In the recent weeks, women in tennis has given us a lot of things to be excited about. From the U.S Open championship to Serena William’s newborn child to our very own Whitney Young Girls Varsity Tennis team, it is hard not to give our attention to this amazing sport.

On September 9th, Sloane Stephens defeated Madison Keys to win the U.S Open. She won 6-3, 6-0, receiving her first major title. In the year before, Stephens had been on a break due to a foot injury and had undergone surgery in January. Before April, she had not been able to walk, much less play. Coming into the U.S Open, she ranked 957th. With the win, she is expected to be ranked no. 17 and come out with a lot of money in her pockets. Her winner’s check was an impressive amount of $3.7 million.

Among those who shared Stephen’s joy was her coach, Kamau Murray. A Whitney Young alum, Murray coaches many young tennis players at the XS tennis facility in the Hyde Park community of Chicago, including the captain of the Whitney Young Girls Varsity Tennis team, Camryn Salter ‘18. When Stephens is in town, both amazing tennis players practice together.
“Sloane is such a mentor to me and my tennis friends,” Salter said. “She is so strong and humble. At times you forget she’s one of the top players in the world.”

The Girl’s Tennis season has been going great so far with their most recent win against Lake View High School.

“The tennis team is off to a great start, we are currently undefeated!” Salter said. “We’ve had a game everyday this week, so our schedule is super busy but we are working hard to get another city, sectional, and state title.”