The teenager is making the most of her WTA debut.
16-year-old Kristina Liutova has become the first player born in 2010 to reach a WTA semifinal this week in Memphis.
The Russian teen has reeled off three successive Top 100 wins – against Ekaterina Alexandrova, Maya Joint and Caty McNally – to reach the last four at the Memphis Classic.
Those were the first three Top 100 encounters of her career.
The WTA debutante has won three ITF titles in 2026, with two of them coming on hard courts.
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Liutova, who will face either Elvina Kalieva or Peyton Stearns in the semifinals on Saturday, will turn 17 in February of next year.
She defeated McNally, 6-3, 6-4 on Friday. She will make her Top 200 debut next week, regardless of what happens this weekend in Memphis.
Chris Oddo. Chris Oddo is a freelance sportswriter, podcaster, blogger and social media marker who is a lead contributor to Tennisnow.com. He also writes for USOpen.org, Rolandgarros.com, BNPParibasOpen.com, TennisTV.com, WTAtennis.com and the official US Open program.
