2021 WTA Debutantes

Welcome to the Tour: All of 2021's WTA debutantes

64 players competed in a WTA main draw for the first time in 2021, including Emma Raducanu, Anastasia Gasanova, Zheng Qinwen, Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva and Alexandra Eala. Look back on all of them here.

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Russian World No.290 Anastasia Gasanova, 21, saved a match point against Ena Shibahara to qualify for Abu Dhabi, where she upset Karolina Pliskova to make the third round of the main draw.

Jimmie48/WTA

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Italian World No.317 and University of Texas alumna Bianca Turati, 23, also qualified for Abu Dhabi and made the second round by beating Yaroslava Shvedova.

Jimmie48/WTA

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Another Italian, World No.394 Lucrezia Stefanini, also qualified for Abu Dhabi after saving three match points against Irina Fetecau. The 22-year-old lost to Elena Rybakina in round one.

Nicola Demaldi/SertusImage

04 /64
Despina Papamichail made the Abu Dhabi main draw as a lucky loser, and the 27-year-old Greek pushed Karolina Pliskova to a 6-2, 7-6(4) scoreline in round one.

Jimmie48/WTA

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World No.263 Jodie Burrage was another lucky loser in Abu Dhabi. The Briton, 21, stretched compatriot Heather Watson all the way in a 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 first-round loss.

Jimmie48/WTA

06 /64
After coming through Australian Open qualifying, 20-year-old Briton Francesca Jones made her WTA debut at the Gippsland Trophy, falling in round one to Nadia Podoroska.

Tennis Australia/Natasha Morello

07 /64
Unranked Australian wildcard Olivia Gadecki took Bernarda Pera to three sets in round one of the Gippsland Trophy. Three weeks later, the 18-year-old stunned Sofia Kenin in the Phillip Island Trophy.

Tennis Australia/Natasha Morello

08 /64
Australian World No.566 Gabriella Da Silva Fick, 20, made the Phillip Island Trophy draw as a lucky loser, and upset Aliaksandra Sasnovich to make the third round.

Getty Images

09 /64
28-year-old Russian World No.406 Daria Mishina was given a wildcard to St. Petersburg, where she lost in three sets to compatriot Kamilla Rakhimova in the first round.

Jimmie48/WTA

10 /64
Doubles World No.24 Desirae Krawczyk competed in singles for the first time since 2017, and the first time at WTA level, at the Volvo Car Open. The American beat Kateryna Bondarenko to qualify for the main draw, where she fell in the first round.

Volvo Car Open/Chris Smith

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Texas Tech alumna Gabriela Talaba, a left-hander with a one-handed backhand, also qualified for the Volvo Car Open with a win over Wang Xinyu. The Romanian, 25, lost to Danka Kovinic in round one.

Volvo Car Open/Chris Smith

12 /64
With three ITF W25 trophies under her belt in 2021 already, late-blooming Spaniard Nuria Parrizas Diaz qualified for her first WTA main draw in Bogota at the age of 29 - and made the quarterfinals with an upset of Arantxa Rus.

Copa Colsanitas

13 /64
Moldova-born Spaniard Cristina Bucsa, 23, had played her first WTA-level qualifying event at Wimbledon 2019, and made her main draw debut in Bogota. The World No.164 lost in round one to Nuria Parrizas Diaz.

Copa Colsanitas

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Colombia's Jessica Plazas had been a qualifying wildcard in Bogota in 2017-19. The 19-year-old World No.982 received her first main draw wildcard in 2021, losing to Lara Arruabarrena in round one.

Copa Colsanitas

15 /64
Alycia Parks played the first two WTA qualifying events of her career in Charleston, and made the main draw of the second tournament - where the 20-year-old American scored her first WTA win over Grace Min.

MUSC Health Women's Open/Chris Smith

16 /64
World No.928 Nastasja Schunk, 17, was one of two German teenage qualifying wildcards who won through to the Stuttgart main draw. Schunk beat Daniela Seguel and Noma Noha Akugue before falling 6-4, 6-2 to Belinda Bencic.

Jimmie48/WTA

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The unranked Julia Middendorf, 18, joined Schunk by upsetting Jana Fett and Tamara Korpatsch in Stuttgart qualifying, before losing to Anett Kontaveit in the main draw.

Jimmie48/WTA

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Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva, 15, became the first ever Andorran to play in a WTA main draw when she received a wildcard for Madrid. The 2020 Australian Open junior champion, ranked World No.901, fell to Kiki Bertens in round one.

Mutua Madrid Open

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Roland Garros girls' doubles champion Lisa Pigato, 17, entered Parma as a qualifying wildcard. The Italian World No.572 beat Leonie Kung and Liudmila Samsonova to make the main draw, where she impressed in a spirited first-round loss to Serena Williams.

Marta Magni Images/MEF Tennis Events

20 /64
Lola Radivojevic, 16, the junior World No.59 but unranked on the WTA, played her third pro event as a wildcard in Belgrade. The Serb lost to Viktoriya Tomova in round one.

Srdjan Stevanovic/Serbia Ladies Open

21 /64
Spanish World No.279 Andrea Lazaro Garcia qualified for Strasbourg, losing to Bianca Andreescu in round one. A Florida International University alumna, the 26-year-old has reached six ITF finals since starting a full-time pro schedule in 2018.

Internationaux de Strasbourg/C'est qui Maurice?/Michel Grasso

22 /64
Yuliya Hatouka, 21, began 2021 by reaching five ITF finals in a row, winning two, rising to World No.280 off the back of a 25-7 record. The Belarusian continued her surge to qualify for Strasbourg, falling to Maryna Zanevska in the first round.

Internationaux de Strasbourg/C'est qui Maurice?/Michel Grasso

23 /64
Junior World No.7 Océane Babel received a wildcard into Roland Garros and made her debut against Elina Svitolina. Despite having never before played an opponent inside the Top 150, Babel led 5-2 in the second set before succumbing 6-2, 7-5.

Jimmie48/WTA

24 /64
Sarah Beth Grey was one of three British WTA main draw debutantes in Nottingham. The 25-year-old World No.614 qualified, saving a match point against Emily Webley-Smith, and fell in round one to Leonie Kung.

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Playing her 16th WTA qualifying draw, World No.520 Eden Silva, 25, also made it into a main draw for the first time in Nottingham, losing in a third-set tiebreak to Tara Moore in round one.

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Former Top 20 junior Emma Raducanu, 18, has already won three ITF titles. The World No.366 was given a wildcard into Nottingham, falling to Harriet Dart in round one.

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Junior World No.22 Mara Guth, 17, received a wildcard into Bad Homburg. The German, playing the third pro tournament of her career, fell in round one to Nadia Podoroska.

Sportfoto Zimmer/Maurer

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World No.478 Ekaterina Yashina, 27, improved to 38-16 in 2021 after qualifying for Bad Homburg, losing to Angelique Kerber in round one. A four-time ITF titlist, the Russian had previously been 0-9 in WTA qualifying rounds dating back to Tashkent 2011.

Sportfoto Zimmer/Maurer

29 /64
Riya Bhatia only got into Bad Homburg as a last-minute lucky loser following Sloane Stephens' withdrawal, but the 23-year-old Indian World No.362 led Laura Siegemund by a set and a break before falling in round one.

Sportfoto Zimmer/Maurer

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Lucia Bronzetti, 22, qualified for Lausanne and made the quarterfinals via an upset of Anna Blinkova - a WTA debut that took the Italian World No.241's season record to 44-14, including her first ITF W60 final in Bellinzona in April.

Ladies Open Lausanne/Mathias Schulz

31 /64
Switzerland's Susan Bandecchi has reached two ITF W25 finals this year as well as the last qualifying round of Roland Garros. The 23-year-old World No.219 debuted at home in Lausanne, falling to Clara Burel in round one.

Ladies Open Lausanne/Mathias Schulz

32 /64
Junior World No.46 Lucie Havlickova, 16, was given a wildcard into Prague. The World No.825, who had previously won a round in the 2020 Prague 125, took Anastasia Gasanova to three sets in the first round.

Livesport Prague Open

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In Gdynia, late-blooming Italian World No.287 Federica Di Sarra, 31, won her first ever WTA qualifying matches to make the main draw. Di Sarra had won 21 of her first 24 matches following the Tour shutdown in 2020.

Andrzej Szkocki

34 /64
Poland's Weronika Baszak, the 2020 Australian Open girls' runner-up, was given a wildcard into Gdynia. The 18-year-old World No.1199, who owns a rare one-handed backhand, took Aliaksandra Sasnovich to three sets in the first round.

Andrzej Szkocki

35 /64
Another Gdynia wildcard was 20-year-old Russian World No.682 Valeriia Olianovskaia, a two-time ITF W15 finalist in 2021, who lost in round one to Anna Bondar.

Andrzej Szkocki

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Former junior World No.6 Amina Anshba was one of three lucky losers making their WTA main draw debuts in Gdynia. The 21-year-old Russian World No.325 defeated Harmony Tan to reach round two.

Andrzej Szkocki

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Qualifying wildcard Weronika Falkowska, 21, a four-time ITF titlist in 2021, extended her season record to 31-8 by reaching round two of Gdynia as a lucky loser. The Pole had ended 2020 ranked No.770, and rose to No.393 as a result.

Andrzej Szkocki

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World No.256 Anastasia Zakharova, 19, also debuted in Gdynia as a lucky loser. The Russian, a six-time ITF titlist, lost a first-round epic to eventual quarterfinalist Ekaterine Gorgodze.

Andrzej Szkocki

39 /64
Last August, China's Zheng Qinwen was ranked No.630. Since the Tour's resumption Zheng, 18, has compiled a 61-15 record to rise to No.163. Six ITF titles were followed by qualifying for Palermo and upsetting No.2 seed Liudmila Samsonova in round one.

Palermo Ladies Open 2021

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Marina Bassols Ribera, 21, also qualified for Palermo. The Spanish World No.291 impressed in stretching former champion Jil Teichmann to three sets in the first round.

Palermo Ladies Open 2021

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Italy's Nuria Brancaccio was given a wildcard into Palermo after compiling a 46-13 record in 2021 including five ITF finals. The 21-year-old World No.456 lost in three sets to eventual quarterfinalist Jaqueline Cristian in round one.

Palermo Ladies Open 2021

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University of Michigan alumna Emina Bektas, 28, defeated Ellen Perez and Katie Volynets to qualify for her first WTA main draw in San Jose. The American World No.352 fell to Caroline Garcia in round one.

Larry Hinh/Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic

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Japan's Yuki Naito, 20, has won six ITF titles since the start of 2019 and took Elina Svitolina to a third-set tiebreak in Billie Jean King Cup action this April. The former junior World No.10 made her WTA debut in Cluj-Napoca.

Winners Open Cluj-Napoca

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Australian World No.269 Seone Mendez, 22, qualified for Cluj-Napoca and made the quarterfinals, where she led Andrea Petkovic by a set and 3-0 in her second match against a Top 100 player before falling.

Winners Open Cluj-Napoca

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Junior World No.2 and two-time girls' doubles Grand Slam champion Alexandra Eala, 16, became the first Filipina to play a WTA main draw after receiving a wildcard to Cluj-Napoca, where she reached the second round.

Winners Open Cluj-Napoca

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Romania's Briana Szabo, the 15-year-old World No.1311, received a wildcard to Cluj-Napoca, losing in the first round to Katarzyna Kawa.

Winners Open Cluj-Napoca

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University of South Florida alumna Evelyne Tiron, 22, also received a wildcard to Cluj-Napoca, where the unranked Romanian lost in round one to Lara Arruabarrena.

Winners Open Cluj-Napoca

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World No.366 and University of Kentucky alumna Aldila Sutjiadi, 26, became the first Indonesian player in a WTA main draw since Bali 2008 when she upset Clara Burel to qualify for Chicago, taking Fiona Ferro to three sets in round one.

Jimmie48/WTA

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University of Notre Dame alumna Quinn Gleason, 26, scored her first Top 100 win over Anastasia Potapova en route to qualifying for Chicago. The American World No.467 fell to Marketa Vondrousova in the first round.

Jimmie48/WTA

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Canada's Katherine Sebov, 22, was awarded a wildcard into Chicago. The former junior World No.22 and 2018 Saguenay ITF W60 champion lost to Marta Kostyuk in round one.

Tennis Canada

51 /64
Japanese World No.402 Nagi Hanatani, 26, debuted in Cleveland as a lucky loser, and reached the second round via retirement over Anna Blinkova.

Getty Images

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Doubles World No.9 Ena Shibahara, 23, made her WTA singles main draw debut in Cleveland as a lucky loser. The Japanese World No.615 took Bethanie Mattek-Sands to three sets in round one.

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53 /64
The USA's Ashlyn Krueger, 17, received a US Open wildcard after winning the USTA Girls 18s National Championships. The World No.649 stretched Anna Karolina Schmiedlova to three sets in a first-round loss.

Mike Lawrence/USTA

54 /64
Three young Slovenians made their WTA debuts via wildcard in Portoroz. Former Top 50 junior Pia Lovric, 19, has reached three ITF finals in 2021 and the World No.632 lost a close first round 7-5, 6-3 to Alison Riske.

Vid Ponikvar/Sportida

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Ziva Falkner, 19, was a 2020 Australian Open girls' doubles finalist, and the World No.542 lost to Aleksandra Krunic in round one of Portoroz.

Vid Ponikvar/Sportida

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Former junior World No.18 and WTA World No.535 Nika Radisic, 21, impressed in stretching Kristina Mladenovic to three sets in a Portoroz first-round loss.

Vid Ponikvar/Sportida

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Dutch World No.300 Arianne Hartono qualified for Luxembourg, upset Anna-Lena Friedsam in round one and took Jelena Ostapenko to three sets. Hartono, 25, was the 2018 NCAA Division I singles champion.

IWTP

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25-year-old Russian World No.449 and three-time ITF titlist Ekaterina Makarova - not to be confused with her retired former Top 10 namesake - qualified for Luxembourg and fell to Jana Fett in round one.

IWTP

59 /64
Mai Hontama, 22, impressed in Chicago, qualifying for the 500 event and upsetting Caroline Garcia and Shelby Rogers to reach the quarterfinals. The Japanese World No.200 extended her season record to 39-13, including two ITF W25 titles.

Jimmie48/WTA

60 /64
Kazakh World No.524 Zhibek Kulambayeva, 21, received a wildcard into Nur-Sultan, where the two-time ITF titlist gave eventual champion Alison Van Uytvanck a good match in the first round.

George Kopylov

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Former junior World No.7 Oksana Selekhmeteva, 18, had raised her ranking from No.683 to No.238 over 2021. As a qualifying wildcard in Moscow, the Russian made the main draw and pushed Veronika Kudermetova in a 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-4 first-round loss.

VTB Kremlin Cup

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Andreea Prisacariu, 21, climbed from No.673 to No.342 over the first 10 months of 2021 after compiling a 61-19 record. The Romanian was awarded a wildcard into the Transylvania Open, where she put up a spirited challenge to Lesia Tsurenko in round one.

Transylvania Open

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German World No.316 Stephanie Wagner, 27, qualified for her first WTA main draw at Courmayeur. The University of Miami alumna had previously been a quarterfinalist at WTA 125 level at Karlsruhe 2019.

Francesco Peluso/Courmayeur Ladies Open

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Sinja Kraus, 19, received a wildcard for Linz. The Austrian World No.459, who has improved her ranking by nearly 400 places in 2021, lost to Alison Van Uytvanck in the first round.

Getty Images/Alexander Scheuber

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