Four years ago, Texas women’s tennis brought in the highest ranked recruiting class in the nation. Composed of standouts and now-seniors Malaika Rapolu and Charlotte Chavatipon, and current tennis professional Peyton Stearns, Texas saw the development of some of the most accomplished players to grace the court for the Longhorns. Three Big 12 titles and two national championships later, this recruiting class might go down as one of the greatest in Texas women’s tennis history.
Coming into college, all three of the aforementioned prospects were highly rated. Rapolu entered Texas as the eighth ranked player in the country and second in the state. A blue chip talent, Rapolu was given the highest possible rating for a tennis player, exceeding that of a five-star, according to Tennis Recruiting Network. Chavatipon came out of high school ranked second in the nation and No. 1 in California. In step with her teammate, Chavatipon was also a Blue Chip recruit for Texas. Stearns held the second highest Universal Tennis Rating in the nation when recruited by the program.
“Certainly in my tenure (this recruiting class) is the best one because it produced two titles … (Rapolu, Chavatipon and) the ones who have passed through like (Stearns are) just wonderful folks and great Longhorns,” said head coach Howard Joffe. “They’ve really made Texas Women’s Tennis a bit of a ‘pot-of-gold’ of a program.”
Rapolu is currently the highest ranked player on the team at No. 20 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association singles rankings. As one of the team’s most dependable players, Rapolu found her place in the 2021 and 2023 Big 12 All-Tournament team at No. 6 in singles. In 2021, Rapolu was also the Big 12 individual champion as a freshman in singles at No. 6.
“I think definitely the biggest (accomplishments) that come to mind are winning NCAA’s my freshman and sophomore year and winning Big 12 (championships) my first three years,” Rapolu said. “Aside from that, being able to grow has been the biggest accomplishment. I see a difference in how I would approach matches my freshman year and sophomore year versus how I go into matches now.”
Chavatipon is also ranked, standing at No. 104 in the nation in ITA singles rankings. Chavatipon’s career accomplishments include various NCAA All-Tournament team selections, twice in singles and once in doubles. In 2023, Chavatipon was selected to the All-Big 12 First Team in singles and doubles.
Stearns no longer resides with the team after she decided to go professional following the 2022 season. Stearns paved the path for the rest of her teammates, thriving in the world of college tennis during her time at Texas. Not only was she integral in the team championships, but she is also the first and only player in program history to win the singles crown in the national championship. The three time All-American athlete currently stands at No. 87 in the Women’s Tennis Association rankings and has reached as high as No. 43 in her career.
“I think (Stearns) also grew over her two years here, her skills definitely developed and … I think one of the things that Peyton was able to do, separate and apart from the results and the wins on court, was she is a very self-confident person,” said Joffe.
Rapolu and Chavatipon are now possibly in their final season with the team and hope to make the most of their experience while they can. The NCAA tournament begins next week, and though it is an arduous obstacle to overcome, it is familiar territory for the two veteran players.
