ODESSA, Texas (October 29, 2026) – UT Permian Basin sophomores Nehal Naidoo and Joao D'Amorim are set to compete at the inaugural ITA Division II Individual National Championships. Naidoo was selected to participate in the single championship while he and D'Amorim will take aim at the doubles championship.

The inaugural ITA Division II Individual National Championships are nearly here, as the nation's top singles and doubles players from across the Division II level will all converge in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to compete for a National Championship. Held from November 4-8 at the Tuscaloosa Tennis Center, the player field has been announced, giving a glimpse at which players will be bringing their talents to Tuscaloosa.

Featuring a singles field of 32 players and a doubles field of 16 teams, for both men and women, players were selected to compete in this National Championship by virtue of finishing as an ITA Division II Regional Champion or Finalist, or by receiving an at-large selection, which were determined and voted on by the ITA Operating Committee.

At the 2026 ITA Division II South Central Regional Championship last week in Tyler, Texas, Naidoo led the Falcons by advancing to the quarterfinals of the singles main draw while the pairing of Naidoo/D'Amorim advanced to the semifinals of the doubles main draw.

In 2026 Naidoo was named the ITA South Central Region Rookie of the Year, the Lone Star Conference Freshman of the Year, and was Honorable Mention All-LSC for singles. Naidoo was 10-7 overall in singles and was 6-2 in conference play. He led UTPB with in singles wins and was the lone Falcon with a winning record in singles play. In singles, Naidoo had a winning record in each of the final two months of the year. Naidoo was 4-2 in singles play in the month of March and then went 5-1 in singles during the month of April, with his only loss in the final month being a three-set match where he fell 15-13 in a third-set super tiebreaker. Naidoo finished out this season on a five-match winning streak in singles, including beating the No. 18 nationally-ranked player from No. 10 LCU at No. 2 singles during the final match of the season. It was UTPB's lone singles win this season vs. a nationally-ranked player. During the final two weeks of the season, Naidoo earned LSC Doubles Team of the Week honors (4/23/26) with D'Amorim and was named the LSC Singles Player of the Week (4/29/26) after the final week of the season. He was then named UTPB's Men's Student-Athlete of the Month for April. Naidoo/D'Amorim finished the 2026 season with an above .500 record (4-3) at No. 1 doubles.
 

ABOUT THE DIVISION II SINGLES & DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIPS
With 2026 marking the inaugural year of the ITA Division II Singles & Doubles Championships, the ITA is pleased to give even more student-athletes and programs an opportunity to compete for a national championship. Hosted in partnership with Visit Tuscaloosa at the Tuscaloosa Tennis Center, these championships will remain in Tuscaloosa at least until 2028 as athletes take advantage of the world-class facilities, which were recently upgraded headed into 2026 championship.

As the only NCAA Division of college tennis without an NCAA sponsored singles and doubles championship, the ITA Division II Individual National Championships will give even more student-athletes and programs an opportunity to compete for a national championship in the fall.

The 2026 ITA Division II Singles & Doubles Championships will take place November 4-8, 2026, at the Tuscaloosa Tennis Center.