Kristie Ahn

Kristie Hyerim Ahn (born June 15, 1992) is an American former professional tennis player. She won seven singles and two doubles titles on the ITF Circuit and had a career-high singles ranking of world No. 87, achieved on 30 September 2019.

Ahn made her Grand Slam debut aged 16 at the 2008 US Open. She had her best result at a major 11 years later at the 2019 US Open where she reached the fourth round.

Early and personal life Ahn is of Korean descent and was born in Flushing Hospital, later living in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. She graduated from Stanford University in 2014 with a degree in Science, Technology and Society.

Career Aged 16 and ranked 758 in the world, Ahn made her major debut at the 2008 US Open having been given a wildcard entry into the qualifying tournament and winning three matches to reach the main-draw, where she lost to sixth seed Dinara Safina.

Representing the Stanford Cardinal women's tennis team, she was 2011 Pac-10 Championships singles champion and would also be ITA National Rookie of the Year and a three-time All-American during her college career spanning from 2010 to 2014.

Ahn won her biggest ITF Circuit titles in 2017, taking two $80,000 level titles – one each in singles and doubles. In April she teamed up with Quinn Gleason to win the doubles at Indian Harbour Beach, defeating Laura Pigossi and Renata Zarazúa in the final. Ahn then claimed the singles title at the Tyler Pro Challenge in November, overcoming Danielle Collins in the championship match. Sandwiched in between these two title triumphs, Ahn also reached her first WTA Tour quarterfinal as a qualifier at the Nottingham Open in June, a run which included a win over eighth seed Naomi Osaka, before ultimately ending in defeat to Magdaléna Rybáriková.

Having won the United States Tennis Association (USTA) wildcard challenge, she made her maiden main-draw appearance at the Australian Open in January 2018, losing to Barbora Strýcová in the first round.

Ahn qualified for the 2019 Wimbledon Championships, making her main-draw debut at the grass-court major in a first round defeat to 12th seed Anastasija Sevastova.

She reached her second WTA quarterfinal at the 2019 Silicon Valley Classic, qualifying for the main-draw and then overcoming Ajla Tomljanović and third seed Elise Mertens, before losing to fifth seed Donna Vekić.

Eleven years after her only previous appearance in the main-draw at Flushing Meadows, Ahn won the USTA wildcard challenge to gain a place at the 2019 US Open. She proceeded to have her career-best run at a major, recording straight sets wins over 2004 champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, qualifier Anna Kalinskaya and 2017 French Open winner Jeļena Ostapenko, to make it through to the fourth round, at which point she lost to 25th seed Elise Mertens.

Ranked inside the top-100 for the first time at world No. 93, Ahn was awarded a wildcard entry into the 2019 Korea Open and went on to reach the quarterfinals by double baggeling Timea Bacsinszky and defeating qualifier Ana Bogdan in a third set tiebreak, before losing in the last eight to second seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.

Ahn gained direct entry into the 2020 French Open, completing appearances at the full-set of majors, although she lost in the first round to three-time champion and sixth seed Serena Williams in straight sets.

At the 2021 Wimbledon Championships, she lost in the final round of qualifying but entered the main-draw as a lucky loser and defeated Heather Watson, before bowing out against Sloane Stephens in the second round.

Ahn announced her retirement from professional tennis in March 2022 at the age of 29.

Performance timelines

Only main-draw results in WTA Tour, Grand Slam tournaments, Fed Cup/Billie Jean King Cup and Olympic Games are included in win–loss records.

Singles

ITF Circuit finals Singles: 13 (7 titles, 6 runner–ups) Legend$80,000 tournaments$50/60,000 tournaments$25,000 tournaments$10,000 tournamentsFinals by surfaceHard (6–5)Clay (1–1)

Doubles: 6 (2 titles, 4 runner–ups) Legend$80,000 tournaments$50/60,000 tournaments$25,000 tournamentsFinals by surfaceHard (0–2)Clay (2–1)Carpet (0–1)