CLEVELAND, Ohio — The 2025 girls tennis season is over, and it’s time to hand out awards. Here at cleveland.com, we present our annual Girls Tennis All-Stars.
This year’s team is highlighted by Genevieve Hayden, the 2025 cleveland.com Girls Tennis Player of the Year. Click on Hayden’s name to read more about her state championship season.
Hayden takes up one spot on the first team. Here are the rest of the girls tennis All-Stars:
First Team
Emma Liu, Hudson, Sophomore
Liu continues to excel in her young career, finishing her sophomore season as state singles runner-up in Division I. In Mason, the three-star prospect claimed straight set wins in the first two rounds and added a three-set win over Elise Vens of Sylvania Southview (6-4, 2-6, 6-2) in the semifinals, before falling to Soleil Cordell (4-star) of Olentangy Berlin (2-6, 4-6) in the championship.
Liu completed her second season as the Suburban League National Conference Player of the Year (second consecutive), Springside sectional and NE Ohio district champion and top two in the state, earning first-team All-Ohio.
Abigail Lynch, Gilmour Academy, Junior
Lynch enjoyed another strong season for the Lancers with a third consecutive trip to state in Division II, where she earned first-team All-Ohio, placing third.
The 4-star prospect won the Strongsville sectional – winning each of her five matches in straight sets while dropping only three games – and finished third at the NE Ohio district. At state, she picked up a pair of dominant wins in the opening round (6-0, 6-0) and the quarterfinals (6-1, 6-1). She lost to Hayden in the semifinals (4-6, 3-6) but rebounded to defeat Sophia Nguyen-Huynh of Laurel (6-2, 6-2) in the consolation finals.
Her only losses this season came to state champion Hayden (three times) and Dani Forte (state doubles runner-up).
Caroline Koch (So.) / Grier Peckham (So.), Gilmour Academy
Few players have had more impressive starts to their careers than Koch and Peckham. For the second straight season, they showcased their unmatched chemistry to win the doubles title in Division II. At state, the duo earned straight set victories in each of their first three matches, before overcoming a tough Hawken team in three sets (3-6, 6-3, 7-5) in the championship.
“At the end of the day, I think it just came down to Grier and Caroline’s grit and chemistry of being doubles partners for 5-plus years,” said Gilmour coach Claudia Althans. “The way they move out there is atypical for high school tennis. They know where the other is going to move instinctually and that’s an impressive skill for their age.”
With the title, Koch and Peckham earned first-team All-Ohio and became just the 10th duo in Ohio history to claim a second doubles title. Their run has been dominant – in the past two postseasons, they are unbeaten (26-0) and have dropped only two sets.
Dani Forte (Sr.) / Valeria Kislyansky (Jr.), Hawken
Forte – a four-time state qualifier and University of Cincinnati commit – concluded her decorated career by joining Kislyansky for the postseason, where the Hawks duo went on an impressive run. Together, they won the Hawken sectional – dropping only one game in five matches – and finished runner-up to Gilmour at the NE Ohio district. At state, the pair dominated their way to the championship match with straight set wins over Ottawa Hills (6-0, 6-0), Orange (6-0, 6-4), and Hathaway Brown (6-3, 6-1).
In the final, they nearly knocked off the defending champs, falling in three tough sets (6-3, 3-6, 5-7) to finish runner-up. It is the first time since 2012 that a doubles team from Hawken made such a run.
The pair earned first-team All-Ohio.
Second Team
Sophia Nguyen-Huynh, Laurel, Freshman
In her first season, Nguyen-Huynh lived up to the hype of her four-star status, as she claimed first-team All-Ohio in Division II as the only freshman to qualify in the singles field.
She won the Hawken sectional title and finished runner-up at the NE Ohio district, before placing fourth at state. Her only losses this season came to the top three finishers in the state in DII – Hayden, Lynch and Sophia Thompson.
Ella Workinger, Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin, Sophomore
Workinger followed up last season’s state doubles runner-up finish with another strong year. As a sophomore, she earned North Coast Conference Player of the Year and placed fourth at the NE Ohio district to qualify for the state singles tournament in Division II.
In Mason, the three-star prospect advanced to the quarterfinals to claim second-team All-Ohio honors.
Mallory Koch, Strongsville, Sophomore
Starring at No. 1 singles, Koch led the Mustangs to their first conference championship since 1990. She earned titles at the Medina Doubles tournament (1st doubles) and the Highland Invitational (1st singles). The two-star prospect was the GCC Player of the Year, placed runner-up at the Springside sectional and finished fifth at the NE Ohio district to qualify for state in Division I.
Anna Mills (Jr.) / Ava Kamensky (Jr.), Hathaway Brown
A year after earning a win at state, Mills and Kamensky leaned on their experience to make a career run this season. The Blazers duo finished runner-up at the Strongsville sectional and fifth at the NE Ohio district to qualify for state in Division II.
In Mason, they advanced to the semifinals with a pair of straight set wins before falling to Hawken and ultimately placing third to earn first-team All-Ohio.
Lily Guiler (Sr.) / Ivy Berlin (So.), Orange
Guiler – a three-time state doubles qualifier – paired with Berlin for another strong season (11-4). They placed runner-up at the Wooster sectional and finished third at the NE Ohio district to qualify for the state tournament in Division II.
At Mason, the duo advanced to the quarterfinals with a straight set win (6-1, 6-1) and earned second team All-Ohio. They also helped lead the Lions to the Ohio Tennis Coaches Association team title.
Honorable Mention
Elizabeth Ammori, Magnificat, Fr.
Ameya Bole, Shaker Heights, Fr.
Kayla Bussard, Amherst Steele, Sr.
Elizabeth Chen, Hathaway Brown, Sr.
Ashley DeHaven, Avon, Jr.
Madeline Everest, Hathaway Brown, Sr.
Adriana Guillermo, Magnificat, Fr.
Millie Griffiths, Hudson, Jr.
Lily Hantz, Highland, Jr.
Lucia Holiday, Hathaway Brown, Fr.
Allie Huff, Rocky River, Fr.
Bransyn Mathia, Hudson, Sr.
Anastasya Morgan, Padua, Fr.
Diana Nicolae, Archbishop Hoban, Fr.
Karlie Nicolae, Archbishop Hoban, Sr.
Marissa Packer, Magnificat, So.
Raina Patel, Orange, Jr.
Grace Saffles, Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy, Jr.
Joy Saffles, Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy, Sr.
Claire Schlak, Highland, Sr.
Rida Tahir, Laurel, Jr.
Adele Tokmazeysky, Orange, So.
Molly Williams, Magnificat, Sr.