One typically has no idea if a nationally ranked high school tennis player lives in their community, but San Marino High School’s Anessa Lee is anything but typical. Most blue chip tennis players eschew the typical educational model altogether and attend elite academies while others opt for home-schooling while simultaneously receiving private training from personal coaches.
Then there is Lee, who has chosen the rare Door #3, which includes being a card-carrying member of her local high school tennis team.
Fortunately for San Marino, its the Lady Titans for which Anessa proudly dons the Royal & White. Anessa is currently ranked #11 in the nation in the Girls Under 18 age group as determined by tennis recruiting.net, won the prestigious Easter Bowl singles championship in 2016, was a doubles finalist list in the Girls 16 age group at the United States Tennis Associations’ (USTA) Winter Nationals and made it to the finals of the 2018 United States Indoor Championships.
As as a freshman, Anessa won both the singles and doubles championships at the 2016 USTA Girls’ 14 National Selection tournament, where she also earned the Sportsmanship Award at that tournament.
And she has also won the Rio Hondo League singles championships in each of her two attempts, with the 2019 tournament having been recently postponed due to poor air quality caused by the recent wildfires.
San Marino High School tennis Coach Melwin Pereira, who has a son and daughter who played Division I tennis after completing full high school careers, admires Anessa’s skill and dedication to her teammates.
“Anessa is right up there with the best girls I have ever coached,” Pereira said, also mentioning Devon Jack and Dorothy Tang, who matriculated from SMHS to Brown and Princeton, respectively. “She is a very strong player and is a very good teammate. I understand her situation and try to give her a lot of space. Anessa is very serious and very focused this year.”
And with very good reason. Anessa has accepted an offer to play at Vanderbilt University for Coach Geoff Macdonald after graduation. Last year, the Commodores finished the season with a 19-8 overall record, advancing to the NCAA quarterfinals where they were edged 4-3 by Georgia, a fellow SEC entry. Vandy finished the season ranked in the Top 10.
“Vanderbilt is lucky to have Anessa,” Pereira told The Tribune. “There are a few things she will work on for the college game and she will be outstanding.”
Anessa is the daughter of Albert and Pearl Lee. Her older brother, Connor, is a junior at Georgetown University and plays for the Hoyas. Another older brother, Ryan, was an accomplished tennis player at San Marino High School and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, as mentioned.
