As one of the biggest tournaments in the fall, the ITA All American Championships provide a golden opportunity for college tennis newcomers and veterans alike to show how much they’ve grown in the off-season.
Ten spots in the NCAA singles championship field are up for grabs after three stages of competition. In the pre-qualifying stage, 160 players compete for 20 spots in the qualifying draw. There, 64 players compete for 16 spots in the main draw. The men’s tournament will take place in Tulsa, Oklahoma at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center, as Tulsa hosts for the 21st year in a row. The women’s tournament will be held at Cary Tennis Park in Cary, North Carolina. Both run from Sept. 19-27.
Without further adieu, here are the Divison1Tennis staff picks.
Men’s singles champion:
Amanda: With three of the top five players in the country off the entry list — including No. 1 Dylan Dietrich — the draw will be somewhat open. No one is more poised to take the opportunity than No. 2 Paul Inchauspe. While he did lose in the second round last year, he’s become extremely consistent since then. I think Inchauspe truly found his stride last season, and now he can put that improvement to use as the experienced favorite.
Daniel: With No. 1 Dylan Dietrich not in the field, I see No. 6 Keegan Rice carrying the flag for Virginia and taking home the ITA Men’s All American Championships title. Rice suffered just three losses in the spring last year, with two of them coming to Mees Rottgering of Wake Forest. With Rottgering not in the field this go-around, Rice carries his momentum from last season’s national championship run into the opening event of the fall.
Women’s singles champion:
Amanda: With Reese Brantmeier graduated and Lucciana Perez off the entry list, there’s an opportunity for everyone in this draw to cement themselves as the top player of this fall season. I think that player is Luciana Perry, whose only losses last fall came to Carmen Herea — a player who should be on the opposite side of the draw and isn’t quite as consistent as Perry. She’s a tough out for anyone and her experience can get her over the line in the tighter moments.
Daniel: Last season, Ohio State put two players in the semifinals, with Teah Chavez and Luciana Perry going far in Cary. Neither made the final. In 2026, Chavez will get over the hump and take home the title, beating her teammate Perry in the process.
Men’s doubles champions:
Amanda: It’s impossible to predict anyone other than Nikita Filin and Brandon Carpico winning this title. They may not be at the very top of the ITA doubles rankings, but they’re far and away the favorites. The level they showcased at the US Open was enough to compete with the best players in the world, let alone in college tennis. On top of that, many teams in the draw are in the early stages of their partnership, while Filin and Carpico have plenty of experience and shouldn’t miss a beat.
Daniel: You might be asking if we will see a let down from Nikita Filin and Brandon Carpico after the Buckeye duo reached the Round of 16 in the main doubles draw at the US Open. Don’t expect that, but if you are looking for a fun story, the Arseneault brothers at Kentucky would deliver. Nicolas and Mikael are ranked No. 9 in the ITA rankings and obviously should be near the top of the list in terms of chemistry entering their sophomore seasons.
Women’s doubles champions:
Amanda: While she’s playing with a new partner, I just can’t bet against Victoria Osuigwe. She came into the fall as a freshman last year and won the NCAA doubles title with Gabriella Broadfoot, and I think she can do it again with Roisin Gilheany. The duo went undefeated in their warmup tournament and both have had strong college doubles results in the past. With no dominant teams on the radar this year, there’s a real opportunity for Osuigwe to go back-to-back.
Daniel: There has been a lot of turnover in the women’s doubles world. From last year’s top 10, only one team remains intact — No. 3 Lucaina Perry and Flora Johnson. They finished last season at No. 8. But the team to beat is a new pairing, Victoria Osuigwe and Roisin Gilheany of NC State. Osuigwe won the NCAA doubles title alongside Gabriella Broadfoot in 2025, while Gilheany finished the 2026 season at No. 1 alongside Gloriana Nahum at Oklahoma. If the new Wolfpack pairing can get hot and find some chemistry, they will be formidable.
Men’s furthest advancing qualifier:
Amanda: There are plenty of talented players in the qualifying draw, but the one that immediately caught my eye was Lucas Marionneau. He played at No. 6 for Texas, but even playing on the Texas lineup is an achievement. Marionneau’s debut individual season wasn’t his strongest showing, with seven of his 11 losses on the season coming in the fall, but with more college tennis experience and an improved game, I think he’ll be tough to beat here.
Daniel: Rice won’t be the only Virginia Cavalier to make waves in Tulsa. You can also expect a solid showing from Luca Preda, the No. 1 ITA newcomer who is joining the Hoos for 2026-27. Preda is a former ITF Juniors World No. 5 with plenty of upside but is not experienced at the college level, with just three matches played so far, all coming at the Orange and Blue invite. But Preda is 3-0. How much longer will he remain undefeated?
Women’s furthest advancing qualifier:
Amanda: Nicole Khirin may be ranked closer to top 100 than top 10, but she’s a player to watch despite being in qualifying. Khirin spent last season off the court due to injury but she’s already winning quality matches, having upset No. 6 Piper Charney in a warmup tournament. She’s playing well and has more experience than most players in the qualifying draw, and I think she can qualify and make it far on the main stage.
Daniel: No. 60 Lexington Reed (Texas A&M) is just on the outside edge of the main draw. Despite the fact that the Aggies are coming off of a national championship title, they have just two players combined in the main draw and qualifying draw. Reed played to a mark of 20-4 in spots 2-4 in the lineup with wins over then-No. 48 Deniz Dilek (Georgia) then-No. 47 Gabia Paskauskas (Florida).
Men’s dark horse:
Amanda: Alexander Rozin (Arizona) quietly ended the 2025-2026 season with a bang, taking out Luca Pow in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals. With Jay Friend having graduated, Rozin has to step up for Arizona and I think he has what it takes, starting this week. Rozin is a dangerous opponent for anyone and he is certainly capable of making unexpected waves.
Daniel: Playing the majority of his matches on Courts 3 and 4, Oliver Ojakaar proved to be a key piece for the NCAA runner-up Texas Longhorns in 2026. Currently No. 43 in the ITA singles rankings, Ojakaar has lost just a single match in his college career, coming at last year’s ITA All Americans. With an overall record of 21-1 over two years with the Longhorns, the Estonian is my sleeper pick.
Women’s dark horse:
Amanda: Perhaps the best-awarded wildcard of this tournament went to Emma Dong. She was a standout for Georgia last year, finding her footing in the spring and ending the season on a 14-match win streak. There’s no reason to believe that success can’t translate to the fall, and no one will want to see her in their draw at this tournament or any other.
Daniel: No. 33 Lavinia Tanasie of NC State has quietly stacked up a number of solid wins in summer pro events over in Europe after finishing the 2026 spring season with 11 straight victories. Tanasie’s momentum could carry her deep into this tournament, while she plays in effectively a home match. Plus, she probably has good memories of Cary Tennis Park as she helped the Wolfpack clinch the 2026 ACC Championship.
Men’s overall team:
Amanda: From the entry list alone, it’s hard not to hand this category to Ohio State. The Buckeyes have six players in the singles main draw entry list alone, with six more in qualifying and pre-qualifying. That, combined with their strong doubles teams, near-guarantees that no other team can touch them in terms of overall success. I think the team with the best chance to come close is Virginia, but Ohio State is just too consistent a powerhouse up and down the roster.
Daniel: Ohio State – This one is self explanatory. With six players in the main draw, the Buckeyes have twice as many participants as the next best school, with Baylor, Kentucky, Texas A&M and Virginia having three. No. 7 Aidan Kim, No. 10 Matthew Forbes and No. 12 Preston Stearns should all reach the final stages of the tournament, and the Buckeyes should also take the doubles title with Filin/Carpico a leg above the rest.
Women’s overall team:
Amanda: Everything’s coming up Duke. The additions of Nina Vargova and Mimi Xu bolstered an already strong team, and I think Duke’s returners are setting the Blue Devils up for success as well. They became one of the deeper teams just before the season started, and two new pieces on the board could certainly disrupt the draw.
Daniel: Chavez and Perry will carry a lot of weight for Ohio State, along with No. 37 Sophia Cisse-Ignatiev and No. 39 Nao Nishino. If a sportsbook created betting odds for this tournament, they would likely have a blanket ‘Ohio State or the field’ wager. In that case, I’m taking Ohio State.
