Ayana Akli
{{Short description|American tennis player (born 2001)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2025}}
{{Infobox tennis biography
| name = Ayana Akli
| fullname =
| image = Ayana Akli (2023 Wolfpack Invite) 02 (cropped).jpg
| caption = Akli playing for the South Carolina Gamecocks in 2023
| country = {{USA}}
| residence =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|2001|7|6}}
| birth_place = Silver Spring, Maryland, US
| height = 1.63 m
| turnedpro =
| plays = Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
| college = {{Plainlist|
}}
| careerprizemoney = US $37,174
| singlesrecord = {{tennis record|won=66|lost=31}}
| singlestitles =
| highestsinglesranking = No. 314 (June 30, 2025)
| currentsinglesranking = No. 314 (June 30, 2025)
| doublesrecord = {{tennis record|won=18|lost=11}}
| doublestitles =
| highestdoublesranking = No. 336 (May 26, 2025)
| currentdoublesranking = No. 345 (June 30, 2025)
| updated = June 30, 2025
}}
Ayana Akli (born July 6, 2001) is an American professional tennis player. She has career-high rankings of No. 314 in singles, achieved on June 30, 2025, and No. 336 in doubles, achieved on May 26, 2025. She played collegiate tennis at the University of Maryland and the University of South Carolina.
Early life
Akli was born in Silver Spring, Maryland, to Komi and Linda Akli.{{cite web |last=Soong |first=Kelyn |title=Elite Junior Tennis Player Ayana Akli Is Paving Her Own Path |url=https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/182228/elite-junior-tennis-player-ayana-akli-is-paving-her-own-path/ |website=Washington City Paper |access-date=7 July 2025 |date=10 January 2019}} Her father is a former professional tennis player who immigrated to the United States from Togo in 1996 and was the childhood coach of Frances Tiafoe.{{cite web |last1=Jiménez |first1=Jesus |title=In Maryland, Frances Tiafoe's Former Home Rallies Behind Him |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/08/sports/tennis/tiafoe-us-open-maryland-jtcc.html |url-access=subscription |website=The New York Times |access-date=7 July 2025 |date=8 September 2022}}{{cite web |last1=Tennery |first1=Amy |last2=Chavez |first2=Julio-Cesar |title=Early mentors cheer Tiafoe's 'unbelievable' U.S. Open run |url=https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/early-mentors-cheer-tiafoes-unbelievable-us-open-run-2022-09-10/ |website=Reuters |access-date=7 July 2025 |date=10 September 2022}}
She began playing tennis at the age of four and trained at the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park. She attended Wheaton High School, where she was a three-time state champion in girls' singles.{{cite web |last=Haufe |first=William |title=KI girls, Easton boys ready to defend titles |url=https://www.stardem.com/sports/ki-girls-easton-boys-ready-to-defend-titles/article_1d031066-be80-56d0-90a7-2969731637ea.html |website=The Star Democrat |access-date=8 July 2025 |date=31 March 2018}}{{cite web |last=Soong |first=Kelyn |title=Wheaton's Ayana Akli, Wootton's Joseph Brailovsky defend Maryland state tennis titles |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/highschools/wheatons-ayana-akli-woottons-joseph-brailovsky-defend-maryland-state-tennis-titles/2018/05/26/3841bdc4-6091-11e8-b2b8-08a538d9dbd6_story.html |url-access=subscription |website=The Washington Post |access-date=7 July 2025 |date=26 May 2018}}{{cite web |last=Oyefusi |first=Daniel |title=Wheaton's Ayana Akli wraps high school career with third straight Maryland 4A tennis title |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/highschools/wheatons-ayana-akli-wraps-high-school-career-with-third-straight-maryland-4a-tennis-title/2019/05/25/ec765318-7e68-11e9-a5b3-34f3edf1351e_story.html |website=The Washington Post |access-date=7 July 2025 |date=5 May 2019}} She received a degree in civil engineering from the University of South Carolina.{{cite web |last=Muller |first=Brad |title=Akli Looks Forward to Finishing What She Started, On and Off the Court |url=https://gamecocksonline.com/news/2024/04/26/akli-looks-forward-to-finishing-what-she-started-on-and-off-the-court/ |website=University of South Carolina Athletics |access-date=7 July 2025 |date=26 April 2024}}
Career
In 2019, Akli signed a letter of intent to play collegiate tennis for the Maryland Terrapins. After two years, she transferred to the University of South Carolina.{{cite web |title=Ayana Akli Set to Join Women’s Tennis Team |url=https://gamecocksonline.com/news/2021/05/27/ayana-akli-set-to-join-womens-tennis-team/ |website=University of South Carolina Athletics |access-date=7 July 2025 |date=27 May 2021}} Playing for the South Carolina Gamecocks, she reached career-high national rankings of No. 3 in singles and No. 10 in doubles. She also received ITA All-American and All-SEC honors and was named the SEC Women's Tennis Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
In October 2023, she reached the semifinals of the Christus Health Pro Challenge as a qualifier.{{cite web |last=Kapetanakis |first=Arthur |title=Bektas set for Top 100 debut after WTA 125 title; Navarro wins on USTA Pro Circuit |url=https://www.usta.com/en/home/pro/pro-media---news/emina-bektas--emma-navarro-win-singles-titles.html |website=USTA |access-date=8 July 2025 |date=30 October 2023}} In July 2024, she reached the semifinals of the Championnats Banque Nationale de Granby as a qualifier.{{cite web |last=Tassé |first=Michel |title=La Canadienne Cross affrontera la favorite en finale |url=https://www.lesoleil.com/sports/championnats-banque-nationale/2024/07/20/kayla-cross-affrontera-la-favorite-en-finale-4HGQPA3URNDFPCNG2RSQKZPPSM/ |website=Le Soleil |access-date=8 July 2025 |language=fr-CA |date=20 July 2024}} Later that year, she won her first professional doubles title at the W35 USTA Pro Circuit event in Redding, partnering Eryn Cayetano.{{cite web |last=Kapetanakis |first=Arthur |title=Jovic, Basavareddy lead American singles sweep on USTA Pro Circuit |url=https://www.usta.com/en/home/pro/pro-media---news/jovic--basavareddy-lead-american-singles-sweep-on-usta-pro-circu.html |website=USTA |access-date=7 July 2025 |date=8 October 2024}}
ITF Circuit finals
=Singles: 3 (1 title, 3 runner-ups)=
| class="wikitable" style=font-size:85%
! Legend |
| style="background:lightblue;"
| W35 tournaments (1–2) |
| class="sortable wikitable" |
| Result
! class="unsortable" | W–L ! Date ! Tournament ! Tier ! Surface ! Opponent ! class=unsortable | Score |
|---|
| style="background:#FFA07A;" | Loss
| 0–1 | Apr 2025 | style="background:lightblue;" | ITF Charlotte, United States | style="background:lightblue;" | W35 | Clay | {{flagicon|ESP}} Alicia Herrero Liñana | 1–6, 6–7(1) |
| style="background:#FFA07A;" | Loss
| 0–2 | May 2025 | style="background:lightblue;" | ITF Boca Raton, United States | style="background:lightblue;" | W35 | Clay | {{flagicon|USA}} {{ill|Monika Ekstrand|de}} | 2–6, 1–6 |
| style="background:#98FB98;" | Win
| 0–3 | May 2025 | style="background:lightblue;" | ITF Bethany Beach, United States | style="background:lightblue;" | W35 | Clay | {{flagicon|MEX}} Ana Sofía Sánchez | 6–2, 7–5 |
=Doubles: 7 (3 titles, 4 runner-ups)=
| class="wikitable" style=font-size:85%
! Legend |
| style="background:#f88379;"
| W100 tournaments (1–0) |
| style="background:#ffe4c4;"
| W50 tournaments (0–1) |
| style="background:lightblue;"
| W25/35 tournaments (2–2) |
| style="background:#f0f8ff;"
| W15 tournaments (0–1) |
| class="sortable wikitable" |
| Result
! class="unsortable" | W–L ! Date ! Tournament ! Tier ! Surface ! Partner ! Opponents ! class="unsortable" | Score |
|---|
| style="background:#FFA07A;" | Loss
| 0–1 | Oct 2023 | style="background:lightblue;" | ITF Florence, United States | style="background:lightblue;" | W25 | Hard | {{flagicon|ISR}} Nicole Khirin | {{flagicon|USA}} Abigail Rencheli | 6-3, 6–7(9), [6-10] |
| style="background:#98FB98;" | Win
| 1–1 | Sep 2024 | style="background:lightblue;" | ITF Redding, United States | style="background:lightblue;" | W35 | Hard | {{flagicon|USA}} Eryn Cayetano | {{flagicon|USA}} Clervie Ngounoue | 6–2, 6–2 |
| style="background:#FFA07A;" | Loss
| 1–2 | Jan 2025 | style="background:lightblue;" | ITF Palm Coast, United States | style="background:lightblue;" | W35 | Clay | {{flagicon|USA}} Abigail Rencheli | {{flagicon|NED}} Jasmijn Gimbrère | 4–6, 6–3, [8–10] |
| style="background:#FFA07A;" | Loss
| 1–3 | Mar 2025 | style="background:#f0f8ff;" | ITF Hagetmau, France | style="background:#f0f8ff;" | W15 | Hard | {{flagicon|USA}} Mia Horvit | {{flagicon|FRA}} Sarah Iliev | 6–7(2), 6–3, [8–10] |
| style="background:#FFA07A;" | Loss
| 1–4 | Mar 2025 | style="background:#ffe4c4;" | ITF Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic | style="background:#ffe4c4;" | W50 | Hard | {{flagicon|USA}} Clervie Ngounoue | {{flagicon |
{{flagicon|}} Mariia Tkacheva
| 6–7(5), 7–6(2), [7–10]
|-
| style="background:#98FB98;" | Win
| 2–4
| Apr 2025
| style="background:lightblue;" | ITF Boca Raton, United States
| style="background:lightblue;" | W35
| Clay
| {{flagicon|MAR}} Diae El Jardi
| {{flagicon|GRE}} Despina Papamichail
{{flagicon|BUL}} Gergana Topalova
| 7–6(1), 7–5
|-
| style="background:#98FB98;" | Win
| 3–4
| Jun 2025
| style="background:#f88379;" | Cary Tennis Classic, United States
| style="background:#f88379;" | W100
| Hard
| {{flagicon|USA}} Abigail Rencheli
| {{flagicon|RSA}} Gabriella Broadfoot
{{flagicon|USA}} Maddy Zampardo
| 6–3, 6–2
|}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{sports links}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Akli, Ayana}}
Category:American female tennis players
Category:American people of Togolese descent
Category:Maryland Terrapins women's tennis players
Category:South Carolina Gamecocks women's tennis players
Category:Sportspeople from Silver Spring, Maryland