Cohen Is Not Just Another Number:: Augustachronicle. com
Miami's Audra Cohen is the top-ranked women's college player in the country. After asensational 2004-05 freshman season at Northwestern when she was a NCAA finalist, Cohen transferred closer to her home in South Florida, underwent back surgery and didn't play last fall. Although she lost in the round of 16 at the NCAA Individual Championships this year, she helped lead Miami to the finals of the team event, and finished her sophomore year at No. 1.
This summer she played $10,000 Futures in the U.S., winning one and reaching the semifinals in two others. The 20-year-old got her first win over a WTA Top 100 player when she defeated Olga Savchuk in New Haven qualifying, but for some reason, she wasn't given a qualifying wild card for the U.S. Open. This week, she's playing in a $25,000 tournament in Augusta, Georgia and she notched another victory over a WTA Top 100 on Thursday, when she defeated no. 1 seed and 93rd ranked Varvara Lepchenko of Uzbekistan, 6-0 in the third. A sports columnist from the Augusta Chronicle took notice--the story is here (registration required.) Jennifer Magley, who graduated from Florida early and began playing professionally last winter, is also interviewed and she has some very interesting things to say about the difference between college tennis and pro tennis."College is a game of consistency; this is a game of weapons."
For Cohen there is another difference too."College has five times as much pressure per match because everyone is counting on you and you hold everybody's destiny," Cohen said. "Out here it's only you."
I'm just happy there was a reporter there interested in asking such questions.
In other news today, Vania King has her own website now, vaniaking.net, and the question of who is representing her interests is answered. It's not one of the Big Three, but StarGames in Massachusetts.
Also, the link to this week's Inside Junior Tennis is here.
1 comments:
Collette,
Great to see, finally, an article devoted to Cohen. Her first two years of college tennis have been nothing short of spectacular and remind me somewhat of Lisa Raymond (less artistry, more power but similar impact). Unlike Raymond, she hasn't managed to snag the NCAA singles crown but I do feel that has more to do with the sheer exhaustion of carrying both the Northwestern and Miami lineups. Even if she never manages to claim that title I do feel she is one player who has the 'big game' that might translate well to the pro ranks.
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