Before they were playing on the biggest stage in US tennis, Jennifer, Francesca, Danielle, Astra, Aliona, and Kristie were sharpening their skills in the collegiate ranks. The six of them left their own mark in college tennis and are striving to do the same in the professional ranks.
With the 2020 US Open kicking off this morning, we sat down to look back at their illustrious careers.
Jennifer Brady | UCLA
Jennifer Brady only spent two years at UCLA, but she made the most of her time. Brady started her freshman year by winning the doubles title at the ITA All-American Championships. She went onto lead the Bruins in singles and doubles victories. She made runs in the NCAA Singles Championships both years and reached the Round of 16 in the NCAA Doubles Championships her sophomore year. Brady was named an ITA All-American three times.
Coming off her WTA title at Lexington, Brady heads into the US Open ranked No. 40. Brady has reached as far as the Round of 16 at the US Open (2017). She will look to build off of her momentum.
Francesca Di Lorenzo | Ohio State University
Francesca Di Lorenzo brought home the first ITA national title and first NCAA Doubles title in program history to Ohio State. Her time as a Buckeye marked up the OSU record books. She left OSU ranking first in singles winning percentage and doubles winning percentage. Di Lorenzo was a two-time ITA Singles All-American and an ITA Doubles All-American along with winning three ITA national titles.
Di Lorenzo made her WTA main draw debut at the 2018 US Open where she won her first round match. In 2019, she reached the second round of the US Open.
Danielle Collins | University of Virginia, University of Florida
Cavalier legend Danielle Collins recorded firsts and won numerous titles during her time in the Virginia jersey. Collins became only the 7th woman in NCAA history to win two NCAA Singles titles. Her first NCAA Singles title cemented her as the first player in school history to win the NCAA Singles Championships. In addition to her NCAA titles, Collins won the ITA All-American Championship and the Oracle ITA Masters Championship.
Collins best Grand Slam performance came at the 2019 Australian Open where she reached the semifinals. She heads into the US Open ranked No. 53.
Astra Sharma | Vanderbilt University
Astra Sharma not only helped the Commodores to the NCAA Team Championship, she also was named the NCAA tournament MVP as a redshirt freshman. Her career singles record at Vanderbilt was 94-28. Sharma was named an ITA All-American three times.
Since going pro, Sharma has won one title — the doubles title at 2019 Bogotá. She also reached the Round of 64 at the 2019 Australian Open. In mixed doubles, Sharma was a finalist at the 2019 Australian Open.
Aliona Bolsova | Oklahoma State University, Florida Atlantic University
While playing her sophomore season at FAU, Aliona Bolsova was incredibly efficient. She went 19-0 in singles and won every match in straight sets. Bolsova’s stellar singles play earned her the No. 2 spot in the Oracle ITA Rankings. She was named the Conference USA Women’s Tennis Player of the Year.
During her professional career, Bolsova has reached the Round of 16 at Roland Garros and the Round of 64 at the US Open. Heading into the 2020 US Open, Bolsova is ranked No. 103.
Kristie Ahn | Stanford University
The Cardinal’s Kristie Ahn battled injuries throughout her collegiate career, but still put together an impressive career. In her rookie season, Ahn was named the ITA National Rookie of the Year along with ITA All-American in singles. She ranked second on the team her first year in wins – holding a 36-4 overall record.
Professionally, Ahn reached the Round of 16 during the 2019 US Open. She is currently ranked No. 97 heading into the 2020 US Open.
