Lea Ma

{{Short description|American tennis player (born 2001)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2023}} {{Infobox tennis biography | name = Lea Ma | image =  | image_size = | alt = | caption =  | full_name =  | native_name = | native_name_lang = | itf_name =  | country_represented = {{flagu|United States}} | residence = | sportswear_(racquet) = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|2001|02|01}} | birth_place = New York City, U.S. | death_date =  | death_place = | height = 5 ft 9 in | college = Georgia Bulldogs (2019–2023) | coach = | turnedpro = | retired = | plays = Right-handed (two-handed backhand) | careerprizemoney = $46,395 | singlesrecord = {{tennis record|won=94|lost=57}} | singlestitles = 1 ITF | highestsinglesranking = No. 328 (October 6, 2025) | currentsinglesranking = No. 344 (October 13, 2025) | doublesrecord = {{tennis record|won=3|lost=6}} | doublestitles = 0 | highestdoublesranking = No. 1,170 (August 5, 2019) | currentdoublesranking = | Team = | FedCupresult = | updated = October 13, 2025 }} '''Lea Ma''' (born February 1, 2001) is an American professional tennis player. She played college tennis for the Georgia Bulldogs and was ranked No. 3 nationally at the end of her college career.

==Early life and junior career==

Ma grew up in Dix Hills, New York.<ref name="USTA2018">{{cite news|url=https://www.usta.com/en/home/stay-current/national/orange-bowl-spotlight--lea-ma.html|title=Orange Bowl Spotlight: Lea Ma|first=Arthur|last=Kapetanakis|date=2018-12-05|publisher=United States Tennis Association|access-date=2023-11-06}}</ref> She trained at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York and the Junior Tennis Champions Center in Maryland before moving to IMG Academy in Florida in the winter of 2017–18.<ref name="USTA2018"/> She played on the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Junior Circuit from 2014 to 2019, winning one singles title and four doubles titles, and reached a peak junior ranking of No. 19 in July 2018.<ref name="ITFjunior">{{cite web|url=https://www.itftennis.com/en/players/lea-ma/800447395/usa/jt/mx/overview/|title=Lea Ma Tennis Player Profile (Juniors)|publisher=International Tennis Federation|access-date=June 18, 2023}}</ref> At the junior Grand Slam level, she reached the round of 16 in singles at the 2018 Wimbledon Championships and 2018 US Open and the quarterfinals in doubles at the 2019 French Open (partnering Hurricane Tyra Black).<ref name="ITFjunior"/> She represented the United States at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires.<ref name="USTA2018"/>

==College career==

Ma committed to the University of Georgia in June 2019.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://georgiadogs.com/news/2019/6/10/womens-tennis-georgia-signs-top-recruit-lea-ma|title=Georgia Signs Top Recruit Lea Ma|date=2019-06-10|publisher=University of Georgia Athletics|website=georgiadogs.com|access-date=2023-11-06}}</ref> She began playing for Georgia in the fall of 2019, but the spring season was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref name="UGAbio"/> As a sophomore in 2020–21, she went 17–5 in singles, playing mostly in the team's {{nowrap|No. 2}} spot, and was ranked {{nowrap|No. 30}} nationally at the end of the season.<ref name="UGAbio">{{cite web|url=https://georgiadogs.com/sports/womens-tennis/roster/lea-ma/7066|title=Lea Ma – 2022-23 – Women's Tennis|publisher=University of Georgia Athletics|website=georgiadogs.com|access-date=2023-11-06}}</ref> She helped Georgia win the Southeastern Conference (SEC) regular season title and the SEC Championship, receiving All-SEC first team honors and being named SEC Newcomer of the Year.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.redandblack.com/sports/georgia-women-s-tennis-sweeps-texas-a-m-to-win-sec-tournament/article_6d4ec642-a463-11eb-9e9a-47bf948285ee.html|title=Georgia women's tennis sweeps Texas A&M to win SEC Tournament|last=Kite-Powell|first=Sean|date=2021-04-23|newspaper=The Red & Black|access-date=2023-11-06}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.secsports.com/article/31359072/2021-sec-women-tennis-awards-announced|title=2021 SEC Women's Tennis Awards Announced|publisher=Southeastern Conference|date=April 29, 2021|access-date=2023-11-06}}</ref> She finished the next season, 2021–22, with a singles record of 16–8 and a ranking of {{nowrap|No. 38}}, again being named to the All-SEC first team.<ref name="UGAbio"/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.secsports.com/article/33821247/2022-sec-women-tennis-awards-announced|title=2022 SEC Women's Tennis Awards Announced|date=April 28, 2022|publisher=Southeastern Conference|access-date=2023-11-06}}</ref>

In October 2022, Ma won the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Southeast Regionals title.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.redandblack.com/sports/lea-ma-wins-ita-southeast-regional-title-for-georgia-womens-tennis/article_e891c9e6-4fd2-11ed-8e7d-97256a018238.html|title=Lea Ma wins ITA Southeast Regional Title for Georgia women's tennis|date=2022-10-19|last=Akers|first=Griffin|newspaper=The Red & Black|access-date=2023-11-06}}</ref> She handed {{nowrap|No. 1}} college player Fiona Crawley her first defeat of the season in Georgia's loss to North Carolina in February 2023.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://georgiadogs.com/news/2023/2/1/womens-tennis-bulldogs-fall-to-tar-heels-5-2-ma-tops-no-1-crawley|title=Bulldogs Fall to Tar Heels 5–2, Ma Tops No. 1 Crawley|date=2023-02-01|publisher=University of Georgia Athletics|website=georgiadogs.com|access-date=2023-11-06}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://chapelboro.com/sports/unc-womens-tennis-defeats-no-5-georgia-stays-unbeaten-in-2023|title=UNC Women's Tennis Defeats No. 5 Georgia, Stays Unbeaten in 2023|last=Koh|first=Michael|date=2023-02-02|website=Chapelboro.com|access-date=2023-11-06}}</ref> She went 32–8 in singles as a senior, finishing her college career with a national ranking of {{nowrap|No. 3}}, and helped Georgia win the SEC Tournament and reach the NCAA Championships semifinals.<ref name="Honda2023">{{cite news|url=https://georgiadogs.com/news/2023/6/5/womens-tennis-lea-ma-named-finalist-for-honda-sport-award-for-tennis|title=Lea Ma Named Finalist for Honda Sport Award For Tennis|date=2023-06-05|publisher=University of Georgia Athletics|website=georgiadogs.com|access-date=2023-11-06}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.dawgnation.com/other-sports/georgia-womens-tennis-player-lea-ma/2LIC7YI6GFCIVG4LK2D77WA2GA/|title=Get to Know: Georgia women's tennis player Lea Ma|last=Hernandez|first=Savannah|date=2023-05-08|website=DawgNation|access-date=2023-11-06}}</ref> She was named to the All-SEC first team and nominated for the Honda Sports Award for tennis.<ref name="Honda2023"/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.secsports.com/article/36303498/2023-sec-women-tennis-awards-announced|title=2023 SEC Women's Tennis Awards Announced|date=April 27, 2023|publisher=Southeastern Conference|access-date=2023-11-06}}</ref>

==Professional career==

After graduation, Ma began regularly playing on the ITF Women's World Tennis Tour in mid-2023.<ref name="ITF1">{{cite web|url=https://www.itftennis.com/en/players/lea-ma/800447395/usa/wt/s/activity/#pprofile-info-tabs|title=Lea Ma Tennis Player Profile|publisher=International Tennis Federation|access-date=2023-11-06}}</ref> She received five ITF tournament wildcards as one of the first recipients of the ITF/WTA College Accelerator Program in September 2023.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://georgiadogs.com/news/2023/9/21/womens-tennis-lea-ma-among-inaugural-recipients-of-new-ita-itf-wta-partnership|title=Lea Ma Among Inaugural Recipients of New ITA & ITF/WTA Partnership|date=2023-09-21|publisher=University of Georgia Athletics|website=georgiadogs.com|access-date=2023-11-06}}</ref>

==ITF Circuit finals==

===Singles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up)=== {| |- valign="top" | {|class="wikitable" style="font-size:85%" !Legend |- style="background:lightblue;" |W35 tournaments (1–1) |} | {|class="wikitable" style="font-size:85%" !Finals by surface |- |Hard (1–1) |} |} {|class="sortable wikitable" !Result !class="unsortable" |W–L !Date !Tournament !Tier !Surface !Opponent !class="unsortable" |Score |- | style="background:#98fb98;"|Win | <small>1–0</small> | Sep 2024 | style="background:lightblue;"|ITF Redding, United States | style="background:lightblue;"|W35 | Hard | {{flagicon|USA}} Maria Mateas | 6–3, 6–2 |- | style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss | <small>1–1</small> | Oct 2025 | style="background:#f0f8ff;"|ITF Redding, United States | style="background:#f0f8ff;"|W35 | Hard | {{flagicon|ITA}} Francesca Pace | 6–1, 2–6, 4–6 |}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *{{WTA}} *{{ITF}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ma, Lea}} Category:Living people Category:2001 births Category:People from Dix Hills, New York Category:Tennis players from New York City Category:American female tennis players Category:Georgia Bulldogs women's tennis players Category:American people of Chinese descent Category:Sportspeople of Chinese descent Category:Tennis players at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics Category:21st-century American sportswomen