British Tennis Forum - Celebrating 20 Years!

wales1994 · Pro player

Mimi (Mingge) Xu

Var · Challenger level

I think Jon H and I floated earlier in the year that Mimi would try the college route. Injuries were a question mark though. She is academic so gets the best of both worlds and in some respects takes the pressure off. Hasnt made the progress on tour we expected due to injuries so a re calibration is the best option.

HarryGem · County player

Var wrote:
I think Jon H and I floated earlier in the year that Mimi would try the college route. Injuries were a question mark though. She is academic so gets the best of both worlds and in some respects takes the pressure off. Hasnt made the progress on tour we expected due to injuries so a re calibration is the best option.

Good luck to her and it gives her another life option.

I read a lot about how good it is for tennis development but genuine question. How many players go over to the US college system, come back 3 or 4 years older and actually have a top level tennis career? By this I mean top 100 in ranking.

royalmail · Improver

HarryGem wrote:
Var wrote:
I think Jon H and I floated earlier in the year that Mimi would try the college route. Injuries were a question mark though. She is academic so gets the best of both worlds and in some respects takes the pressure off. Hasnt made the progress on tour we expected due to injuries so a re calibration is the best option.
Good luck to her and it gives her another life option.
I read a lot about how good it is for tennis development but genuine question. How many players go over to the US college system, come back 3 or 4 years older and actually have a top level tennis career? By this I mean top 100 in ranking.

This isn't a complete list but from what I found, these players were or are currently in the Top 100 and attended US college:

Graduated: McCartney Kessler, Janice Tjen, Danielle Collins, Lulu Sun, Leolia Jeanjean, Darja Vidmanova, Mayar Sherif, Yuliia Starodubtseva

Emma Navarro and Peyton Stearns left college after two years. Diana Shnaider and Maria Lourdes Carle left after one year.

Of course it is more common on the ATP, but this is actually more than I would have guessed on the WTA side.

Lambda_ · Lower Club Player

The men have a longer history of college players getting to the top 100. Since the women's side has got stronger over recent years, it's roughly equal for men and women that have been in college at some point over the last 5 years to be in the top 100.

College Tennis Ranks has a handy list of current and former college players in the pro rankings (though the men's is currently blank).
https://collegetennisranks.com/rankings/playersontour/wtasingles
https://collegetennisranks.com/rankings/playersontour/atpsingles

Var · Challenger level

Lambda_ wrote:
The men have a longer history of college players getting to the top 100. Since the women's side has got stronger over recent years, it's roughly equal for men and women that have been in college at some point over the last 5 years to be in the top 100.
College Tennis Ranks has a handy list of current and former college players in the pro rankings (though the men's is currently blank).
https://collegetennisranks.com/rankings/playersontour/wtasingles
https://collegetennisranks.com/rankings/playersontour/atpsingles

Just thinking about Arthur, who did three years at Stanford enrolling at 18. Mimi will be 18 so she may complete a three year course. She has the time. Im not sure what she is reading at Dukes -Math?

JonH · Tennis legend

Var wrote:
Lambda_ wrote:
The men have a longer history of college players getting to the top 100. Since the women's side has got stronger over recent years, it's roughly equal for men and women that have been in college at some point over the last 5 years to be in the top 100.
College Tennis Ranks has a handy list of current and former college players in the pro rankings (though the men's is currently blank).
https://collegetennisranks.com/rankings/playersontour/wtasingles
https://collegetennisranks.com/rankings/playersontour/atpsingles
Just thinking about Arthur, who did three years at Stanford enrolling at 18. Mimi will be 18 so she may complete a three year course. She has the time. Im not sure what she is reading at Dukes -Math?

Math?? biggrin

dont let SC read you write that!

indiana · Tennis legend

JonH wrote:
Var wrote:
Lambda_ wrote:
The men have a longer history of college players getting to the top 100. Since the women's side has got stronger over recent years, it's roughly equal for men and women that have been in college at some point over the last 5 years to be in the top 100.
College Tennis Ranks has a handy list of current and former college players in the pro rankings (though the men's is currently blank).
https://collegetennisranks.com/rankings/playersontour/wtasingles
https://collegetennisranks.com/rankings/playersontour/atpsingles
Just thinking about Arthur, who did three years at Stanford enrolling at 18. Mimi will be 18 so she may complete a three year course. She has the time. Im not sure what she is reading at Dukes -Math?
Math??

dont let SC read you write that!

I guess Dukes in the US

Ah, OK, I can see that that might not give it a pass. biggrin

Var · Challenger level

indiana wrote:
JonH wrote:
Var wrote:
Lambda_ wrote:
The men have a longer history of college players getting to the top 100. Since the women's side has got stronger over recent years, it's roughly equal for men and women that have been in college at some point over the last 5 years to be in the top 100.
College Tennis Ranks has a handy list of current and former college players in the pro rankings (though the men's is currently blank).
https://collegetennisranks.com/rankings/playersontour/wtasingles
https://collegetennisranks.com/rankings/playersontour/atpsingles
Just thinking about Arthur, who did three years at Stanford enrolling at 18. Mimi will be 18 so she may complete a three year course. She has the time. Im not sure what she is reading at Dukes -Math?
Math??

dont let SC read you write that!
I guess Dukes in the US
Ah, OK, I can see that that might not give it a pass.

Whoops!

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

indiana wrote:
JonH wrote:
Var wrote:
Lambda_ wrote:
The men have a longer history of college players getting to the top 100. Since the women's side has got stronger over recent years, it's roughly equal for men and women that have been in college at some point over the last 5 years to be in the top 100.
College Tennis Ranks has a handy list of current and former college players in the pro rankings (though the men's is currently blank).
https://collegetennisranks.com/rankings/playersontour/wtasingles
https://collegetennisranks.com/rankings/playersontour/atpsingles
Just thinking about Arthur, who did three years at Stanford enrolling at 18. Mimi will be 18 so she may complete a three year course. She has the time. Im not sure what she is reading at Dukes -Math?
Math??

dont let SC read you write that!
I guess Dukes in the US
Ah, OK, I can see that that might not give it a pass.

biggrin

LOL

(By the by, US college students don't choose their major straight off, so she won't be reading maths or math )

Var · Challenger level

Coup Droit wrote:
indiana wrote:
JonH wrote:
Var wrote:
Lambda_ wrote:
The men have a longer history of college players getting to the top 100. Since the women's side has got stronger over recent years, it's roughly equal for men and women that have been in college at some point over the last 5 years to be in the top 100.
College Tennis Ranks has a handy list of current and former college players in the pro rankings (though the men's is currently blank).
https://collegetennisranks.com/rankings/playersontour/wtasingles
https://collegetennisranks.com/rankings/playersontour/atpsingles
Just thinking about Arthur, who did three years at Stanford enrolling at 18. Mimi will be 18 so she may complete a three year course. She has the time. Im not sure what she is reading at Dukes -Math?
Math??

dont let SC read you write that!
I guess Dukes in the US
Ah, OK, I can see that that might not give it a pass.

LOL
(By the by, US college students don't choose their major straight off, so she won't be reading maths or math )

She will be studying the broader curriculum. Unles she goes from one of the specialist courses. It will be as interesting following her academic progress as well as her tennis.

-- Edited by Var on Sunday 16th of August 2026 03:56:28 PM

Var · Challenger level

Mimi has just posted photo of her group having fun in 0 week, Dukes, or freshers as we would call it. Just thinking if that is all we shall see of Mimi this year as she settles into academia or will she come back for Wrexham?

indiana · Tennis legend

Mimi, you've 100 title points to defend from Wrexham last year and you're in my predicted top 10 ( err #5 in fact ). Just saying.

dodrade · Futures qualifying

Var wrote:
Mimi has just posted photo of her group having fun in 0 week, Dukes, or freshers as we would call it. Just thinking if that is all we shall see of Mimi this year as she settles into academia or will she come back for Wrexham?

Does the new academic year start earlier in the US?

JonH · Tennis legend

dodrade wrote:
Var wrote:
Mimi has just posted photo of her group having fun in 0 week, Dukes, or freshers as we would call it. Just thinking if that is all we shall see of Mimi this year as she settles into academia or will she come back for Wrexham?
Does the new academic year start earlier in the US?

For most undergraduate and graduate programs at Duke University, the Fall 2026 academic semester begins on Monday, August 24, 2026.

and most with a three semester year start then as well