VERMILLION, S.D. — The South Dakota Coyotes women's tennis team has added transfer Sonya Issakova to its roster for the 2026-27 season. Issakova joins the Coyotes as a sophomore after spending her freshman season at Murray State University. 
 

"I'm very excited to add Sonya to our group of signees this year!" said South Dakota head coach Pasha Zinechenko. "She is a great player who proved herself consistently on Junior Circuit and at a collegiate level. It is my true belief that this signing is one of those instances where everyone is a winner. Our program gets an excellent player to join the team and Sonya gets a fresh start with new coaches and teammates at one of the best universities in the world. I can't wait to start working with Sonya and look forward to all the positive things she will bring to our squad" 

A native of Almaty, Kazakhstan, Issakova entered the collegiate ranks as the highest world-ranked recruit in Murray State program history. She reached a career-high ITF World Junior Ranking of No. 209 and was one of the top under-18 players in the world during her junior career. 

Issakova won five ITF World Junior singles championships along with an ITF World Junior doubles title in 2024. Her ITF victories included titles at Issyk-Kul, Cholpon-Ata and Namangan. 

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