American junior tennis player Beatrice Capra to attend Duke University
Beatrice Capra, an Ellicott City native and a leading junior tennis player, has recently signed a letter of intent to state that she will be attending Duke University in North Carolina. The 18 year old player, who first came to public attention at the 2010
US Open, has been rated as high as World Number 201 in the WTA singles rankings and World Number 576 in doubles.
Capra, who formerly attended McDonogh, made her Grand Slam debut as World Number 371. She received a wild card entry into the event as a promising player, and due to her nationality. She managed to upset World Number 95 Karolina Sprem in straight sets 6-1,
6-3 in the first round, marking her first victory over a player in the top 100 of the Women’s Tennis Association ranking. She went into the second round against eighteenth seed Aravane Rezai, whom she defeated 7-5, 2-6, 6-3. This was her first victory over
a Top Twenty player. She was defeated in the third round by former World Number 1 Maria Sharapova, who has won the title three times in the past. Sharapova ousted Capra in straight sets 6-0, 6-0.
Beatrice Capra, who is half-Italian and hails from Maryland, is currently training for her career at the Evert Academy. The institute is run by former World Number 1 and legend Chris Evert. Capra has stated that her tennis idols are former World Number 1
Serena Williams and Belgian tennis pro Kim Clijsters; in addition to these two champions, she also admires Maria Sharapova’s mental strength (something Capra believes herself to have as well).
Her decision to attend Duke University has been announced by both the institute itself and the United States Tennis Association. The two parties made Capra’s letter of intent public earlier today. Patrick McEnroe, general manager of USTA player development
and former Davis Cup team captain also released a statement in which he informed the public that the US Tennis Association had backed up Capra’s decision to concentrate on her education. According to McEnroe, the USTA “feels strongly that collegiate tennis
can be part of one’s pathway to pro tennis.”
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