Photo by Erez Aidlin
CARY, N.C. — The ITA All American Championships are the first time we see many of the newcomers who will help shape the next season of college tennis.
In Cary and Tulsa, Oklahoma, the freshmen showed out with a number of upsets, shaking up theoretically open fields. In both the men’s and women’s main draw, the top seed was ousted by a newcomer.
On the women’s side, No. 3 women’s newcomer Mimi Xu (Duke) took down top seed No. 2 Carmen Herea (Texas) in the second round 6-3, 3-6, 6-1. That came after her straight-set win over Gabia Paskauskas (Florida) 6-4, 6-3 in the first round.
Xu might be an 18-year old freshman, but she is far from inexperienced. The Wales native competed in the adult qualifying of Wimbledon from 2022-24 and received a wildcard into the main draw in 2025 and 2026. Her experience versus high-caliber talent showed on Thursday. The question for Xu through the rest of the season is will she surpass fellow Duke freshman Nina Vargova, who is ranked the No. 1 newcomer.
On the men’s side, No. 5 newcomer Toby Kodat (NC State) dropped the top seeded No. 5 Devin Badenhorst (Baylor) in a landslide 6-3, 6-1. Just like Xu, Kodat has played in a number of professional events, but he is way older, joining the university level at 23 years-old (get used to this with 5-in-5). After taking out Badenhorst, Kodat fell to Sam Landau (Indiana) 6-4, 1-6, 6-7(2).
Other newcomers finding success were No. 5 Alexis Nguyen (UNC) and Linea Bajraliu (Georgia), who both reached the second round of the women’s draw. Both reached the main draw from the qualifiers.
Other Storylines
Who’s not here
One major storyline of the All Americans this season is who’s not competing: No. 1 Dylan Dietrich, No. 2 Paul Inchauspe, No. 3 Duncan Chan, No. 4 Max Dahlin — No. 1 Lucciana Perez, No. 4 Teah Chavez, No. 5 Aysegul Mert and No. 8 Cadence Brace, not to mention No. 1 newcomer Nina Vargova who withdrew with an illness during qualifying.
With 10 spots in the NCAA Championships main draw on the line, eight going to the quarterfinalists and two going to the consolation bracket finalists, much is at stake for competitors. With much of the top talent absent, the door is open for up and comers.
Ohio State men slow, women stride
Putting seven men in the main draw — No. 7 Aidan Kim, No. 10 Matthew Forbers, No. 12 Preston Stearns, No. 27 Alex Okonkwo, No. 51 Nikita Filin, No. 58 Bryce Nakashima and No. 11 newcomer Denis Petak — only two remain after the first two rounds. Unsurprisingly, Kim survived two matches with tight third-set tie-breaks and is squarely in position to face No. 2-seed Keegan Rice in the semifinals.
The Buckeye women on the other hand have put three out of four main-draw entrants into the third round, despite Chavez withdrawing before the start of the tournament. Perry is the clear favorite heading into the weekend on the bottom of the draw as the final remaining top-5 player. No. 37 Sophia Cisse-Ignatiev and No. 39 Nao Nishino both took down Tar Heel opponents in the second round, as Nishino took down No. 21 Tatum Evans and Cisse-Ignatiev ousted No. 5 newcomer Alexis Nguyen in three sets.
Big names stuck in a rut
No. 5 Devin Badenhorst didn’t win a single set to open All Americans after losses to Kodat and Paul Barbier Gazeu 4-6, 4-6 (South Carolina). The Baylor star will look to bounce back as the Bears compete in three school-hosted college tennis events this season along with a healthy dose of ATP Challengers.
No. 19 Luca Pow (Wake Forest) also suffered two straight-set losses to open his fall slate, losing to No. 40 Nathan Trouve 5-7, 4-6 and No. 89 Noa Vukadin 2-6, 0-6.
No. 6 Piper Charney’s (Michigan) struggles to start this fall continued at All Americans as she fell in the first round to No. 53 Zuzanna Kubacha 2-6, 2-6. After a win over No. 43 Sophie Llewellyn in the consolation, she moves to 2-3 this fall and faces teammate No. 50 Reese Miller.
No. 14 Valeria Ray (Vanderbilt) got off to a tough start to the 2026 fall with two losses at All Americans, falling to Aspen Schuman (Duke) 1-6, 2-6, and Brooke Black (Florida) 6-4, 4-6, 4-6 in the consolation bracket.
Rainy days in Cary
Rain delays have caused some stress in Cary. The Cary Tennis Park indoor facility lacks a decent camera setup and electronic line calling, but luckily, the weather should be clear for the rest of the tournament. Play stretched from 9 a.m. till 9 p.m. in the first round of the singles and doubles main draw.
Doubles headlines
-No. 2 Osuigwe/Gilhaney lack chemistry early in doubles partnership
-Herea/Nijkamp are looking extremely strong after two dominant wins
-Carpico/Filin very much present
R16 / Quarterfinal Friday preview
We are set for some great matchups Friday as the third round and quarterfinals take place. Here are some matchups to watch:
Men’s
Sasha Rozin (Arizona) vs. Roger Pascual Ferra 11 a.m. EST
(11) Rodrigo Fernandes (Cornell) vs. Nicolas Arsenault (Kentucky) 11:30 a.m.
Dominick Mosejczuk (Wake Forest) vs. Nikita Volonski 11:30 a.m.
Access men’s live scoring and streaming here.
Women’s
No. 2 Luciana Perry (Ohio State) vs. Emma Dong (Georgia) 10 a.m.
No. 5 Mia Slama (NC State) vs. Nao Nishino (Ohio State) 10 a.m.
Mimi Xu (Duke) vs. Nicole Khirin (UNC) 12 p.m.
Access women’s live scoring and streaming here.
