Utah State men’s tennis officially kicked off its fall tournament schedule this weekend at the Dar Walters Fall Classic in Boise, Idaho, delivering a strong showing across singles and doubles play. Highlighting the opening weekend for the Aggies was Eliot Nobel, who put together an undefeated 4-0 run in singles action as part of six total victories across the tournament.
The three-day event, running from September 25 through September 27, 2026, at Appleton Tennis Center and Julia Davis Park, brought together student-athletes from nine competing institutions. While Boise State hosted the annual tournament—showcasing performances from players like Eyad Ezzat, Brayden Tallakson, Izan Orgiles, and Julius Seifert—the Aggies made their presence felt through Nobel’s dominant start to the fall campaign.
Nobel Leads Aggies With Unbeaten Singles Run
Eliot Nobel set the tone for Utah State by sweeping his singles matches in the tournament’s opening draw. In his early matchups, Nobel secured a pair of straight-set victories, defeating Idaho’s Paul Janson 6-4, 6-3 and Portland’s Cade Fernando 6-4, 6-1. He faced tougher resistance in his remaining matches but persevered in three sets, outlasting Montana’s Matt Upton 4-6, 6-2, 1-0 (10-6) and edging Portland’s Tom Garcia 1-6, 7-5, 1-0 (10-5).
In doubles competition, Nobel teamed up with freshman Alvar Lange. The duo collected two wins, defeating Idaho’s Paul Janson and Gabriel Moroder 6-3, followed by a 6-2 victory over Portland’s Tom Garcia and Tannor Binder. However, the pair also dropped matches to Montana’s Matt Upton and Darrshan Suresh Kumar (6-4) and Portland’s Cade Fernando and Stefan Skobelev (6-4). Lange added a dominant singles win of his own over Portland’s Stefan Skobelev, taking it 6-0, 6-1, though he fell in his other individual outings against Gabriel Moroder, Darrshan Suresh Kumar, and Tannor Binder.
Freshman Duos and Singles Contributions
Utah State’s second doubles combination, featuring freshmen Alejandro Daniel Garcia and Adam Miner, also notched two victories during the weekend. The duo secured a 6-3 win against Portland’s Gian Manhas and Eli Nobel, and followed up with a 6-4 triumph over Idaho State’s Rafael Maya and Jack Calleri. They suffered losses to Montana’s Timo Meyer and Johnny Wilkinson (6-1) and Idaho’s Erik Vladimirov and Valentin Glasl (6-3).
Both freshmen added singles wins to their records. Daniel Garcia defeated Gian Manhas 6-4, 6-4 and battled past Idaho’s Erik Vladimirov 6-4, 4-6, 1-0 (10-5), while dropping matches to Timo Meyer and Rafael Maya. Miner picked up gritty three-set wins over Montana’s Johnny Wilkinson (2-6, 7-5, 1-0) and Idaho’s Valentin Glasl (6-2, 7-6 (3)), though he fell in tight contests against Portland’s Eli Noel and Idaho State’s Jack Calleri.
Upcoming Schedule at the Utah Invite
With the opening weekend in Boise concluded, Utah State will continue its fall tournament season next weekend. The Aggies are scheduled to travel to Salt Lake City for the Utah Invite, running from Thursday through Sunday, October 1–4, 2026.
