University of Washington
Hawaii
Men's Tennis Opens the 2026 Season at Hawai'i
January 09, 2026 | Men's Tennis
SEATTLE– The Washington Men's Tennis team begins their 2026 campaign this week with a trip to Hawai'i on Saturday, Jan 10, at the UH Tennis Complex in Honolulu, HI, at 4 HT / 6PM PST.
The Rainbow Warriors of Hawai'i are currently 0-1 on the season after losing to 15th-ranked California by a score of 1-6, with another match scheduled for Jan. 9th against fellow state of Washington rival, Gonzaga at 6PM PST. The Huskies look to start the season off strong, as their all-time record versus the Rainbow Warriors is 6-2.
Leading the way, Head Coach Rahim Esmail, in his fourth year at the helm of the Washington program, is looking to continue upon the success of last season, albeit with replacing multiple key contributors from last season's NCAA-qualifying squad. Although the Huskies are replacing three established starters, these young Huskies are poised to break out in 2026 with a strong showing Saturday against the 'Bows.
With a heavy Senior class last season, the Huskies are primed to reload after losing three to graduation last season. Newcomers, Daniel Bien of the Czech Republic and Hyeon Seok Seo of South Korea look to help replace key starters Cesar Bouchelaghem, Dzianis Zharyn, and Nedim Suko. Both of whom come to UW highly ranked in their respective countries and within the ITF Juniors Rankings, with Bien being the 5th-ranked Czech Republic junior and No. 264 in the ITF, and Seok Seo being the ITF's No. 96-ranked player and a top ranked prospect out of South Korea.
Returning for the Purple & Gold are senior Brett Pearson, junior Soham Purohit, who has been named to the B1G Players to Watch list, along with sophomores Rohan Belday, Stephane Kamendje, Nikola Plavsic. Each looks to improve upon their results from last season and from the Fall. Most notably, Stephane Kamendje, who won the Gonzaga Inventational Blue Division this past November, and Brett Pearson, who, in Doubles, went 18-8 last Spring and is looking to capitalize in his senior season after starting strong in the Fall campaign, going 6-5 alongside fellow upperclassman Soham Purohit.
The road to success in 2026 is however, riddled with challenges. As the Dawgs will face five pre-season ranked foes in the ever tough gauntlet that is the B1G conference. With challenging road matchups against 6th-ranked Ohio State in Columbus, OH, and 20th-ranked Illinois in Champaign, IL. The Huskies will need to capitalize on a strong home slate back on Montlake, with matchups against No. 12 UCLA, No. 19 USC, and No. 20 Michigan State coming in a four-match home stretch. Of these ranked matchups, four of the Dawgs last six matches are against these ranked foes at home.
Along the way, the Purple and Gold will look to qualify as a team and individually for postseason play. With opportunities to compete early in the season at the ITA Kickoff Weekend in Austin, TX, and at the Arizona State Invitational in Tempe, AZ, the Huskies will have ample opportunities to establish success before a potential B1G tournament berth come April.
Losing four members of a squad is never ideal, but these Huskies believe they will be able to not only compete but contend in the upcoming campaign. As with returning veterans, new talent, and an established B1G coaching staff, the Huskies are poised for success in 2026.
For more information on the UW Men's Team, follow @UW_MTennis on X and Instagram.
For live scoring updates for the match against Hawai'i, please visit https://gohski.es/hawaii_live_match_stats.
Players Mentioned
