CAA Men's Tennis Championship Gets Underway On Thursday
Rob Washburn
CAA MEN'S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET
RICHMOND, Va. (April 17, 2024) – The 2024 CAA Men’s Tennis Championship gets underway on Thursday with 11 teams competing for the conference title at the Mackesy Tennis Center at the Millie West Courts on the campus of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va. The 11-team field is the largest in the history of the men’s championship.
The tournament begins with three first-round matches on Thursday. At 9 a.m., #8 Charleston meets #9 North Carolina A&T, followed by #7 Drexel against #10 Hofstra at Noon. Rounding out the opening day at 3 p.m., #6 Campbell makes its CAA tournament debut against #11 Hampton.
The quarterfinals start at 9 a.m. on Friday as top seed and defending champion UNCW faces the Charleston/North Carolina A&T winner, followed by #4 Monmouth against #5 William & Mary at Noon. Second-seeded Delaware takes on the Drexel/Hofstra winner at 3 p.m. and #3 Elon battles the Campbell/Hampton winner at 6 p.m.
The two semifinal matches are scheduled for Noon and 3 p.m. on Saturday and the championship match is set for 2 p.m. on Sunday, with the winner earning an automatic berth in the NCAA Men’s Tennis Championship.
UNCW (14-5) has captured the past three CAA men’s tennis titles and is looking to win its 10th championship in 15 years. The Seahawks, who are at No. 52 in the latest ITA rankings, return five of the six members of their singles lineup from a year ago, led by first-team All-CAA honorees Harold Huens and Reece Falck as well as veterans Bek Rasamatov and Gabe Hurtado. UNCW is riding a nine-match winning streak, including victories over No. 50 Old Dominion and No. 48 Liberty last week.
Delaware (15-3), which is ranked No. 71 in the latest ITA rankings, received its highest tournament seed in program history. The Blue Hens opened the season on a 13-match winning streak and are looking to earn their first CAA Tournament title. Karol Malirz and Nikolaj Talimaa are at the top of the Delaware lineup while No. 3 singles player Javier Ruiz has a 14-1 dual match record.
Elon (14-7) has reached the championship match in three of the past four tournaments and earned its first CAA title in 2019. The Phoenix is led by Veljko Krstic and 2023 CAA Player of the Year Daniel Martin in the top two spots of its lineup and No. 3 singles player Oskar Antinheimo owns a 14-5 dual match record.
Monmouth (15-5) advanced to the semifinals of the CAA Tournament in its inaugural season in 2023 and has been nationally ranked for much of the spring. The Hawks have gotten outstanding seasons from their top two singles players, Mateo Bivol and Adam Hillerby.
William & Mary (12-9) was nationally ranked for several weeks in the spring and enters the tournament on a three-match win streak. The Tribe has won four CAA titles and has reached the finals in three of the past six tournaments. At the top of the lineup for W&M are Alexandre Leblanc and Satchel Benn.
Campbell (12-7), which has won five of its last six contests, makes its inaugural appearance in the CAA Tournament after reaching the Big South championship match six times in the past nine years. The Camels’ top two players, Damien Nezar and Benjamin Maes, are a combined 23-6 in singles dual matches.
Drexel (12-8) advanced to the semifinals of last year’s tournament and is looking to continue that success. The Dragons have experience at the top of the lineup with All-CAA standout Alan Jesudason and No. 2 player Hussein El Tawil has 10 singles victories.
Charleston (11-10) has reached the CAA Tournament finals three times and won its only title in 2016. The Cougars feature Mattia Bernardi and Zac Larke in the top two spots of the lineup.
North Carolina A&T (15-4) comes into the championship on a three-match winning streak. The Aggies are led by Esteban Lopez, who earned first-team All-CAA accolades in 2023, and Lucas Coupu-Moison.
Hofstra (7-10) has won three of its last four matches, including a 4-3 victory over Monmouth to close the regular season. Topping the Pride lineup are Ostap Kovalenko and Joshua Reynolds.
Hampton (8-13) went 5-1 over its final six matches heading into the tournament. The Pirates will count on Emiliano Jorquera and reigning CAA Player of the Week Daniel Flynn atop their lineup.
There is free admission to all matches at the 2024 CAA Men’s Tennis Championship.
In the event of inclement weather, matches will be moved to the McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center on the William & Mary campus.
To stay up to date with what is happening be sure to follow the CAA on Twitter (@CAASports), Instagram (@caasports) and join the conversation using the hashtag #CAAChamps. For live results, recaps, highlights and more, visit
CAASports.com/mtennis.