LIVINGSTON, Ala. – The University of West Alabama women's tennis program announced the signing of Alexandra Petric on Wednesday.

Petric is widely regarded as one of the most highly touted signees in UWA women's tennis history.

A native of Romania, Petric comes to West Alabama after taking a lengthy hiatus from competitive tennis following an outstanding junior career in Europe.

"Alexandra is a great addition to our program," said head coach Jeff Beaman. "She has not competed in a while, but she is in great shape and ready to get back at it."

Before stepping away from the sport, Petric established herself as one of the top junior players in the world. She won multiple Romanian National Junior Championships, and with great results in International and European tournaments, she climbed to a No. 2 in the junior rankings in Europe. Throughout her junior career, Petric earned multiple victories over nationally and internationally ranked opponents, including pro ranked players with UTR ratings of 10 and 11.

At just 14 years old, Petric entered the professional rankings one month after Coco Gauff. Petric and Gauff stand as the first two players born in 2004 to earn a professional ranking.

Academically, Petric plans to pursue a degree in pre-medicine.