By Andrew Todres
Staff Writer
todres@sas.upenn.edu
When the year began, the Penn women's tennis team didn't know quite what to expect from its talented freshmen. Maria Anisimova knew even less about what to expect from the team.
Then, all of a sudden, the rookie took the College Tennis Invitational by storm, plowing through a slew of experienced, high-profile athletes to win the "C" bracket.
And while she may not yet compare with that 'other Maria from Russia - Sharapova - Anisimova is slowly but surely becoming one of the Ivy League's toughest competitors.
Born in Moscow, Anismova never played tennis in the first ten years of her life. But after her tenth birthday, her family moved to America, where she emerged as both an outstanding tennis player and student.
Encouraged by her mother - who had been a strong tennis player when she was younger - Anisimova picked up the game quickly and never turned back.
"By the time I came here, I had tried every other sport," she said. "Tennis was the only one I wanted to stay with."
Throughout her high school years, Anisimova excelled both on the court and in the classroom, earning the Most Outstanding Achievement Award for Tennis in 2005.
Coached mostly by her father, she did not compete on any teams in high school. By focusing on matches against some of the nation's top under-18 players, she garnered much attention from college coaches.
At one point, tennisrecruiting.net ranked her as the 29th-best recruit in the class of 2006.
Given her dedication to her schoolwork, Anisimiova shunned larger athletic programs in favor academically elite universities, especially Penn, Brown, Princeton and Harvard.
But ultimately, the allure of the Wharton School and the Quakers' tennis program drew her to Penn.
"Penn was by far my number one choice," she said. "I loved all of the girls on the team and found in Penn the greatest combination of academics and athletics."
Interestingly for Anisimova, one of the most difficult transitions to a college team has been just that - competing on an actual team.
"It's good because it gives me a whole different angle on tennis," she said. "I've never played for a team before, and it's just very fun to be on a team . it's a very different experience."
Anisimova also noted that Penn's academic demands and pressures have forced her to adjust in more ways that one.
Her ability to make such a smooth and natural transition has given coach Michael Dowd high hopes for the rest of the Ivy League season.
"Maria had a great fall," he said. "We're expecting big things out of her this spring."
Anisimova attributed her early success to her aggressive style of play but emphasized the need to improve her consistency.
Dowd echoed these sentiments, pointing out that she can "improve on making in-game adjustments to the different looks she will see from her opponents."
With one tournament title already under her belt, though, Anisimova seems well ahead of the game. And given her track record, she could provide the extra boost that the Quakers will need to improve on last season's second-place finish in the Ivy League.
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