Malaika Rapolu

Malaika Rapolu

Country (sports)	United States
Born	(2003-04-18) April 18, 2003 (age 21) Cedar Park, Texas, U.S.
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
College	Texas
Prize money	US$24,014
Singles
Career record	60–36
Career titles	3 ITF
Highest ranking	No. 534 (March 3, 2025)
Current ranking	No. 534 (March 3, 2025)
Doubles
Career record	20–15
Career titles	2 ITF
Highest ranking	No. 855 (June 26, 2023)
Current ranking	No. 962 (March 3, 2025)
Last updated on: March 3, 2025.

Malaika Rapolu (born April 18, 2003) is an American professional tennis player. She has career-high rankings of No. 534 in singles, achieved on March 3, 2025, and of No. 855 in doubles, achieved on June 26, 2023.

Early life

Rapolu was born in Cedar Park, Texas. ^{[1] [2]} She began playing tennis at the age of seven, coached by her father, Madhuker. ^[3] She attended Round Rock High School and was later homeschooled. ^[2]

College career

In April 2020, she committed to play collegiate tennis for the Texas Longhorns. ^[2] She played her final season in 2024. ^{[1] [4]}

Professional career

In October 2024, she won back-to-back $15k titles in Huamantla. The following month, she won the $40k H-E-B Women's Pro Tennis Open in Austin as a wildcard. With her title in Austin, she rose 245 places in the WTA rankings to a career-high of No. 564 on November 18, 2024. ^[5]

In February 2025, she made her WTA Tour debut as a wildcard at the ATX Open, but lost in the first round to Nuria Párrizas Díaz. ^{[6] [7]}

ITF Circuit finals

Singles: 4 (3 titles, 1 runner-up)

Legend W50 tournaments (1–0) W15 tournaments (2–1)

Finals by surface Hard (3–1)

Result	W–L	Date	Tournament	Tier	Surface	Opponent	Score
Win	1–0	Oct 2024	ITF Huamantla, Mexico	W15	Hard	Dasha Plekhanova	7–6(3), 7–5
Win	2–0	Oct 2024	ITF Huamantla, Mexico	W15	Hard	Yuliana Monroy	7–6(3), 6–2
Win	3–0	Nov 2024	ITF Austin, United States	W50	Hard	Karina Miller	6–4, 6–2
Loss	3–1	Mar 2025	ITF Trois-Rivières, Canada	W15	Hard (i)	Emily Appleton	3–6, 6–3, 3–6

Doubles: 4 (2 titles, 2 runner-ups)

Legend W15 tournaments (2–2)

Finals by surface Hard (2–2)

Result	W–L	Date	Tournament	Tier	Surface	Partner	Opponent	Score
Loss	0–1	Jun 2023	ITF San Diego, United States	W15	Hard	Anita Sahdiieva	Kimmi Hance Tian Fangran	6–3, 1–6, [9–11]
Loss	0–2	Jun 2023	ITF San Diego, United States	W15	Hard	Anita Sahdiieva	Sara Daavettila Katherine Hui	6–7(4), 4–6
Win	1–2	Jul 2024	ITF Lakewood, United States	W15	Hard	Anita Sahdiieva	Carolyn Ansari Gabriella Broadfoot	6–4, 2–6, [10–8]
Win	2–2	Oct 2024	ITF Huamantla, Mexico	W15	Hard	Liisa Varul	Claudia Sofía Martínez Solís María Fernanda Navarro Oliva	7–6(4), 4–6, [10–7]

References

1. Jones, Thomas (May 3, 2024). "Texas senior Malaika Rapolu saving best for last as Longhorns open NCAA tennis postseason". Austin American-Statesman . Retrieved November 24, 2024.
2. Barker, Jeffrey (May 22, 2020). "That's a Rap-Olu: Cedar Park star joins UT tennis a year early". KEYE-TV . Retrieved November 24, 2024.
3. Montalvo, Vicente (October 14, 2020). "Malaika Rapolu opens up on parent-coach dynamic, journey to Texas tennis". The Daily Texan . Retrieved November 24, 2024.
4. Ambrose, Anna (April 11, 2024). "Texas women's tennis senior Malaika Rapolu combines experience, ferocity to blossom in final season". The Daily Texan . Retrieved November 24, 2024.
5. Macpherson, Alex (November 18, 2024). "Rankings Watch: Aiava, Dmitruk, Rapolu boosted by ITF titles". Women's Tennis Association . Retrieved November 24, 2024.
6. Ahmed, Nurein (February 20, 2025). "Four Players Receive WTA Austin Wild Cards". Last Word on Sports. Retrieved February 24, 2025.
7. Plotkin, Jay (February 24, 2025). "Texas ex Malaika Rapolu falls in first round of ATX Open, taking her lumps as a young pro". Austin American-Statesman . Retrieved March 6, 2025.

External links

• Malaika Rapolu at the Women's Tennis Association
• Malaika Rapolu at the International Tennis Federation
• Malaika Rapolu at tennisabstract.com
• Malaika Rapolu at ESPN.com