season leading the Phoenix.
• During Leonard’s time at Elon, he has compiled an impressive 288-171 record and led the program to three NCAA Tournament appearances. He also guided the maroon and gold to its maiden CAA championship in 2019. 
• Since joining the CAA in 2014, Leonard has led Elon to three conference championship matches, with all three coming in the last four editions of the tournament. Only UNCW and William & Mary have qualified for more CAA championship matches since Elon joined the conference.  
• Elon has won at least one match in all its appearances in the CAA Tournament. The Phoenix has advanced to at least the semifinals in eight consecutive seasons. 
• Leonard was named CAA Coach of the Year in 2019 and took home Southern Conference Coach of the Year on six occasions. 
• Under Leonard’s leadership, the program has amassed 74 all-conference selections, six conference players of the year, six conference rookies of the year, while three singles players and two doubles teams have earned bids to the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships.
• Leonard welcomes first-year assistant coach Garcian D’Cruz to his staff for the 2024.

 
HOME COOKING

• Currently on a five-match homestand to kick off its home slate this season, Elon has started the season 4-0 at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center. 
• During its four-match winning streak at home, Elon is 9-1 in completed doubles and 19-5 in singles contests. 
• The Phoenix won its 14^th consecutive home opener at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center on Feb. 13 against South Carolina State, a streak that started in 2011. 
• Elon finished last season with a 10-1 mark at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center. The Phoenix went 10-2 in home contests, as the team lost its only match last season at the Piedmont Indoor Tennis Center. 
• Elon has had 11 straight seasons with a winning home record. The last time the Phoenix did not finish with a winning home record was 2012. 
• Since the start of the 2013 season, Elon is 102-23 in home matches. 

 
SCOUTING HAMPTON

• Hampton enters Saturday’s match with a 1-5 record on the season. 
• The Pirates fell 6-1 to North Carolina Central on Friday in a match contested in Cary. 
• Hampton’s lone victory this season came on Feb. 9 at Mount St. Mary’s. The Pirates won that affair 5-2. 
• Dante Armbrister leads the Pirates with four singles victories this season. He has won matches at the Nos. 1-3 spots. 
• Daniel Flynn has two wins at the No. 1 singles position to lead the Pirates. Emiliano Jorquera has four total victories on the season. 
• Flynn and Jorquera are Hampton’s only doubles team this season with multiple victories. The tandem is 2-0 at the No. 1 spot. 
• The Pirates are led by head coach Ana Popovic, who is in her third season at the helm of the program. 

 
SCOUTING NO. 17 NORTH CAROLINA STATE

• North Carolina State enters Sunday ranked No. 17 in the most recent ITA team rankings.
• The Wolfpack is 5-3 on the season after winning its most recent appearance against Campbell on Thursday. 
• In four home matches this season, the Wolfpack is 3-1, with the loss coming against Columbia on Feb. 4. 
• Robin Catry, Braden Shick and Joseph Wayand are all ranked in this week’s ITA singles rankings, with Catry checking in at No. 61, Shick at No. 109 and Wayand at No. 124. 
• In doubles, Wayand and Martin Borisiouk are currently No. 22 in the ITA doubles rankings.
• Catry and Fons Van Sambeek have combined to win seven matches at the Nos. 1 and 2 singles spots this season. In State’s last outing against Campbell, Van Sambeek won 18-16 in a match tiebreak. 
• The Wolfpack is led by seventh-year head coach Kyle Spencer. 

 
UP NEXT
Elon plays its second straight road match on Feb. 29 against East Tennessee State. The contest is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start. 
 

–ELON–