{{Short description|American tennis player (born 2001)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2025}} {{Infobox tennis biography | name = Ayana Akli | fullname = | image = Ayana Akli (2023 Wolfpack Invite) 02 (cropped).jpg | caption = Akli playing for the South Carolina Gamecocks in 2023 | country = {{USA}} | residence = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|2001|7|6}} | birth_place = Silver Spring, Maryland, United States | height = 1.63 m | turnedpro = | plays = Right-handed (two-handed backhand) | college = {{Plainlist| * Maryland * South Carolina }} | careerprizemoney = $154,377 | singlesrecord = {{tennis record|won=88|lost=55}} | singlestitles = 1 ITF | highestsinglesranking = No. 234 (April 20, 2026) | currentsinglesranking = No. 293 (May 25, 2026) | FrenchOpenresult = Q1 (2026) | USOpenresult = Q3 (2025) | doublesrecord = {{tennis record|won=53|lost=38}} | doublestitles = 5 ITF | highestdoublesranking = No. 131 (May 4, 2026) | currentdoublesranking = No. 137 (May 25, 2025) | updated = May 25, 2026 }} '''Ayana Akli''' (born July 6, 2001) is an American professional tennis player. She has career-high rankings of No. 234 in singles, achieved on April 20, 2026, and No. 131 in doubles, achieved on May 4, 2026. She played collegiate tennis at the University of Maryland and the University of South Carolina.
==Early life== Akli was born in Silver Spring, Maryland, to Komi and Linda Akli.<ref name="Soong-2019">{{cite web |last=Soong |first=Kelyn |title=Elite Junior Tennis Player Ayana Akli Is Paving Her Own Path |url=https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/182228/elite-junior-tennis-player-ayana-akli-is-paving-her-own-path/ |website=Washington City Paper |access-date=7 July 2025 |date=10 January 2019}}</ref> Her father is a former professional tennis player who immigrated to the United States from Togo in 1996; he was the childhood coach of Frances Tiafoe.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Jiménez |first1=Jesus |title=In Maryland, Frances Tiafoe's Former Home Rallies Behind Him |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/08/sports/tennis/tiafoe-us-open-maryland-jtcc.html |url-access=subscription |website=The New York Times |access-date=7 July 2025 |date=8 September 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Tennery |first1=Amy |last2=Chavez |first2=Julio-Cesar |title=Early mentors cheer Tiafoe's 'unbelievable' U.S. Open run |url=https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/early-mentors-cheer-tiafoes-unbelievable-us-open-run-2022-09-10/ |website=Reuters |access-date=7 July 2025 |date=10 September 2022}}</ref> She began playing tennis at the age of four and trained at the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park.<ref name="Soong-2019" /> She attended Wheaton High School, where she was a three-time state champion in girls' singles.<ref>{{cite web |last=Haufe |first=William |title=KI girls, Easton boys ready to defend titles |url=https://www.stardem.com/sports/ki-girls-easton-boys-ready-to-defend-titles/article_1d031066-be80-56d0-90a7-2969731637ea.html |website=The Star Democrat |access-date=8 July 2025 |date=31 March 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Soong |first=Kelyn |title=Wheaton's Ayana Akli, Wootton's Joseph Brailovsky defend Maryland state tennis titles |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/highschools/wheatons-ayana-akli-woottons-joseph-brailovsky-defend-maryland-state-tennis-titles/2018/05/26/3841bdc4-6091-11e8-b2b8-08a538d9dbd6_story.html |url-access=subscription |website=The Washington Post |access-date=7 July 2025 |date=26 May 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Oyefusi |first=Daniel |title=Wheaton's Ayana Akli wraps high school career with third straight Maryland 4A tennis title |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/highschools/wheatons-ayana-akli-wraps-high-school-career-with-third-straight-maryland-4a-tennis-title/2019/05/25/ec765318-7e68-11e9-a5b3-34f3edf1351e_story.html |website=The Washington Post |access-date=7 July 2025 |date=5 May 2019}}</ref> She later received a degree in civil engineering from the University of South Carolina.<ref name="Muller-2024">{{cite web |last=Muller |first=Brad |title=Akli Looks Forward to Finishing What She Started, On and Off the Court |url=https://gamecocksonline.com/news/2024/04/26/akli-looks-forward-to-finishing-what-she-started-on-and-off-the-court/ |website=University of South Carolina Athletics |access-date=7 July 2025 |date=26 April 2024}}</ref>
==Career== In 2019, Akli signed a letter of intent to play collegiate tennis for the Maryland Terrapins.<ref name="Soong-2019" /> After two years, she transferred to the University of South Carolina.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ayana Akli Set to Join Women’s Tennis Team |url=https://gamecocksonline.com/news/2021/05/27/ayana-akli-set-to-join-womens-tennis-team/ |website=University of South Carolina Athletics |access-date=7 July 2025 |date=27 May 2021}}</ref> Playing for the South Carolina Gamecocks, she reached career-high national rankings of No. 3 in singles and No. 10 in doubles. She also received ITA All-American and All-SEC honors and was named the SEC Women's Tennis Scholar-Athlete of the Year.<ref name="Muller-2024" />
In October 2023, she reached the semifinals of the Christus Health Pro Challenge as a qualifier.<ref>{{cite web |last=Kapetanakis |first=Arthur |title=Bektas set for Top 100 debut after WTA 125 title; Navarro wins on USTA Pro Circuit |url=https://www.usta.com/en/home/pro/pro-media---news/emina-bektas--emma-navarro-win-singles-titles.html |website=USTA |access-date=8 July 2025 |date=30 October 2023}}</ref> In July 2024, she reached the semifinals of the Championnats de Granby as a qualifier.<ref>{{cite web |last=Tassé |first=Michel |title=La Canadienne Cross affrontera la favorite en finale |url=https://www.lesoleil.com/sports/championnats-banque-nationale/2024/07/20/kayla-cross-affrontera-la-favorite-en-finale-4HGQPA3URNDFPCNG2RSQKZPPSM/ |website=Le Soleil |access-date=8 July 2025 |language=fr-CA |date=20 July 2024}}</ref> Later that year, she won her first professional doubles title at the W35 USTA Pro Circuit event in Redding, partnering Eryn Cayetano.<ref>{{cite web |last=Kapetanakis |first=Arthur |title=Jovic, Basavareddy lead American singles sweep on USTA Pro Circuit |url=https://www.usta.com/en/home/pro/pro-media---news/jovic--basavareddy-lead-american-singles-sweep-on-usta-pro-circu.html |website=USTA |access-date=7 July 2025 |date=8 October 2024}}</ref>
==ITF Circuit finals== ===Singles: 3 (1 title, 2 runner-ups)=== {| class="wikitable" style=font-size:85% ! Legend |- style="background:lightblue;" | W35 tournaments (1–2) |} {| class="sortable wikitable" |- ! Result ! class="unsortable" | W–L ! Date ! Tournament ! Tier ! Surface ! Opponent ! class=unsortable | Score |- | style="background:#FFA07A;" | Loss | <small>0–1</small> | Apr 2025 | style="background:lightblue;" | ITF Charlotte, United States | style="background:lightblue;" | W35 | Clay | {{flagicon|ESP}} Alicia Herrero Liñana | 1–6, 6–7<sup>(1)</sup> |- | style="background:#FFA07A;" | Loss | <small>0–2</small> | May 2025 | style="background:lightblue;" | ITF Boca Raton, United States | style="background:lightblue;" | W35 | Clay | {{flagicon|USA}} {{ill|Monika Ekstrand|de}} | 2–6, 1–6 |- | style="background:#98FB98;" | Win | <small>0–3</small> | May 2025 | style="background:lightblue;" | ITF Bethany Beach, United States | style="background:lightblue;" | W35 | Clay | {{flagicon|MEX}} Ana Sofía Sánchez | 6–2, 7–5 |}
===Doubles: 11 (5 titles, 6 runner-ups)=== {| class="wikitable" style=font-size:85% ! Legend |- style="background:#f88379;" | W100 tournaments (2–1) |- style="background:#addfad;" | W75 tournaments (1–1) |- style="background:#ffe4c4;" | W50 tournaments (0–1) |- style="background:lightblue;" | W25/35 tournaments (2–2) |- style="background:#f0f8ff;" | W15 tournaments (0–1) |} {| class="sortable wikitable" |- ! Result ! class="unsortable" | W–L ! Date ! Tournament ! Tier ! Surface ! Partner ! Opponents ! class="unsortable" | Score |- | style="background:#FFA07A;"|Loss | <small>0–1</small> | Oct 2023 | style="background:lightblue;"|ITF Florence, United States | style="background:lightblue;"|W25 | Hard | {{flagicon|ISR}} Nicole Khirin | {{flagicon|USA}} Abigail Rencheli <br /> {{flagicon|USA}} Alana Smith | 6–3, 6–7<sup>(9)</sup>, [6-10] |- | style="background:#98FB98;"|Win | <small>1–1</small> | Sep 2024 | style="background:lightblue;"|ITF Redding, United States | style="background:lightblue;"|W35 | Hard | {{flagicon|USA}} Eryn Cayetano | {{flagicon|USA}} Clervie Ngounoue <br /> {{flagicon|JAP}} Himeno Sakatsume | 6–2, 6–2 |- | style="background:#FFA07A;"|Loss | <small>1–2</small> | Jan 2025 | style="background:lightblue;"|ITF Palm Coast, United States | style="background:lightblue;"|W35 | Clay | {{flagicon|USA}} Abigail Rencheli | {{flagicon|NED}} Jasmijn Gimbrère <br /> {{flagicon|SWE}} Lisa Zaar | 4–6, 6–3, [8–10] |- | style="background:#FFA07A;"|Loss | <small>1–3</small> | Mar 2025 | style="background:#f0f8ff;"|ITF Hagetmau, France | style="background:#f0f8ff;"|W15 | Hard | {{flagicon|USA}} Mia Horvit | {{flagicon|FRA}} Sarah Iliev <br /> {{flagicon|FRA}} Emma Léné | 6–7<sup>(2)</sup>, 6–3, [8–10] |- | style="background:#FFA07A;"|Loss | <small>1–4</small> | Mar 2025 | style="background:#ffe4c4;"|ITF Santo Domingo,<br /> Dominican Republic | style="background:#ffe4c4;"|W50 | Hard | {{flagicon|USA}} Clervie Ngounoue | {{flagicon|}} Anastasia Tikhonova <br /> {{flagicon|}} Mariia Tkacheva | 6–7<sup>(5)</sup>, 7–6<sup>(2)</sup>, [7–10] |- | style="background:#98FB98;"|Win | <small>2–4</small> | Apr 2025 | style="background:lightblue;"|ITF Boca Raton, United States | style="background:lightblue;"|W35 | Clay | {{flagicon|MAR}} Diae El Jardi | {{flagicon|GRE}} Despina Papamichail <br /> {{flagicon|BUL}} Gergana Topalova | 7–6<sup>(1)</sup>, 7–5 |- | style="background:#98FB98;"|Win | <small>3–4</small> | Jun 2025 | style="background:#f88379;"|Cary Tennis Classic, United States | style="background:#f88379;"|W100 | Hard | {{flagicon|USA}} Abigail Rencheli | {{flagicon|RSA}} Gabriella Broadfoot <br /> {{flagicon|USA}} Maddy Zampardo | 6–3, 6–2 |- | style="background:#FFA07A;"|Loss | <small>3–5</small> | Jul 2025 | style="background:#f88379;"|Evansville Classic, United States | style="background:#f88379;"|W100 | Hard | {{flagicon|USA}} Victoria Osuigwe | {{flagicon|NED}} Arianne Hartono <br /> {{flagicon|IND}} Prarthana Thombare | 3–6, 3–6 |- | style="background:#98FB98;"|Win | <small>4–5</small> | Jul 2025 | style="background:#addfad;"|Lexington Open, United States | style="background:#addfad;"|W75 | Hard | {{flagicon|USA}} Eryn Cayetano | {{flagicon|USA}} Elvina Kalieva <br /> {{flagicon|USA}} Alana Smith | 4–6, 6–2, [10–4] |- | style="background:#98FB98;"|Win | <small>5–5</small> | Oct 2025 | style="background:#f88379;"|Mercer Tennis Classic, United States | style="background:#f88379;"|W100 | Hard | {{flagicon|USA}} Eryn Cayetano | {{flagicon|USA}} Rasheeda McAdoo <br /> {{flagicon|KEN}} Angella Okutoyi | 6–7<sup>(4)</sup>, 6–2, [16–14] |- | style="background:#FFA07A;"|Loss | <small>5–6</small> | May 2026 | style="background:#addfad;"|Zaragoza Open, Spain | style="background:#addfad;"|W75 | Clay | {{flagicon|BEL}} Lara Salden | {{flagicon|ESP}} Yvonne Cavallé Reimers <br /> {{flagicon|ESP}} Ángela Fita Boluda | 4–6, 4–6 |}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{sports links}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Akli, Ayana}} Category:2001 births Category:Living people Category:American female tennis players Category:American people of Togolese descent Category:Maryland Terrapins women's tennis players Category:South Carolina Gamecocks women's tennis players Category:Sportspeople from Silver Spring, Maryland Category:Sportspeople of Togolese descent Category:Tennis players from Maryland Category:21st-century American sportswomen