JAMAICAN Simone Vranov-Brown, the former two-time Pan Caribbean All-Jamaica 18 and under tennis champion, has decided to skip university and go professional.

But the 18-year-old Brown now must find the financial backing to achieve her goals, which includes qualifying for 2012 Olympics in London, England.

Vranov-Brown, who recently graduated from Olympia High, Magna Cum Laude, had scholarship offers to several division one colleges, but has decided instead to play on the ITF/WTA professional tour in 2011.

In an Observer follow-up, the tennis starlet says she is willing to take the plunge because of an implicit belief in her ability to compete successfully against the best.

“I want to be a professional tennis player and this is the goal I have set myself, because I believe that I have the skills to do so successfully” said the talented Florida-based athlete who ended her stint at Olympia High School in Orlando, Florida as the top-ranked player.

“My dad, who coaches me, is totally dedicated to the sport. I have watched him over the years and got to love the game so much, that it is now part of my life,” added Brown.

“I have also had sessions with some of the world’s best coaches, among them Nick Bollettiere (tennis) and Brooks Johnson (speed, strength and conditioning), and they, too, believe I have the attributes needed to succeed.

“Most of all, though, I believe in myself. I work hard at it and I’m willing to make all the sacrifices necessary to achieve my goals,” she said.

Commenting on her immediate plans, Vranov-Brown states: “I need to play more tournaments so as to get my ranking into the ITF/WTA top 100 as this will allow me to play in the Grand Slam tournaments.

“My main goal is to play in the US Open and at Wimbledon, but to do so I have to find sponsors who will assist me with the finances needed to travel as much as I need to. I hope that there will be a major breakthrough in this area soon.”

She aims to follow in footsteps of many of the sport’s best female players such as Chris Evert, Monica Seles and the Williams sisters, Venus and Serena, all of whom by-passed the college route, developed their skills on the professional circuit and made it to

the top.

And like them, she believes in her ability, stating confidently that she understands the sacrifices she must make and the hard work that is necessary to achieve her goals.

“I’m fully prepared for the long haul and it’s reassuring to know that I have the backing and support of my family and coaches, as I prepare to take my first step into professional tennis,”

she added.

In a bid to market herself, Vranov-Brown’s family have launched a website, www.thebrowngirls.com, for prospective sponsors and fans to monitor her progress.

Brown and 16-year old sister Lauren are popularly known as “The

Brown Girls”.

Both have always done well in local tournaments, while representing Jamaica in the Junior Fed Cup.

Simone recently solidified her position as one of Florida’s most dominant female players by winning the Fort Gatlin End of Summer Classic.

She defeated the No 1 seed Gabriela Winter, 6-4, 6-2, in an enthralling final at Lake Cane Tennis Club, in Orlando, that had fans cheering wildly throughout the match.

This was the second recent tournament success for Vranov-Brown, as she also won the Lake Cane Fire Cracker Women’s Open.

In July, she also made it to the quarter-finals of the Junior US Open Qualifying tournament.

Dustin Brown (no relation to Simone), who recently reached the second round of the ongoing US Open, is the only Jamaican currently on the professional tennis circuit.