Women’s Tennis Opens 2026 Fall Season at ITA All

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard women's tennis will open its 2026 fall campaign this weekend, sending six student-athletes to Cary, N.C., to compete at the ITA All-American Championships. Prequalifying action begins Saturday, Sept. 19, with Natalie Block, Amina Zeghlouli, Kavya Karra and Anna Tabunshchyk competing in the singles draw. Block will also team up with Natasha Rajaram in the doubles prequalifying draw. Beginning Wednesday, Sept. 23, Stephanie Yakoff will take the court in both the singles and doubles main draws. In doubles, seniors Yakoff and Karra will begin their pursuit of another NCAA Championships berth. What to Know - Harvard's four entrants in the prequalifying singles draw, along with one doubles tandem, will begin competition Saturday, with play continuing through Sunday. Those who advance will move on to the two-day qualifying rounds, where spots in Wednesday's main draw will be on the line. - Block and Zeghlouli will kick off the Crimson's action in Cary at 9 a.m. Saturday, followed by Karra and Tabunshchyk at 11 a.m. Block and Rajaram will begin their doubles run at 3:30 p.m. - Yakoff will look to return to the NCAA Individual Championships after earning a spot in the field last season. The ITA All-American Championships marks the senior's first of four opportunities this fall to secure an NCAA Championships berth. - Eight quarterfinalists from the singles main draw, along with the two consolation finalists, will earn berths to the NCAA Singles Championship. - Yakoff and Karra will also be in pursuit of their second NCAA doubles berth after reaching the tournament two seasons ago. The ITA All-American Championships will award five doubles bids: four to the main draw semifinalists and one to the consolation champion. - The Crimson returns nearly its entire roster from last season, losing just one student-athlete while welcoming three newcomers as part of the Class of 2030. - Karra and Yakoff paced the Crimson in singles victories last season, posting impressive records of 20-7 and 18-5, respectively. The duo was equally dominant together, compiling a 17-3 doubles record that included a perfect 11-0 mark during the dual season. - In the ITA Division I Women's Preseason Rankings, Yakoff enters the fall ranked No. 55 nationally in singles, while she and Karra check in at No. 43 in doubles. - Traci Green enters her 20th season at the helm of the Crimson. During her tenure, Green has amassed 217 victories and guided Harvard to three NCAA Tournament appearances. Next Up The Crimson will return to its home courts next weekend for the first time this season, hosting the Harvard Fall Classic from Friday, Oct. 2 through Sunday, Oct. 4.