WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Freshman Jack Curtis may have only arrived at Elon just over two weeks ago, but he is already making an impact on the court for the Phoenix. 

Making his college tennis debut Monday against No. 15 Wake Forest, Curtis appeared in both singles and doubles. In doubles, Curtis teamed up with fellow countryman Daniel Martin before playing No. 6 singles. 

Despite being nervous at the start, Curtis raced out of the gates in his singles match, breaking early and again late to secure a 6-3 win in the first set. After his opponent, Wake's Saud Alhogbani, took the second frame 6-4, the match entered a decisive 10-point tiebreak. 

Although Curtis won the first two points of the tiebreak, Alhogbani roared back to go ahead 6-3. However, the freshman did not get flustered and quickly worked his way back.

Curtis used his strong baseline game to win seven of the next eight points and take the tiebreak 10-7, securing Elon's first singles victory as a team this season. 
 
"I started off the tiebreak well and then the momentum changed, but to come back from 6-3 down is a great feeling," Curtis said. 

Curtis was one of two Elon players to pick up a singles win against the Demon Deacons, as Oskar Antinheimo came from a set down to win on Court 4. Curtis was proud of the team's performance and effort against one of the country's top programs. 

A native of England, Curtis joined the Phoenix prior to the start of the spring season and already feels at home. 

"I haven't been here long but the team's been great and welcoming," Curtis said.  
 

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'Rising Phoenix' is a new student-led initiative to cover Elon Athletics. Through innovative content creation and storytelling, Elon University students will have the opportunity to highlight the moments, people and events that make an impact, leveraging the athletic department's various web and social media platforms for distribution. Follow Rising Phoenix on Twitter (@EURisingPhoenix) and Instagram (@elonrisingphoenix). Interested in joining this initiative as a content creator (video, graphics, writing, storytelling, or more)? Contact Jacob Kisamore at jkisamore@elon.edu.

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