CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Illinois Women's Tennis team has announced the signing of three players who will compete in the 2017-18 season. The three athletes who signed National Letters of Intent for head coach Evan Clark's first recruiting class at Illinois are Alexandra "Sasha" Belaya, Asuka Kawai and Mia Rabinowitz.
"We are very excited to welcome Sasha, Asuka and Mia to the Fighting Illini Women's Tennis family," Clark said. "First of all, we are getting three high-quality character individuals that will immediately impact our program in an extremely positive way. Second, we are adding three very talented students and tennis players. We feel honored that they chose the University of Illinois, our coaching staff and our program to help guide them through the next stages of their academic and tennis careers. They all understand how special of a place Illinois is and we can't wait to see them in the Orange and Blue competing for the Illini in the future."
ALEXANDRA "SASHA" BELAYA // MELBOURNE, FLA. // VIERA H.S.
A five-star recruit, ranked among the top 30 prospects in the country, Belaya is the No. 6 prospect in Florida and the No. 7 prospect in the Southeast. She was the Class 3A singles champion in Florida in 2016 and has 19 wins over five-stars or blue chip prospects. Belaya was the singles champion at the 2014 Vancouver ITF Junior Championships, the doubles champion and a finalist in singles at the 2015 U16 International Spring Championships, and a quarterfinalist at the 2016 National Clay Court Championships.
"We were impressed with Sasha since day one," Clark said. "She is an extremely gifted tennis player, athlete, and competitor. Once we got her on campus we were even more impressed with her and knew she would be a great fit for her program. We could not be more excited that she has chosen Illinois.
She is the daughter of Andrei Belaya.
ASUKA KAWAI // PALATINE, ILL. // PALATINE H.S.
Ranked among the top 20 prospects in the country, and the No. 2 prospect in both Illinois and the Great Lakes Region, Kawai is a blue-chip prospect. She has a 20-1 overall record in USTA competition, including a 9-0 mark against other five-star prospects. She was the singles champion at the Midwest L3 Winter Championships in 2015, the Midwest L3 Spring Championships in 2016 and the ITA Championship Summer Circuit hosted by Northwestern in 2016. Kawai placed third at the Class 2A IHSA Championships in 2015 and 2016.
"The first time I saw Asuka compete, I knew we had to get her to Illinois," Clark said. "Her energy and competitiveness on the court will be a tremendous addition to our program. She has all the tools and will continue to develop at a very high rate. She will thrive in the college tennis setting, and we can't wait to get her in the Orange and Blue."
Kawai is the daughter of Toshio and Akiko Kawai.
MIA RABINOWITZ // TENAFLY, N.J. // LAUREL SPRINGS SCHOOL
Rabinowitz is a five-star recruit, ranked among the top 35 prospects in the nation, has 14 wins over five-star and blue-chip prospects and is the No. 2 prospect in New Jersey and No. 4 in the Mid-Atlantic Region. She reached the quarterfinals of the 2016 ITF 10k in Ashkelon, Israel, earning two WTA points. The winner of multiple Empire Cup doubles tournaments in the Eastern Section, Rabinowitz was chosen as the No. 1 singles player to represent the U.S. at the 2017 Maccabiah Games in Israel. She made the quarterfinals in singles and the Round of 16 in doubles at the USTA Girls 18's National Hard Courts in August.
"Mia instantly caught my eye and was someone I knew right away would be a perfect fit into what we are trying to do here at Illinois," Clark said. "Her athleticism and work ethic is something very special. She is a player that has shown tremendous growth and development in a very short period of time. We could not be more excited to see her develop as an Illini."
She is the daughter of Jon and Michal Rabinowitz.
