Among the freshman standouts this season is eighteen year old Erin Burdette. Erin has just entered Stanford University after a successful junior tennis career that culminated in an outstanding Summer.
Currently ranked No. 7 in the USTA girls 18s, Erin comes into the college tennis world in the Pre-Season Rankings as No. 93 in Singles and No. 16 in doubles (with Lauren Barnikow). She earned that impressive doubles ranking after a Summer that included a doubles trophy at the USTA Super National Hard Court Championships and an impressive showings at the U.S. Open. In both instances, Erin played with Megan Bradley. At the U.S. Open, they won a round in Women's doubles before falling to No. 2 seeded Virginia Ruano Pascual and Paola Suarez. In the girls' doubles event, they made it all the way to the semis before dropping a tough one (4-6,7-6(5),6-3) to eventual champions Galina Fokina and Svetlana Kuznetsova.
The Georgia born and raised standout sat down with me to talk about her U.S. Open experiences and her upcoming Stanford commitment.
by Marcia Frost
Q: What made you decide to go to college?
A: "Obviously, playing the circuit is a difficult thing to do and I felt -- with my game -- it would be better for me to go to college. I'm a big believer in education first. I think college tennis is a great thing and if I take advantage of it I can definitely have the possibility to improve."
"Ever since I was young, people would ask if I was interested in going pro. For a little while I thought about it, but I've almost always been college first. I want to get an education. After that, I can do whatever I want."