The University of Denver men’s tennis team has announced the signing of two new players, Roman Glarner and Rafe Samuel, for the 2026-27 season. Head coach Drew Eberly made the announcement on Thursday.
Roman Glarner, from Schwanden, Switzerland, is currently ranked fourth in his age group nationally. In 2025, he earned his first ATP and ITF elite points and was runner-up at a tournament in Buchs, Switzerland. Glarner reached a career-high ITF junior ranking of No. 511 and peaked at No. 1385 in the ITF men’s rankings earlier this fall.
Glarner has achieved top-three finishes in singles and doubles across more than a dozen European tournaments during his junior career. In 2024, he reached both finals at the J60 tournament in Ickern, Germany, winning the doubles title. He also won the doubles title at the J100 Loughborough tournament in England last season.
Rafe Samuel is from Bournemouth, England, and holds the No. 9 spot in the British U18 rankings. He achieved a career-high ITF junior ranking of No. 377 earlier this summer before competing in the qualifying draw for boys’ singles at Wimbledon. Samuel also made semifinal runs at an ITF tournament in San Jose, Costa Rica, and secured a win over the world’s No. 82-ranked junior at the J300 tournament in Roehampton, England.
In doubles play since 2024, Samuel has advanced to finals in more than six tournaments and claimed victories at both the J100 San Jose (Costa Rica) and J30 Bradfield (England) events. He also holds two British tour titles from 2025.
Glarner and Samuel will join a Denver men’s tennis team preparing for its spring 2026 dual season as it aims for a third consecutive Summit League title during its final year in that conference. When they begin playing with Denver, the team will be part of the West Coast Conference.
Coach Drew Eberly stated: “The University of Denver men’s tennis team will welcome Roman Glarner and Rafe Samuel for the 2026-27 season.”
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