
AMHERST, Mass. – University of Massachusetts tennis and head coach Juancarlos Nunez’s incoming class of Chang Ao, Duru Baycan, Madara Markevica and Defne Su Sever earned the No. 5 national mid-major ranking from TennisRecruiting.net. The premier ranking placed Massachusetts among only three New England-based programs tabbed to the top-25.
The No. 5 ranking in 2025 marks the fifth time in the last seven seasons that TennisRecruiting.net placed Nunez’s incoming class among the top mid-major signees nationally since the 2022-23 newcomers placed No. 15.
“We are excited to welcome these four young women into our program,” said Nunez. “Chang (Ao), Duru (Baycan), Madara (Markevica) and Defne (Su Sever) are four passionate and committed individuals that are going to have a big impact on our team. All four of the m have a proven track record at the junior level nationally and internationally. We are grateful for this recognition by TennisRecruiting.net. We know that for all four of them, the potential is limitless, and we look forward to seeing the ways in which they will contribute to our team.”
Ao is a native of Qingdao, China, who has a Universal Tennis Rating (UTR) of 8.98. She holds an International Tennis Federation (ITF) Junior ranking of 1126 and was a Junior finalist and champion multiple times. Ao defeated the No. 163 ranked player and a 10.34 UTR in the world during the summer of 2024 en route to a Quarterfinal finish at the J300 in Pancevo, Spain.
Baycan, a Kocaeli, Turkey, native, holds a UTR of 9.73 and has an ITF Junior ranking of 405. She was a 2024 Champion of the J60 in Telavi, Georgia, last July after becoming winning the 2024 Championship of the J60 in Instanbul, Turkey, in April. Baycan membered the Turkish National Team and won the 2024 Turkish Junior Championships.
Markevica hails from Riga, Latvia, with a UTR of 9.05 and has a ITF Junior ranking of 501. She was a finalist at multiple ITF Junior events, and became the 2024 Single Champion of the J60 ITF event in Aizkraukle, Latvia. Markevica earned the 2024 Doubles Champion title at the J30 ITF in Siauliai, Lithuania.
Su Sever, an Ankara, Turkey, native, holds a UTR of 7.92. She has competed at a high level both nationally and internationally at the Junior and ITF level. Over her career, Su Sever has had three top wins over her career over opponents that held a 9.33, 8.88 and 9.41 UTR.
2