Chambana Sun

Fighting Illini Women's Tennis Head Coach Evan Clark has announced the signing of Kimiko Cooper to a Big Ten Athletics Aid Agreement. Cooper, who hails from Sydney, Australia, attends Laurel Springs Online High School after previously studying at the Presbyterian Ladies College Sydney.

Cooper has achieved an ITF career-high ranking of 164 and currently holds a UTR rating of 9.74. Her career includes winning three ITF singles titles and two ITF doubles titles. In July 2023, she was part of the New South Wales 15-and-under girls team that won the Wayne Reid Cup at the National Teams Championships. By September of that year, she had broken into the world's top 200 in junior rankings and was named the 2023 Tennis NSW Junior Female Athlete of the Year.

Recently, Cooper participated in the inaugural Tennis Australia Talent Combine and competed in last month's Australian Open Junior Championships, one of four prestigious junior grand slams.

Cooper is joining Illinois alongside Elizabeth Isyanov and Risa Ueno as part of this year's women's tennis signing class. She is supported by her parents Charmaine and Chris Cooper, and her brother Xavier.

Explaining her decision to join Illinois, Cooper stated: "I chose Illinois because the coaches have a strong focus on skill development and mentoring of the players. The girls were super friendly, and the supportive environment of the team's culture also makes me feel very comfortable. Another reason why I picked Illinois is because of the strong academic resources and facilities of the university, which will help me achieve my academic goals. I am super excited to spend the next four years at Illinois with the team."