LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Elon men's tennis team (5-12) won a pair of singles matches Saturday at No. 69 Liberty (11-9) but fell 5-2 to the Flames at the Liberty Tennis Complex.
Nikola Parichkov and
Rafael Ymer both won third sets to put points on the board for the Phoenix. The Flames won the doubles point and four singles matches to secure the victory.
The Rundown
- Liberty won the doubles point with victories at the top two spots.
- The Flames went ahead 4-0 with wins at the Nos. 3, 4 and 6 positions.
- Parichkov put the Phoenix on the board with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 victory on Court 5 against David Ekpenyong. It was Parichkov's second straight victory and his fifth of the spring. The sophomore has now won a pair of decisive sets this season.
- Veljko Krstic won the second set on Court 1 to force his second straight match tiebreak after also playing one Wednesday against Campbell. Liberty's Siwanat Auytayakul won the breaker, 11-9, to put another point on the board for the Flames.
- In the final match to finish, Ymer came from a set down to earn his sixth straight singles win. The sophomore defeated Benjamin Sparks 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 for his team-best 13th win of the spring. Ymer is now 4-1 in full final sets this season.
Up Next
The Phoenix wraps up its regular season with a neutral site match against St. John's on April 13. The contest will be played at the Tennis Center of Camden in Camden, South Carolina. The start time is to be determined.
Stay Posted
For further coverage of Elon men's tennis, follow the Phoenix on X (@ElonMTennis), Instagram (elonmtennis) and Facebook (Elon Men's Tennis).
Results
Singles
1. Siwanat Auytayakul (Liberty) def. No. 112
Veljko Krstic (Elon) 7-5, 3-6, 11-9
2.
Rafael Ymer (Elon) def. Benjamin Sparks (Liberty) 4-6, 6-1, 6-4
3. Rodrigo Santiago Arraez (Liberty) def.
Jack Curtis (Elon) 6-1, 7-5
4. Carl Roothman (Liberty) def.
Oskar Antinheimo (Elon) 6-2, 6-4
5.
Nikola Parichkov (Elon) def. David Ekpenyong (Liberty) 6-4, 3-6, 6-2
6. Chase Robinson (Liberty) def.
Charles Pilet (Elon) 6-3, 7-5
Doubles
1. David Ekpenyong/Benjamin Sparks (Liberty) def.
Jack Curtis/
Veljko Krstic (Elon) 6-2
2. Guy Vorwerk/Rodrigo Santiago Arraez (Liberty) def.
Oskar Antinheimo/
Rafael Ymer (Elon) 6-0
3.
Nikola Parichkov/
Nick Fisk (Elon) vs. Chase Robinson/Siwanat Auytayakul (Liberty) 3-3, unfinished
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (4,3,6,5,1,2)
--ELON--
