ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. --- Alberto Perez picked up four wins, and a couple of Albuquerque kids picked up key wins in the nightcap as the Lobos opened the 2026 season with a pair of wins, defeating Idaho in the opening match 5-2 before taking down Western New Mexico 6-1 in the late afternoon match.
The opening match was played indoors in the Randy Briggs Indoor Tennis Bubbles, while the late afternoon match was outside at McKinnon Family Tennis Stadium.
The Lobos clinched both matches 4-0, with each match played out in both doubles and singles. Against Idaho, UNM took the doubles point, with Nishant Dabas and Carl Labitzke winning 6-4 and Alberto Perez and Jakub Prachar winning 6-4 as well.
Up 1-0, UNM took control with the even-numbered flights as Prachar, Perez, and Tyler Waddock all won opening sets. They all finished off their opponents, clinching a 4-0 win. Prachar finished first with a 6-3, 6-3 win, and he was followed within a minute by Waddock, who won 6-1, 6-1. Up 3-0, Perez clinched the match with a 6-0, 6-4 win.
Dario Ciobotaru picked up UNM’s other point in his first match at No. 1 singles since 2024, winning 6-2, 2-6, 6-0.
Moving outside, UNM handled Western New Mexico with little hassle. The big story was Connor Dils, the son of former UNM assistant Loren Dils and the nephew of Loren’s twin brother Alan, who served as the long-time head coach of the Lobos. Dils, playing in his first dual match for the Lobos, clinched the doubles point with a 6-3 win at No. 3 doubles.
In singles, Ciobotaru won at No. 1 for a second straight match, winning 6-0, 6-2. Dils, playing in front of a large crowd, won the first match of his career at No. 6 singles, going love-love against David Guta. That made it 3-0, and UNM’s fall leader in wins, fellow Albuquerque native Philip Bosin, clinched the win with a 6-1, 6-1 victory at No. 3 singles.
UNM finished it out and got two more wins, with Perez picking up his fourth win of the day with a 6-2, 6-2 victory, and then Prachar finished out No. 2 singles 6-2, 6-4.
The Lobos now get ready for the prestigious ITA Kickoff Weekend, where UNM will face host UCLA on Friday afternoon in Pasadena.