ELON – The Elon men's tennis team (8-12) makes its return to the NCAA Tournament on Friday with a first-round match against No. 12 Georgia (18-8) at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Georgia. First serve is slated for 4 p.m. Â
The Phoenix won its second CAA championship earlier this month to secure the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. This will be Elon's second straight NCAA first round match against the Bulldogs, the first coming in 2019.Â
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Elon vs. No. 12 Georgia Briefing  Â
Match Details: May 1, 2026 | Athens, Ga. | Dan Magill Tennis Complex | 4 p.m.  Â
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The MatchupÂ
- Elon is 0-1 all-time against the Bulldogs, with the lone meeting coming in the 2019 NCAA Tournament in Chapel Hill.Â
- No. 18 Georgia earned a 4-0 sweep in that matchup, though Elon picked up two sets in singles play.
- The Phoenix entered the match at 21-4, but could not overcome the Bulldogs, who were eliminated in the next round by North Carolina.Â
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About the Phoenix Â
- Elon is coming off its second CAA Tournament title on April 19 after defeating five-time defending champion UNCW in the championship match.
- The Phoenix also defeated host William & Mary on the way to its fourth conference title as a Division I program.
- Veljko Krstic has been ranked in the ITA singles standings for most of the spring and has won six of his last nine matches at the No. 1 spot, including a win against the Tribe in the CAA Tournament. He earned All-CAA honors in both singles and doubles a season ago.Â
- Rafael Ymer and Jack Curtis also picked up All-CAA recognition in both singles and doubles last season. Ymer leads the Phoenix with 26 total victories across doubles and singles this season, highlighted by a team-best 16 in singles. Curtis has seven wins in doubles and six in singles.Â
- Oskar Antinheimo rounded out Elon's postseason honorees in 2025, landing on the All-CAA Second Team in doubles. Antinheimo has won six of his last nine completed singles matches, which includes a victory in the CAA final against the Seahawks.Â
- 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. Pilet won a CAA Tournament singles match against William & Mary.Â
- 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.  Â
- Head coach Maciek Sykut is in his second year at the helm of the Phoenix.  Â
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Dethroning The ChampsÂ
- Elon won its second CAA championship on April 19, defeating top-seed and five-time defending conference champion UNCW 4-1 in the championship match at William & Mary's Mackesy Tennis Center.
- The title bout was the fifth straight meeting between Elon and UNCW in the CAA final. UNCW had won the previous four matches.Â
- Elon's victory snapped UNCW's 12-match CAA Tournament winning streak.Â
- The Phoenix rallied from a break down to win both its doubles matches and take the opening point against the Seahawks.Â
- On Court 1, Krstic and Parichkov overcame an early break deficit against Brady Hussey and Alex de Gabriele, getting the match back on serve and eventually into a tiebreak. Elon's top tandem fell behind 3-0 but rallied to level the score at 3-3 at the change of ends. They took their first lead at 4-3 and never looked back, winning the next three points to take the tiebreak, 7-3.Â
- The doubles point came down to Antinheimo and Fisk on Court 3, who went down a break on two occasions, including a break that allowed UNCW's team of Jordi Domenech and Tomas Marin to serve for the match at 5-3. However, Antinheimo and Fisk broke serve and then held to level the contest at 5-5. Both teams added another hold to send the contest into a decisive tiebreak.Â
- Antinheimo and Fisk raced out to a 4-0 lead and led 4-2 at the changeover. Elon again pulled away after the change of ends, winning the next three points to secure the match and a 1-0 lead. It was the first victory of the season for Antinheimo and Fisk in their third appearance together.Â
- This was the first time the Phoenix won the doubles point against the Seahawks in the CAA title match in any of the last five years. Â
- Antinheimo put the Phoenix up 2-0 with a 6-2, 7-5 victory on Court 4 against Oscar Baumgartner. Antinheimo cruised through the first set but trailed by an early break in the second. He quickly got the match back on serve and held a 6-5 lead in the frame entering the final game. The senior took a 15-40 advantage in Baumgartner's service game and won the next point to clinch the match. The victory was Antinheimo's seventh of the spring and his first in four CAA championship match appearances in singles.Â
- UNCW pulled back within one with a victory at the top singles spot.Â
- Curtis moved Elon to within a point of the title with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Domenech on Court 3. Curtis led by a break early in the second set, but Domenech got the score back to 5-5. Curtis responded, breaking Domenech for a 6-5 lead before serving out the win in the ensuing game. It was the second straight season Curtis has won in singles in the CAA title match.Â
- For the second straight match, Ymer clinched victory for the Phoenix, coming from a set down against de Gabriele to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-1. It extended the junior's winning streak to nine matches and was his team-best 16th of the season.   Â
We Are The ChampionsÂ
- Elon's CAA title was its second since its debut season in the conference in 2015. The Phoenix also won the CAA championship in 2019.Â
- This was Elon's fourth conference championship as a Division I program, as the Phoenix won a pair of SoCon titles before moving to the CAA.Â
- Both of Elon's CAA championships have come by way of victories over UNCW in the tournament final.Â
- On its road to the title, Elon also defeated host William & Mary in the semifinals, sweeping the Tribe. Â
- Elon has played in five consecutive CAA championship matches, an active streak second only to UNCW among CAA teams.Â
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Elon In The NCAA TournamentÂ
- This will be Elon's fourth NCAA Tournament appearance. The Phoenix previously made the NCAA Tournament in 2007, 2014 and 2019. Â
- Elon is 0-3 in its NCAA Tournament matches, all coming in the first round. In 2014, the Phoenix took a point off No. 20 Tennessee, with Jordan Kaufman winning at No. 5 singles. Â
- The Phoenix has faced Clemson, Tennessee and Georgia in its first three NCAA Tournament matches. Â
- Friday will be Elon's first NCAA Tournament match under Sykut, who has coached NCAA Tournament teams as a coach at Duke, Arizona and NC State. Â
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Rafa Rising   Â
- Ymer leads the Phoenix with 16 singles victories this spring, with 15 coming at the No. 2 position and one from the No. 1 spot. Â
- He owns a 16-3 overall record and enters the NCAA tournament riding a nine-match winning streak.Â
- Ymer clinched the CAA title against UNCW on April 19 with a comeback three-set win on Court 2, securing victory for the second straight match after also punching Elon's ticket to the championship with a semifinal win over William & Mary.Â
- 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.    Â
- Four of Ymer's last five singles wins have come in either a third set or match tiebreak. His six final-set wins lead the Phoenix, as he is 6-1 in decisive frames on the season with three coming from a set down. He has also won both his match tiebreaks, including the most recent against Campbell on April 1.  Â
- The sophomore went 4-0 against CAA opponents this season, including wins in both of Elon's CAA Tournament victories.Â
- 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.   Â
- Primarily competing at the No. 2 spot, he holds a 10-5 record in doubles, including a win over William & Mary in the CAA Tournament semifinals alongside Curtis. He is 6-3 playing with Curtis and 4-2 playing with Antinheimo. Â
- Ymer's 26 victories across doubles and singles are the most on the Phoenix. He holds a combined record of 26-8. Â
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Serbian Surge    Â
- Krstic made a historic run at ITA Carolina Regionals in October, placing third in the main singles draw.      Â
- 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.     Â
- Krstic delivered four victories to reach the semifinals, defeating players from North Carolina, Charlotte, Clemson and South Carolina along the way.     Â
- 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.     Â
- Krstic finished the fall with a team-best 10 singles victories. He also had six doubles wins.     Â
- 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. The senior has appeared in six of the nine editions of the rankings since debuting on Nov. 25. Â
- Krstic is up to 46 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.     Â
- Krstic's March 20 win over William & Mary snapped a six-match singles skid and sparked a strong finish to his season, as he has since gone 6-3 in his last nine completed matches. The stretch includes a win over No. 56 Old Dominion, a victory against Big East champion St. John's and a CAA Tournament triumph against the Tribe.Â
- The senior delivered key comebacks in three crucial wins at the CAA Tournament, rallying from 1-5 down in doubles to win in a tiebreak against William & Mary before cruising in singles. Krstic then helped secure the title against UNCW by overturning an early break deficit and winning a 7-3 doubles tiebreak alongside Parichkov. Â
- For the third time in his Elon career, Krstic was tabbed CAA Player of the Week on March 31. It was his third CAA weekly honor of the season after winning Doubles Team of the Week twice with Parichkov.  Â
- Krstic and Parichkov are Elon's winningest doubles duo this spring. The No. 1 tandem for the Phoenix has seven victories, with two coming in Elon's CAA Tournament run.  Â
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Big OÂ Â
- Antinheimo has won three of his last four singles matches heading into the NCAA tournament, with the only loss coming against No. 69 Liberty.Â
- The senior has picked up singles wins against Campbell, St. John's and UNCW in that span. He is 3-0 against CAA opponents this spring.  Â
- At the CAA Tournament, Antinheimo accounted for two victories, both coming in the championship match over UNCW. He rallied from a 3-5 deficit playing alongside Fisk to win a decisive Court 3 tiebreak and secure the doubles point for Elon. The senior then followed with a 6-2, 7-5 singles win on Court 4, overcoming an early break in the second set to give Elon a 2-0 lead.Â
- 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. Â
- Antinheimo has also won six of his last nine 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 on March 15 when their match was halted. Â
- Antinheimo is up to 80 career dual victories (42 in singles, 38 in doubles) in his fourth season with the Phoenix. He is Elon's active leader in total career wins. Â
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Curtis Cruising Â
- Curtis has 13 total wins this season, with six in singles and seven in doubles. Â
- The junior has won five of his last eight completed singles matches, with all the wins coming in straight sets. His only losses in that stretch were in three sets against VCU and St. John's and in straight sets against No. 69 Liberty. Â
- Curtis lost just three games in his CAA singles win against Campbell on April 1, his most efficient singles performance of the spring. Â
- He was 3-0 against CAA opponents this spring, including a straight set victory in the championship match against UNCW on Court 3.Â
- The junior has also picked up five victories alongside Ymer this spring and is 6-4 overall in doubles. The duo reunited in a win over St. John's, then followed that up with a win in the CAA semifinal over William & Mary.  Â
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Pilet and Parichkov Finding FormÂ
- Both Parichkov and Pilet have rounded into stellar form late in the season.Â
- Pilet has won three of his last four completed singles matches against Campbell, Big East Champion St. John's and William & Mary in the CAA semifinal. The sophomore was also in a third set against UNCW when his match was halted.Â
- Pilet went 3-0 against conference opponents in singles this spring. Â
- In addition to teaming up with Krstic for a pair of CAA Tournament doubles victories, Parichkov has found his best form of the campaign in singles in recent weeks.Â
- Parichkov has won three straight completed singles outings against Campbell, No. 69 Liberty and St. John's. Â
- In both of Elon's CAA Tournament wins, Parichkov found himself embroiled in a third set when his matches were halted. He was up 4-1 against UNCW. Â
- Since Parichkov moved to No. 5 singles against Old Dominion on March 29, Elon is 4-2 as a team. Â
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Scouting No. 12 Georgia  Â
- Georgia enters the tournament at 18-8 overall and 11-3 in home matches this spring.Â
- The Bulldogs are the No. 12 seed in the NCAA Tournament and are No. 12 in the most recent ITA poll.
- The only teams to win at Georgia this season are No. 2 TCU, No. 9 Oklahoma and No. 51 Alabama. Â
- The Bulldogs suffered a 4-3 defeat in their last outing in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals against No. 7 LSU after defeating No. 26 Kentucky 4-2 in the second round.Â
- Georgia has played one CAA team this spring, defeating North Carolina A&T 4-0 on March 15 in Athens. Â
- Arda Azkara, ranked No. 45 in the ITA standings, primarily plays the No. 1 singles spot for the Bulldogs, going 6-5 on the first court. Â
- No. 40 Will Jansen holds a 13-4 dual singles record, mainly at the No. 2 position. No. 122 Santiago Giamichelle is 7-6 this season playing primarily the No. 3 spot. Â
- In doubles, Azkara and Giamichelle have eight dual wins together at the No. 1 position. The duo is currently ranked No. 3 in the nation by the ITA. Â
- The Bulldogs are led by head coach Jamie Hunt, who is in his second season with the program.Â
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Stay Posted     Â
For further coverage of Elon men's tennis, follow the Phoenix on X (@ElonMTennis), Instagram (elonmtennis) and Facebook (Elon Men's Tennis). Â
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