@CanesWTennis Inks Shirokova and Roldan
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – University of Miami head women’s tennis coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews announced Monday the addition of two newcomers to the program.
The Hurricanes have officially signed prep standout Ulyana Shirokova and Texas transfer Daniella Roldan, who hails from Boca Raton, Fla.
“I think some really important qualities that both these girls are going to bring to the team is that they seem to be very passionate, energetic and excited about their tennis moving forward,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “They have a lot of personality and we’re excited to have that level of energy around the program.”
A native of Ufa, Russia, who attended Evert Tennis Academy in Boca Raton, Shirokova has peaked at No. 209 in the ITF Juniors rankings. Her résumé includes a victory over Jennifer Brady, who has been ranked as high as No. 75 by the WTA and reached the 2017 Australian Open Round of 16.
At the 2016 Eddie Herr International Championships, held Nov. 24-Dec. 3 in Bradenton, Fla., Shirokova won the title in both singles and doubles in the U-16 division. She has also reached the quarterfinals of numerous ITF Juniors tournaments, including in the U-18 Copa Gatorade 2015, a Grade 1 event in Venezuela.
Shirokova, a 5-foot-9-inch right-hander, has previously competed in South Florida, participating in the Junior Orange Bowl International multiple times. In 2014, she advanced to the quarterfinals of the U-14 age group.
“She is a young player who brings a lot of enthusiasm and is very happy to be back in Florida. She was here for about six years training,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “We’re just excited to get a girl who knows the conditions and knows what it’s like to play in Florida. She brings a different style of tennis and was coached very well at Evert.”
Roldan spent one and a half years at Texas, joining the Longhorns in the spring of 2016. She posted 17 singles wins, including 11 in dual matches, and 15 doubles victories, all but two of which came in dual matches. She went 3-0 at the Springs Collegiate Invite in Palm Springs, Calif., to open 2017.
A 5-foot-10-inch right-hander, Roldan played as high as No. 3 in the Longhorns’ singles lineup and helped the team compile 30 wins in her two seasons there. Texas advanced to the NCAA Team Championship Sweet 16 in 2016 and reached the Round of 32 in 2017.
Before matriculating to Texas, Roldan peaked at No. 879 in the WTA singles rankings and No. 539 on the doubles list. She reached the finals of five $10,000 doubles tournaments, winning one, and advanced to the title match of a $25,000 doubles event.
“Roldan is going to bring some experience to our team. She is obviously coming from a well-coached, veteran team in Texas,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “So, I think she knows the expectations coming in. The transition is going to be pretty easy and she is going to be acting as an upperclassman right away. We’re excited to have her help us in doubles.”
Shirokova and Roldan join a Miami team that concluded the 2017 season ranked No. 25 by the ITA, good for the program’s 15th consecutive top-25 finish.
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