Women's Tennis Adds Three Blue-Chip Talents
November 15, 2018 | Women's Tennis
LOS ANGELES โ Coming off a class regarded as the best in the country, UCLA women's tennis has added to its crop of young talent with the signings of three highly-ratedย players from across North America, head coach Stella Sampras Webster announced Thursday. Each player will join the Bruins in 2019, with the trio's arrival spread between two classes.
Taylor Johnson (Prescott, Ariz./Connections Academy) will enroll in January and be eligible to participate in the upcoming dual-match season. Abigail Forbes (Raleigh, N.C./Laurel Springs School) and Alexandra "Sasha" Vagramov (Port Moody, B.C., Canada/Argyle Secondary School) will arrive in Fall 2019. All three players achieved Blue-Chip status from TennisRecruiting.net as among the best players in their class.
Johnson, who currently resides in Redondo Beach, Calif., has spent the past two years atop the TennisRecruiting.net rankings. In 2017, Johnson teamed with Claire Liu to claim the doubles title at the USTA Girls' 18 National Championships in San Diego. This earned the pair an automatic bid into the main draw of the 2017 US Open. The 5-10 left-hander has also participated in all four Grand Slam junior tournaments, notching quarterfinal-round berths in each doubles draw. This year, Johnson has collected singles titles at the 116th Annual Southern California Junior Sectional Championships (Level 1) and the USTA National Open Hard Court Championships.
She rounds out the Class of 2022, which already includes Elysia Bolton and Katie LaFrance. Bolton and LaFrance debuted during the recently-completed fall season.
"Taylor has been a force on the junior circuit and even made the main draw of the US Open last year," said Sampras Webster. "She thrives in high-pressure situations in both singles and doubles, which will be key here at UCLA. We are really excited to bring her versatility into the fold and we believe that she will pay immediate dividends for us this spring."
Getting this #NationalSigningDay started with a late add to the Class of 2022! Taylor will join us in January.#GoBruins pic.twitter.com/QyUtxU3hAt
โ UCLA Women's Tennis (@uclawtennis) November 14, 2018
Forbes has been slotted within the Top 10 of the TennisRecruiting.net rankings throughout her junior career, reaching No. 2 this year. During this time, the 5-9 right-hander turned in numerous deep tournament runs, including final-round performances at the 2017 USTA Girls' 18 National Clay Court Championships, the 2017 USTA National Winter Championships, the 49th Easter Bowl (2016) and the 2015 Eddie Herr International Championships. At the 2017 Orange Bowl event, wild-card recipient Forbes upset fourth-seeded Yuki Naito of Japan, 6-1, 1-6, 7-5, for a signature win.
"Abbey is one of the top junior players in the country and we are thrilled to have her," Sampras Webster stated. "She is a fierce competitor and also an amazing young woman and her excitement to continue building relationships with her teammates is undeniable."
Welcome to Westwood, @abbfor! Look for the latest addition to our Bruin family next fall.#GoBruins | #NationalSigningDay pic.twitter.com/mzYSfbypQt
โ UCLA Women's Tennis (@uclawtennis) November 15, 2018
Vagramov made an early splash on the Canadian junior tennis scene, as she seized first place at the nation's U18 indoor national championships at 14 years old. She went on to represent her home country at the Junior Fed Cup in 2016 and 2017 and has experienced a steady climb in the TennisRecruting.net rankings, reaching a career-best No. 12 this year. In April, Vagramov teamed with Georgia Drummy to reach the final round of the Girls 18 doubles draw at the USTA International Spring Championships. She has also traveled to tournaments in France, Israel and across South America.
"Sasha has a wealth of international experience, playing against much older opponents," explained Sampras Webster. "She is an outstanding competitor who is fearless because she loves the game and its challenges. She will be another great addition to our program."
.@sashka_vee is a Bruin! She will hit the courts in Fall 2019.#GoBruins | #NationalSigningDay pic.twitter.com/uNwhUILcYF
โ UCLA Women's Tennis (@uclawtennis) November 15, 2018
"Extremely excited to get each of these ladies on campus," Sampras Webster concluded. "It will be fun to watch them grow as we continue moving toward our goals of Pac-12 and NCAA championships."
Players Mentioned
