by Nick Summerlin
It was a spectacular weekend of court tennis at the Tennis & Racquet Club in Boston, as the historic club hosted the 2026 Noll Cup, the national 30-39-level championships. With a competitive 14-man draw featuring top talent from the home court of Boston as well as visiting contenders from Philadelphia, Newport, Washington, and Tuxedo Park, a memorable weekend of tennis was in store. The tournament’s definitive match was the quarter-final between Tyler Sloan and Andrew Parmet, a tactical masterclass that pushed both players to their absolute limits and kept the gallery in awe. Coming from behind, Sloan finally edged the third set 6-5 after 2 1/2 hours of play. The weekend’s most compelling narrative, however, was the rise of Trevor Jones, who entered the tournament with a 40 handicap and earned the title of the tournament’s biggest overachiever. Jones played with freedom, striking the ball cleanly and defeating three players with better handicaps than him on the way to the final. Unfortunately for Jones, he was unable to maintain that rich vein of form in the championship match, ultimately losing 6/2, 6/0 as Tyler Sloan asserted his dominance to claim the trophy. The future of the sport was also on display in the Plate tournament, where the youngest entrant in the draw, Kurt Mueller, representing the Tuxedo Club, displayed remarkable composure to navigate the field and secure a hard-fought victory. The atmosphere throughout the event was buoyed by vocal encouragement from the dedans, particularly from stalwarts Arthur Drane, Matt Mitchell, and Ken Forton. Between Sloan’s grit and determination and Kurt Mueller’s youthful rise, the weekend in Boston served as a perfect testament to the enduring spirit and competitive fire of the Noll Cup. A special thanks must go to professionals Neil Smith and Tony Hollins for their exceptional work in organizing the weekend and marking over 20 hours of high-quality tennis.
