W. Tennis Adds 2018 NCAA Doubles Champion Eden Richardson
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – University of Miami head women’s tennis coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews announced Friday the signing of LSU transfer Eden Richardson.
Richardson will join the Hurricanes as a graduate transfer and compete with the team in 2021-22 during her final season of eligibility.
“Eden will add maturity and experience to our program from the get-go,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “Her personality is light and her vision for the next year is clear. We are very excited to welcome her to The U.”
Richardson has turned in a sparkling career over her four years at LSU, highlighted by winning the 2018 NCAA Doubles Championship title as a freshman, alongside Jessica Golovin. The duo became the first from LSU to not only claim the crown, but even reach the title match.
The Bath, England, native ended the 2018 campaign ranked No. 14 nationally in doubles and No. 59 in singles, posting 24-11 and 28-6 ledgers, respectively. She earned ITA All-America status in doubles, made the ITA Collegiate All-Star Team, won ITA Southern Region Rookie of the Year and garnered SEC All-Freshman Team plaudits.
In 2019, Richardson finished 22-12 in singles after playing the entire year at the No. 1 position, plus logged a 21-8 doubles mark. She concluded the season at No. 16 in singles and No. 28 in doubles. Richardson competed in both the NCAA Singles Championship and NCAA Doubles Championship for the second straight year, as well as earned ITA All-America recognition in singles.
During the abbreviated 2020 campaign, the 5-foot-7 right-hander went 14-6 in singles and 17-8 in doubles. She held the No. 26 position in the ITA doubles rankings when the season came to an end.
This year, Richardson has peaked at No. 14 on the ITA doubles list and has added two more ranked wins to her career doubles tally, moving her mark in such matches to 18-15. That includes nine top-20 triumphs, including two against top-five foes.
In singles, Richardson is 16-19 versus ranked players, a ledger that features four top-20 wins and two over top-three opponents. In 2019, she became just the second player in LSU history to defeat the top-ranked singles player in the country, as she knocked off eventual NCAA runner-up, Katarina Jokic.
A two-time Louisiana Sportswriters Association Player of the Year and two-time First Team All-SEC honoree, Richardson owns a career mark of 72-35 in singles, including 47-19 in dual matches and 23-12 at the top two positions. In doubles, she is 71-40 overall, with a 41-24 ledger in dual matches and a 30-18 record at the No. 1 spot.
Richardson, who has peaked at third in the ITA doubles rankings and eighth on the singles list, ascended as high as No. 130 in the ITF Juniors rankings before beginning her collegiate career. She also won a British U16 national title and competed in the main draw of the 2016 Wimbledon Junior Championships.
Before becoming the first member of the Hurricanes’ 2021 recruiting class, Richardson considered overtures from schools such as Boston College, Georgia and Loyola Marymount.
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