ELON, N.C. – The Elon University men’s tennis team has begun its 2024 campaign, led by seven-time conference coach of the year and school legend Michael Leonard. In his 20th season, Leonard pilots an ambitious Phoenix squad stocked with exciting young talent and loaded with experience that understands what it takes to make a deep postseason run.
Entering the 2023 CAA Tournament as the No. 3 seed, the Phoenix defeated Delaware and Monmouth to solidify a spot in its third CAA final in four years and face the UNCW Seahawks for the conference title. The Seahawks seized a 4-1 victory to claim their third straight CAA championship.
Following a 15-9 season that ended in heartbreak, that heartbreak has not put a damper on the team’s vibe heading into 2024.
Returning to the Phoenix is CAA Tournament MVP Daniel Martin, who elected for a fifth year after last spring’s finals defeat. After transferring from the University of Minnesota his sophomore year, he struck gold with the maroon and gold and has found a home at Elon. Along with winning tournament MVP, Martin also claimed CAA Player of the Year a season ago.
“Dan’s been a leader. He’s kind of a quiet leader, but the guys look up to him,” Leonard said. “He’s had tremendous success in his years here. He had such a good year last year. He’s a fifth year and sometimes it’s a challenge because you’re looking at your next phase of life. He’s realizing he’s got to find that edge this spring to keep him motivated because that’s what gave him so much success.”
Another compelling player to watch for the Phoenix this spring is reigning CAA Rookie of the Year Veljko Krstic. He posted a 16-4 singles record in his 20 completed matches last year, the second-most wins on the team. A native of Belgrade, Serbia, Krstic is feeling comfortable and confident heading into his second year.
“The atmosphere with the guys is good,” Krstic said. “It’s not about individual accomplishments, it’s more about how the team is doing overall. We’re always pumping each other up; [it’s] more of that rather than everyone being selfish and looking for their own accomplishments. [It’s] more of looking at the big picture.”
Coming off his strong freshman campaign, Krstic made his debut at No. 1 singles during Elon’s season opener at No. 15 Wake Forest. Leonard said he is excited for what Krstic can do this season.
“He’s got a big game, but I think he’s matured a lot,” Leonard said. “He’s developed the ability to have a little bit more versatility. He’s always had a heavy, big, physical game but I think his mentality has matured, he’s really grown. He’s now seeing what his potential really is. We’re looking forward to seeing what he can do this spring.”
In the team’s opener at the nationally ranked Demon Deacons on Jan. 15, Elon fell 5-2. However, young talent again dazzled for the team in the form of Oskar Antinheimo and Jack Curtis.
Antinheimo, the second-year stud from Helsinki, Finland, flashed his ability in a singles match at the No. 4 spot. He claimed another singles victory at Georgia State in the same position to earn CAA Player of the Week honors. The recipient of the team’s 2023 Heart and Hustle award, Antinheimo’s young career looks promising.
The other player victorious in Winston-Salem was Curtis, a mid-season addition. A freshman from Portsmouth, England, Curtis had only been with the team two weeks before playing Wake Forest, but made those weeks count.
“I haven’t been here long but the team’s been great and welcoming,” Curtis said.
Curtis will have to continue to prove himself throughout the season but has already earned praise from Leonard in his short tenure with the program thus far.
“Our team’s deeper than we’ve been,” Leonard said. “You never know how it’s all going to pan out, but I think we’ve got a little more depth.”
On top of all of the young, exciting talent the Phoenix contains, there’s no shortage of experience either. Joining Daniel Martin as captain for the Phoenix this year is Ben Zipay, the lone senior on the squad. Zipay’s 2023 season, which included 12 singles and 11 doubles wins, catapulted the veteran to be the recipient of the team’s Most Improved award.
Another veteran that is new to the Phoenix is graduate student Dylan Heap, a New Zealand native with four years of collegiate tennis experience, most recently at Rice, under his belt. In addition to Curtis, Heap is one of the team’s three newcomers for 2024, along with junior Juan Sengariz and freshman Alonso Roca. Sengariz, a Spain native, joins Elon after two productive years at Anderson university.
The Phoenix is primed for another deep CAA Tournament run and will look to rely on the drive of their diverse talent and experience.
“If we can stay healthy, I think all eight of our guys will compete,” Leonard said. “I think there’s potential here if we grow and continue to improve.”
The regular season runs through April 12, leading into the CAA Tournament on April 18-21 in Williamsburg, Va.
Three Things To Know
CAA Tournament Success – Elon has reached the championship match of the CAA Tournament in three of the last four seasons, including each of the last two.
Dan The Man – Back for his fifth year of college tennis, Daniel Martin is the reigning CAA Player of the Year, CAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player and CAA Leadership and Sport Excellence Award recipient for men’s tennis.
See You At The JPTC – The Phoenix will host 12 matches at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center with the first set for Feb. 13 against South Carolina State.
‘Rising Phoenix’ is a new student-led initiative to cover Elon Athletics. Through innovative content creation and storytelling, Elon University students will have the opportunity to highlight the moments, people and events that make an impact, leveraging the athletic department’s various web and social media platforms for distribution. Follow Rising Phoenix on Twitter (@EURisingPhoenix) and Instagram (@elonrisingphoenix). Interested in joining this initiative as a content creator (video, graphics, writing, storytelling, or more)? Contact Jacob Kisamore at [email protected].
–ELON–