Husky Women's Tennis European Tour: Day 5
September 18, 2018 | Women's Tennis
PARIS --- The Washington women's tennis team continued their tour through Europe spending another day in France. The team practiced against local French players as well as going to the Eiffel Tower.
Junior Natsuho Arakawa who is new to the team this year after spending her first two seasons with Arkansas, recapped the day:
"We had a true blast playing against the French team on red clay courts located near Roland-Garros stadium in Paris. All my teammates fought their heart out throughout the matches in the morning. The girls from the French team all played fantastic as well. Even though it started to rain during the last few matches, girls were always cheerful for the players on the court."
"Surely, the girls playing matches felt the energy from both inside and outside of the tennis courts. After these matches, all the participants sat down together and had a good pasta lunch in a cafe at the tennis club. We had a great time speaking with French girls and UW supporters at the table."
"Later in the day, we went on a boat cruise to enjoy the view of Paris. The girls and coaches had the best time on the beautiful river. There were many great places to see while we stayed on the boat."
"From there, we went to the Eiffel Tower to observe the amazing view of the city. Since it was at night, we could see all the lights of the old and new buildings. Additionally, we took so many pictures together as a group. We made unforgettable memories in just few hours of tourism in Paris today. To sum up, the team is having the time of their lives in the romantic city of Paris. A big thank you to University of Washington and Go Dawgs!"
Get to Know Natsuho
Arakawa, who is from Tokyo, transferred to Washington this past offseason after two years at Arkansas. She holds a 40-22 singles record playing primarily in the No. 3 spot, as well as a 39-22 doubles record.
Why did you choose to come to the University of Washington?
"I came here because I really liked the school atmosphere and the character. This university has everything that a student appreciates while studying."
How and when did you start to play tennis?
"I started playing tennis when I was five. The reason why I started playing this sport is because I was a chubby child so my parents told me that I should do some activity to lose some weight. Many people think this is a joke but it is really true. Thanks to my parents for letting me play tennis, now I am a slim woman."
Who is your favorite tennis player?
"My favorite tennis player of all time is Maria Sharapova. She is always confident and fierce no matter if she wins or loses. I love seeing her amazing tennis performance against other good players on the court."
What are your goals for the season?
"My primary goal for this season is to have a lot of fun with this team no matter what day it is. I believe this team will go far this season if we work hard every day. Also, I would like to beat several ranked players and put myself on the NCAA ranking list. I really would love to play in the NCAA Championships at the end of this season as a team and an individual. Being an All-American also has a special place in my heart."
What is your favorite tennis memory?
"The best memory I can recall is when I won the grade 2 international tennis federation juniors tournament in Hong Kong. It was the best feeling because I was able to beat two great ranked players in both the semifinal and final after fighting for long hours."
What is one fact that people might not know about you?
"I actually love singing. I used to go to a vocal school where I had two lessons a week to learn singing. The teacher once recommended me to audition for a famous girls singing group in Japan but I knew I am not a type of person who could act like an idol for the audience. It would have been funny if I auditioned when I think about it now."
What is your favorite thing to do in Seattle?
"I think that it would be walking around the city and finding delicious food to eat throughout the day. Miki, who was a former player of the UW women's tennis team told me a lot of good places to eat in Seattle, and I am truly excited to spend time here."
What do you enjoy to do outside of tennis?
"I love watching movies. Movies give me some sort of power to live happily and positively every day. The best movie I ever watched is The Greatest Showman. To tell you the truth, I actually cried five times during the movie."
Where is your favorite place that you've visited?
"I think that would be New York. I went there for Thanksgiving last year, and it was the best moment of my life. Especially, the fact that I had a chance to watch a Broadway show was just speechless. There are so many great shows offered on Broadway. I chose to watch the most popular one, Wicked."
If you could have a superpower what would it be?
"I would like to have the power to be an invisible person to go through walls without being seen by other people. That is my dream even though some people might say that is kind of stalking! I'm sorry but I really wish to be an invisible person one day!"
Check back at GoHuskies.com for more updates on the European tour, and follow the Huskies on Twitter @UW_WTennis and on Instagram @uw_wtennis.
Junior Natsuho Arakawa who is new to the team this year after spending her first two seasons with Arkansas, recapped the day:
"We had a true blast playing against the French team on red clay courts located near Roland-Garros stadium in Paris. All my teammates fought their heart out throughout the matches in the morning. The girls from the French team all played fantastic as well. Even though it started to rain during the last few matches, girls were always cheerful for the players on the court."
"Surely, the girls playing matches felt the energy from both inside and outside of the tennis courts. After these matches, all the participants sat down together and had a good pasta lunch in a cafe at the tennis club. We had a great time speaking with French girls and UW supporters at the table."
"Later in the day, we went on a boat cruise to enjoy the view of Paris. The girls and coaches had the best time on the beautiful river. There were many great places to see while we stayed on the boat."
"From there, we went to the Eiffel Tower to observe the amazing view of the city. Since it was at night, we could see all the lights of the old and new buildings. Additionally, we took so many pictures together as a group. We made unforgettable memories in just few hours of tourism in Paris today. To sum up, the team is having the time of their lives in the romantic city of Paris. A big thank you to University of Washington and Go Dawgs!"
Get to Know Natsuho
Arakawa, who is from Tokyo, transferred to Washington this past offseason after two years at Arkansas. She holds a 40-22 singles record playing primarily in the No. 3 spot, as well as a 39-22 doubles record.
Why did you choose to come to the University of Washington?
"I came here because I really liked the school atmosphere and the character. This university has everything that a student appreciates while studying."
How and when did you start to play tennis?
"I started playing tennis when I was five. The reason why I started playing this sport is because I was a chubby child so my parents told me that I should do some activity to lose some weight. Many people think this is a joke but it is really true. Thanks to my parents for letting me play tennis, now I am a slim woman."
Who is your favorite tennis player?
"My favorite tennis player of all time is Maria Sharapova. She is always confident and fierce no matter if she wins or loses. I love seeing her amazing tennis performance against other good players on the court."
What are your goals for the season?
"My primary goal for this season is to have a lot of fun with this team no matter what day it is. I believe this team will go far this season if we work hard every day. Also, I would like to beat several ranked players and put myself on the NCAA ranking list. I really would love to play in the NCAA Championships at the end of this season as a team and an individual. Being an All-American also has a special place in my heart."
What is your favorite tennis memory?
"The best memory I can recall is when I won the grade 2 international tennis federation juniors tournament in Hong Kong. It was the best feeling because I was able to beat two great ranked players in both the semifinal and final after fighting for long hours."
What is one fact that people might not know about you?
"I actually love singing. I used to go to a vocal school where I had two lessons a week to learn singing. The teacher once recommended me to audition for a famous girls singing group in Japan but I knew I am not a type of person who could act like an idol for the audience. It would have been funny if I auditioned when I think about it now."
What is your favorite thing to do in Seattle?
"I think that it would be walking around the city and finding delicious food to eat throughout the day. Miki, who was a former player of the UW women's tennis team told me a lot of good places to eat in Seattle, and I am truly excited to spend time here."
What do you enjoy to do outside of tennis?
"I love watching movies. Movies give me some sort of power to live happily and positively every day. The best movie I ever watched is The Greatest Showman. To tell you the truth, I actually cried five times during the movie."
Where is your favorite place that you've visited?
"I think that would be New York. I went there for Thanksgiving last year, and it was the best moment of my life. Especially, the fact that I had a chance to watch a Broadway show was just speechless. There are so many great shows offered on Broadway. I chose to watch the most popular one, Wicked."
If you could have a superpower what would it be?
"I would like to have the power to be an invisible person to go through walls without being seen by other people. That is my dream even though some people might say that is kind of stalking! I'm sorry but I really wish to be an invisible person one day!"
Check back at GoHuskies.com for more updates on the European tour, and follow the Huskies on Twitter @UW_WTennis and on Instagram @uw_wtennis.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
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