STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford’s Paul A. Violich Director of Women’s Tennis Frankie Brennan announced the signings of Yilin Chen, Brooke Kwon and Anita Tu to athletic financial aid agreements on Friday.
All three are blue-chip recruits according to the Tennis Recruiting Network and the Cardinal’s three blue-chip commitments lead the nation.
“This is a great class and might end up being the nation’s best when all is said and done,” Brennan said. “We’ve won many national titles at Stanford, but what all our coaches and I enjoy the most is helping our student-athletes become strong, confident young women. We prioritize training the overall person and not just the tennis player and I think that message really resonated with Yilin, Brooke, Anita and their families. They’re fantastic people who will help us on the court and are perfect fits for Stanford off it. I am super excited for all three of them. They're each going to contribute something special to this program.”
Chen is currently rated as the No. 6 recruit in the country per Tennis Recruiting and the third highest-ranked recruit attending college, with a World Tennis Number of 13.8. Chen reached the Girls' 18s singles final at the 2026 Easter Bowl and has been champion at the J60 San Diego each of the past two years. In 2025, she was a G16 Hard Court Nationals semifinalist, an ITF J100 Las Vegas finalist, a G18 L1 Battle of the Sections champion, and was named the Most Improved Player at the San Diego Junior Tennis Awards hosted by Youth Tennis San Diego at the Barnes Tennis Center.
“Yilin is an unbelievable competitor and really tough,” Brennan said. “The last time I saw her play was at the Hard Courts and she got a bloody nose, had to delay and default a game because she was late with coming back to the court. Yet she still fought into a third set in a match that maybe she could have won without that distraction. She has a ton of upside and is very, very eager to get better.”
“Stanford is the best place to pursue an elite education and simultaneously compete against top performers in college tennis,” Chen said of her decision.
Kwon is ranked as the No. 10 recruit nationally and has been as high as No. 3 in her class. She advanced to the Round of 16 at the 2026 USTA Billie Jean King Girls' 18s National Championships, won a 2026 Billie Jean King Girls’ 18s Doubles Bronze Ball, a 2025 Billie Jean King Girls’ 16s Singles Bronze Ball, and was the 2025 USTA Southern California Junior Sectional Girls’ 18s Champion.
“Stanford has been my first choice since I started exploring schools,” Kwon said of her commitment. “I am excited to be on a campus surrounded by other talented and hardworking students, where I'll be able to reach my fullest potential as a student and as an athlete. Palo Alto was amazing when I visited, and I can't wait to be back to meet my wonderful teammates, coaches, professors, and friends I'll keep for life.”
“Brooke is a standout,” Brennan said. “When we first were recruiting her, she had a great run last year at the Hard-Court Championships. She's a very tough player, knows how to compete, is a tremendous ball striker and great competitor.”
Tu has also made her mark internationally, reaching a career-high No. 48 in the ITF junior world rankings in 2026 and has been as high as Tennis Recruiting’s No. 5 senior prospect in early August. She was a 2023 Billie Jean King Girls’ 16s Singles finalist and 2024 Clay Court Nationals 18s Singles finalist. Across her junior carer, Tu has amassed three bronze balls four silver balls and two gold balls in USTA Nationals. She also has two titles and three finals appearances in ITF junior singles and three titles and two finalist appearance sin ITF junior doubles.
“Anita is very seasoned,” Brennan said, “She's been living overseas and playing a lot of the ITF tournaments and living on her own so she's very independent. Her game has grown a lot, and she'll have a huge impact right away.”
“I chose Stanford because the high level of tennis and academics is an incredible opportunity that I believe will push me to become the best version of myself,” Tu said of her college choice.
The current Cardinal concludes its fall schedule at the NCAA Individual Championships which begin Tuesday in Athens, Georgia. Sophomore Alyssa Ahn is in the 64-person singles field and secured her spot by advancing to the final at ITA Northwest Regionals in October.