ELON – For the third time in the last six matches, the Elon men's tennis team (5-11) will play a road tilt in Virginia as the Phoenix heads to Lynchburg on Saturday to face No. 69 Liberty (9-9). First serve is scheduled for 1 p.m.

Elon vs. No. 69 Liberty Briefing 
Match Details: April 4, 2026 | Lynchburg, Va. | Liberty Tennis Complex | 1 p.m. 
Admission: Free 
Live Scoring: IonCourt
Stream: Swing Vision
Elon Links: News | Roster | Schedule | Stats 
Liberty Links: News | Roster | Schedule | Stats
 
The Matchup

• Elon holds a narrow 9-6 advantage in the head-to-head against Liberty.
• The Phoenix snapped a four-match losing streak against the Flames last season, topping Liberty 6-1 at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center.
• Elon has dropped its last three trips to Lynchburg, with the most recent coming in 2024. The Phoenix lost that match 4-3.
• Elon's last road victory against the Flames came on Feb. 7, 2016.
• Two of the last three matches between Elon and Liberty have been decided by a 4-3 score.

 
Last Time Out

• Elon defeated Campbell, 6-1, on Wednesday in its Senior Day match at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center.
• The Phoenix improved to 2-0 against CAA opponents this season with the victory.
• Elon took the doubles point after both its seniors contributed with victories.
• On Court 1, Veljko Krstic notched a 6-4 win playing alongside Jack Curtis. It was the first ever win for the duo that debuted on March 29 against Old Dominion.
• Oskar Antinheimo, Elon's other senior, clinched the doubles point with a tiebreak win on Court 2 with partner Rafael Ymer. It was the second time the duo has gone to a tiebreak in their last three outings.
• The winning doubles point snapped a streak of three straight losing doubles points for the Phoenix.
• Elon won five of the six singles matches, highlighted by a victory from Antinheimo on Court 4 that served as the winning point for the Phoenix. The senior won 6-3, 6-0 for his fourth win in the last six matches.
• Nikola Parichkov won a pair of 6-0 sets on Court 5 in his most efficient performance of the season. Jack Curtis dropped just three games in a straight-set win at the No. 3 spot.
• On Court 6, Charles Pilet came through an opening set tiebreak on his way to a victory, while Rafael Ymer battled through a match tiebreak at the No. 2 position.

 
About the Phoenix

• Elon sits at 5-11 this season and is coming off a Senior Day win over Campbell. The Phoenix has won both its matches against CAA opponents this spring.
• Veljko Krstic is ranked No. 112 in the ITA singles poll and has won four of his last five matches at No. 1 singles, highlighted by a victory over No. 56 Old Dominion. He earned All-CAA honors in both singles and doubles a season ago.
• Rafael Ymer and Jack Curtis also picked up All-CAA recognition in both singles and doubles last season. Ymer leads the Phoenix with 20 total victories across doubles and singles this season, while Curtis has five wins apiece doubles and singles.
• Oskar Antinheimo rounded out Elon's postseason honorees in 2025, landing on the All-CAA Second Team in doubles. Antinheimo has won four of his last six singles matches and is 4-1 playing doubles with Ymer this spring.
• 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. 
• Elon has been to four straight CAA title matches, losing all four to UNCW.  
• Head coach Maciek Sykut is in his second year at the helm of the Phoenix. 

 
Rafa Rising  

• Ymer leads the Phoenix with 12 singles victories this spring, with 11 coming at the No. 2 position and one from the No. 1 spot.
• He owns a 12-3 overall record and enters Saturday riding a five-match winning streak.
• The sophomore earned a ranked singles win on Jan. 21, defeating No. 73 Alexander Frusina of No. 11 Texas A&M. He later added victories at home against Charlotte, on the road at No. 23 NC State and at home over No. 56 Old Dominion.   
• Four of Ymer's last six singles wins have come in either a third set or match tiebreak. His three final-set wins lead the Phoenix, as he is 3-1 in decisive frames on the season. He has also won both his match tiebreaks, including the most recent on Wednedsay against Campbell.
• 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 the No. 2 spot, he holds an 8-3 record in doubles. He is 4-1 playing with Antinheimo and 4-2 playing with Curtis.
• Ymer's 20 victories across doubles and singles are the most on the Phoenix. He holds a combined record of 20-6.

 
Serbian Surge   

• 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. 112. He has appeared in all six editions of the rankings since debuting on Nov. 25.
• Krstic is up to 44 career dual singles victories, the most among current Elon players. An All-CAA First Team honoree in singles a season ago, Krstic posted double-digit singles wins in each of his first three seasons with the Phoenix.    
• With his March 20 win over William & Mary, Krstic snapped a six-match singles skid and has since surged into form, winning four of his last five appearances. The run was highlighted by a victory over No. 56 Old Dominion on March 29.
• For the third time in his Elon career, Krstic was tabbed CAA Player of the Week on Tuesday. It was his third CAA weekly honor of the season after winning Doubles Team of the Week twice with Parichkov.

 
Big O

• Antinheimo has won four of his last six singles matches heading into Saturday, with both losses coming in third sets.
• The senior has picked up singles wins against Coastal Carolina, William & Mary, VCU and Campbell in that span, with both matches in Virginia going three sets.
• Antinheimo is one of three Phoenix players to play four different singles spots this spring. He has made at least one appearance at Nos. 3-6 singles.
• Antinheimo has also won five of his last six matches in doubles, four of which came alongside Ymer. Antinheimo and Ymer were also at match point at No. 3 doubles against No. 34 Clemson when their match was halted.
• Antinheimo is up to 77 career dual victories (40 in singles, 37 in doubles) in his fourth season with the Phoenix. He is Elon's active leader in total career wins.

 
Curtis Cruising

• Curtis has 10 total wins this season, with five apiece in singles and doubles.
• The junior has won four of his last five completed singles matches, with all the wins coming in straight sets. His only loss in that stretch was in three sets at VCU.
• Curtis lost just three games in his singles win against Campbell on Wednesday, his most efficient singles performance of the spring.
• Curtis debuted with Krstic in doubles on March 29 against Old Dominion. The duo won their first match together Wednesday against Campbell.
• The junior has also picked up four victories alongside Ymer this spring and is 5-3 overall in doubles.

 
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.    

 
Doubles Success

• The Phoenix has won eight of 16 doubles points this spring and has taken the opening point in seven of its last 12 matches, including in CAA victories over Campbell and William & Mary.
• Krstic and Parichkov have won two CAA Doubles Team of the Week honors this season, including on March 24. Elon's No. 1 duo leads the team with five victories this spring and has clinched a pair of doubles points for the Phoenix with tiebreak victories.  
• Curtis and Ymer have been one of Elon's most successful pairings, going 4-2 at the No. 2 spot. Ymer is also 4-1 this spring playing alongside Antinheimo.
• Seven different doubles duos have won a match this spring for the Phoenix, with Curtis and Krstic winning their first match together Wednesday against Campbell.

 
Scouting No. 69 Liberty

• Liberty is currently 9-9 on the season and will take on No. 56 Old Dominion on Thursday in a top-70 ITA matchup before facing the Phoenix.
• The Flames checked in at No. 69 in Tuesday's ITA team rankings.
• Old Dominion will be the third ITA ranked opponent Liberty has faced in its last four matches. The Flames toppled No. 74 South Florida on March 27 after losing to No. 56 Charlotte on March 22.
• Liberty also has a ranked win over No. 64 Washington, which came on Feb. 27.
• Rodrigo Santiago Arraez has primarily played the top singles spot for the Flames, winning five times.
• Chase Robinson leads Liberty with an 11-5 mark in singles this spring. Seven of his 11 wins have come playing the No. 6 spot.
• Benjamin Sparks has nine victories for the Flames, with David Ekpenyong close behind with eight.
• Santiago Arraez and Guy Vorwerk form Liberty's winningest doubles tandem, as the duo has 10 victories this spring, with seven of them coming at the No. 3 spot.
• Ekpenyong and Sparks have a pair of wins at the top doubles spot and have five more playing No. 2 doubles.
• The Flames are led by head coach Derek Schwandt, who is in his ninth season leading the program.

 
Stay Posted    
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