Mallory Cecil

Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy alum Mallory Cecil joined the Duke University Blue Devils in January 2009 and took over the No. 1 singles position on the team after just two matches. The 18-year-old from Spartanburg, S.C., has had an outstanding rookie season, posting a 24-3 record in singles, as well as a 20-7 mark in doubles with her partner, senior Jessi Robinson. She has a 4-1 singles record against players ranked in the top five in the country, beating the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 players during the year.

Cecil is currently the highest-ranked freshman in the country at No. 6 in singles. Among her many accolades this year, she was named the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s Rookie Player of the Year for the southeast region, as well as the ACC Rookie of the Year. She was also voted the ACC Tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

This past weekend, Cecil helped lead Duke to its first appearance in the NCAA Team Championship semifinals since 1999, clinching the win for the Blue Devils in their round-of-16 match against Arkansas and then defeating the country’s No. 3 player, Julia Cohen of Miami, in the quarterfinals. She is also slated to compete in the NCAA individual tournament later this month and will be seeded fifth in the event.

Cecil, who is currently riding a 14-match winning streak, recently took time from her busy schedule to answer some questions for USTA.com. You can read the full article by clicking here.