The newest member of the Poly Prep Girls’ Varsity Tennis Team made her debut this summer well before school got started, but it wasn’t on the Poly tennis court—it was on Center Court at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Amanda M-J ’31 was chosen by the USTA Foundation and Harlem Junior Tennis & Education Program (HJTEP) to take part in the US Open “Night with the Stars” event, a part of Fan Week at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens. 

And so Amanda got to take Center Court, and play in front of over 20,000 attendees against two of the top players in the world, Alexandra Eala and Iva Jovic.

“It was definitely nerve-wracking,” Amanda said. “But it was a great experience. Being able to play on Arthur Ashe and play in front of that many people, knowing that one day, I definitely want to play there and be there, was a really great thing.”

It’s not the first time Amanda has had an unforgettable Fan Week experience. In 2024, she got an opportunity to hit with some of the sport’s all-time greats. At the age of 11, she was one of several members of the USTA Foundation’s National Junior Tennis and Learning Network chosen to hit with Coco Gauff and Billie Jean King on a short court.

“I’ll never forget this moment,” said Amanda at the time.

These experiences with Eala, Jovic, Gauff, and King have helped Amanda plot out a clear path, and a set of goals that will help her get back to the US Open as a player in her own right: make the Varsity Tennis team at Poly Prep, play Division I tennis for an Atlantic Coast Conference school, and last but not least, go pro.

She’s already accomplished one: she made the varsity team this fall as a Grade 8 student, and is playing in the No. 1 singles spot for the team.

“It’s a great experience,” Amanda said about joining the varsity team. “I came to Poly in the fifth grade really wanting to play on the varsity team [one day], so I’m really happy about finally achieving that goal.”

And the team is happy to have her on board: Girls’ Varsity Tennis started the season 5-0, winning most of their matches handily. Having a regionally and nationally ranked junior player in the lineup brings advantages in a myriad of ways, according to Head Coach Jeff Amurao.

“Since Amanda’s been playing competitively for a lot of years, she brings a certain level of professionalism,” Amurao said. “So even though she’s younger, I think she serves as a good example for the team in terms of how to practice, how to conduct oneself on the court during matches, and all of the sort of little things that a tournament-level player does.”

“Our goal is to be competitive and win,” Amurao said about goals for the 2026-27 season. “We have a very young team, a lot of sophomores and Amanda, but I have high ambitions. We’re doing well—we won our first five matches, and I think we’ve earned those wins. I think we’re playing the important points well, and have shown a lot of composure. We’re hoping to stay at the top of the league, but we’ve got tougher matches ahead.”

For more information on the Girls’ Varsity Tennis season, and when you can catch Amanda and her teammates in action, visit the Girls’ Varsity Tennis team page.