GREENVILLE, N.C. – Elon University men's tennis came back from an early deficit to earn a 5-2 victory over East Carolina on Friday afternoon, April 14, at the River Birch Tennis Center.
 
The win gives Elon 10 on the season, marking the fifth-straight year the Phoenix has won double-digit matches. Overall, Elon is 10-11 with one match remaining in the regular season. East Carolina ends its regular season with a 15-8 record and has lost five of its last six matches as it heads into the AAC Tournament next weekend.
 
"I'm extremely proud of our team and its fight to overcome an early deficit to win a big match on the road against a very good East Carolina team," said Elon head coach Michael Leonard. "As we get closer to the conference tournament, it's this kind of match we'll have to win to reach our goals and to see us win like this so close to the tournament is very encouraging moving forward with our season."
 
The Rundown
Elon's afternoon started with the Phoenix losing the doubles point for just the fourth time in the last 15 matches. But with the Phoeinx down 1-0, it came alive in winning five of the six singles matches with five of the matches going to fifth sets.
 
Felipe Sarrasague tied the match at 1-1 with the lone straight-set win at No. 1, 6-2, 6-3. He was followed by Felipe Osses-Konig and his come-from-behind win at No. 5, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3.
 
Though Fredric Lehfeldt tied things up at 2-2 with a win at No. 4, Jacob Bicknell put the Phoenix ahead for good with a pivotal 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 win at No. 6 over Will Bissett. From there, Mario Paccini followed suit and clinched the match with a 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 win at No. 2 and Salvador Mijares finished the day off with a thrilling 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (1) win at No. 3 that came down to the final points.
 
Up Next
Elon is scheduled to close the regular season on Monday, April 17, at 5 p.m. against UNCG. The initial match against the Spartans back on April 5 had to be postponed due to rain and was rescheduled for Monday. After that, Elon will host the CAA Tournament from Friday, April 21, to Sunday, April 23. Action will take place at both the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center and the Burlington Tennis Center.
 
Match Results
Elon 5, East Carolina 2
Singles
1. Felipe Sarrasague (Elon) def. Freddie McGeehan (ECU) 6-2, 6-3
2. Mario Paccini (Elon) def. Vlad Anghel (ECU) 6-3, 1-6, 6-3
3. Salvador Mijares (Elon) def. Ronny Georgi (ECU) 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (1)
4. Fredric Lehfeldt (ECU) def. Petar Tomic (Elon) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
5. Felipe Osses-Konig (Elon) def. Kasey Countee (ECU) 2-6, 6-4, 6-3
6. Jacob Bicknell (Elon) def. Will Bissett (ECU) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
 
Doubles
1. Freddie McGeehan/James Ling (ECU) def. Petar Tomic/Mario Paccini (Elon) 7-5
2. Neal Port/Salvador Mijares (Elon) def. Vlad Anghel/Fredric Lehfeldt (ECU) 6-2
3. Kasey Countee/Ronny Georgi (ECU) def. Taylor Foote/Felipe Sarrasague (Elon) 6-1
 
Order of Finish: Doubles (3, 2, 1); Singles: (1,5,4,6,2,3)