SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State head tennis coach Austin Hale announced Monday the signing of four student-athletes for the 2025-26 season.
 
Joining the Bears are:

• Zlata Chinnova • 5-6 • Tashkent, Uzbekistan • 190
• Leni Eichner • 5-5 • Meerbusch, Germany • Mataré-Gymnasium Europaschule • Tennis Ewige Liebe Academy/Stadwald Hilden
• Matilde Ercoli • 5-7 • Rome, Italy • Liceo delle Scienze Umane Paritario Giovanni Paolo II
• Elsie Jackson • 6-0 • Derby, England • Ecclesbourne School

 
Zlata Chinnova
Chinnova has reached a career-high ITF Junior ranking of 779. She has reached 18 quarterfinal rounds in ITF Junior Singles Tournaments and 20 quarterfinal rounds in ITF Junior Doubles Tournaments across Europe and Asia. In her first ITF Junior Tournament, J5 Dushnabe, Chinnova reached the final round after moving from the qualifying draw to the main draw. Along with her doubles partner, CHinnova won the J30 Fergana doubles tournament.
 
Coach Hale on Chinnova:
"We are incredibly excited to have Zlata join our program. Her talent is undeniable, and she has already achieved impressive results. More importantly, she is a competitor with the right mindset and a strong work ethic, making her a perfect fit for our team."
 
Leni Eichner
Eichner trained at the Tennis Ewige Liebe Academy and Stadwald Hilden. She boasts a career-high ITF ranking of 2,149. In Germany, Eichner is ranked 269^th overall and has an under-18 women's ranking of 49^th. The left-hander has twice reached the quarterfinals in singles and doubles in ITF juniors tournaments across Europe.
 
Coach Hale on Eichner:
"We're thrilled to welcome Leni to our program. She is a lefty that shapes the ball really well and has great footwork. Leni is also and extremely hard worker and her experience as a top-ranked player in Germeny, combined with her natural athleticism maker her a valuable asset to our team. We believe she has the potential to be a game-changer and help elevate our program!"
 
Matilde Ercoli
Ercoli claimed two Italian national championships in doubles as well as two regional championships in doubles. As a freshman, she won a national title in the Open Parco Degli Acquedotti. Ercoli has already qualified for the pre-quali of the WTA Italian Open. She boasts an ITF Junior Ranking of 1,547 and has reached the quarter final round of four ITF Tourmanents. Ercoli competed in the final round of the J5 Antalya ITF Doubles Tourment in Antalya, Türkiye.
 
Coach Hale on Ercoli:
"We are incredibly excited to welcome Matilde to our program; she is a well-rounded, aggressive player with excellent court awareness and great hands at the net. In addition, the competitive drive she will bring will make her a player with tremendous potential. We can't wait to see her excel on the court."
 
Elsie Jackson
Jackson has competed in ITF Juniors Tournaments across Great Britain. In her most recent tournament, the J60 Loughborough, she reached the quarterfinal round of competition. She has also competed in national LTA Tournaments and has a WTN of 24 for singles and 22.9 for doubles.
 
Coach Hale on Jackson:
"We are thrilled to welcome Elsie to our program. She is a powerful player with a big serve and a strong forehand. Elsie is a perfect fit for our team culture. Her work ethic, fighting spirit and positive attitude will make her a valuable asset to our program. We're excited to welcome her to the Missouri State family."