Tian Fangran (born 10 August 2003) is a Chinese tennis player. Tian playing collegiate tennis for UCLA Bruins, winning 2023 NCAA Singles Championship. Tian has also won three singles titles and five doubles titles on the ITF Circuit.
Tennis career
Raised in Beijing, Tian went to high school at Capital Normal University (CNU)'s Yuxin School.[1] She played on the ITF Junior Circuit from 2017 to 2020, winning two Grade 5 singles titles and two Grade 4 doubles titles, and reaching a peak junior ranking of No. 121.[2] She twice won wildcards into junior Grand Slam main draws in singles, at the 2019 French Open and the 2020 Australian Open.[2]
Tian started playing on the ITF World Tour in February 2019 at the age of 15.[3] Over three weeks from October to November 2021, she partnered with Back Da-yeon to win two doubles titles and reach a third final at consecutive W15 events in Antalya, Turkey.[3] She reached the final of the singles draw in one of the weeks in Antalya.[4] In November 2022, she won the W15 singles event in Champaign, Illinois, without dropping a set.[5]
Tian committed to the women's tennis program at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2022. Over the 2022/23 collegiate season, Tian rose from a relatively unheralded recruit to the team's No.1 single's spot. She finished the regular season undefeated with a 15-0 record.[6][7] She was named the Pac-12 Conference's Freshman/Newcomer of the Year in tennis.[8] Seeded No. 9–16 in singles at the 2023 NCAA Championships, Tian proceeded to win the title, UCLA's first individual title since Keri Phebus in 1995, without conceding a single set. Her run included a semifinal rivalry victory against USC's Maddy Sieg. In the final, Tian beat Oklahoma senior Layne Sleeth6–4, 6–2.[9][10] She was named Rookie of the Year by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA).[11]
