Five years from now, India Houghton has a clear vision of what she’ll be doing: battling an opponent on center court at the U.S. Open.
Her grand slam dream may not be too far away. After five seasons of collegiate tennis, the former Gator is preparing to begin her professional tennis career full time.
“If you have one foot in the door and one out, it's tough to be successful,” Houghton said. “I want to go full pro.”
Houghton steps into professional tennis having built a strong foundation in college, first competing at Stanford University for four years. Despite spending much of her time as a Cardinal battling multiple injuries, Houghton made the matches she played count.
The Tiburon, California, native amassed a 39-15 singles record and 20-8 record in doubles while helping Stanford win three consecutive Pac-12 championships.
After graduating from Stanford with one year of eligibility remaining, Houghton chose to spend her final collegiate season at Florida. The move was completely different from the collegiate sports experience she had on the West Coast.
“I had no idea what it was like playing in the SEC,” Houghton said. “It was a really eye-opening experience.”
At Florida, Houghton grew into a different player from the one who first arrived in Gainesville. But head coach Per Nilsson knew she was going to succeed from the start.
“She needs matches more than anyone,” Nilsson said after a Feb. 13 home win against Louisiana. “She’s going to be special, too.”
Nilsson’s coaching intuition proved right. After opening the year without a singles victory through the Gators’ first three matches, Houghton turned her early-season struggles into motivation.
By the middle of the season, Houghton had moved up to Florida’s No. 1 singles playing spot. She claimed three victories over top-20 opponents and was named SEC Player of the Week in March.
Her improvement extended to doubles. Alongside partner Lucie Pawlak, Houghton overcame a slow start to the season, building a record seven matches undefeated in the mid-season.
“We improved and got so much closer just playing together,” Houghton said. “We felt like we were a different team.”
One of the duo’s biggest wins came against defending national champion then-No.1 Georgia. Houghton and Pawlak defeated the Bulldogs’ duo of Anastasiia Gureva and Emma Dong to claim the day’s only win for the Gators.
The Florida pair worked toward improving their performance throughout the season by developing better communication and chemistry. In the end, Pawlak credited Houghton’s intelligence and their relationship for their doubles success.
“She’s the brain of the team,” Pawlak said. “I’m so sad she's going to leave.”
Finishing with a 10-6 doubles record, Houghton and Pawlak plan to extend their success beyond collegiate tennis.
“We were hoping that maybe later this summer, we could play a couple doubles tournaments together,” Houghton said.
Houghton said her season at Florida set her up for success on the professional tour. Many players struggle with loneliness as they transition from college tennis to professional, having to travel without a team and playing in front of smaller crowds. Houghton, who plans to travel alone or with her family, said she’s prepared for the adjustment.
“I don't think that discourages me at all,” Houghton said. “I'm more prepared to handle tough moments on the road by myself now.”
The former Gator is expected to begin competing in tournaments later this summer after she finishes treatment for the injuries she played through during the season. She plans to begin with lower-level pro tournaments in California before making her way to Europe.
As she prepares for the next chapter of her career, Houghton said her focus is no longer on the score alone.
“I want to keep focusing on my development as a player and a person,” Houghton said, “not so much on the outcome.”
Contact Sofia Alamo at salamo@alligator.org. Follow her on X @alamosofiaa.
Sofia Alamo is a Sports Journalism freshman at UF and the university’s Women’s Tennis beat reporter. Her favorite sports are soccer and tennis, and she aspires to be a sports broadcaster in the future.
