Ann Li (tennis)

Ann Li

Li at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships
Country (sports)	United States
Residence	Atlanta, Georgia
Born	(2000-06-26) June 26, 2000 (age 24) King of Prussia, Pennsylvania [1]
Height	5 ft 7 in (170 cm)
Turned pro	2017
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Coach	Henner Nehles (2020-current)
Prize money	$1,928,335
Singles
Career record	231–153
Career titles	1 WTA, 1 WTA Challenger
Highest ranking	No. 44 (January 10, 2022)
Current ranking	No. 93 (November 4, 2024)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	3R (2021)
French Open	2R (2021)
Wimbledon	2R (2022)
US Open	3R (2020)
Doubles
Career record	16–23
Career titles	0
Highest ranking	No. 369 (January 6, 2020)
Current ranking	No. 572 (November 4, 2024)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	1R (2022)
Wimbledon	1R (2021, 2022)
US Open	1R (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022)
Last updated on: November 4, 2024.

Ann Li (born June 26, 2000) is an American tennis player. She has a career-high ranking by the WTA of No. 44, and was the runner-up in the 2017 Wimbledon Championships girls' singles final.

Personal background

Li was born into a sports family. Her aunt^{[ who? ]} was a professional speed skater in China. ^[1] Her father played soccer in college, while her mother ran track in college. ^[1]

Career

2017

Li reached her first junior Grand Slam singles final in 2017 at Wimbledon. In the first all-American girls' final since 1979, the unseeded Li lost to third seed Claire Liu, in three sets. ^{[2] [3]} Two weeks later, Li won her first professional title on the ITF Circuit, a $15k tournament in Evansville, Indiana. ^[4]

2018

Li entered the Lexington Challenger where she defeated Renata Zarazúa, Julia Glushko, Anastasia Nefedova, Jessica Pegula before losing to Asia Muhammad, in straight sets.

She participated at the Landisville Challenge where she defeated former British No. 1, Heather Watson, and Wimbledon finalist, Sabine Lisicki, but lost to Madison Brengle in the quarterfinals. In the ITF Templeton Pro, she eliminated fellow wildcard Sophia Whittle but lost to Sofya Zhuk. She tried to qualify for the US Open but lost to Marie Bouzková. She then entered an ITF event in Texas where she lost to Naomi Broady. Her best result after the US Open was at Stockton where she beat Jovana Jakšić and Lauren Davis, before yet again falling to Madison Brengle. In Templeton, she won against Nicole Gibbs before losing to Hailey Baptiste.

2020: US Open third round, top 100

At the Australian Open, Li played in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time, after winning all of her qualifying matches. ^[5] She advanced to the second round, where she lost to the eventual champion, Sofia Kenin. ^[6]

Li reached a third round of a major for the first time in her career at the US Open defeating 13th seed Alison Riske. ^{[7] [8]} She reached the top 100 at world No. 97, on 9 November 2020. ^{[9] [10]}

2021: First title, Australian third round

Li reached a third round of a Grand Slam championship for the second time at the Australian Open. She then lost to seventh seed Aryna Sabalenka. ^{[11] [12]} She also reached the second round at the 2021 French Open on her debut at this major. ^[13]

Li won her maiden WTA Tour title at the Tenerife Ladies Open, defeating Camila Osorio in the final, in straight sets. ^{[14] [15]} With this title, her ranking rose into the top 50 for the first time, reaching a new career-high of world No. 48, on 25 October 2021. In November, she was nominated on the list for the "2021 WTA Newcomer of the Year". ^[16]

2022–2023: WTA 1000 third round

At the 2022 Miami Open, she reached the third round of a WTA 1000 for the first time defeating third seed Anett Kontaveit, before losing to Alison Riske. She reached the second round of the Wimbledon Championships with her first win at this major.

She also qualified for the 2023 Western & Southern Open (where she defeated Magda Linette) and the Guadalajara Open.

2024: WTA final in Merida

She qualified for her first WTA 500 since 2022 Bad Homburg Open at the 2024 San Diego Open, defeating Kayla Day in the last round of qualifying but lost to eventual runner-up, Marta Kostyuk, in the main draw. ^{[17] [18]}

In July, Li reached the quarterfinals in Palermo with wins over third seed Peyton Stearns where she saved a match point and Erika Andreeva. ^[19]

At the 2024 Mérida Open she defeated Jil Teichmann ^[20] and Polina Kudermetova. ^[21] to reach the final which she lost to Zeynep Sönmez in straight sets. ^[22]

Personal life

In her spare time, Li enjoys playing the ukulele. ^[23]

Performance timeline

Key

W

F

SF

QF

#R

RR

Q#

DNQ

A

NH

(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.

To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.

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. ^[24]

Singles

Current through the 2023 Guadalajara Open.

Tournament	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	SR	W–L	Win %
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open	A	A	A	2R	3R	1R	Q2	0 / 3	3–3	50%
French Open	A	A	A	Q2	2R	1R	A	0 / 2	1–2	33%
Wimbledon	A	A	Q1	NH	1R	2R	Q2	0 /2	1–2	33%
US Open	Q1	Q1	Q2	3R	1R	1R	Q2	0 / 3	2–3	40%
Win–loss	0–0	0–0	0–0	3–2	3–4	1–4	0–0	0 / 10	7–10	41%
WTA 1000
Dubai / Qatar Open [lower-alpha 1]	A	A	A	A	A	2R	A	0 / 1	1–1	50%
Indian Wells Open	A	Q1	A	NH	1R	2R	1R	0 / 3	1–3	25%
Miami Open	A	Q1	A	NH	A	3R		0 / 1	2–1	67%
Canadian Open	A	A	A	NH	Q2	A		0 / 0	0–0	–
Cincinnati Open	A	A	A	1R	A	A	2R	0 / 2	1–2	33%
Guadalajara Open	NH					1R	1R	0 / 2	0–2	0%
Career statistics
Tournaments	0	0	0	4	12	16	4	Career total: 36
Titles	0	0	0	0	1 [lower-alpha 2]	0	0	Career total: 1 [lower-alpha 2]
Finals	0	0	0	0	2 [lower-alpha 2]	0	0	Career total: 2 [lower-alpha 2]
Overall win–loss	0–0	0–0	0–0	3–4	19–10	10–16	1–4	1 / 36	33–34	49%
Year-end ranking	583	310	148	97	47	140	174	$1,487,858

WTA Tour finals

Singles: 3 (1 title, 1 runner-up, 1 not played)

Legend Grand Slam (0–0) WTA 1000 (0–0) WTA 500 (0–0) [lower-alpha 2] WTA 250 (1–1)

Finals by surface Hard (1–1) Clay (0–0) Grass (0–0)

Finals by setting Outdoor (1–1) Indoor (0–0)

Result	W–L	Date	Tournament	Tier	Surface	Opponent	Score
Finalist	0–1	Feb 2021	Grampians Trophy, Australia	WTA 500	Hard	Anett Kontaveit	cancelled [lower-alpha 2]
Win	1–1	Oct 2021	Tenerife Ladies Open, Spain	WTA 250	Hard	Camila Osorio	6–1, 6–4
Loss	1–2	Oct 2024	Mérida Open, Mexico	WTA 250	Hard	Zeynep Sönmez	2–6, 1–6

WTA Challenger finals

Singles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up)

Result	W–L	Date	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Win	1–0	Jun 2024	Internacional de Valencia, Spain	Clay	Viktoriya Tomova	6–3, 6–4
Loss	1–1	Jul 2024	Båstad Open, Sweden	Clay	Martina Trevisan	2–6, 2–6

ITF Circuit finals

Singles: 10 (3 titles, 7 runner-ups)

Legend
W100 tournaments (0–3)
W80 tournaments (1–0)
W60 tournaments (0–3)
W25 tournaments (1–1)
W15 tournaments (1–0)

Result	W–L	Date	Tournament	Tier	Surface	Opponent	Score
Win	1–0	Jul 2017	ITF Evansville, United States	W15	Hard	Marcela Zacarías	4–6, 6–4, 6–3
Loss	1–1	Aug 2018	Lexington Challenger, United States	W60	Hard	Asia Muhammad	5–7, 1–6
Loss	1–2	Apr 2019	ITF Jackson, United States	W25	Clay	Katarzyna Kawa	3–6, 2–6
Win	2–2	Apr 2019	Osprey Challenger, United States	W25	Clay	Usue Maitane Arconada	6–3, 7–5
Loss	2–3	May 2019	Bonita Springs Championship, US	W100	Clay	Lauren Davis	5–7, 5–7
Loss	2–4	Aug 2019	Lexington Challenger, US	W60	Hard	Kim Da-bin	1–6, 3–6
Loss	2–5	Aug 2019	Concord Tennis Open, US	W60	Hard	Caroline Dolehide	3–6, 5–7
Win	3–5	Oct 2020	Tyler Pro Classic, US	W80	Hard	Marta Kostyuk	7–5, 1–6, 6–3
Loss	3–6	May 2023	Bonita Springs Championship, US	W100	Clay	Kayla Day	2–6, 2–6
Loss	3–7	Oct 2024	Tennis Classic of Macon, United States	W100	Hard	Anna Blinkova	6–2, 2–6, 6–7(4)

Doubles: 3 (3 runner-ups)

Legend
W100 tournaments (0–2)
W60 tournaments (0–1)

Result	W–L	Date	Tournament	Tier	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	0–1	Feb 2019	Midland Tennis Classic, United States	W100	Hard (i)	Coco Gauff	Olga Govortsova Valeria Savinykh	4–6, 0–6
Loss	0–2	Aug 2019	Lexington Challenger, US	W60	Hard	Jamie Loeb	Robin Anderson Jessika Ponchet	6–7(4), 7–6(5), [7–10]
Loss	0–3	Feb 2024	Guanajuato Open, Mexico	W100	Hard	Rebecca Marino	Hailey Baptiste Whitney Osuigwe	5–7, 4–6

Junior Grand Slam finals

Singles: 1 (1 runner-up)

Result	Year	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	2017	Wimbledon	Grass	Claire Liu	2–6, 7–5, 2–6

Head-to-head record

Top 10 wins

Season	2022	Total
Wins	1	1

#	Player	Rank	Event	Surface	Rd	Score	ALR
2022
1.	Anett Kontaveit	No. 7	Miami Open, US	Hard	2R	6–0, 3–6, 6–4	No. 65

Notes

1. The first Premier 5 event of the year has switched back and forth between the Dubai Tennis Championships and the Qatar Ladies Open since 2009. Dubai was classified as a Premier 5 event from 2009 to 2011 before being succeeded by Doha for the 2012–2014 period. In 2015, Dubai regained its Premier 5 status while Doha was demoted to Premier status. The Premier 5 tournaments were reclassified as WTA 1000 tournaments in 2021.
2. The WTA 500 final at the 2021 Grampians Trophy was not played due to scheduling constraints related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Both players received runner-up prize money and ranking points. ^[11]

References

1. "FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT 20-YEAR-OLD ANN LI". Tennis Channel . September 4, 2020.
2. Goodall, Lee. Americans dominate as Liu claims girls' title. Wimbledon: July 15, 2017. Accessed on August 28, 2017.
3. Waldstein, David (July 15, 2017). "Claire Liu Ends Drought for American Women in Wimbledon Junior Singles". New York Times. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
4. $15,000 Evansville, Indiana Tournament: 2017. International Tennis Federation. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
5. Marshall, Ashley (January 17, 2020). "Ann Li, Shelby Rogers advance to Australian Open main draw". United States Tennis Association . Retrieved August 23, 2020.
6. "Factbox: Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin". Reuters. February 1, 2020. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
7. Miller, Stuart (September 2, 2020). "Ann Li upsets Alison Riske to reach Round 3 of the 2020 US Open". usopen.org. US Open. Archived from the original on December 3, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
8. Miller, Stuart (September 2, 2020). "Getting to Know: Ann Li". usopen.org. US Open. Archived from the original on March 31, 2022. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
9. "Five things to know about 20-year-old Ann Li". September 4, 2020.
10. "21 Under 21 to Watch in '21: No. 12, Ann Li". December 23, 2020.
11. Maine, D'Arcy (February 11, 2021). "How American Ann Li has slipped under the radar while rising through the ranks". ESPN . Retrieved February 11, 2021.
12. "AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2021 - ARYNA SABALENKA MOTORS PAST ANN LI WITH HER RELENTLESS BRAND OF TENNIS". Eurosport. February 22, 2022. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
13. "The 21 & Under Club in '21: Ann Li". June 24, 2021.
14. "Li charges past Osorio in Tenerife to win first WTA title". WTA Tour.
15. "With five major goals in mind, Ann Li wins first career WTA title in Tenerife".
16. "Full list of nominees for 2021 WTA player awards: Emma Raducanu nominated for Newcomer of the Year, Barty & Osaka for Player of the Year".
17. "Li joins qualifiers Saville, Melnikova, Stakusic, Hontama, and Niemeier at Cymbiotika San Diego Open". SD News. February 26, 2024.
18. "Ukrainian tennis player Kostyuk advances to WTA 500 second round with gritty victory over American Li". The New Voice of Ukraine. February 27, 2024.
19. "Photos: Mananchaya Sawangkaew and all of 2024's winners from match point down". November 1, 2024.
20. "Li es la primera semifinalista" (in Spanish).
21. "Mérida Open: Li moves into final". Tennis Majors. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
22. "Sonmez storms to first WTA singles title of career in Merida". Women's Tennis Association. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
23. Torres, Nicholas (March 8, 2019). "Getting to Know: Ann Li". United States Tennis Association . Retrieved April 30, 2020.
24. "Ann Li [USA]| Australian Open". ausopen.com.

External links

• Ann Li at the Women's Tennis Association
• Ann Li at the International Tennis Federation
• Ann Li at ESPN.com