The Oregon women’s tennis team is made up of players from the United States, Sweden, Japan and Australia. For many, the U.S. is the place to go for a full-ride scholarship to get an education while playing tennis.
“We don’t have that in Europe,” Tilde Jagare, the No. 1 player in the Ducks’ lineup, said. “It’s an amazing opportunity to get a degree and get to play tennis and have a lot of resources behind us like our trainer and our coaches. Just getting that support that you need to become a better athlete.”
Jagare grew up in Gävle, Sweden and has been with the Ducks her entire college career. As a junior, she has moved up to the top spot in the singles lineup, where she sits at 8-4. As a freshman, Jagare went 5-4 in the sixth spot, and gradually moved up to the third spot throughout her sophomore year while going 14-9.
In doubles, Jagare and Olivia Symons have spent the season in Oregon’s top spot and are currently sitting at 11-6. Symons is a redshirt senior from Leopold, Australia. This is her third season at Oregon after starting her college career at the University of Tennessee. In the No. 2 singles spot, Symons is sitting at 7-6. Injuries have limited Symons’ time on the court throughout her career. In her first season in Eugene, she played in just four matches, posting a record of 1-2 in singles and 2-1 in doubles. Last season, Symons was only able to participate in preseason tournaments, but this year she has a full green light.
Symons is one of three Oregon players out of Australia. At the bottom of the singles lineup, sophomore Bridget Mihulka has thrived at giving the Ducks that extra push, currently sitting at 12-5. This is a tremendous step forward from last season, when she finished 4-8. Before arriving in Oregon, the Maribyrnog, Australia-born athlete competed in the World Tennis Association and was ranked No. 381 in the International Tennis Federation junior rankings.
Also in the sophomore class is Juliet Santitto from Forest Glen, Australia. Santitto has only played in one singles match this season, which she won in three sets against Arizona. Her primary role on the team is in the second doubles spot with Hinata Furutani, where they hold a 10-3 record. Santitto saw action in nine singles matches last year, where she went 5-4. Before starting college, she was a Queensland State schools champion and Queensland Regional Female Player of the Year. Santitto doesn’t remember a time when tennis was not in her life.
“I have three older brothers that grew up playing tennis,” Santitto said. “I’ve been around it since I’ve been in diapers. I’ve been at the courts all my life.”
Like many of her teammates, Santitto saw coming to the U.S. as an opportunity that couldn’t be turned down. “There’s great opportunities here,” Santitto said. “Traveling and competitive play.”
Santitto’s doubles partner Furutani is a freshman from Tokyo, who has already found herself consistently in the lineup for doubles and singles. In the No. 5 spot in the line- up, she holds a record of 6-5 in singles. As an ITF junior player, Furutani played in several countries in East Asia before coming to the U.S.
“I started when I was 15 or 14,” Furutani said. “We went to a lot of countries. I don’t want to stay in just Japan. I want to play outside the country.”
Some of the players come from similar parts of the world, and others couldn’t be farther apart. Regardless of where their journey began, they all chose Oregon to accomplish one common goal.
