A precocious student became the youngest player to win a title at the ITA National Collegiate Clay Court Championship on Saturday.
Thirteen-year-old Anna Smith, of Venetia, defeated Duquesne University’s Sarah Shashura (6-0, 6-0) at the Mt. Lebanon Tennis Center.
Her road to the title match had her paired against top-ranked Tina Tehrani, who would have been favored in the match but withdrew because of a family emergency.
Smith was pushed into the title game and took advantage of the opportunity, absolutely breezing through two straight sets.
During the match, Smith held serve and broke serve with consistency, earning her a chance to defend her title next year, onlookers hope.
Smith told the Post-Gazette that “she’d like to go pro.” is no stranger to quality tennis players. Could she be the next ?
Come fall, the young tennis champ will enter eighth grade.
