5 N.J. high school tennis players named 2025-26 All-Americans

Five New Jersey high school tennis standouts were recognized as All-Americans for the 2025-26 school year by the National High School Tennis All-American Foundation (NHSTAAF). Montclair Kimberley’s Nina Abalos and Pingry’s Fiona Hu earned All-America honors on the girls side, while Rohan Vyas of West Essex, Vincenzo Caruso of Christian Brothers and Andrew Zielinski of Newark Academy were honored among the boys. The NHSTAAF is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting high school tennis and recognizing the nation’s most accomplished student-athletes. According to the foundation, All-American selections must maintain strong academic standing, compete for their high school teams and achieve a high ranking in USTA junior competition. Highly ranked seniors, elite juniors and state champions are considered in that order. Each year, 40 boys and 40 girls are selected as All-Americans, with final decisions researched and approved by eight of the country’s top high school tennis coaches. Nina Abalos, Montclair Kimberley Few players in New Jersey history have enjoyed a run as dominant as Abalos. The senior capped her career by capturing a third consecutive NJSIAA singles championship, defeating Pingry’s Fiona Hu in the state final. With the victory, Abalos became just the fourth girls player in state history to win at least three singles titles. Along the way, she earned impressive victories over Sofia Basto-Cabrera, Leala Kramer, Jaime Carlin and Sylvie Yao. Abalos also secured her fourth straight Essex County singles crown this past fall, topping Amelia Burroughs in the championship match. She finished her career with 91 victories and did not lose a match during her sophomore, junior or senior seasons. Abalos was named the 2025 NJ.com Girls Tennis Player of the Year and will continue her academic and tennis careers at Notre Dame this fall. Vincenzo Caruso, Christian Brothers Caruso continued to establish himself as one of the state’s top players during his junior season. For the second consecutive year, the left-hander advanced to the NJSIAA singles final and finished the season with just two losses, including the championship match. Among his notable wins were victories over Andrew Zielinski, Drew Gilbert, Niranjan Ramalingam, Neil Lund, Dennis Wang and Todd Edison. Caruso also played a key role in Christian Brothers’ continued team success, helping the Colts win a third straight South Jersey Non-Public title and a second consecutive Shore Conference Tournament championship. Fiona Hu, Pingry Hu thrived after moving into Pingry’s first singles position this season. The sophomore posted a 14-1 record in dual match competition and advanced to the NJSIAA singles final, where she faced Abalos. Hu also captured championships at both the Prep A Tournament and Somerset County Tournament while helping lead Pingry to an undefeated season and the Non-Public state title. Against one of the toughest schedules in the state, she earned victories over Valerie Sinitsyn, Keira Kapur, Lyra Patel, Jaime Carlin, Jordan Lee, Kylee Hung and Britney Lee. Rohan Vyas, West Essex Vyas made history by becoming the first player from West Essex to win an NJSIAA singles championship. The junior excelled throughout the regular season, highlighted by victories over Drew Gilbert in a super tiebreaker and Nolan Sharma in two hard-fought sets. At the state tournament, Vyas elevated his game even further, knocking off top-seeded Andrew Zielinski in the semifinals before defeating second-seeded Vincenzo Caruso in the championship match. Vyas was named the 2026 NJ.com Boys Tennis Player of the Year. Andrew Zielinski, Newark Academy Zielinski earned the No. 1 seed for the NJSIAA singles tournament after another outstanding junior campaign. He opened the season with a win over Dennis Wang and added victories against a host of top players, including Caruso, Drew Gilbert, Vaughn Lee, Chris Winters, Aaron Paul, Steven Komoto and Cole Langer. At the state tournament, Zielinski defeated Brandon Jeon, Niranjan Ramalingam and Ryan Hao before reaching the semifinals. He also claimed the Essex County Tournament singles championship. In team competition, Zielinski helped lead Newark Academy to titles in the Essex County Tournament, Newark Academy Invitational, North Non-Public tournament and the overall Non-Public state championship.

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5 N.J. HIGH SCHOOL TENNIS PLAYERS NAMED 2025-26 ALL-AMERICANS

CHRIS NALWASKY

NJ.com | 7/6/2026

PHOTO CREDIT: Val Martin