TEMPE, Ariz. – The Arizona State women's tennis team received two international commitments on Monday, as Lauryn John-Baptiste and Saša Klanecek signed their letters of intent for the 2017-18 season.
"We are thrilled with the addition of Lauryn and Saša to our women's tennis program," said head coach Sheila McInerney. "Both Lauryn and Saša are talented tennis players, but more importantly they are two very impressive young women who will be great representatives of Arizona State University and our women's tennis program. They both love to play tennis and will be excellent team players and teammates. We are excited for their future."
Residing in London, England, John-Baptiste currently trains out of Gosling Tennis Academy and just recently competed at the Wimbledon Junior Championships. She's been ranked as high as 1112 in the WTA world singles rankings and 1278 in the WTA world doubles rankings. In 2015, she also earned the British U-18 National Championship in singles and doubles.
"Lauryn is arguably one of the most athletic players that will have entered our program during my tenure," said McInerney. "She will have an immediate impact for us in both singles and doubles. Lauryn plays an aggressive style from both the baseline and at the net, which Sun Devil fans will enjoy watching. Lauryn's talent coupled with her work ethic should make things exciting in Tempe. We look forward to her arrival in August."
Klanecek will roll into Tempe with some pizazz to her game. The Slovenia native trains out of ŽTK Maribor, which has been rated as the best tennis club in Slovenia for well over the last decade. Klanecek is ranked as high as 1020 in the WTA world singles rankings and 1182 in the WTA world doubles rankings. In 2014, she represented Slovenia in the Junior Fed Cup competition.
"From a playing standpoint, Saša is an aggressive baseliner who likes to take the ball early and dictate play," said McInerney. "She has quite a bit of spunk to her which makes her a lot of fun to watch. We look forward to working on Saša's transition game and getting her more comfortable up at the net. She loves to play tennis and she is a worker, so it will be rewarding to see her development both on and off the court."
The two will join the Sun Devils in August of 2017.
"We are thrilled with the addition of Lauryn and Saša to our women's tennis program," said head coach Sheila McInerney. "Both Lauryn and Saša are talented tennis players, but more importantly they are two very impressive young women who will be great representatives of Arizona State University and our women's tennis program. They both love to play tennis and will be excellent team players and teammates. We are excited for their future."
Residing in London, England, John-Baptiste currently trains out of Gosling Tennis Academy and just recently competed at the Wimbledon Junior Championships. She's been ranked as high as 1112 in the WTA world singles rankings and 1278 in the WTA world doubles rankings. In 2015, she also earned the British U-18 National Championship in singles and doubles.
"Lauryn is arguably one of the most athletic players that will have entered our program during my tenure," said McInerney. "She will have an immediate impact for us in both singles and doubles. Lauryn plays an aggressive style from both the baseline and at the net, which Sun Devil fans will enjoy watching. Lauryn's talent coupled with her work ethic should make things exciting in Tempe. We look forward to her arrival in August."
Klanecek will roll into Tempe with some pizazz to her game. The Slovenia native trains out of ŽTK Maribor, which has been rated as the best tennis club in Slovenia for well over the last decade. Klanecek is ranked as high as 1020 in the WTA world singles rankings and 1182 in the WTA world doubles rankings. In 2014, she represented Slovenia in the Junior Fed Cup competition.
"From a playing standpoint, Saša is an aggressive baseliner who likes to take the ball early and dictate play," said McInerney. "She has quite a bit of spunk to her which makes her a lot of fun to watch. We look forward to working on Saša's transition game and getting her more comfortable up at the net. She loves to play tennis and she is a worker, so it will be rewarding to see her development both on and off the court."
The two will join the Sun Devils in August of 2017.