In last year’s Ohio High School Athletic Association boys tennis postseason, an all Greater Cincinnati match took place in the Division I singles tournament.
In the Division I final, Mason’s Greg Bernadsky beat St. Xavier’s Nihal Narisetty 6-4, 6-4, to win the championship. In 2026, both Bernadsky and Narisetty are back after meeting each other in the sectional, district and state finals.
With the Ohio tennis season approaching, here are the returning qualifiers from the 2025 OHSAA singles and doubles tournaments.
Note: Some doubles teams from 2025 are grouped together if both returned in 2026. They may not necessarily be doubles partners again this season.
Cincinnati boys tennis returning state qualifiers
Greg Bernadsky, Mason
Greg Bernadsky was a singles state qualifier in 2023 before missing the 2024 season with a wrist injury. Back for his junior campaign in 2025, the Cornell University commit secured the Division I singles state championship. Bernadsky didn’t drop a set in the postseason.
Bernadsky also helped Mason to its victory in the Ohio Tennis Coaches Association team state tournament.
Zander Chan, Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy
Chan, now a junior, was teamed with Julian Guitron last season, qualifying for the Division II doubles state tournament. The pair were also, second-team All-Miami Valley Conference.
Neelan Gandhi, Indian Hill
A junior this season, Neelan Gandhi was teamed last season with the now-graduated Michael Ryu. Gandhi and Ryu were district champions who reached the Division II doubles state tournament finals, where they dropped the match to a pair from Bexley.
Gareth Kurowski/Jeremy Starcynowski, Indian Hill
Gareth Kurowski, a freshman in 2025, and Jeremy Starczynowski, a sophomore last season, were Division II doubles state qualifiers last season for Indian Hill. The pair placed second at their district tournament and were then semifinalists at state. They finished in fourth place overall.
Nihal Narisetty, St. Xavier
As a freshman in 2024, Nihal Narisetty was in a doubles grouping with Chase Homan that reached the state finals where the Bomber pair finished in second to Sycamore’s Nicholas Choo and Chase Klugo.
Last season, Narisetty was in the singles bracket where he was the sectional, district and state runner-up, each time falling to Mason’s Greg Bernadsky.
Adi Nayak, Seven Hills
Adi Nayak has twice qualified for the Division II singles state tournament. As a sophomore in 2024, he reached the state semifinals before taking the third-place match in an injury default against teammate Avi Mahajan. Last season, he was a district runner-up before going 1-1 at the state tournament.
Peyton Nelson, Springboro
Peyton Nelson, a junior this season, spent his first two campaigns teamed up in doubles with Drew Baumgartner, who graduated after last season. The pair were two-time state qualifiers in Division I doubles, including last season when they secured a fourth-place finish.
Janek Teply/Daniel Tonkal, Mason
Janek Teply was a freshman in 2025 and Daniel Tonkal a junior when the pair teamed to win a sectional crown before finishing as the runner-up pair at the district tournament. At the state doubles tournament, Teply and Tonkal won their first match before falling to the champions from New Albany in the quarterfinals.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Who are Cincinnati’s returning boys tennis state qualifiers?
Reporting by Alex Harrison, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
