It's a story that seems almost too perfect.
Two of Duke's all-time best female athletes also happen to be good friends. One is the first woman at Duke to win an individual NCAA title, the other makes a name for herself at her sport's biggest event.
Now there's a poster of the two, and many stories have been done about two great athletes who are also great friends. There's only one problem.
"We were friends before we knew about all the sports stuff," Vanessa Webb said. "She was just a girl in my dorm."
Which makes you kind of wonder what it was like when both found out they were already collegiate stars as freshmen. Strange coincidence?
Of course for all the attention the two received this summer after Chuasiriporn nearly won her U.S. Open and Webb qualified for tennis' Open by winning the NCAAs, their friendship never really changed.
They lived together their sophomore year but were so busy they never saw each other. Now, they don't often get the time to talk as much as they'd like.
"I know she keeps up with me on the Internet and I'm always checking to see what she's up to," Chuasiriporn said. "We don't see each other as much as we'd probably like to because of our schedules."
That's not to say the difficulties of being a Division I athlete conflict with their friendship.
"We've been real close since the day we met," Chuasiriporn said. "We share a lot of things going on in our life, similar things. Our roles on the teams are similar."
And never have the two been in a more similar situation. Both returned for their senior seasons with the same goal-leading their respective teams to national championships.
It's a very realistic goal for both squads, and the two star players
As high school athletes and in amateur tournaments, the focus was on the individual. In college, everything was different.
"It's something I definitely had to get used to," Webb said. "I love being on a team now, but it took some adjusting at first."
One adjustment Webb never had to make was in her work ethic. It has always been there. The triple major took on the task of completing three independent studies in two months this past fall so she could travel around the world and play against professionals in November.
Chuasiriporn will admit with laughter that she's not always the same.
"She's definitely a harder worker in academics than I am," Chuasiriporn said. "She's a very good role model. She studies hard and she works hard."
While Webb might be the harder worker, she's still not one to compare her accomplishments to those of Chuasiriporn. Tennis is a far different sport from golf.
As Chuasiriporn says, in golf it's just you and the ball. With tennis, it takes experience against the best players before an individual begins to challenge.
Webb is confident when she gets out on the tour this summer, she'll start getting that experience. It's just not a fair comparison yet.
"What Jenny's done, you can't compare it to anything because it's just so unbelievable," Webb said. "I don't think it does justice to compare what she and I have done because she set records around the world."
Webb's travels around the world will begin after graduation. She has lined up 17 tournaments so far, spanning
Chuasiriporn's situation is not much easier. She has exemptions for four LPGA events, but must earn a tour card through success on the Futures tour, a minor leagues of sorts for the LPGA. She needs a top-three finish on the money list for the season or a win in one of the LPGA events to earn a spot on the pro tour.
She also has the option of playing in Asia for a year. Unlike in tennis, where careers often peak before the late 20s, golf gives Chuasiriporn the luxury of settling in.
"I feel that I have a little more time to work with," she said. "Tennis is such a short-term career. She probably has a little more pressure than I do right now. When I get out there, I could be there for 10 years and still make a good living because it's not as physically draining.
"But golf isn't really everything to me. I enjoy it and I enjoy the competition, but I can't see myself being on tour for 15 years-even that seems like a long time right now."
For Webb, the transition after tennis won't be a hard one. She'll head back to Canada for possibly law or business school.
"I'll be able to move beyond tennis," Webb said. "Right now I'm really anxious to get out on the tour, but there will be a time when I can move on."
Just as she and Chuasiriporn are moving on now.
It's not a perfect story, but neither Webb or Chuasiriporn is complaining.
"This year's been so much fun," Webb said. "We've done so much stuff, with the poster and the appearances we've made together. It's been great."
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