Nov. 18, 2010
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Texas A&M has signed tennis standout Janine Erasmus of Hoopstad, South Africa to a National Letter of Intent during the early signing period, Aggie women's tennis head coach Bobby Kleinecke announced.
"We are happy to add Janine to our team," Kleinecke said. "She has a wealth of international experience that she will be bringing to our team, and she has shown that she can compete at the highest level. I look for her to be one of our best players in the years to come."
Erasmus is No. 6 in the South African Tennis Association junior rankings and No. 9 in the women's South African rankings. She graduated in June and is playing ITF tournaments and WTA $10,000 tournaments as an amateur until she joins A&M in September.
A baseliner with solid consistent ground strokes, Erasmus represented South Africa in the Junior Fed Cup and was one of two players from her country to be invited to compete in the prestigious African Cup.
"With her extremely competitive nature, I am sure that our fans will love watching and supporting her," Kleinecke said. "She might be small in stature but she plays with a big heart. A lot that I have heard about her reminds me of Morgan (Frank). Those are big shoes to fill, but I feel confident that Janine can get the job done. We look forward to helping her reach her goal of playing on the pro tour."