News & Features

If there is one thing I have learned from working at the Tennis Recruiting Network, it is this: all college coaches evaluate recruits based on how they perform against quality competition. When I was a coach, I encouraged players to always compete in the best tournaments they could enter - at the district, sectional, national, or international level. As the cliche goes, "to be the best, you have to beat the best."

If you want to get extreme about playing a tough schedule, then a good role model is junior prospect Reka Zsilinszka (Fayetteville, NC). Zsilinszka's overall record of 65-16 includes 56 matches - and 44 victories - against Blue Chip and 5-Star recruits. Also in the tally are nine matches against international players. This gauntlet has earned her a Blue Chip rating, a #3 ranking in the Class of 2007, and what was recently the top strength of schedule in the country based on the RPI.