SMU freshman Amelie Van Impe shocks No. 1 player Reese Brantmeier and sweeps ACC weekly honors after a dominant weekend.
The SMU women’s tennis program has a rising star, and her name is Amelie Van Impe. The freshman sensation just swept ACC Player of the Week and ACC Freshman of the Week honors, announcing herself as one of the most dangerous young players in college tennis.
And she didn’t earn the recognition quietly.
Van Impe turned heads across the country after delivering one of the biggest individual wins of the weekend, dismantling No. 1-ranked Reese Brantmeier of North Carolina in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2.
Beating the top player in the ITA national rankings is impressive for anyone - doing it as a freshman makes it even louder.
That victory helped launch Van Impe from unranked to No. 49 nationally in singles, marking one of the biggest ranking jumps of the week.
The Belgium native wasn’t finished there.
In doubles play, Van Impe and teammate Caroline McGinley have quietly built one of the hottest partnerships in the country.
The duo went 2-0 during the weekend, including a statement 6-2 victory over Duke’s No. 12-ranked doubles team of Liv Hovde and Shavit Kimchi to secure a key doubles point.
They followed that performance with another 6-2 win over North Carolina’s top doubles pair, continuing their perfect run.
The results pushed Van Impe and McGinley from unranked all the way to No. 10 in the national doubles rankings, while improving their record to 9-0 this season.
For SMU, Van Impe’s breakthrough represents more than just individual success.
She becomes only the second player in program history to earn ACC Player of the Week honors, joining Arianna Stavropoulos, who captured the award last season.
And if the early season is any indication, Van Impe is just getting started.
With confidence surging and national attention building, the Mustangs now take their momentum on the road as they prepare for a matchup against No. 60 Boston College in Chestnut Hill.
If Van Impe continues playing like this, SMU’s freshman phenom might not stay outside the national spotlight for long.