Chambana Sun

Fighting Illini Women's Tennis has announced the signing of three new student-athletes for the upcoming seasons. Head Coach Evan Clark and his staff confirmed that Shravani Chennamsetty, Kimiko Cooper, and Lyla Messler have signed Big Ten Athletics Scholarship Agreements and will join the University of Illinois program.

"We are thrilled to welcome Shravani, Lyla, and Kimiko to the Illinois women's tennis family," said Clark. "First and foremost, we are gaining three outstanding individuals whose character will have an immediate, positive impact both on and off the court. Additionally, we are adding three exceptionally talented and hardworking student-athletes who will help elevate our program for years to come."

Clark emphasized the progress shown by all three recruits in recent years: "If you look at their tennis over the past few years, it's clear they have steadily risen in the rankings and demonstrated impressive growth in a short span. That's exactly what we look for, and it's exciting because we know their best tennis is still ahead of them here at the University of Illinois. When the recruiting process with the athlete and their family is smooth and enjoyable, it's a strong sign of a bright future. The 2026 class was incredibly important for us. We were looking to replace a class that had been the cornerstone of our program, and we feel very confident that we accomplished that with these three. From the beginning, we recognized Shravani, Lyla, and Kimiko as excellent fits, and we feel extremely fortunate to see this class come together exactly as we envisioned."

Shravani Chennamsetty comes from Weston, Florida where she attends Broward Virtual School. She is rated as a blue-chip recruit by tennisrecruiting.net with national rankings reaching No. 21 overall and No. 8 in Florida. Her achievements include winning both singles and doubles titles at ITF J30 events in the Dominican Republic in August 2023 as well as claiming victory at the 2024 Bobby Curtis Championship. Chennamsetty also received recognition for sportsmanship at this event and placed fifth at the USTA L1 Winter National Championship in 2024.

Outside athletics, Chennamsetty volunteers with ACEing Autism—a nonprofit focused on supporting children with autism through tennis—and has been acknowledged by her hometown mayor for academic excellence as well as founding Protect Dreams.

Clark described her recruitment: "Shravani caught our attention from the very beginning and continued to impress us over time. We feel extremely fortunate that she was such a great fit for both sides. She is a naturally-gifted athlete and a highly-intelligent tennis player. Shravani has consistently demonstrated the determination and skill to find a way to win and what's truly exciting is that she has only begun to tap into her potential. There is no limit to where her game can go, and we are thrilled that Shravani's best tennis is still ahead of her here at the University of Illinois."

Kimiko Cooper joins from Sydney, Australia after attending Laurel Springs Online High School following earlier studies at Presbyterian Ladies College Sydney. Cooper holds an ITF career-high ranking of 164 along with a current UTR rating near 10; she has won multiple ITF singles (three) and doubles (two) titles during her career so far while earning WTA points this fall.

Cooper played on New South Wales’ team that captured first place at Australia’s Wayne Reid Cup National Teams Championships in July 2023 before breaking into junior world top-200 rankings later that year; she was named Tennis NSW Junior Female Athlete of the Year for 2023.

She participated in Tennis Australia's inaugural Talent Combine event before competing at one of four major junior grand slams—the Australian Open Junior Championships—in 2024.

Clark commented: "We're excited to welcome Kimiko to our program. She immediately stood out, and it was clear from the start that she was someone we wanted on our team. Kimiko's combination of athleticism, competitive drive, and unwavering work ethic is truly special. Over the past few years, she has shown remarkable growth and development in a very short time, and it's clear that her best is still ahead of her. Kimiko is just getting started, and we're confident she will continue to elevate her game. We can't wait to see the impact she will make in an Illini uniform and watch her continue to rise to new heights."

Lyla Messler arrives from Largo, Florida where she attends Osceola Fundamental High School; rated five stars by tennisrecruiting.net with peak national rank No. 33 overall (No.10 among Floridians). Messler won Florida’s high school singles state championship (2023), secured USTA Girls' Coral Gables National L2 title (2024), earned Eddie Herr doubles honors (2024), then claimed Bobby Curtis Girls’ singles championship (2025).

Messler maintains strong academics—she expects graduation within her school’s top five percent holding an unweighted GPA of 4.0.

Clark praised Messler: "We have been so impressed with Lyla since day one. From the very beginning it was clear that she is a fantastic athlete with a diverse set of tools... What excites us most is that her game is still very raw... We are confident that Lyla's most significant growth...will come during her four years as an Illini..."

In conclusion regarding this recruiting class Clark stated: "We are truly honored that Shravani, Kimiko,and Lyla have chosen University of Illinois...to guide them through next chapters...We are equally grateful for their belief in our program...Welcome to Illinois..."