University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Sudo Earns First Sun Belt Women’s Tennis Player of the Week Honor in Program History
3/11/2026 2:00:00 PM | Women's Tennis
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss women's tennis sophomore Sakura Sudo has been named the Sun Belt Conference Women's Tennis Player of the Week after delivering a pair of match clinching performances in the Golden Eagles' 4-3 conference win over Georgia Southern last weekend.
Sudo becomes the first player in Southern Miss women's tennis history to earn a Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week honor. The recognition comes after the sophomore helped power the Golden Eagles to one of their biggest wins of the spring, a home conference victory that moved Southern Miss to 6-3 overall.
The Tokyo, Japan, native made her biggest impact in the most important moments of the match. Teaming with Angelina Blinova in doubles, Sudo helped Southern Miss claim the doubles point with a 6-2 win over Georgia Southern's Angelina Mihajlovic and Lisen Rinman. She later returned to the court and sealed the overall match with a straight-set victory in singles, defeating Franzi Heinemann 6-3, 7-6 (7-2) to clinch the 4-3 result for the Golden Eagles.
Sudo's performance gave Southern Miss both the opening point and the decisive final point in the match, underscoring her value across the lineup. In a tightly contested conference battle that came down to the final court, she delivered under pressure twice and helped the Golden Eagles secure an important Sun Belt win at home.
She has remained a key part of the Southern Miss lineup throughout the spring. Southern Miss has relied on her in both singles and doubles play as the team continues to build momentum during conference action under head coach Piyanart Engineer.
Sudo's honor also adds another historic milestone for the Southern Miss tennis programs this season. On the men's side, Kale Mize was the first Sun Belt Player of the Week honoree in program history, and now Sudo has delivered the first recognition for the women's program as well.
Players Mentioned
