By Sean Bradley

(December 31, 2010) Louisianan 34 year old tennis star Chanda Rubin’s Lafayette house was burned Thursday night after an apparent bolt of lightning struck her house, igniting her mansion and leaving a largely destroyed home.

After a 2-year long constriction, Rubin lived in the house for just over 2 years before being forced to evacuate. A large majority of the damage was sustained in the upper floor of the house, leaving the bottom floor, where much of her trophies and tennis keepsakes, intact, but damaged by water and fire. She was at home at the time but was able to evacuate and no one was hurt.

When asked if she would rebuild her home, Rubin stated that she did not know yet saying “I’m going to take it one day at a time."

Rubin reached her career high in 1996 as WTA’s Number 6 and made it to the semifinals of the Australian Open. She was the former World No. 9 in doubles. She has also won the Eastbourne International in 2002 and has 7 singles titles under her belt. She was the third African-American woman in the Open era to reach the top ten after Zina Garrison and Lori McNeil. In 2010, Rubin toured the gulf of Louisiana devastated by the BP Oil Spill as part of a Sierra Club sponsored event with other athletes.



This year, Rubin has withdrawn from several tournaments, citing various injuries.



All sourced from: The Ind.