Peters Township's Alison Riske, ranked No. 118 in the world, will take on No. 3-ranked Vera Zvonareva at Wimbledon this week. Riske sounds excited for the challenge:
↵↵↵"I love hearing that kind of news because those are the moments you train for," she said. "To be up against the top people in the world (is) a pretty rare and special moment."
↵In the semifinals of the 2010 Aegon Classic in Birmingham, England, Riske battled second-seeded Maria Sharapova but ultimately lost, 6-2, 4-6, 6-1.
↵"It showed me that I can compete against the best in the world when I compete to my ability," Riske said.
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Riske played for the team at Peters Township High School for one year. She committed to play at Vanderbilt, but had some success in professional tournaments and ended up passing on college to dedicate herself to professional tennis.
↵Zvonareva lost to Serena Williams in the finals of the 2010 Wimbledon Championships and to Kim Clijsters in the finals of the 2010 US Open. She also won a bronze medal in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.