FOR the last year or so, Carlista Mohammed has been Trinidad and Tobago's leading locally-based tennis player.

That changed last week when the 18-year-old joined Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA.

Mohammed stated before leaving that she will be majoring in linguistics, with a minor in sports administation, for the next four years. But she does not intend to give up tennis and hopes to represent her school.

She has been successful virtually from the start of her tennis career--about seven years ago--and Mohammed has been virtually unstoppable in the last year and a half.

After a see-saw battle with her unrelated former doubles partner Shenelle Mohammed for the last few years, Carlista beat Shenelle in four consecutive finals last year before the left-hander finally pulled one back in the title match of the National Championships in October.

Shenelle has not competed since and Carlista was not only crowned national champ this year, she claimed a rare triple crown in the National Championships about three months ago.

That performance came after she had reached all three finals and captured two titles in the Tranquillity Open in March.

Carlista is now the two-time defending "Tranquil" singles champ and she is also a two-time national champ.

She secured the prestigious title for the first time in 2005, after just turing 15 years old.

Carlista has had several very fruitful years on the tennis courts but 2008 is really her best season to date.

She began the year by beating both Raye Ann Sandy and part-time United States-based player Lee-Anne Lingo twice to claim the final spot on the Fed Cup team and was later joined by both in the world's premier female team tennis tournament when United States-based players Olivia Bennett and Yolande Leacock withdrew.

And Carlista's final year as a junior has been her most successful as she reached the semifinals of an International Tennis Federation (ITF) event for the very first time in April.

However, she was injured in her quarterfinal victory and could not give her best in the final four.

The former national under-18 champ has also reached a couple quarter-finals and has a world junior ranking in the top 500 in the world.

Fans will undoubtedly miss this pint-sized sweet ball striker in local tournaments and will be anxiously looking forward to see her attempt to defend her national title during her summer vacation next year.