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Sara Daavettila

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Sara Daavettila
Country (sports) United States
Born (1997-12-17) December 17, 1997 (age 26)
Williamston, Michigan, U.S.
Height5 ft 6 in (168 cm)
PlaysRight-handed (two-handed backhand)
CollegeNorth Carolina (2016–2021)
Prize money$35,319
Singles
Career record111–73
Career titles2 ITF
Highest rankingNo. 576 (October 9, 2023)
Current rankingNo. 594 (November 11, 2024)
Doubles
Career record30–41
Career titles2 ITF
Highest rankingNo. 524 (February 26, 2024)
Current rankingNo. 814 (November 11, 2024)
Last updated on: November 11, 2024.

Sara Daavettila (born December 17, 1997) is an American professional tennis player. She has a career-high singles ranking by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) of No. 576, achieved October 2023, and doubles ranking of No. 524, achieved February 2024.

Born in Michigan to a former college player, she had a successful junior career. She went undefeated in two seasons of high school tennis. She played five years of college tennis for the North Carolina Tar Heels, reaching a peak NCAA Division I singles ranking of No. 1. She reached at least the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championships three times. Since turning professional she has played on the ITF Women's World Tennis Tour, where she has won two singles titles and one doubles title.

Early life and junior career

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Daavettila grew up in Williamston, Michigan, the oldest of six siblings.[1] She started playing tennis at age three or four.[2][3] Her mother, who played college tennis at Western Michigan University, coached her from a young age.[1][4] She performed well at United States Tennis Association (USTA) events as a junior, winning ten national titles and more than twenty USTA Midwest titles.[1][5]

Homeschooled until tenth grade, Daavettila enrolled in Williamston High School, in Division 3 of the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA), for her sophomore year in 2013–14. She said she did so partly to have a chance to play her friend, senior Alexandria Najarian of Cranbrook Kingswood, before she left for college at the University of Michigan. Daavettila went undefeated in seventeen matches on her way to the state championship final, where she faced Najarian, the three-time defending champion. Daavettila won 6–2, 6–1, handing Najarian the only defeat of her high school career.[2][6]

Daavettila played again for the Williamston Hornets in 2014–15. Having not lost a set as a sophomore, she did not lose a game her entire junior season in twenty-four matches, becoming the first high school player to do so, and defended her state championship.[7][8][5] She returned to homeschooling her senior year to have more time for USTA competitions.[4] She verbally committed to the University of North Carolina by early 2015 and signed a letter of intent in November 2015.[3][5] She was considered the top recruit of the class of 2016.[9][10]

College career

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Daavettila began playing for the North Carolina Tar Heels as the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA)'s top-ranked incoming freshman of 2016–17.[11] She won the ITA Carolina Regionals singles title in the fall of 2016.[12] She played mostly at No. 2 singles in the regular season, going 20–7 to help North Carolina win the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Championship, and was named ACC Freshman of the Year. She reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championships in singles, finishing the season ranked No. 14 in singles with an overall record of 43–11.[9][13]

Daavettila went 29–12 in singles in her sophomore season in 2017–18. She helped North Carolina win the ITA Team Indoor Championship, being named most outstanding player, and defend the ACC Championship.[9][14] She and teammate Alle Sanford reached the semifinals of the NCAA Championships in doubles, having entering the event as an alternate.[15] North Carolina again defended the ACC Championship in her junior season in 2018–19 and reached the semifinals of the NCAA Championships as a team. Daavettila again won the ITA Carolina Regionals singles title and made the quarterfinals of the NCAA singles tournament, finishing the year with a singles record of 32–8 and ranked at No. 12.[9][16]

Daavettila won the ITA National Fall Championships singles title in the fall of 2019–20, beating No. 1 Estela Perez-Somarriba of Miami in the semifinals and Anna Turati of Texas in the final.[17] She went 23–2 in singles and 13–5 in doubles to rank No. 5 in singles and No. 4 in doubles with Alexa Graham at the end of the pandemic-shortened season.[9][18] This season and next season, she was again named most outstanding player at the ITA Team Indoor Championships, helping North Carolina win consecutive indoor titles in 2020 and 2021.[9] She reached the No. 1 singles ranking in April 2021 as she went 22–2 in her final season.[9] North Carolina, on a 48-match winning streak, won the ACC Championship but were upset in the semifinals of the NCAA Championships, where Daavettila made the NCAA singles semifinals.[9][19][20] Her college career ended ranked No. 3 in singles and doubles, and she received the ACC Player of the Year Award and the Honda Sports Award as the nation's top college tennis player.[9][21] She graduated with a bachelor's degree in communication studies in May 2021.[9]

Professional career

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Daavettila debuted on the ITF Women's World Tennis Tour in 2013 at age 15.[22] She was selected to the USTA Collegiate Summer Team in mid-2021.[23] She reached her first ITF doubles final at a W15 tournament in San Diego, California, in June 2022, partnering former North Carolina teammate Makenna Jones, and reached her first ITF singles final at a W15 event in Champaign, Illinois, in November 2022.[22] She won her first professional titles at the next year's W15 event in San Diego in June 2023, where she won in singles and doubles with Katherine Hui.[24]

ITF finals

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Singles: 6 (2 titles, 4 runner-ups)

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Legend
W15 tournaments
Result W–L Date Tournament Tier Surface Opponent Score
Loss 0–1 Nov 2022 ITF Champaign, United States W15 Hard China Tian Fangran 1–6, 3–6
Win 1–1 Jun 2023 ITF San Diego, United States W15 Hard South Africa Chanel Simmonds 7–6(3), 7–5
Loss 1–2 Apr 2024 ITF Monastir, Tunisia W15 Hard United States Hina Inoue 6–2, 6–7(2), 4–6
Win 2–2 Jun 2024 ITF San Diego, United States W15 Hard United States Maya Iyengar 6–0, 6–0
Loss 2–3 Jun 2024 ITF San Diego, United States W15 Hard United States Fiona Crawley 4–6, 6–1, 3–6
Loss 2–4 Nov 2024 ITF Clemson, United States W15 Hard United States Emma Charney 6–7(4), 6–7(3)

Doubles: 3 (2 titles, 1 runner-up)

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Legend
W15 tournaments
Result W–L Date Tournament Tier Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 0–1 Jun 2022 ITF San Diego, United States W15 Hard United States Makenna Jones Thailand Bunyawi Thamchaiwat
Chinese Taipei Yang Ya-yi 		3–6, 4–6
Win 1–1 Jun 2023 ITF San Diego, United States W15 Hard United States Katherine Hui United States Malaika Rapolu
Ukraine Anita Sahdiieva 		7–6(4), 6–4
Win 2–1 Nov 2024 ITF Clemson, United States W15 Hard United States Makenna Jones Poland Olivia Bergler
France Sophia Biolay 		6–0, 6–2

References

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  1. ^ a b c Edwards, James L. III (May 13, 2015). "Williamston tennis player considered one of nation's top prep prospects". Lansing State Journal. Archived from the original on November 20, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Girls tennis player of the year: Sara Daavettila". USA Today High School Sports. June 13, 2014. Archived from the original on November 12, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Lewis, Colette (February 18, 2015). "Daavettila Chooses Carolina Blue". TennisRecruiting.net. Archived from the original on November 12, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Edwards, James L. III (February 21, 2017). "Q&A: Williamston native is 2nd-ranked tennis player in country". Lansing State Journal. Archived from the original on November 20, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c "Tar Heels Sign Daavettila, Sanford for 2016". goheels.com. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Athletics. November 16, 2015. Archived from the original on November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  6. ^ Shebest, Pam (May 31, 2014). "Cranes Clinch 4th Straight Tennis Title". mhsaa.com. Michigan High School Athletic Association. Archived from the original on November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  7. ^ "Williamston's Sara Daavettila wins second straight tennis title, goes all season without losing a game". MLive.com. May 30, 2015. Archived from the original on November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  8. ^ Dunlap, Keith (May 30, 2015). "LPD3 Champions Continue Dominance". mhsaa.com. Michigan High School Athletic Association. Archived from the original on November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Sara Daavettila – Women's Tennis". goheels.com. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Athletics. Archived from the original on June 18, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  10. ^ "Player Overview – Sara Daavettila". TennisRecruiting.net. Archived from the original on November 12, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  11. ^ "Carter Begins Senior Year Ranked No. 1". goheels.com. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Athletics. September 13, 2016. Archived from the original on November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  12. ^ "Daavettila Tops Aney in ITA Regional Singles Final". goheels.com. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Athletics. October 24, 2016. Archived from the original on November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  13. ^ Trendel, Avery (May 27, 2017). "Women's Tennis: UNC Freshman Sara Daavettila Advances to NCAA Singles Quarterfinals". Chapelboro.com. Archived from the original on November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  14. ^ Trendel, Avery (February 15, 2018). "Sara Daavettila Named ITA Indoor National Champhionship's Most Outstanding Player". Chapelboro.com. Archived from the original on November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  15. ^ Trendel, Avery (May 28, 2018). "Cinderella Run Ends in NCAA Women's Doubles Tournament Semifinals for Sara Daavettila, Alle Sanford". Chapelboro.com. Archived from the original on November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  16. ^ Trendel, Avery (October 22, 2018). "Women's Tennis: UNC Sweeps ITA Regional Championships". Chapelboro.com. Archived from the original on November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  17. ^ Kimmel, Mark (November 10, 2019). "Sara Daavettila wins ITA Fall Championship Singles Title". goheels.com. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Athletics. Archived from the original on November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  18. ^ Friend, Phil (May 6, 2021). "Three NCAA tennis titles within grasp for Williamston grad, North Carolina senior Sara Daavettila". Lansing State Journal. Archived from the original on November 20, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  19. ^ Trendel, Avery (May 21, 2021). "No. 5 Seed Pepperdine Stuns No. 1 UNC Women's Tennis in NCAA Tournament Semifinals". Chapelboro.com. Archived from the original on November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  20. ^ Trendel, Avery (May 26, 2021). "UNC's Daavettila Continues Historic Run, Reaches Semifinals of NCAA Women's Tournament". Chapelboro.com. Archived from the original on November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  21. ^ "Sara Daavettila Receives Honda Sport Award for Tennis". Intercollegiate Tennis Association. June 11, 2021. Archived from the original on November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  22. ^ a b "Sara Daavettila Player Profile". International Tennis Federation. Archived from the original on November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  23. ^ Trendel, Avery (June 24, 2021). "William Blumberg, Sara Daavettila Named to USTA Collegiate Summer Team". Chapelboro.com. Archived from the original on November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  24. ^ Secore, Damiam (June 19, 2023). "Sara Daavettila Claims Pro Series Double in San Diego, Shares Doubles Title with Katherine Hui". USTA Southern California. Archived from the original on November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
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