Although tennis is a family affair for Christina Sisti (her mother and brother played), The Ursuline School sophomore “didn’t really like it at first” when she started playing at age 6. “But then when I started to compete, I got into it more.”
Sisti not only “got into it more,” she rose rapidly through the sport, and is currently ranked as the 80th best sophomore tennis player in the country by the Tennis Recruiting Network.
The Mount Vernon resident began playing for Ursuline’s varsity team as a seventh-grader, and won a New York state title in November 2013.
“It felt good,” Sisti says. “I just took it match-by-match and tried to stay focused, and I got it done.”
Sisti has also excelled at a higher level of play in the United States Tennis Association, which has her traveling to tournaments around the country. She reached the finals of the USTA Eastern Super Six World Gym National L3 tournament in January, and, most recently, reached the semifinals of the USTA National Selection tournament in February .
Sisti’s precocious rise is a testament to her training, which takes place at Stadium Tennis Center in the Bronx. She works with a personal trainer once a week, and battles through fitness workouts in the evenings during the week.
Sisti will have her choice of major Division 1 colleges—she has her sights set on Boston College at the moment—but there’s still more work to do as she continues her ascent up the tennis ranks.
