The boys and girls tennis season for the Kentucky High School Athletic Association is underway and several players who made postseason runs, including a state champion, are back on the court for 2026.

To get back into the action, take a refresher and read about the returning Northern Kentucky tennis players who reached the 2025 KHSAA state tournament singles and doubles.

Note: Some doubles teams from 2025 are grouped together if both returned in 2026. They may not necessarily be doubles partners again this season.

Northern Kentucky boys tennis returning state qualifiers

Shayaan Ahmad, Villa Madonna

Ahmad was the runner-up in the Ninth Region tournament, retiring in the second set to Covington Catholic’s Alex Yeager, who would win the KHSAA state title. Ahmad reached the Round of 16 in the state tournament.

Blake Hussey, Covington Catholic

The junior has had postseason success as both a singles player as a freshman and last year in doubles when he teamed with Kalei Christensen to win the doubles state championship.

Jacob Kramer/Will Tribble, Covington Catholic

These sophomores paired for doubles competition last season, finishing as regional runner-up to their state-champion teammates. At the state tournament, they reached the semifinals.

Finley Mackay, Walton-Verona

A freshman for Walton-Verona this season, Mackay made the KHSAA state tournament as an eighth-grader last season, winning his opening match. In the Eighth Region tournament, Mackay reached the finals and finished as runner-up to North Oldham’s Samuel Gurevich.

Colin McClure, Dixie Heights

McClure reached the state tournament in doubles for the second time last year with now-graduated partner Griffen Derry. The pair reached the semifinals in the Ninth Region tournament and the Round of 16 at state, where they fell to the state champions from Covington Catholic.

Neel Reddy, Beechwood

Reddy qualified for the KHSAA state tournament last season in singles after finishing as a semifinalist in the Ninth Region tournament. He won his first two matches at the state tournament before falling in the Round of 16.

Navneeth Selvaraju, Ryle

Ryle’s Selvaraju, as a junior last year, was a semifinalist in the Ninth Region tournament, qualifying for state. In the state tournament, Selvaraju reached the third round with a win coming against Walton-Verona’s Finley Mackay in round two.

Cameron Wells/Christopher Wells, Campbell County

Now seniors, the Wells boys were finalists in the 10th Region tournament to qualify for the KHSAA state meet in 2025.

Northern Kentucky girls tennis returning state qualifiers

Gabrielle Browning, Simon Kenton

Browning was teamed up with Hope Dupin for doubles in the postseason last year. Browning returns after being a semifinalist in the Eighth Region and winning the state tournament opener to reach the Round of 32.

Malia Christensen/Isabella McElwee, Notre Dame

The Panda pair were just sophomores last season when they finished as Ninth Region semifinalists, qualifying for the KHSAA state tournament. At state, Christensen and McElwee got as far as the Round of 16.

Annika Derks, Simon Kenton

Derks, now a senior, reached the state tournament last year in a doubles grouping with the since-graduated Natalie Lukey. The pair qualified for state by reaching the semifinals of the Eighth Region tournament.

Cassidy Derry/Isabella Norvell, Dixie Heights

Derry, a junior, and Norvell, a senior, were doubles partners last year when they finished as Ninth Region runners-up before the state tournament, where they went 1-1.

Kayla Johnson, Cooper

Last season, Johnson repeated as the Ninth Region singles champion, beating Beechwood’s Sadie Jones in the finals. In the state tournament, she won her first two matches before falling 6-2, 6-2 in the Round of 16 to eventual state champion Sydney Zakic of Scott County.

Avery Love/Niveditha Selvaraju, Ryle

Love was a junior last year and Selvaraju, just an eighth-grader, when the pair prevailed as Ninth Region champions, beating Derry and Norvell of Dixie Heights 6-2, 6-1 in the finals. They won their opening two rounds at state before falling 6-4, 7-6 (12-10) in a hard-fought Round of 16 match.

Kaylin Lovell, Scott

Lovell was a junior in 2025 when she reached the finals of the 10th Region tourney where she was the runner-up after a 6-4, 6-1 match. She won her first match at the state tournament before exiting in the Round of 32.

Rylee Ritter, Campbell County

Ritter was a semifinalist in the 10th Region tournament in 2025, falling to the regional winner, Aysha Garza of Bourbon County. Ritter battled in her state opener before falling 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-4).