The 2000 Club

In next week’s Volvo Car Open, three of the 48 main-draw players were born in this century, making them among the youngest in the tournament! A word about each below.

Amanda Anisimova. Born Aug. 31, 2001. Plays for USA.

Anisimova is one of the brightest young American stars, reaching the round of 16 earlier this year at the Australian Open. In that Grand Slam event, after defeating Romanian Monica Niculescu she knocked off two top 25 players – Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko and Aryna Sabelenka from Belarus. At the end of 2016, at age 15, she was ranked No. 764 in the world. Today, at age 17, she’s ranked No. 73. Born in New Jersey, the bilingual Anisimova (English and Russian), Anisimova is coached by her father Konstantin. Both Konstantin and her mother Olga were born and raised in Moscow.

Bianca Andreescu. Born June 16, 2000. Plays for Canada.

Andreescu is the fastest rising star on the tour – skyrocketing from No. 206 a year ago to No. 24 in the world! Unseeded, she shocked the tennis world earlier this month by winning Indian Wells, with a three-set victory over former No. 1 Angelique Kerber. And last week, down in Miami, she came back from a 6-4, 5-1 deficit to defeat Romania Irina-Camelia Begu in the first round, so the anticipated Indian Wells hangover does not seem to be a factor. Keep an eye on Andreescu in the weeks and years ahead.

Emma Navarro. Born May 18, 2001. Plays for USA.

Charleston native and Ashley Hall junior Emma Navarro is starting to make her way up the WTA ladder, and next week she’s making her first-ever appearance in the main draw of a WTA Tour event. She earned that spot by winning seven consecutive matches last summer in the girls 18 national clay courts tournament held here in Charleston. This past November Navarro was ranked No. 763 – six months later, she stands at No. 565. A win in the Volvo Car Open main draw will continue her ascent. Navarro is the No. 1 U.S. girls 18 player.