Even then, Zuzana Lesenarova knew she was on the precipice of making history.
Her game was in a place it had never been before. Her mind was at ease. Everything flowed as it meant to. The 1999 collegiate tennis season solely belonged to the University of San Diego’s Lesenarova.
“I was in a really good place,” the Prague native Lesenarova says, reflecting on her storied 1999 season. “I believed I could win, and it’s not like I would be walking on the court like, ‘Yeah, I’m great.’ No, but it was just that good internal self-confidence … Even back then, I realized that year was special for me.”
The season culminated with the prized NCAA Singles Championship title, the first in San Diego team history and a feat no Torero has accomplished since. Lesenarova grinded through that tournament, as her final four matches extended into the third set. In the final, Lesenarova toppled Stanford’s Marissa Irvin, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6.
“I remember the first thing I did after I won that tournament was call my dad and my mom,” she said. “That tournament, I was confident. I remember we had a changeover with Marissa in the final in the third set, and I was down, but I felt like I could win. I remember telling [assistant coach] Jun Hernandez, ‘I think I’m going to win this in a tiebreaker.’ And he was laughing, but I actually did.”
Lesenarova called her shot, overcoming the talented Irvin in a tiebreaker to clinch the national championship.
To this day, Lesenarova’s junior campaign remains among the most dominant stretches the sport has ever seen. In its entirety, her 1999 season included the NCAA Singles title, the National Clay Court Championship, the ITA Riviera All-American Championship, West Coast Conference Player of the Year honors and a spot on the Rolex Collegiate All-Star Team.
Her 39 singles wins that season also notched the school’s single-season wins record.
It was a remarkable, storybook run, one that is still met with plenty of emotion more than two decades later.
“I was always saying how great [college tennis] was. What an experience for me. If anyone wants to go [play], they should go.”
Zuzana Lesenarova’s 1999 NCAA Tournament Results
First Round – No. 1 Zuzana Lesenarova def. Ana Fernandez (Marquette), 7-6, 6-3
Second Round – No. 1 Zuzana Lesenarova def. Janet Bergman (Wake Forest), 6-3, 7-5
Round of 16 – No. 1 Zuzana Lesenarova def. Lioudmila Skavronskai (Miami), 6-2, 1-6, 6-0
Quarterfinals – No. 1 Zuzana Lesenarova def. Katarina Valkyova (San Diego), 5-7, 6-2, 6-3
Semifinals – No. 1 Zuzana Lesenarova def. Ditta Huber (USC), 6-1, 3-6, 6-0
Finals – No. 1 Zuzana Lesenarova def. Marissa Irvin (Stanford), 4-6, 6-3, 7-6
To celebrate Lesenarova and the Class of 2026, click here to register for the ITA Women’s Collegiate Tennis Hall of Induction Ceremony & Dinner.