If recent history is any indication, you might see some future WTA standouts in the NCAA women’s tennis tournament beginning on May 2. College tennis, particularly the University of Virginia, has produced multiple major semifinalists and Top 20 WTA pros over the last decade.
It’s the best run of success for college players at the pro level since the years immediately after World War II, when multiple eventual major champions attended college (although they couldn’t truly compete for national honors as we know them today in the days before Title IX).
Let’s meet the three top current professional players who played NCAA tennis, followed by the three all-time best women’s players who competed at the college level in some way.
The best who played college tennis - recently
No. 3 - Diana Shnaider, North Carolina State
Shnaider led the Wolfpack to the championship match of the NCAA team tournament in 2023. She’s been on an upward trajectory in the WTA rankings ever since. She (and her trademark bandana) climbed to No. 12 in the world rankings soon after an appearance in the U.S. Open round of 16 in 2024 - and she is on pace to achieve a new career-best when the following rankings are released on May 5.
No. 2 - Emma Navarro, Virginia
Navarro, the 2021 NCAA singles champion for the Cavaliers, reached the Round of 16 at all four majors in 2024, including a semifinal appearance at the U.S. Open. She reached No. 8 in the world rankings in the fall of 2024.
No. 1 - Danielle Collins, Virginia
Collins’ ranking has slipped in recent months, but she is still the most accomplished current player who played NCAA tennis. Collins became the first women’s player with college tennis experience in 39 years to reach a major final when she made a surprise run to the 2023 Australian Open championship match.
She added a WTA 1000 title to her resume, which already included the 2014 and 2016 NCAA singles titles, when she won the Miami Open in 2024.
The best who played college tennis - ever
Disclaimer: Don’t take these players’ college resumes at face value. Opportunities for female athletes were limited in the days before Title IX and the NCAA women's championships.
No. 3 - Althea Gibson, Florida A&M
Gibson ascended to No. 1 in the world in the late 1950s, when she became the first Black player to win the French, Wimbledon, and U.S. championships. Gibson spent the early 1950s at FAMU as a recipient of an athletic scholarship, a rarity for female athletes in that era.
Gibson trained with the school’s tennis team and completed a bachelor’s degree in physical education. She was a FAMU student when she became the first Black woman to compete at the U.S. Championships.
No. 2 - Pauline Betz, Rollins
Betz, who won five majors in the 1940s, also played No. 4 singles at Rollins College in 1939. What’s the big deal about playing No. 4 singles, you ask? Did we mention Betz played No. 4 singles for the Rollins men’s team?
Rollins, by the way, boasts arguably the most underrated history in college tennis. Four major champions – Betz, Shirley Fry, Dorothy Cheney, and Jack Kramer – played at Rollins.
No. 1 - Billie Jean King – Cal State Los Angeles
Before BJK became an iconic figure with 12 singles majors and a central role in the fight for equity for women’s tennis, she won the 1964 Independent College Singles Championship at the then-prestigious Ojai tournament while representing Cal State Los Angeles. She also won her first two Wimbledon doubles titles while attending Cal State Los Angeles.