ELON – The Elon men's tennis team (2-2) is set to play two matches in the next three days, beginning with its home opener against Charlotte (4-1) on Thursday at 2 p.m. at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center. Elon will then travel to Raleigh for a road matchup against No. 13 NC State (7-1) on Saturday at noon.
Elon vs. Charlotte Briefing
Match Details: Feb. 19, 2026 | Elon, N.C. | Jimmy Powell Tennis Center | 2 p.m.
Admission: Free
Elon at No. 13 NC State Briefing
Match Details: Feb. 21, 2026 | Raleigh, N.C. | J.W. Isenhour Tennis Center | 12 p.m.
Admission: Free
The Matchups
- Thursday marks the 19th all-time meeting between Elon and Charlotte, with the 49ers leading the series, 12-6.
- Elon has dropped its last eight matches against the 49ers, a streak that began in 2015. The teams have met in each of the past five seasons.
- The most recent matchup between Elon and Charlotte came on Feb. 14, 2025, when the Phoenix fell 5-2 on the road.
- Elon holds a 4-6 all-time home record against Charlotte and is seeking its first home win in the series since a 6-1 victory in 2010.
- At the Elon Invitational this fall, the Phoenix earned two wins over Charlotte. Oskar Antinheimo and Veljko Krstic won in doubles, while Charles Pilet secured a singles victory.
- The Phoenix will face NC State for the 10th time in program history on Saturday, seeking its first win in the all-time series. Each of the previous nine meetings have been played in Raleigh.
- Elon last faced NC State in 2024, when it suffered a 7-0 loss.
- Phoenix head coach Maciek Sykut began his coaching career at NC State, serving as a volunteer assistant (2012-14) and later as an assistant coach (2016-17), coaching five All-ACC selections and helping lead the program to back-to-back NCAA appearances.
Last Time Out
- A gritty all-around performance helped the Phoenix defeat UNCG on Feb. 8 at Piedmont Indoor Tennis in Greensboro, 6-1.
- Elon won a tight doubles point with victories at the Nos. 2 and 3 spots.
- The Spartans struck first in doubles with a 6-4 win on Court 1, breaking in the ninth game before serving out the match.
- On Court 2, Jack Curtis and Rafael Ymer rallied from a break down to earn a 6-4 win of their own. The duo trailed 2-4 but broke back in the seventh game before winning the next three to complete the comeback. It was their second win of the season together.
- Playing together for the first time this spring, Nick Fisk and Alonso Roca clinched the doubles point for Elon with a 7-5 win at the No. 3 spot. It was Fisk's first career dual win and Roca's first dual doubles victory since Feb. 24, 2024, against Hampton.
- The Phoenix took five of six points in singles to secure the match win.
- Curtis cruised in singles for his first dual win of the spring, defeating UNCG's Hector Nissen 6-3, 6-1 at the No. 4 spot. It was his 12th career victory at No. 4 singles.
- On Court 2, Ymer sailed past Devon Moskowitz, 6-3, 6-1, for his team-best third singles victory of the campaign. The sophomore was broken in the opening game of the second set but rattled off the next six games to earn a straight-sets win.
- Fisk delivered his first career dual singles win at the No. 6 spot, defeating Eric Lindermann, 6-4, 6-3. It was his third overall singles victory with the Phoenix after picking up a pair of wins in the fall.
- Veljko Krstic mounted an impressive comeback to defeat John Gabelic at the No. 1 spot. Krstic dropped the first set and trailed 1-4 in the second set. The senior then reeled off five straight games to win the frame, 6-4, and continued his momentum in the final set, winning it, 6-3. It was Krstic's second dual win this season to come in a final set and the eighth final-set victory of his career.
- In his first singles match of the spring, Roca recovered from losing the second set to win in a match tiebreak against Sammy Presser on Court 5, 7-6 (2), 3-6, 10-6. It was Roca's fourth career singles win and the first to come in a match tiebreak.
About The Phoenix
- Elon is coming off an 11-8 season last spring, which included a fourth straight trip to the CAA championship match.
- The Phoenix went 4-1 against CAA opponents last spring, with the lone loss coming to top-seeded UNCW in the title match.
- Veljko Krstic earned All-CAA honors in both singles and doubles a season ago. He went 10-6 playing the No. 1 position for the Phoenix and added seven doubles victories.
- Rafael Ymer and Jack Curtis also picked up All-CAA recognition in both singles and doubles. Ymer led the Phoenix as a freshman with 11 singles victories and tied for a team-best 10 doubles wins. Curtis also reached double figures in both singles (10) and doubles (10) victories.
- Oskar Antinheimo rounded out Elon's postseason honorees, landing on the All-CAA Second Team in doubles. Antinheimo won seven matches alongside Krstic at the No. 1 spot and added six singles triumphs.
- Elon returns three more players from last season – Luke Forester, Charles Pilet and Alonso Roca. Pilet delivered 10 victories as a freshman across singles and doubles, while Roca notched a pair of singles wins in the spring.
- The Phoenix welcomes two newcomers in 2025-26. Nick Fisk joins Elon as a freshman, while sophomore Nikola Parichkov comes to Elon after being a part of Wake Forest's national championship team last spring.
- Maciek Sykut is in his second year at the helm of the Phoenix.
Weekly Awards Sweep
- Elon swept the season's first CAA weekly men's tennis awards on Jan. 27.
- Ymer took home his second career CAA Player of the Week honor while Krstic and Parichkov were tabbed as the Doubles Team of the Week.
- Ymer picked up a ranked singles win on Jan. 21 against No. 11 Texas A&M, defeating Alexander Frusina, ranked No. 73 by the ITA in singles, at the No. 2 position.
- The sophomore previously won CAA Player of the Week on March 11, 2025.
- Krstic and Parichkov opened their season with a ranked win against Saint Joseph's, knocking off the No. 70 ranked duo of Othman Bezzaz and Ernesto Ruy. They also led at No. 1 doubles against the Aggies when their match was halted.
- The weekly honor was the first of Parichkov's career in his debut campaign with the Phoenix. This is Krstic's second time being part of a CAA Doubles Team of the Week but the first since March 28, 2023, when he earned the honor as a freshman alongside Antinheimo.
Regionals Run
- Krstic made a historic run at ITA Carolina Regionals in October, placing third in the main singles draw.
- The senior advanced to the semifinals in the event, becoming the first Elon player to make the final four in singles at Regionals since Cameron Silverman in 2013.
- Krstic delivered four victories to reach the semifinals, defeating players from North Carolina, Charlotte, Clemson and South Carolina along the way.
- In his semifinal against Wake Forest's Luca Pow, Krstic won the second set, 6-2, after dropping the opener in a tiebreak. He pushed Pow to the end, ultimately falling 4-6 in the deciding frame.
- Krstic finished the fall with a team-best 10 singles victories. He also had six doubles wins.
- Krstic rose to No. 60 in the first ITA singles rankings of the spring, which were released on Feb. 4. He is the second Elon individual to reach the top 60 in the rankings and is the only CAA player in the current singles ranking.
- Krstic is up to 40 career dual singles victories. An All-CAA First Team honoree in singles a season ago, Krstic has posted double-digit singles wins in all three seasons with the Phoenix.
Rafa Rising
- Ymer leads the Phoenix with three singles victories this spring, all coming from the No. 2 position. He owns a 3-1 overall record, with his only loss coming against a ranked opponent at Duke.
- The sophomore picked up a ranked singles win on Jan. 21 against No. 11 Texas A&M, defeating Alexander Frusina, who was ranked No. 73 by the ITA in singles.
- Ymer captured his second career CAA Player of the Week honor on Jan. 27, highlighted in the season's first CAA weekly men's tennis awards.
- He also holds a 2-1 mark at No. 2 doubles. His two wins are tied for the team lead this season alongside Curtis.
Back In Maroon And Gold
- Joining Krstic as a senior this year is Antinheimo, who has a combined 68 dual victories (36 in singles, 32 in doubles) in four years with the Phoenix. Antinheimo has been an All-CAA Second Team selection in both singles (2024) and doubles (2025) during his Elon career.
- Curtis is entering his third spring campaign with Elon after earning All-CAA recognition in both singles and doubles as a sophomore. He tallied 10 wins in both singles and doubles a season ago, which included a perfect 2-0 mark in singles in the CAA Tournament.
- Sophomores Pilet and Ymer both return after productive freshman seasons. Ymer led the Phoenix with 11 singles wins and tied with Curtis for a team-best 10 doubles victories, with Pilet notching 10 total wins across singles and doubles.
- Roca and Forester also return for the Phoenix this spring. Roca went 4-2 in singles this fall, while Forester earned his first Elon win this fall at the Wake Forest Invite.
Four In A Row
- Elon has advanced to four straight CAA championship matches, a streak that began in 2022.
- Last season, the Phoenix hosted the event at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center and defeated Monmouth in the semifinals to reach the final against top-seeded UNCW.
- The Phoenix and Seahawks have met in each of the last four conference title matches, with UNCW winning all four.
- In the last four CAA Tournaments, Elon is 7-0 in the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds. The Phoenix's last loss prior to the championship match came in 2021.
Scouting Charlotte
- Charlotte is 5-1 this season, opening with four straight wins before a 5-2 loss at No. 16 Clemson on Feb. 8. The 49ers bounced back with a win against South Carolina State on Tuesday.
- The 49ers finished 12-11 last year, including a 2-6 mark in road matches, and fell in the second round of the American Athletic Conference Tournament.
- Redshirt senior Vasco Prata has been perfect at No. 2 singles, opening the season 3-0 with a win at Clemson among his victories.
- A key contributor at No. 3 singles, junior Andres Medus holds a 3-2 record, highlighted by a win over No. 122 Jonathan Irwanto of Georgia Tech.
- Freshman Massimo Pizzigoni has impressed at the No. 4 spot, posting a 5-1 mark with his only loss coming against a ranked opponent.
- As a team, Charlotte is 2-4 at No. 1 singles but a perfect 5-0 at No. 2 singles.
- The 49ers are led by seventh-year head coach Kyle Bailey.
Scouting NC State
- NC State is 7-1 this season and currently ranked No. 13 in the ITA rankings, with its only loss coming against a ranked Duke team.
- The Wolfpack finished 22-7 last year, including an 11-2 record at home, before falling to Columbia in the NCAA Super Regionals.
- NC State features four ranked singles players – No. 11 Martin Borisiuk, No. 69 Jules Leroux, No. 88 William Manning and No. 114 Charlie Camus.
- Borisiuk advanced to the NCAA singles semifinals in November but is 1-3 at No. 1 singles so far this spring.
- Redshirt sophomore Jules Leroux holds a 6-2 record in dual singles, including a 2-0 mark at the No. 1 position.
- Charlie Camus, recently named ACC Freshman of the Week, is 7-1 in dual singles matches this season while competing at the Nos. 4 and 5 spots.
- NC State is undefeated at No. 2 doubles with a 7-0 record.
- The Wolfpack are led by ninth-year head coach Kyle Spencer.
Stay Posted
For further coverage of Elon men's tennis, follow the Phoenix on X (@ElonMTennis), Instagram (elonmtennis) and Facebook (Elon Men's Tennis).
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