The Baseline Top 5: College alumni thriving on tour

In honor of the NCAA individual championships taking place this week, here's a look at the Top 5 players who made their mark in the college realm and are now competing on the ATP and WTA tours.

1

Kevin Anderson

The South African was a successful college player before becoming a two-time Grand Slam finalist. In three seasons playing for the University of Illinois he earned All-American singles recognition and was also a two-time All-American on the doubles court. At last year’s Wimbledon Anderson make headlines when he upset Roger Federer in the quarterfinals and fought past John Isner in a record breaking six-hour match to become the first South African to reach the final.

2

Danielle Collins

Not that long ago, Danielle Collins was dominating the women’s college tennis field. She was a two-time NCAA singles champion and ended her career on top, taking the No. 1 spot in the ITA final rankings. On tour, Collins broke into the Top 25 following her Australian Open semifinals run this year, which saw her take out three-time Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber.

3

John Isner

John Isner played for the University of Georgia from 2004-2007. He earned All-American honors each of his four years as a Bulldog and led his team to the 2007 NCAA title. Isner currently sits at No. 10, and won his first ATP Masters 1000 crown last year in Miami, and reached the final there again this year.  Unfortunately, he will not be appearing at this year’s Roland Garros due to a stress fracture in his left foot.

4

Nicole Gibbs

Crowned as the 2012 Pac-12 Player of the Year, the Stanford standout swept the field. She became the third player in NCAA history to claim both the singles and doubles NCAA titles in the same season. Gibbs, who has reached the third round in the Australian Open and the US Open, is currently recovering from surgery after being diagnosed with salivary glands cancer. The world No. 116 hopes to make a return at Wimbledon.

5

Steve Johnson

Last but certainly not least, there's arguably the most inspiring men’s college tennis player ever. Johnson captured two NCAA singles titles during his time at USC and was a part of the legendary Trojan team that snatched four consecutive NCAA Championships. Johnson captured a bronze medal in doubles at the 2016 Rio 2016 Olympics and reached a career high ranking of No. 21 in 2016.