Though rain sent the Ohio High School Athletic Association girls state tennis tournament indoors, the weather couldn't dampen an exciting day on the courts.
Cincinnati sent nine representatives to the second day of the state tournament at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, with three singles players and three doubles teams. In the end, a Mason title in the Division I doubles tournament gives Cincinnati a champion for the sixth-straight year.
Saanvi Reddy and Emma Wagner now have five combined state titles after coming back to defeat Seton's Elle and Helena Finley in the doubles championship. The other Comets duo competing, Harine Karithikeyan and Megha Soundar, claimed the bronze medal with a win over Beavercreek. In singles play, Renee Harper
of Oak Hills finished second in Division I, Turpin's Makayla Malone took third, and Wyoming's Nina Myatt finished fourth in Division II.
Here are the top takeaways from the 2026 OHSAA girls state tennis tournament.
Mason's Reddy and Wagner keep Comets on top in doubles
Saanvi Reddy and Emma Wagner found themselves in a familiar position, reaching the Division I doubles final for the second year in a row. There was one key difference, however: this year, they were on the same side of the net.
Reddy and Wagner, both seniors at Mason, already had their share of hardware coming into the 2026 tournament. Wagner had won a pair of doubles championships in 2023 and 2024, while Reddy secured a doubles title last season. In a dominant season for the Comets, Reddy actually dethroned Wagner in an all-Mason doubles final.
With their respective partners graduating last year, the two champions knew it was time to join forces.
"Me and Emma have known each other since third grade," Reddy said. "We've definitely played with each other a bunch. Unfortunately, we did have to play against each other last year, but we were still friends afterwards so that's how we played so well today."
The senior tandem blasted their way through to the state finals, not seeing much resistance in three consecutive wins. In the finals, however, things started out dicey. Facing off against the up-and-coming Finley twins from Seton, the older Comets found themselves quickly in a 5-2 hole in the first set. Wagner said their confidence from past performances helped them overcome their early-match jitters.
"We know we're going to make these like we have in the past," Wagner said. "We just pumped each other up, and that changed the tide and we stopped playing as nervous."
Indeed, the tides did change. From that three-game deficit, Wagner and Reddy proceed to win the next nine games, coming back for a 7-5, 6-1 victory in the state finals. The championship gives the duo five combined state title and continues a six-year streak of Mason players bringing home the top prize. Still, the seniors aren't finished yet.
Wagner and Reddy were still very much focused on winning the Oct. 17 Ohio Tennis Coaches Association state team tournament, as their senior season coincides with a special benchmark. The Comets have won the OTCA crown each year since 2017, meaning a win Saturday gives Mason a full decade of dominance.
"It's super important," Wagner said. "This is our senior year. Coming out with 10 titles would be amazing."
Seton's Finley twins announce their arrival
Though Elle and Helena Finley fell short in the doubles finals against Mason, the twins have put Ohio on notice.
Just over two months ago, the Finley's were living in Charleston, S.C. where they were gaining notoriety as highly-rated prospects. Their mother and father, Seton and Elder alumni respectively, knew they wanted to move back home and give their kids the Cincinnati catholic school experience. So, just seven days before the season opener, the Finley twins joined the Saints tennis team.
The freshmen didn't take too long to adjust. With Helena playing first singles and Elle playing on the second court, the twins put up the best records in the Greater Girls Catholic League in the regular season. Though they weren't sure coming into the year whether they would compete in doubles come tournament time, they thought it'd be fun just to give it a try.
"Our coaches and parents asked us about doubles, and I thought it would give us a better shot to do well and it just seemed more fun," Elle said.
While they were having fun to open the postseason, it wasn't until they reached the sectional finals the Finleys realized they could do something special. After claiming a sectional title, they advanced to the district finals before falling to the Mason duo of Reddy and Wagner in a three-set thriller. As it turned out, the district tournament was a perfect precursor to the state tournament, with all four semifinalists at state coming from the Southwest District.
Elle and Helena blasted their day one state tournament opponents, winning both matches in straight sets without much resistance. In a rematch of the district finals against a talented Mason duo of Harine Karthikeyan and Megha Soundar, the freshmen prevailed in a lengthy 7-6 (7-3), 7-5 battle. In the final against Reddy and Wagner, the Seton stars jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the first set before the Comets' experience took over in a 7-5, 6-1 win.
Though the Finleys didn't leave with the gold medal, they turned plenty of heads on their first-year run to the finals. Is Ohio destined for three more years of Seton doubles dominance? It seems maybe just one at the moment.
"I think next year we'll probably play doubles again," Helena said, "but then junior and senior year we might give singles a shot."
Perhaps they'll find each other on opposite sides of the net one day. For now, all that's clear is the Finley twins have left their mark on the Ohio tennis scene.
Renee Harper brings silver home to Oak Hills
Renee Harper already had experience on the big stage, reaching the state tournament as a sophomore last year. After a clean 6-2, 6-2 win against Amherst Steele's Katelyn Bussard, the Oak Hills junior found herself against a familiar opponent: Olentangy Berlin's Soleil Cordell. Cordell, a senior and the defending champion, knocked Harper out of the tournament last year in the second round.
Though their meeting this season had significantly higher stakes, the result was the same, with Harper falling in two sets. The result wasn't what Harper had hoped for, but she was quick to find the the positives after picking up her silver medal.
"It's nice having everyone here supporting me, and I'm proud of my year so far," Harper said.
It was certainly a year to celebrate for Harper. An undefeated regular season record earned her Greater Miami Conference player of the year honors for the second straight season, and a silver medal at state is the first in Oak Hills history according to OHSAA records.
Of course, it also helps soften the disappointment when your loss is to a friend rather than a bitter rival. Harper and Cordell have been friends for a few years, playing doubles together on the USTA circuit.
Cordell won her second consecutive state championship, but with the senior graduating this coming spring, Harper is already locked in on the future.
"Next year is the year," Harper said, signaling her intent to win the singles tournament. "(Cordell) did great with her time in high school, but I'm ready to win next year."
Makayla Malone sets Turpin school record
After missing last season with injury, Makayla Malone wasn't sure what to expect in her sophomore season. As it turned out, she was on track for the best season in school history.
Malone was a force to be reckoned with from the jump, going undefeated in the regular season before claiming the sectional and district titles with wins against Cincinnati's toughest competition.
"Considering I was injured last year, getting to come back and make it pretty far was really exciting for me," Malone said. "My goal was just to make it to state, so making it this far is really cool."
Her secret weapon? Head coach Gail Maundrell's lucky shoes, which she wore in every game up until Friday's semifinal matchup with defending champion Soleil Cordell. Though Cordell was likely an unstoppable force in any situation, Maundrell's new golden kicks didn't have the desired effect, as the Olentangy Berlin senior ended Malone's hopes of a state title in a 6-1, 6-2 defeat. So, before the third-place match, Maundrell ran to change into the old reliable lucky pair.
The impact was immediate, though of course Malone's mental fortitude is probably more responsible for the turnaround. Even after a tough loss, the Turpin sophomore kept her composure and secured the bronze with a 6-2, 6-1 win against Amherst Steele's Katelyn Bussard. Malone says she understood what she was up against in the semifinals and didn't lose focus on winning the next game.
"I knew she was a senior, so you kind of just have to accept that it's okay and come back and try to win," Malone said.
With her third-place medal came another distinction. Malone is now the highest finisher at state in all 50 years of Turpin High School tennis. With two seasons still to go for the current sophomore, Malone may threaten her own record in the near future.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Doubles tennis title returning to Cincinnati at 2026 OHSAA tournament
