Cal Bears tennis player Jessica Alsola never underestimates her opponents
FRESNO, Calif. — Jessica grew up in Toronto, Canada, and moved to Clovis five years ago. By the time she was 17 she had already been accepted and is attending Cal Berkeley for academics, with a 4.3 GPA, and tennis. Jessica mainly plays singles but is phenomenal at doubles as well. She started playing tennis 12 years ago at the age of five. Early on in her tennis career, because she is so fair and so honest, she would be taken advantage of by other players cheating, she would rarely call umpires, a lot of times in the beginning days she would play balls that were out, instead of calling it.
Jessica topped rankings as a junior in Canada and was ranked seventh in doubles and eighth in singles at the under 14 level and fourth in singles as an under 12 player.
Jessica’s ultimate goal is 鈥嬧�媡o play professional tennis on the WTA tour. She will tell you the biggest challenge in tennis is the daily grind, from one tourney to the next, sometimes taking a loss and getting back out on the court. But, she loves the competition and her love to compete keeps her going. Being part of the Cal team has taught Jessica to realize it’s not just about her, it’s everybody together that makes the difference.
When asked what the best advice she ever received, Jessica will say 鈥淣ever underestimate your opponents, there are no easy matches.鈥�
Her favorite tournament to date was the Atlanta 25K UTR.
Fun Fact: When Jessica is not on the court, she loves playing video games!
Jessicas local tennis coach: Frank Apecechea
Frank has been coaching tennis for over 20 years including juniors, adults, and even on tour. He is currently coaching at Kastner Intermediate School with coach Neil Castro. Frank’s background in tennis goes back to when he first started playing at age twelve and was nationally ranked as a junior. He later attended Fresno State where he was number one and has most recently been ranked at number six in the country in the seniors division.
Frank believes that the key to success is 鈥淧erfect practice makes perfect tennis. Every day you don鈥檛 practice somebody else is going to get ahead of you.鈥�
One of the most memorable tournaments he recalls with Jessica was when she beat Katey Volynets, who was the #1 USTA Juniors hardcourt champion in 2021 in Newport Beach.
Frank has learned how to encourage his players throughout the years. He reminds them to 鈥渓earn from the losses and move on, LEARN so they don鈥檛 repeat. Tennis is a game of mistakes, there will always be mistakes.鈥� 鈥淥ne of the biggest lessons as a coach is learning where the player is mentally. You have to have the mental and physical toughness now more than ever.鈥� If Frank could leave a legacy, he says that he hopes he is able to promote tennis in Fresno and the central valley at all levels. It鈥檚 actually easier to coach beginners than seasoned athletes.
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