Keeping the Legacy Alive

FLUSHING, N.Y. – The University of Miami women’s tennis team is a storied program that has produced everything from national champions to professional athletes.

On Tuesday, another chapter was added to the program’s history at the US Open when 2024 national champion Alexa Noel made her Grand Slam debut.

“The US Open is electric,” said Director of Men’s and Women’s Tennis Paige Yaroshuk-Tews. “The amount of people, the players, the quality of tennis just everything you see is very New York City mixed with high-quality tennis and its electric atmosphere.”

Qualifying for this tournament is not for the weak and not for everyone; only the strongest will have their dreams come true when they arrive in Flushing.

Fortunately, a handful of Miami players have had that dream come true.

Since 2005, three Hurricanes have had the opportunity to play at the US Open and two were at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center this week. One – Alexa Noel – was there as a competitor, while another – Megan Bradley Rose – was there as a USTA executive 19 years after she took the courts in New York herself.

“Megan is a product of the USTA, she’s an incredible ambassador, as a junior, as a collegiate player and as a member of the USTA,” said Yaroshuk-Tews. “I mean it’s pretty amazing to come to an event like this and have Megan so supportive and helpful behind the scenes while Alexa’s participating in the tournament. I think it’s pretty cool for the program.”

Bradley-Rose has been working with the USTA for seven years now and continues to see the game of tennis evolve. She currently serves as Managing Director of Major Events at the USTA and oversees nearly all of their professional tennis events in the U.S.

When the US Open concludes, Bradley-Rose will transition to her new role as head of business development and operations within the USTA centered around coaching.

The job is something Bradley-Rose takes great pride in, especially given her work in advancing each level of tennis, including wheelchair tennis.

“We were the first grand slam to cross the million-dollar prize money threshold for wheelchair tennis, as well as introducing junior US Open wheelchair championships,” Bradley-Rose said. “I think that’s probably the thing I’m most proud of, just being able to provide more opportunities and more financial opportunities for wheelchair athletes in that space.”

Challenges arise, but Bradley-Rose credits her tennis career, and her time at Miami, for helping her adjust to situations and adapt when problems come her way.

“I think that being a tennis player prepared me well for that because obviously, when you’re on the court, you have to adjust your strategy or pivot if something’s not working,” she said.

As the UM alumna reflects back on her career in tennis as a whole, she sees every transition as a stepping stone.

“The opportunity with the WTA came along and I think from there it just kind of got me excited about being able to kind of bring a player perspective, but also really understanding how the business of tennis works,” said Bradley-Rose. “I think it was not ever an intentional path, but just more kind of taking opportunities as they came along and that’s kind of how I’ve tried to think that.”

The relationship Yaroshuk-Tews and Bradley-Rose share has always been strong.

Going from a player to coach to friend, Bradley-Rose says Yaroshuk-Tews’ presence in her life still impacts how she handles situations.

“I think some of the ways Paige led us as a coach, I think I replicate as a leader today,” Bradley-Rose explained. “The thing that Paige did so well, and likely still does so well, is that she treated and coached everyone as an individual, like she really took the time to get to know who you were as a person, so she knew how to best coach.”

Meanwhile, Yaroshuk-Tews is honest about the impact Bradley-Rose had on her during the early part of her coaching career.

“She was kind of the one that that taught me, through her success, through everything that came with Megan being just an elite player, how to be a better coach,” Yaroshuk-Tews said.

Twenty years later, Yaroshuk-Tews is still producing some of the top players in the country and says she continues to grow as a coach from each athlete that passes through her program.

When Miami’s Audra Cohen won the 2007 NCAA singles title, she also played in the US Open that year. This year it was Noel’s turn in the spotlight as the reigning NCAA singles champion. As she geared up to play in the US Open, Yaroshuk-Tews was right by Noel’s side to help her continue to succeed and grow, both as a player and human being.

“My relationship with Paige is interesting, but in a good way,” said Noel. “We’ve been able to connect with each other in a way that helps me excel on and off the court as an individual. She’s inspired me to grow up a little bit and really try to take advantage of my potential. She’s an inspiring lady that wants nothing but the best from me and has pushed me so hard to the point where I didn’t have a choice but to succeed.”

Noel’s dream has always been to win the national championship and find her way into the US Open.

She did both in the span of three months.

“Not only was winning NCAAs the short-term dream, but being able to play at the US Open, 20 miles where I’m from, is so special and something I’ll never forget,” Noel said.

Photos by Jason Szenes

As Noel prepared for her first-round match against Sara Sorribes Tormo, a nine-year WTA veteran from Spain, the only thing on her mind was doing whatever it took to reach the second round. The day finally arrived for Noel and her Grand Slam debut was filled with emotions and the anticipation.

Despite an electric atmosphere at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Noel fell in straight sets. Still, despite the loss, Noel said the experience of playing at her first US Open was one she won’t forget any time soon.

“I’m happy to have been here,” she said.

Said Yaroshuk-Tews, “Alexa has earned a spot on the big stage and I couldn’t be prouder of her and what she’s accomplished. It’s pretty cool to be here and see her share the space with some big-time players.”

Adding to Noel’s memorable experience at the US Open was the fact that two of her former teammates – Isabella Pfenning and Audrey Boch-Collins – both traveled to New York to watch her compete.

When asked about what it meant to see Noel’s teammates rally around her, Yaroshuk-Tews couldn’t help but gush.

“Seeing Audrey and Bella kind of completes the trip. Seeing the smile on Alexa’s face when she saw her teammates was a different smile than we saw with other things around her,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “It’s just kind of a perfect mixture of how things are supposed to be when you do something like this. You don’t do something like this alone. You do it with a group of supportive individuals, and Bella and Audrey are definitely part of that.”

A strong team dynamic is something Yaroshuk-Tews has always valued, and that bond proves to be true with the success on the court mixed with the players continuing to show up for each other months after graduating.

Yaroshuk-Tews’ legacy continues to live on as one of the greats in college tennis and in the lives of her athletes.

“I think the proof is in the pudding,” said Bradley-Rose. “I think it’s one thing to get good players that come to your program, it’s another thing to like really mold them into being champions and I think that Paige has like clearly figured out the recipe for that.”

As successful and legendary as Yaroshuk-Tews’ history is, she strays away from patting herself on the back and in return, gives credit to the players that have trusted her to guide them to succeed.

“I feel very lucky to have them come into the program and be able to bring in a lot of incredible talent and help them develop,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “At the end of the day, we’re striking tennis balls and we’re working hard. As a coach, I believe if kids set their minds to like the right things, the sky’s the limit. That’s kind of who I am and how I coach and how I live.”

US Open match photos courtesy Jason Szenes