Bianca Turati Named Tennis Head Coach

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Bianca Turati (tuh-rah-tee), who served as the University of Missouri’s interim head coach in 2023 and was a standout collegiate player, has been named the tennis program’s 12th head coach, Director of Athletics Desireé Reed-Francois announced today. 

Turati brings a wealth of experience as a former professional tennis player and student-athlete at the University of Texas. She joined Mizzou as an assistant coach in January before being named interim head coach on February 23, 2023.

“Coach Turati showcased the qualities we look for in a head coach – a tireless recruiter, a fierce competitor and a coach who cares about and brings out the best in her student-athletes,” Reed-Francois said. “Her experience playing at the highest levels of tennis helped her stand out in a competitive search. I want to thank our search committee, Asst. AD Morgan Domenick, a former Division I tennis player, Senior Associate AD/SWA Rachel Blunt, and Associate AD Colleen Lamond, for their tireless work. We look forward to Coach Turati building upon our foundation and leading our tennis program to incredible success, athletically and academically.”

Turati’s international recruiting ties and strong reputation within the tennis community will help attract top talent to the program. 

“I am honored to continue to lead the tennis program at Mizzou, and I am grateful to Desireé Reed-Francois and the search committee for the opportunity,” Turati said. “I have said it previously, but I believe even more that Mizzou is a special place. We want to compete with the best teams in the Southeastern Conference and build a program our fans and alums can be proud of. We all have high expectations, and I look forward to continuing to help our student-athletes achieve success on and off the court.”

Turati played professionally from 2020-22 and was an ITA All-American in singles in 2018 and 2020 at Texas.  

In 2018, she ascended to the top of the ITA women’s singles rankings and spent three months at No. 1, the first Longhorns player to achieve the feat in 25 years. 

She was the 2018 Big 12 Conference Player of the Year, the 2017 Big 12 Freshman of the Year, and snagged First-Team All-Big 12 honors four times – three times at singles and once at doubles. Turati earned Big 12 Player of the Week honors seven times, tied for the most in league history.

Also a standout in the classroom, she earned First-Team Academic All-Big 12 honors three times. She helped lead Texas to postseason ITA final team rankings of #6 (2018), #9 (2019) and #4 (2020). 

A native of Barzano, Italy, Turati turned pro following the COVID-shortened season in 2020 and achieved a WTA career-high ranking of No. 259 in singles and No. 382 in doubles before retiring in Fall 2022.

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