Story written by Joseph Li, ITA Feature Writer & Historical Intern
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TEMPE, Ariz. – The 2026 ITA All-American Championships are officially underway, and the main draw action across both the men’s and women’s tournaments is set for Wednesday, September 23 with the singles Round of 64 and doubles Round of 32.
Before some of the top talent in the entire sport clash, here are players to watch out for in Tulsa and Cary.
A Fan’s Guide to the 2026 ITA All-American Championships
Players to Watch in Tulsa
Mees Rottgering, Wake Forest – Mees Rottgering, a rising sophomore from Netherlands, is looking to follow up a fantastic rookie season and remarkable summer. Last season, he helped the Demon Deacons capture the ACC Regular Season title as well as the ACC Championships. Rottgering went 18-3 in singles and 21-2 doubles, a record that helped him earn ACC Freshman of the Year, ITA Carolina Regional Rookie of the Year, All-ACC Second Team Singles, and All-ACC Third Team Doubles. The momentum carried into the summer as he qualified for the Winston Salem ATP 250 event and defeated top-100 professionals such as Jan Choinski (ATP 75) and Tomáš Macháč (ATP 58). With a stellar rookie season under his belt and professional momentum on his side, Rottgering is looking to cause some noise at this year’s ITA Men’s All-American Championships in Tulsa.
Cooper Woestendick, TCU – Cooper Woestendick, an Olathe, Kansas native, is back for his junior season with the Horned Frogs. In his freshman campaign Woestendick, playing No. 5 singles, he helped TCU reach the ITA National Indoor Championship Final and the NCAA Division I Men’s Tennis Team Championship final. He carried this momentum into his second year as he posted the second-highest singles winning percentage of any Horned Frog (33-10). Competing in both the singles and doubles draws this year with partner Albert Pedrico Kravtsov, Woestendick appears poised for a big result in Tulsa.
Keegan Rice, Virginia – Virginia standout Keegan Rice is looking to follow up the 2026 National Team Championship victory with the Cavaliers. Before the national title in the spring, Rice boasted an astonishing 35-6 singles record and earned ITA All-American and All-ACC First Team honors, plus his ITA Atlantic Regional Singles Championship title. This summer, he made his first career ITF singles and doubles final at the M25 event in Laval, Quebec, his home country of Canada. At last year’s All-American Championships, Rice made it through qualifying round to make the main draw. He went on to upset the No. 29 in the ITA rankings, Antoine Ghibaudo of Kentucky, to advance to the Round of 32. Results like this took Rice from an unranked player to one of the top in the country. Stay tuned for additional conversations with Rice from Tulsa this week.
Aidan Kim, Ohio State – Last year’s finalist Aidan Kim will be looking to up the ante this fall. The Buckeye senior is a three-time All American and went 32-13 in singles and doubles during the 2026 spring season. Kim identifies himself as an offensive-minded player with a big forehand and even bigger serve, as weapons like these have helped him achieve an ATP ranking inside the world’s top-600. Kim enjoyed an incredibly successful summer, qualifying for the main draw of several ATP Challenger events and making the finals of two ITF Futures events. Kim is currently No. 7 in the ITA Preseason Rankings and looking to climb even higher this fall.
Devin Badenhorst, Baylor – The South African from Baylor University, Devin Badenhorst will be returning to the All-American Championships full of confidence. Badenhorst made an incredible run to the semifinals at last year’s tournament in Tulsa before losing a three-set thriller to eventual runner-up, Aidan Kim. In the spring, Badenhorst was a standout for the Bears, going 20-8 in singles at the No. 1 position. This run helped him become an ITA All-American, as well as being named 2026 Big 12 Player of the Year and earning a spot on the 2026 Big 12 Conference’s Singles First-Team. Coming in at No. 5 on the ITA Fall National Rankings, and the top player in his conference, Badenhorst will be looking to do some damage in this year’s draw as the top-seeded men’s player.
Players to Watch in Cary
Luciana Perry, Ohio State – Buckeye veteran and collegiate tennis fan favorite Luciana Perry is back for her final season at Ohio State University. She looks back on the championships with fond memories, she recently told the ITA, as in 2025 she made a run to the semifinals after a come-from-behind three-set victory in the first round. Perry and her doubles partner, Teah Chavez, also made it through doubles qualifying and won their opening round in the main draw. In the spring, the wins kept coming as she went 15-4 in dual singles play. Her hard work and match toughness helped her have one of the most decorated B1G women’s tennis seasons of all-time. Her fiery attitude on the court and incredible all-court game will make her a threat in both draws.
Between the Points with Luciana Perry | WATCH: Between the Points
Piper Charney, Michigan – Born just hours south of this year’s host site, Piper Charney is ready to kick off her senior year season in Cary. The Michigan Wolverine had an incredible junior year, being one of the few players on this list to notch wins at the No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4 position. She went 13-8 overall (10-4 at No. 1) and had impressive wins over players such as Reese Brantmeier (North Carolina) and Luciana Perry (Ohio State). Charney finished No. 8 in the ITA National Rankings, an achievement done by only five other Wolverines before her. Her impressive season was noticed by the USTA as she was invited to compete in the 2026 American Collegiate Player Wildcard Playoff, an event that invited the best American collegiate tennis players to compete for a US Open main draw wildcard. With experience and the locals on her side, Piper Charney is surely to be in the mix this week.
Mimi Xu, Duke – One player that will surely turn heads in Cary this year is true freshman Mimi Xu of Duke. A former No. 8 in the world junior, the rookie Blue Devil is the model of consistency. She has incredible results such as appearances in the quarterfinal in the junior Australian Open, semifinal of the junior US Open and the doubles final of junior Wimbledon. With all of this success on the junior tour, Xu decided to play several professional events this summer, where she battled the likes of Daria Kasatkina (WTA No. 85), Kimberly Birrell (WTA No. 58), and Caroline Dolehide (WTA No. 158). Xu’s first event as a Blue Devil will be this week at the the All-American Championships, and coming in at No. 3 in the ITA Newcomer Rankings, it’s safe to say fans will be excited to see what this young prospect can produce.
Carmen Herea, Texas – Familiar face Carmen Herea will be making her return to the All-American Championships as the No. 2 player in college tennis. She will be looking to go one further in 2026, as she fell in the 2025 final to Stanford’s Valerie Glozman. Returning for her junior year with the Longhorns, Herea is no stranger to success on the biggest stage. In her sophomore season, she posted an impressive 16-6 singles record at the No. 1 position and made the quarterfinals of the 2026 NCAA Singles Championships. Results like this helped her become an ITA All-American, 2026 First Team All-SEC member, the Honda Sports Award finalist, and an incredible WTA ranking of 476 at just 20 years old. After defeating several top seeds last year, Herea will be one herself this time around as the No. 2 seed in the tournament.
Jana Hossam, Florida – A familiar face toting different colors this year is Jana Hossam, the junior from Alexandria, Egypt, who emerged as a standout for the USC last year before transferring to the Florida. Hossam will have no problems adjusting to the Gators winning ways as a former ITA All-American and Big Ten First-Team member. She has made both the finals in the ITA Southwest Regional Championship and the semifinals of the NCAA Singles Championship Tournament. Hossam has reached a high of No. 16 in the ITA National Rankings and currently sits at No. 24. Her background and experience on the big stage will make her tough to line up with.
About the ITA All-American Championships
The ITA All-American Championships have been a staple of the fall college tennis calendar for more than 40 years. Seeing the nation’s best players compete for individual glory, the All-American Championships became a qualifying event for the NCAA Individual Championships in 2024 as part of a two-year pilot program that went into permanent effect before the 2026-27 season.
For the 21st straight season, The University of Tulsa will be hosting the ITA Men’s All-American Championships. The 2026 event marks the fifth consecutive year that the women will hold their championships in Cary, North Carolina. For the first 34 years of the ITA Women’s All-American Championships, the Riviera Tennis Club in Pacific Palisades, California, hosted the nation’s top Division I women’s players to compete in the Riviera/ITA Women’s All-American Championships.
