STANFORD, Calif.—Alison Riske, who upset Carla Suarez Navarro, 6-4, 6-4, in the second round of Stanford, says that Chanelle Scheepers is still coaching her. Scheepers was ranked as high as No. 37 in 2011 and just retired from playing in May.
Riske said she was looking to make a change to her team and had struck a friendship with the 31-year-old South African. Riske had her boyfriend, Stephen Amritraj, come on court during the match against Suarez Navarro, but he is not her official coach.
“I needed something different,” said Riske, who is ranked No. 59. “Chanelle is fantastic, she is wonderful. She’s a great player and she can help me a lot. I have been through so many coaches in my career. I feel like you get to a certain point where you max out on what someone can offer you, and its time to learn from someone new.”
This season, the 25-year-old American reached the semifinals of Hobart and Nottingham, but has not gone deep at any other tournament. She won her first and only title so far in Tianjin last year.
“It’s been a challenging year,” Riske said. “It’s been a couple of coaching changes. Now I feel like I am in a good spot. I have had a lot of tough draws, every week is tough out there, everyone is so good. I have been close against the top players, I can gain confidence.”