Ayana Akli

Akli was born in Silver Spring, Maryland, to Komi and Linda Akli.^[1] Her father is a former professional tennis player who immigrated to the United States from Togo in 1996; he was the childhood coach of Frances Tiafoe.^[2][3] She began playing tennis at the age of four and trained at the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park.^[1] She attended Wheaton High School, where she was a three-time state champion in girls' singles.^[4][5][6] She later received a degree in civil engineering from the University of South Carolina.^[7]

In 2019, Akli signed a letter of intent to play collegiate tennis for the Maryland Terrapins.^[1] After two years, she transferred to the University of South Carolina.^[8] Playing for the South Carolina Gamecocks, she reached career-high national rankings of No. 3 in singles and No. 10 in doubles. She also received ITA All-American and All-SEC honors and was named the SEC Women's Tennis Scholar-Athlete of the Year.^[7]

In October 2023, she reached the semifinals of the Christus Health Pro Challenge as a qualifier.^[9] In July 2024, she reached the semifinals of the Championnats de Granby as a qualifier.^[10] Later that year, she won her first professional doubles title at the W35 USTA Pro Circuit event in Redding, partnering Eryn Cayetano.^[11]