Mason High School graduate Vignesh Gogineni made his ATP tour debut on Aug. 11 at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, the same courts where he won an OHSAA state singles title four years earlier.
The 22-year-old recent Yale graduate received a qualifying wild card to the Cincinnati Open after spending years attending the tournament as a fan and then working as a hitting partner for top professionals. He fell to Finland's Otto Virtanen 6-3, 6-1 in the first round of qualifying, entering the draw ranked No. 975 in the ATP, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.
The loss stung, but the moment carried weight.
"I grew up coming to this tournament. This is where I fell in love with the sport. To come back here was monumental to be on the other side of things and to be the person I grew up watching meant a lot to me," Gogineni told the Enquirer after the match.
At Yale, Gogineni earned first-team All-Ivy League honors in singles and doubles, compiled a 28-8 singles record and helped the Bulldogs reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1977. Weeks before the Cincinnati Open, he won the Edwardsville Futures tournament in Illinois, becoming the first Yale men's tennis player to win a professional event in over 40 years and rising to No. 770 in the ATP rankings, according to the Yale Daily News.
Bernadsky makes history, commits to Cornell
Gogineni is now paying it forward. Through the Cincinnati Tennis Foundation, he became a mentor to Greg Bernadsky, 18, who just capped one of the most decorated careers in Mason tennis history.
Bernadsky won his second consecutive OHSAA Division I state singles championship on May 30 at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, defeating his opponent 6-0, 7-6 (0) in the final. He is the first player in Mason Boys Tennis history to win two individual state titles, according to a Mason City Schools announcement.
The second set told the story. Bernadsky fell behind 5-2 before rallying to force a tiebreaker, which he won 7-0 without surrendering a point. First-year Mason head coach Brendan Reedy said Bernadsky showed the toughness and composure that defined his career, calling the state final a perfect ending to his time as a Comet.
Bernadsky battled through a hand injury during the offseason and spent months working to regain his health and confidence. He is now at Cornell University playing Division I tennis.
He credits Gogineni with showing him the habits and professionalism needed to reach the next level, and told Axios North of Cincy he is trying to do the same for younger players coming up behind him.
The foundation connecting them
The Cincinnati Tennis Foundation, led by founder and CEO Matt Dektas, ties these stories together. The nonprofit reached nearly 5,000 students through tennis and pickleball programs at 30 schools last year, leaving equipment behind so kids can keep playing for free.
Day'Mia Seay, an incoming McNicholas High School junior, learned to play at Withrow High School through the foundation. She has since competed on the Lindner Family Tennis Center courts and received shoes donated by Coco Gauff, who gave $10,000 worth of footwear to the foundation last year before winning the 2026 Cincinnati Open women's title.
The foundation has invested more than $270,000 in Withrow's outdoor courts and helped start tennis teams at Withrow and Spencer Center for Gifted and Exceptional Students.
All of it unfolded during a record-breaking Cincinnati Open that drew 300,288 fans over 16 days, as we reported in our Cincinnati Open attendance coverage. Gogineni said he hopes to earn another shot at the tournament next August.
