Elon Captures First CAA Men's Tennis Championship Since 2019 With 4-1 Win Over UNCW
Rob Washburn
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (April 19, 2026) – Second-seeded Elon captured its first CAA Men’s Tennis Championship since 2019, knocking off #1 UNCW, 4-1, on Sunday morning at the Mackesy Tennis Center.
With the victory, the Phoenix (8-12) earn an automatic berth to the NCAA Men’s Tennis Championship.
Elon had fallen to UNCW in the CAA championship match for the past four years before the Phoenix turned the tables and ended the Seahawks’ streak of five consecutive conference titles on Sunday.
For the second straight day, Elon staged a dramatic rally to earn the doubles point. UNCW took an early advantage as the Seahawks’ No. 2 team of Lukas Steffen and William Dean captured the final five games and defeated Rafael Ymer and Jack Curtis, 6-1. At No. 1, a back-and-forth battle resulted in a tiebreaker at 6-6. UNCW’s Alex de Gabriele and Brady Hussey sprinted out to a 3-0 lead, but Elon’s Veljko Krstic and Nikola Parichkov reeled off the next seven points for a 7-6 (3) victory. There was similar drama on Court 3. Elon’s Oskar Antinheimo and Nick Fisk trailed 5-4 to UNCW’s Jordi Domenech and Tomas Marin but were able to break serve to even the match. The contest went to a tiebreaker, where Antinheimo and Fisk won the first four points and went on to a 7-6 (2) victory to put the Phoenix up 1-0 in the match.
Elon increased its lead to 2-0 when Antinheimo downed Oscar Bumgartner, 6-2, 7-5 at No. 4. UNCW got on the board at No. 1 as Steffen recorded a 7-5, 6-2 victory over Krstic, but the Phoenix responded with a 6-2, 7-5 win by Curtis over Domenech at No. 3. The match was decided at the No. 2 spot, when Ymer rallied for a 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 triumph over de Gabriele.
2026 CAA MEN’S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP
MACKESY TENNIS CENTER – WILLIAMSBURG, VA
FINALS – APRIL 19
#2 Elon 4, #1 UNCW 1
Singles
#1 Lukas Steffen (UNCW) d. Veljko Krstic (EU), 7-5, 6-2
#2 Rafael Ymer (EU) d. Alex de Gabriele (UNCW), 3-6, 6-3, 6-1
#3 Jack Curtis (EU) d. Jordi Domenech (UNCW), 6-2, 7-5
#4 Oskar Antinheimo (EU) d. Oscar Baumgartner (UNCW), 6-2, 7-5
#5 Nikola Parichkov (EU) vs. Tomas Marin (UNCW) – DNF, 6-2, 5-7, 4-1
#6 Charles Pilet (EU) vs. Brady Hussey (UNCW) – DNF, 6-7 (3), 6-4, 1-0
Order of Finish: 4, 1, 3, 2*
Doubles
#1 Krstic/Parichkov (EU) d. de Gabriele/Hussey (UNCW), 7-6 (3)
#2 Steffen/William Dean (UNCW) d. Ymer/Curtis (EU), 6-1
#3 Antinheimo/Nick Fisk (EU) d. Domenech/Marin (UNCW), 7-6 (2)
Order of Finish: 2, 1, 3*