ELON – The Elon men's tennis team (2-5) returns home this weekend for a pair of matches, hosting Georgia State (3-5) on Saturday at 1 p.m. and South Carolina State (1-6) on Sunday at 1 p.m. Both contests will be played at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center.
Elon vs. Georgia State Briefing
Match Details: March 7, 2026 | Elon, N.C. | Jimmy Powell Tennis Center | 1 p.m.
Admission: Free
Elon vs. South Carolina State Briefing
Match Details: March 8, 2026 | Elon, N.C. | Jimmy Powell Tennis Center | 1 p.m.
Admission: Free
The Matchups
- Saturday marks the seventh all-time meeting between Elon and Georgia State, with the Panthers leading the series, 4-2.
- Elon's last win over Georgia State came in 2023, a 6-1 victory at home. Oskar Antinheimo earned wins in singles and doubles, while Veljko Krstic added a singles point.
- The most recent matchup came in 2024, when the Phoenix fell 4-3 on the road. Antinheimo and Jack Curtis won as a doubles pair and each picked up singles victories, while Krstic also secured a singles win.
- Both of Elon's wins in the series have come at home, including a 7-0 sweep in 2009 in the inaugural meeting between the programs.
- Sunday will mark the sixth all-time meeting between Elon and South Carolina State, with the Phoenix leading the series, 4-1.
- The teams last met in 2024, when Elon earned a 7-0 home sweep. Antinheimo and Curtis claimed a doubles win and each added singles victories, with Krstic also winning in singles.
Last Time Out
- Elon dropped a tight affair against Florida Gulf Coast on Feb. 27 at Piedmont Indoor Tennis in Greensboro, falling 4-2.
- Elon took the doubles point behind a pair of victories from first-time duos.
- On Court 2, Nick Fisk and Charles Pilet paired up for a 6-3 victory against Stefan Correa and Pablo Paternostro. It was Fisk's second career dual doubles victory, both of which have come this season at Piedmont.
- The Phoenix clinched the doubles point with a 6-4 victory from Oskar Antinheimo and Rafael Ymer at the No. 3 spot, as the tandem took down Mika Bunjes and Gustav Hasslegren.
- The Eagles tied the score at 1-1 with a straight-set triumph at No. 4 singles.
- After Antinheimo almost completed a comeback from 1-5 down in the third set at No. 3 singles, Parichkov completed an improbable rally of his own, coming from 2-5 down in the third set and 1-4 down in a third-set tiebreak to win 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (5) and level the overall match score, 2-2.
- Florida Gulf Coast won another three-set tussle on Court 1 to take a 3-2 lead.
- Needing victories at both the Nos. 5 and 6 spots to win the match, Elon turned to Alonso Roca and Nick Fisk, who were both making their first singles appearances since the Phoenix's last match at Piedmont against UNCG on Feb. 8.
- Roca played a marathon first-set tiebreak on Court 5 against Bunjes. The junior saved a pair of set points to go from 4-6 down to 6-6. They continued to trade points until Bunjes finally pulled through, 11-9. Bunjes then won the second set, 6-2, to clinch a Florida Gulf Coast victory.
About The Phoenix
- Senior Veljko Krstic returned to the Phoenix after earning 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 last spring, landing on the All-CAA Second Team in doubles.
- Elon returns three more players from last season – Luke Forester, Charles Pilet and Alonso Roca.
- The Phoenix welcomed two newcomers in 2025-26. Nick Fisk joined Elon as a freshman, while sophomore Nikola Parichkov came to Elon after being a part of Wake Forest's national championship team last spring.
- Elon has appeared in four consecutive CAA championship matches, falling to UNCW in all four.
- Maciek Sykut is in his second year at the helm of the Phoenix.
Rafa Rising
- Ymer leads the Phoenix with five singles victories this spring, all coming at the No. 2 position. He owns a 5-1 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. He later added another singles victory on the road at No. 23 NC State.
- Ymer is currently on a four-match winning streak, with all four victories coming in straight sets.
- 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.
- Primarily competing at No. 2 doubles, he holds a 4-1 doubles record, and his four victories lead the team.
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 currently ranked No. 94.
- 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.
Back In Maroon And Gold
- Joining Krstic as a senior this year is Antinheimo, who has a combined 69 dual victories (36 in singles, 33 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 in his third spring campaign with Elon after earning All-CAA recognition in both singles and doubles as a sophomore. He has won three doubles matches this season alongside Ymer.
- Sophomores Pilet and Ymer both returned after productive freshman seasons. Pilet has a pair of singles victories this spring against Saint Joseph's and Charlotte.
- Roca and Forester also returned 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.
Doubles Success
- The Phoenix has won four of seven doubles points this spring and has taken the opening point in three of its last four matches.
- Curtis and Ymer have been Elon's most successful pairing, winning three matches at the No. 2 spot. They have helped the Phoenix clinch all three of its doubles points in the last four outings.
- Krstic and Parichkov took home the first CAA Doubles Team of the Week honor on Jan. 27 after beating a ranked duo from Saint Joseph's. Elon's top tandem also clinched the doubles point for the Phoenix against Charlotte with a clutch tiebreak win.
- Five different doubles duos have won a match this spring for the Phoenix.
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 Georgia State
- The Panthers are 3-5 this season, with their only Division I win coming in a 4-3 home result over Alabama A&M on Feb. 14.
- Georgia State dropped its last match, 4-3, at Mercer on Feb. 25, and will play at Liberty on March 6 before facing the Phoenix the following day. Georgia State is 0-4 on the road this spring.
- Senior Gabriele Datei, who plays No. 1 singles and doubles, is tied for the team lead with five doubles wins, primarily alongside freshman Arthur Attrill.
- Datei defeated Elon's Veljko Krstic in doubles in 2024, though Krstic has won each of their last two singles matchups.
- Attrill, standing at 6-foot-7, also has five doubles victories and ranks second on the team with four singles wins, primarily at the No. 2 position.
- Freshman Gustav Andersson leads the team with 10 total wins, competing mainly at No. 3 doubles and No. 6 singles.
- Georgia State is led by second-year head coach Derrick Taylor.
Scouting South Carolina State
- The Bulldogs are 1-6 this season, with their only win coming in a 4-1 decision at UAB on Feb. 20.
- South Carolina State dropped its last match, 4-0, at Wake Forest on March 1, and will play its first home match against Youngstown State on March 6 before facing the Phoenix on Sunday.
- The Bulldogs have been swept in four of their six losses, including to Charlotte, who beat Elon, 4-3, on Feb. 19.
- South Carolina State is led by head coach Hardeep Judge.
Stay Posted
For further coverage of Elon men's tennis, follow the Phoenix on X (@ElonMTennis), Instagram (elonmtennis) and Facebook (Elon Men's Tennis).
--ELON--
