Leigh Thompson Coss was a senior at Ferguson High School in early 1982 when she decided to pursue a career in professional tennis after making the quarterfinals of the $40,000 Avon Futures of Hampton Roads Tournament. Before the year was out, she won her first pro tournament, a $100,000 event in Mahwah, New Jersey, beating highly ranked Andrea Jaeger in the second round, and beating Bettina Bunge 7-6, 6-3 in the final. In 1981 Leigh played in the U. S. Open as an amateur and made it to the round of 16 before losing to Billy Jean King. During a one-year span, she went from the Portsmouth Invitational to Wimbledon, probably the fastest rise in tennis for the times. Known for her aggressive baseline play, Thompson was ranked as high as 26th in the world before arm tendonitis ended her career. She later worked as an assistant tennis coach at the University of Maryland.