ELON, N.C. – The Elon University men's tennis team (8-5) hosts Coastal Carolina at 1 p.m. on Saturday at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center in the second contest of a five-match homestand.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW

• The match will begin with doubles at 1 p.m. with singles to follow shortly after.
• Live scoring for the match will be available and can be accessed by clicking here.
• Admission to the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center is free. The first 50 students will also receive a free Elon bucket hat. 
• For live updates throughout the match, follow @ElonMTennis on Twitter and Instagram. 

 
THE MATCHUP

• Elon is 9-1 all-time against Coastal Carolina and has won the last four matchups in the series.
• In the most recent meeting between the teams, Elon pulled out a narrow 4-3 road victory against the Chanticleers. The Phoenix lost the doubles point but rallied to tie the contest at 3-3. Nicholas Campbell clinched a the win with a three-set win at No. 2 singles. 
• The Phoenix is 5-1 in home matches against Coastal Carolina. 
• The teams have met six times since 2016 after not facing each other in the 10 previous seasons. 

 
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 returners for the Phoenix are sophomores Oskar Antinheimo, who took home a CAA Player of the Week and two CAA Doubles Team of the Week honors as a freshman, and Jake Pettingell. 
• 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 came up just short in a four-hour thriller against James Madison on Tuesday. The Dukes won 4-3 to end Elon's perfect home record.
• The Phoenix lost its second straight doubles point as James Madison won on Courts 1 and 3.
• Ben Zipay and Juan Sengariz teamed up for their fifth win of the season at the No. 2 position. They won 7-5 to answer James Madison's win at No. 1 doubles.
• On Court 3, Oskar Antinheimo and Jack Curtis led 5-4 before the Dukes rattled off three straight games to win 7-5 and secure the doubles point. 
• Sengariz leveled the score with a 6-2, 6-2 win over James Madison's Markus Giersiepen on Court 4. It was his fourth consecutive win and his sixth straight set dropping two or fewer games. 
• The Dukes went back ahead with a win at the No. 2 spot. 
• Playing No. 5 singles, Jack Curtis cruised to a 6-3, 6-1 triumph against Francisco Sinopoli. The freshman is now 5-0 playing the No. 5 spot this season and is 6-0 in singles in home contests. 
• Antinheimo moved Elon ahead with a 6-2, 6-4 win against Esteve Agusti on Court 3. The sophomore is the first Elon player to reach double-digit singles victories this season and has now won eight of his last nine completed contests. 
• James Madison tied the score again at 3-3 with a victory at No. 1 singles.
• In the final match to finish, Alonso Roca went to a third set on Court 6 against Mario Pena. Roca broke in the first game of the set but could not hold on for the victory, as Pena completed a 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2 comeback victory to clinch the win for the Dukes. 

 
DAN THE MAN

• Daniel Martin has won five singles and six doubles matches this season. 
• Playing No. 1 doubles alongside Dylan Heap this season, Martin is 4-3, which included a crucial 7-5 victory to clinch against Campbell on Feb. 17.
• Martin also has two doubles wins with Veljko Krstic. 
• 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. 
• Martin won CAA matches against Hampton, College of Charleston, two against Delaware, North Carolina A&T, Monmouth and UNC Wilmington. He also won a singles match against No. 35 North Carolina State and was named CAA Player of the Week after the victory. 
• Since coming to Elon, Martin is 40-16 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.

 
BIG O

• Soaring in his sophomore season with the Phoenix, Oskar Antinheimo leads the maroon and gold with 10 singles victories. 
• Eight of the 10 wins have come playing the No. 3 position, with the other two coming at the No. 4 spot. 
• Of the 10 victories, eight have come in straight sets. 
• With a victory at No. 3 singles in Elon's most recent match against James Madison, Antinheimo secured his second straight season with double-digit victories. 
• Antinheimo won a dramatic singles match against Gardner-Webb on Feb. 22 to secure a 4-3 Phoenix victory. After saving match point at deuce while trailing 5-6 with an incredible backhand pass, Antinheimo went on to win a third-set tiebreak to rescue an improbable win. 
• To read more about Antinheimo's heroics against Gardner-Webb courtesy of Rising Phoenix, click here. 
• In addition to his dramatic victory against the Runnin' Bulldogs, Antinheimo also delivered a dramatic win in a match tiebreak against Franco Capalbo of Wake Forest on Jan. 15. Capalbo was the No. 78 ranked player in the ITA singles rankings at the time. 
• Antinheimo is also second on the team with seven doubles wins, all of which have come with partner Jack Curtis at the No. 3 slot. 
• 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. 

V ON A ROLL

• Sophomore Veljko Krstic has built on his impressive freshman campaign with a stellar start to his second season with the program. 
• Krtsic is 8-5 in singles this season, with four wins each at the Nos. 1 and 2 spots. He is 4-0 playing No. 2 singles, the last two of which have come in straight sets. 
• In four of Elon's last five matches, Krstic has played the No. 1 singles spot, which included a victory over CAA foe Hampton on Feb. 24. 
• The sophomore is second on the team behind freshman Jack Curtis with eight singles victories.
• Krstic has won five of his last seven singles appearances, with all five of the victories coming in straight sets. 
• Krstic has played three doubles matches this season, winning twice with partner Daniel Martin. 
• 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. 

 
VERSATILE ZIPAY 

• For the first time in his Elon career, Ben Zipay won a singles match without dropping a single game on Feb. 24 against Hampton, as he won 6-0, 6-0 playing the No. 6 spot. 
• Zipay has won three singles contests on the season, with the other wins coming against Fairfield on March 3 and UNC Asheville on Feb. 18. 
• Zipay has teamed up with Juan Sengariz for five doubles wins this season. The tandem has won at least one match at all three doubles spots.
• 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. 
• 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.

 
SENSATIONAL SENGARIZ

• In addition to his doubles success with partner Ben Zipay this season, Juan Sengariz has hit his stride in singles. 
• The junior has won seven of his last nine appearances in singles, all of which have come at the No. 4 spot. 
• Six of his seven victories this season have come in straight sets, with the other coming in a match tiebreak. 
• In three of his singles wins, Sengariz has dropped just two games. He has won 11 sets by 6-0, 6-1 or 6-2 scores this season, the most on the team. 
• After a 3-0 week at No. 4 singles against South Carolina State, Campbell and UNC Asheville, Sengariz was tabbed as the CAA Player of the Week on Feb. 20. It was the first CAA weekly honor of his Elon career. 

 
HEAP REUNITES WITH MARTIN

• After spending the last two years at Rice, Dylan Heap joined the Phoenix for the 2023-24 season, reuniting him with Daniel Martin.
• Heap and Martin spent two seasons together at Minnesota (2019-21) before both transferred to new schools. Martin came to Elon while Heap went to Rice. 
• The tandem has played No. 1 doubles together for the Phoenix in nine of the last 11 matches. They have gone 4-3 together, which included a crucial clinching victory against CAA opponent Campbell on Feb. 17. 
• Heap has also found success in singles, winning four of his last six outings. Three of the wins have come at the No. 5 spot with the other coming at the No. 4 position. All of his victories this season have come in straight sets. 
• In two matches against CAA opponents this season, Heap is 3-0 across doubles and singles. 

FRESHMAN PHENOM

• After joining the Phoenix in January, freshman Jack Curtis has quickly become a stalwart in both Elon's singles and doubles lineups. 
• Curtis leads the team with eight doubles victories this season, all of which have come playing the No. 3 spot.
• Seven of his doubles victories have come with partner Oskar Antinheimo, as the two underclassmen are Elon's winningest doubles duo this season. 
• In singles, Curtis has a team-high nine victories playing the Nos. 5 and 6 spots.  
• Of his six singles victories, three have come in a final set, one of which was a match tiebreak. He leads the team in final-set victories this season. 
• Curtis is 13-1 across doubles and singles at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center this 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, Virginia. 
• 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 290-172 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

• Elon has opened the season 6-1 in home matches, with all of the victories coming at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center. 
• At home this season, Elon is 15-3 in completed doubles and 33-8 in singles contests. 
• The Phoenix won its 14th 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. 
• A win on Sunday against the Chanticleers would clinch a 12^th straight season for the Phoenix with a winning home record. The last time Elon did not finish with a winning home record was 2012. 
• Since the start of the 2013 season, Elon is 104-24 in home matches. 

 
SCOUTING COASTAL CAROLINA 

• The Chanticleers are 5-7 this season and 1-4 away from home. 
• Coastal Carolina won its most recent outing 7-0 against SCAD-Savannah on March 10. 
• In their last road match, the Chanticleers were defeated 4-2 against Louisiana. 
• Lucas Wayenburg is Coastal's top winner this season with seven victories at the Nos. 3, 5 and 6 spots. 
• Guilherme Toresan has six singles victories playing the Nos. 3 and 4 positions. 
• Four more Coastal Carolina players have four wins this season. 
• Wayenburg and Carlos Berna Ruiz lead the Chanticleers with seven doubles victories at the No. 1 spot. Toresan and Maj Tomac have five wins at No. 2 doubles. 
• Coastal has won the doubles point in nine of 12 matches this season but has lost two of its last three. 
• The Chanticleers are 19-11 in completed doubles matches on the season. 
• Chris Powers in his 20^th season as the head coach for Coastal Carolina. 

 
UP NEXT
Elon continues its five-match homestand on Tuesday with a doubleheader at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center against Shaw and Davidson. The first match against Shaw will start at 11 a.m. and will be followed by a 3 p.m. start against the Wildcats.