Gators Look to the Future Following US Open Event
Friday, September 5, 2014 | Women's Tennis
Recent Gator grads Alexandra Cercone and Olivia Janowicz agreed that participating in the inaugural American Collegiate Invitational at the US Open was a dream come true.
“I grew up in Jersey, so I would come here every year as a kid and watch,” Janowicz reminisced. “I've been dreaming of playing here, so when I got the call about playing, I was still in a boot because I got hurt in April, but I told them I'd do anything to come back and play.”
And play she did.
Janowicz took on defending 2014 NCAA singles champion Danielle Collins in round one of women's singles. Collins, a junior on the 2014-15 University of Virginia roster, earned a 6-2, 6-4 decision, but Janowicz has little reason to be disappointed in her performance.
“I was out of my boot three weeks ago and I've been training very hard. I wanted to give myself the best shot I could despite the circumstances, and I guess I can't be too upset. Playing her [Collins] while she's at the top of her game right now wasn't easy.”
The Gator alum plans to take this experience and turn it into motivation for her future in professional tennis. But before she signs up for any more tournaments, she is going to make certain that she is in top condition.
“I want to heal first,” she said. “When I heal, I'll get back to training and I definitely want to try. I don't want to give up on something I've been dreaming about since I was a little girl. I'd rather give it a shot and go as far as I can.”
As for Plan B, Janowicz is considering returning to Gainesville for graduate school. The Gator alum graduated in May with a degree in political science and would focus on a graduate degree in management if she were to return to UF.
Despite also falling to a Virginia Cavalier (Julia Elbaba, 6-3, 6-4) Cercone could not have asked for a better experience in Flushing.
“I just graduated in May and I've been playing and I didn't know how long it was going to take me to get to this kind of a stage,” Cercone said. “Playing in this kind of environment, it's different than anything I've ever experienced.”
Cercone has spent her few months removed from being a student-athlete diving right in to her post-collegiate career.
“I recently played some tournaments in Mexico and it was great,” stated Cercone. “Hopefully I can continue to work on my game at these tournaments and just keep getting better.”
Cercone admitted playing professional tennis is quite different than playing in college.
“It's a different kind of pressure than in college,” she explained. “In college you're playing for a team. Now it's completely for yourself.”
Having been invited to a US Open Event, the first of its kind, just months after walking the stage and receiving their diploma as Gators, it seems both Janowicz and Cercone are handling the pressure just fine.
Check out photos of Janowicz's match versus Collins. (All photos courtesy of Bruce Adler.)
