Melihova Maria

About

Maria Melihova, born on June 19, 1988, in Tiraspol, Republic of Moldova, is a tennis player who developed her career in the United States of America. Before moving to the American continent, Melihova demonstrated remarkable potential in Moldovan tennis, being ranked No. 1 in Moldova for four consecutive years in the U14, U16, and U18 age categories. She also represented her country in the Fed Cup in 2005, participating in numerous international tournaments in Russia, Ukraine, Germany, Spain, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan, reaching a ranking in the ITF top 400 and ETA top 200. In the United States, Melihova pursued higher education at the University of North Florida, where she played as a tennis player for the institution's women's team. As a player at FCCJ (Florida CC-Jacksonville) in 2006-2007, she held the No. 1 singles position, receiving the Coach's Award and the team's academic award in both years. At UNF, in the 2007-2008 season as a junior player, Melihova continued her quality performances, recording a 6-5 singles record in the Atlantic Sun Conference and a 5-4 record in fall tournaments, and in doubles, alongside Victoria Krook, she achieved a 10-5 record, including 9-2 against Atlantic Sun Conference opponents. Melihova's academic and professional ambitions were directed towards sports management, majoring in the field at university. The daughter of Natalia Melihova and Igor Melihov, she graduated from Pushkin High School in Moldova in 2005, before transferring to the United States to continue her studies. Her dream of graduating and managing a tennis academy reflects her ongoing passion for sports and her desire to contribute to the development of the next generation of players.