Lauren Haneke-Hopps started out her spring tennis season with an impressive win recently at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden Wheelchair Championships.  

Haneke-Hopps, 21, is a junior at the University of Alabama. She won the ITF Women’s Doubles title with partner and Crimson Tide teammate Shelby Baron.

The second-seeded duo held strong in the 16-team draw, which is part of the ITF Futures Series. Baron won the Women’s Singles title.

 

Other top finishers at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden Tournament were Men’s Singles Champion Casey Ratzlaff (USA), and the Men’s Doubles Champions were Jason Keatseangsilp (USA) and Ratliff. The Quads Division winner was Mika Ishikawa (Japan).

Haneke-Hopps earned a tennis scholarship for Adaptive Tennis at the University of Alabama. In 2018, she helped the Crimson Tide with their second straight team national championship defeating the University of Florida in the final. Haneke-Hopps was also part of the team that earned a Bronze Medal at the 2016 World Team Cup.

“I have loved being here at the University of Alabama,” said Haneke-Hopps, who was ranked No. 2 in U.S. Juniors. “Not only have I received the highest levels of education, but the opportunities I’ve been given by this team have been unreal.”

 

Success in wheelchair tennis is not new for Haneke-Hopps, who was a standout player at Patrick Henry High in San Diego. She was part of the team that won an Eastern League Title en route to being finalists in the CIF San Diego Section Division II Team Championships.

“I have made so many amazing memories and made friendships that I know will last a lifetime,” said Haneke-Hopps, a Kinesiology major. “I am so excited to continue pursuing my career here while chasing my dreams in tennis.”

The University of Alabama Adaptive Tennis Matches is the Georgia Open Wheelchair Tennis Championships in Rome, GA, on March 13, and the Cajun Classic Wheelchair Tournament on March 19 in Baton Rouge Louisiana.