Jennifer Brady

Last updated

Jennifer Brady
Jennifer Brady (2023 DC Open) 12.jpg
Brady at the 2023 Washington Open
Country (sports)Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Born (1995-04-12) April 12, 1995 (age 30)
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Height1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Turned pro2014
PlaysRight (two-handed backhand)
College UCLA
Prize moneyUS$ 5,031,117
Singles
Career record247–171
Career titles1
Highest rankingNo. 13 (February 22, 2021)
Current rankingNo. 618 (October 23, 2024)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open F (2021)
French Open 3R (2021)
Wimbledon 2R (2017, 2018)
US Open SF (2020)
Other tournaments
Olympic Games 1R (2021)
Doubles
Career record83–66
Career titles1
Highest rankingNo. 44 (August 19, 2019)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open SF (2019)
French Open 3R (2018)
Wimbledon 2R (2019)
US Open SF (2023)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Wimbledon 3R (2019)
US Open 1R (2017)
Team competitions
Fed Cup 0–1
Last updated on: October 10, 2024.

Jennifer Elizabeth Brady (born April 12, 1995) is an American inactive professional tennis player. She reached a career-high singles WTA ranking of No. 13 on 22 February 2021, and a career-high doubles ranking of 44 on 19 August 2019. Brady has won one WTA Tour singles title and one doubles title as well as four singles and five doubles titles on the ITF Women's Circuit.

Contents

Brady first rose to prominence following her surprise run to the fourth round of the 2017 Australian Open as a qualifier, registering victories over Heather Watson and 14th seed Elena Vesnina. She also reached the fourth round of that year's US Open, defeating Barbora Strýcová and Monica Niculescu before falling to then-world No. 1, Karolína Plíšková. Following struggles with injuries and an increased focus on doubles, including a semifinal showing at the 2019 Australian Open, Brady returned to prominence in singles in 2020, where she recorded her first win over a world No. 1 by defeating Ashleigh Barty at Brisbane. She won her first WTA singles title at the Top Seed Open in Lexington, Kentucky. Brady reacted her first major final at the 2021 Australian Open, where she lost to Naomi Osaka.

College career

Brady previously attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and made her debut for the Bruins tennis team in 2013. [1] During her freshman year at UCLA, she helped her team win the 2014 Division 1 Women's Tennis National Championship in Athens, Georgia. [2] She completed her sophomore year of college before turning professional in 2014.

Professional career

2014–2016: Early years

Brady made her Grand Slam debut at the 2014 US Open, having received a wildcard with Samantha Crawford for the women's doubles main-draw. [3] Brady won four titles in singles and five in doubles on the ITF Women's Circuit. She first played in the main draw of a WTA 125 tournament at the Carlsbad Classic in November 2015, reaching the semifinals. On the WTA Tour, she reached the quarterfinals of the Guangzhou International Open in September 2016, defeating qualifier Anastasia Pivovarova [ citation needed ] and sixth seed Danka Kovinić,[ citation needed ] before losing to third seed Ana Konjuh. [4]

2017: Breakthrough at the majors

Brady reached the singles main-draw of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time at the Australian Open, after winning all three of her qualifying matches. In the main draw, she defeated Maryna Zanevska, [5] Heather Watson [6] and 14th seed Elena Vesnina. [7] Her run came to an end in the fourth round with a straight set loss to Mirjana Lučić-Baroni. [8]

Due to her success at the Australian Open, Brady obtained a direct spot in the main-draw of the remaining three Grand Slam tournaments without playing qualifying. At the French Open, she lost her opening-round match to 13th seed Kristina Mladenovic. [9] At Wimbledon, she defeated Danka Kovinić [10] then lost in the second round to eighth seed Dominika Cibulková. [11] At the US Open, she defeated Andrea Petkovic, [12] 23rd seed Barbora Strýcová [13] and Monica Niculescu [14] to reach the fourth round, where she lost to top seed Karolína Plíšková. [15]

2018–19: Slump in singles, success in doubles

Brady at the 2018 French Open Brady RG18 (3) (42260487804).jpg
Brady at the 2018 French Open

In 2018, Brady had more success in doubles than singles. She reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open with Vania King. [16] In March, she reached the final of the WTA 125 Indian Wells Challenger with King, where they fell to Taylor Townsend and Yanina Wickmayer in two sets. [17]

Brady began 2019 by reaching the semifinals in doubles of the Australian Open with Alison Riske, before falling to the world No. 2 team of Tímea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic. [18] In February, she made it to the third round of the Dubai Championships where she defeated world No. 22, Jeļena Ostapenko [19] and No. 20, Caroline Garcia, [20] before falling to No. 4, Petra Kvitová, in three sets. [21] The following week, she reached the final of the Indian Wells Challenger, in which she fell to Viktorija Golubic, in three sets. [22] To keep the hot streak going, the following week at the Indian Wells Open, she defeated world No. 19, Caroline Garcia, [23] before falling to No. 12, Ashleigh Barty, in the third round. [24]

Brady's next notable result of the year came during the grass-court swing at the Nottingham Open when she reached semifinals, before falling to eventual champion Caroline Garcia, in three sets. [25] She also had a strong showing at the Premier Mandatory China Open where she defeated fellow Americans Amanda Anisimova [26] and Madison Keys, [27] before falling to US Open champion Bianca Andreescu in the third round. [28]

2020: Top 50, first WTA Tour title, US Open semifinal, top 25 year-end ranking

Brady began the season at the Brisbane International, where she made it through qualifying and went on to defeat Maria Sharapova, [29] before stunning world No. 1 and home favorite, Ash Barty, in the round of 16. [30] She lost in the quarterfinals to world No. 4, Petra Kvitová, in straight sets. [31] Brady lost in the first round at the Australian Open to Simona Halep. [32] In doubles, she reached the quarterfinals for the third consecutive year, but she and Caroline Dolehide fell to top seeded Hsieh Su-wei and Barbora Strýcová, in straight sets.[ citation needed ]

Brady made it through qualifying at the Dubai Tennis Championships and then secured her second win over a top-10 opponent of her career when she defeated No. 6, Elina Svitolina, in the first round. [33] In the second, she faced Markéta Vondroušová and rallied from a set and a double break down to win the match in three sets. [34] In the quarterfinals, she faced two time major champion and former world No. 1, Garbiñe Muguruza, defeating her in a three-setter to move on to her first Premier semifinal, [35] where she lost in two sets to eventual champion Simona Halep. [36]

Brady participated in the all-star Credit One Bank Invitational in Daniel Island, an exhibition event that served as the Charleston tournament after organizers reformatted the tournament following the COVID-19 pandemic as a Laver Cup style event. She was drafted by Bethanie Mattek-Sands to Team Peace, which won 26–22, going 4–0 with nine points (one win in the second day for one point, one win in the fourth day for two points, one win in the fifth day for three points, and one win in the sixth day for three points). She was the only undefeated player for the entire exhibition event.[ citation needed ]

Her first tournament following the resumption of the WTA Tour was the Kentucky Open where she won her maiden WTA Tour singles title. She defeated Heather Watson, [37] sixth seed Magda Linette, [38] Marie Bouzková, [39] Coco Gauff [40] and Jil Teichmann without dropping a set all tournament. [41] [42] Following her victory, Brady's ranking rose to a career-high No. 40.[ citation needed ]

At the US Open, Brady was seeded 28th despite being ranked 41st in the world due to the number of top-20 players who pulled out of the tournament.[ citation needed ] She defeated Anna Blinkova, [43] CiCi Bellis [44] and Caroline Garcia [45] in straight sets, before defeating 2016 champion and former world No. 1, Angelique Kerber, to advance to her first Grand Slam quarterfinal. [46] She then recorded another straight sets win over the 23rd seed Yulia Putintseva [47] to reach her first Grand Slam semifinal, which she lost to Naomi Osaka in three sets. [48]

2021–2022: Australian Open final, top 15, Olympics debut, and injury hiatus

Brady started the season in Abu Dhabi. After winning the first set, she lost in the first round to Tamara Zidanšek. [49] She also played doubles in the same tournament with Garbiñe Muguruza, they lost in the quarterfinals.[ citation needed ]

At the Australian Open, Brady beat Aliona Bolsova,[ citation needed ] Madison Brengle, [50] Kaja Juvan, [51] Donna Vekić, [52] Jessica Pegula [53] and Karolína Muchová [54] to reach her first major final in which she was defeated by Naomi Osaka, in straight sets. [55] As a result, she reached a career-high of world No. 13 in the singles rankings on 22 February 2021.[ citation needed ]

At her debut at the Olympics, Brady was the 11th and only American seed in the tournament. However, she was defeated by Italian Camila Giorgi, in the first round, in straight sets. [56]

Brady's next tournament was the 2021 Cincinnati Open. In the first round, she beat Ekaterina Alexandrova in straight sets.[ citation needed ] In the second round, she suffered a knee injury after taking the first set from Jelena Ostapenko. [57] This injury would keep Brady out of tennis for two years. [58]

2023: Return to WTA Tour, US Open singles third round & doubles semifinal

Brady wanted to return to professional tennis at the French Open, however, these plans were stopped by a foot injury. [59]

She had a successful return at the $100k Granby Championships in Canada where she defeated Kyōka Okamura in straight sets. [60] Brady then lost to the sixth seed, Himeno Sakatsume, in the second round. [61]

Brady made her return to the WTA Tour at the Washington Open using a protected ranking. She defeated Anhelina Kalinina in the first round, [62] before losing to No. 17 ranked Madison Keys. [63] At the Canadian Open, Brady overcame Jeļena Ostapenko to make it into the second round, [64] where she lost to third seed Elena Rybakina, both matches going to three sets. [65] Next she lost to Donna Vekić in the opening round at the Cincinnati Open. [66]

At the US Open, Brady defeated lucky loser Kimberly Birrell [67] and 24th seed Magda Linette, [68] before losing to Caroline Wozniacki in the third round in three sets. [69] Partnering Luisa Stefani, she reached the semifinals in the doubles, losing to 12th seeds Laura Siegemund and Vera Zvonareva [70]

In October at the China Open, Brady overcame Peyton Stearns in straight sets, [71] but then retired after just four games of her next match against Magda Lunette due to injury. [72]

2024: Knee surgery

In January, Brady announced she needed surgery on her right knee and expected to be out of competitive action for a lengthy period of time. [73] [74]

Playing style

Brady is an aggressive player who possesses an all-court game. She is a strong server, with her first serve being recorded as high as 114 mph (184 km/h), allowing her to serve multiple aces per match. She also possesses an effective kick serve, that prevents opponents scoring free points on second serves. Her greatest weapon is her forehand, which is hit with heavy topspin, pushing her opponents far beyond the baseline, allowing her to accumulate a high number of winners with this shot. She also possesses an effective two-handed backhand, with which she can hit winners from any position on the court. Due to her doubles experience, she is an effective volleyer, possessing a complete repertoire of shots to perform at the net, and will frequently choose to approach the net to finish points. Due to her fitness, she possesses an effective defensive game, and is a strong player on return.

World TeamTennis

Brady has played one season with World TeamTennis starting in 2019, when she made her debut with the Washington Kastles. It was announced that she would be joining the Orange County Breakers during the 2020 WTT season (canceled due to the pandemic). [75]

Endorsements

Brady is endorsed by Flex Seal, [76] Asics for attire and by Babolat for racquets and uses the Babolat Pure Aero racquet.[ citation needed ]

Career statistics

Grand Slam tournament performance timelines

Key
W F SFQF#RRRQ#P#DNQAZ#POGSBNMSNTIPNH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (P#) preliminary round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (Z#) Davis/Fed Cup Zonal Group (with number indication) or (PO) play-off; (G) gold, (S) silver or (B) bronze Olympic/Paralympic medal; (NMS) not a Masters tournament; (NTI) not a Tier I tournament; (P) postponed; (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.

Current through the 2023 French Open.

Singles

Tournament 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 SRW–LWin %
Australian Open AAA 4R 1R Q3 1R F AA0 / 49–469%
French Open AA Q3 1R 2R 2R 1R 3R AA0 / 54–544%
Wimbledon AA Q1 2R 2R 1R NHAAA0 / 32–340%
US Open Q1 Q1 Q3 4R 1R 1R SF AA 3R 0 / 510–567%
Win–loss0–00–00–07–42–41–35–38–20–02–10 / 1725–1760%
Career statistics
Titles0000001000Career total: 1
Finals0000001100Career total: 2
Year-end ranking26722911164116562425–$4,644,655

Doubles

Tournament 2014 ... 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 SR W–L
Australian Open AA QF SF QF 2R AA0 / 411–3
French Open A 2R 3R 1R 2R AAA0 / 44–4
Wimbledon A 1R 2R 2R NHAAA0 / 32–3
US Open 1R 1R 2R 1R 1R AA SF 0 / 65–6
Win–loss0–11–37–45–44–31–00–04–10 / 1722–16

Grand Slam tournament finals

Singles: 1 (runner-up)

ResultYearTournamentSurfaceOpponentScore
Loss 2021 Australian OpenHard Flag of Japan.svg Naomi Osaka 4–6, 3–6

References

  1. ↑ "Women's Tennis Lands Top 5 Junior Jennifer Brady" . Retrieved August 24, 2014.
  2. ↑ "UCLA Women's Tennis Earns Second NCAA Championship". UCLA. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  3. ↑ "Women's Doubles Draw" . Retrieved August 24, 2014.
  4. ↑ "WTA Guangzhou: Ana Konjuh reaches semifinals with win over Jennifer Brady". vavel.com. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  5. ↑ "BRADY CONTINUES RUN ON AUSTRALIAN OPEN DAY 6". United States Tennis Association. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  6. ↑ "Heather Watson bows out of Australian Open after wasting five match points in second round defeat by Jennifer Brady". The Independent. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Bolter Brady advances to Open 4th round". Nine. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  8. ↑ "Australian Open 2017: Mirjana Lucic-Baroni ends 18-year wait for Grand Slam quarter-final". BBC Sport. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  9. ↑ "French Open 2017: Mladenovic beats pain and Brady to advance". TNT Sports. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  10. ↑ "Danka Kovinić finished her performance in the 1st round". Vijesti. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  11. ↑ "Dominika Cibulkova stings Jen Brady for second round victory". lobandsmash.com. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  12. ↑ "U.S. Open 2017: Harrisburg native Jennifer Brady set for Round of 64 matchup". pennlive.com. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  13. ↑ "American Brady Cruises Into U.S. Open Third Round". New York Tennis Magazine. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  14. ↑ "Brady ekes out third-round win". US Open. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  15. ↑ "Karolina Pliskova crushes Jennifer Brady to race into last eight". Eurosport. February 8, 2022. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  16. ↑ "Babos and Mladenovic bounce top seeds from Aussie doubles". WTA Tennis. January 23, 2018. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  17. ↑ Livaudais, Stephanie (March 4, 2018). "Errani, Bondarenko book Indian Wells 125K final clash". WTA Tennis. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  18. ↑ "The Latest: Stosur, Zhang to meet champs in doubles final". AP News. January 23, 2019. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  19. ↑ "Solid Brady scores Ostapenko upset in Dubai". Women's Tennis Association. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  20. ↑ "Naomi Osaka beaten at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships". Sky Sports. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  21. ↑ Ilic, Jovica (February 20, 2019). "WTA Dubai: Simona Halep and Petra Kvitova advance into quarters". Tennis World USA. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  22. ↑ "Golubic saves match point, beats Brady to win Indian Wells 125K title". WTA Tennis. March 3, 2018. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  23. ↑ "Third time's still a charm: Jennifer Brady now 3-0 vs. Garcia in 2019". tennis.com. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  24. ↑ "Barty, Halep shine as Serena bows out". beIN Sports. March 11, 2019. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  25. ↑ "Garcia finishes off Brady to reach Nottingham final". WTA Tennis. June 16, 2019. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  26. ↑ "ATP World Tour 500 / WTA Premier, Beijing Women's Singles Results". Reuters. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  27. ↑ "'If I stay in there, things can happen' - Brady battles past Keys into Beijing round of 16". Women's Tennis Association. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  28. ↑ Livaudais, Stephanie (October 3, 2019). "Andreescu outguns Brady, books Osaka clash in Beijing: 'It's going to be a lot of fun'". WTA Tennis. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  29. ↑ "Brady hails serve improvement after battling by Sharapova in Brisbane thriller". Women's Tennis Association. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  30. ↑ Kane, David (January 9, 2020). "'It's a little surreal' - Brady blasts to Barty stunner in Brisbane". WTA Tennis. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  31. ↑ "Kvitova overpowers Brady to book Keys clash in Brisbane semifinals". Women's Tennis Association. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  32. ↑ Macpherson, Alex (January 21, 2020). "Halep survives Brady upset bid in Australian Open first rounds". WTA Tennis. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  33. ↑ "Brady benches former champion Svitolina in Dubai upset". Women's Tennis Association. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  34. ↑ Ndebele, Ashley (February 19, 2020). "Like in Brisbane, Jennifer Brady is Thriving as a Qualifier in Dubai". Tennis.com. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  35. ↑ Macpherson, Alex (February 20, 2020). "Brady pulls off Muguruza upset to make Dubai semis". WTA Tennis. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  36. ↑ "Top seed Halep blasts past Brady into Dubai final". WTA Tennis. February 21, 2020. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  37. ↑ "WTA Opens First U.S. Competition Since Coronavirus Shutdown". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  38. ↑ "Bouzkova advances to Lexington quarterfinals, Brady upsets Linette". tennisuptodate.com. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  39. ↑ "Brady beats Bouzkova to claim Lexington semifinal spot". Women's Tennis Association. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  40. ↑ "Coco Gauff loses to Jennifer Brady in Top Seed Open last four in Kentucky". BBC Sport. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  41. ↑ "Brady claims first WTA title at Top Seed Open as WTA marks U.S. return". Reuters. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  42. ↑ "Jennifer Brady Preps for US Open With First Tour Title at Top Seed Open". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  43. ↑ "Brady zips into US Open second round on strong day for seeds". Women's Tennis Association. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  44. ↑ "Brady handles Bellis in all-American clash at 2020 US Open". US Open. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  45. ↑ "Brady Serves Notice with US Open Fourth-Round Return". Tennis Now. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  46. ↑ "US Open 2020: Jennifer Brady beats Angelique Kerber to make last eight". BBC Sport. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  47. ↑ "Tennis-Brady routs Putintseva to reach U.S. Open semi-finals". Reuters. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  48. ↑ "US Open 2020: Naomi Osaka beats Jennifer Brady to reach final". BBC Sport. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  49. ↑ "Tamara Zidansek vs Jennifer Brady". January 7, 2021.
  50. ↑ "Women's wrap: Pliskova's revenge and another Brady triumph". Australian Open. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  51. ↑ "Harrisburg native Jennifer Brady advances to fourth round of Australian Open". pennlive.com. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  52. ↑ "Australian Open 2021 - Jennifer Brady eases past Donna Vekic to book quarter-final spot in Melbourne". TNT Sports. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  53. ↑ "Brady gets the best of all-American quarter-final clash against Pegula". Tennis Majors. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  54. ↑ "Jennifer Brady tops Muchova to reach first career Grand Slam final at Australian Open". Tennis Majors. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  55. ↑ "Australian Open: Naomi Osaka beats Jennifer Brady in women's final". BBC Sport. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  56. ↑ "American Jennifer Brady upset in first round of women's singles at Olympics". July 25, 2021.
  57. ↑ "Jennifer Brady withdraws from U.S. Open with injury". yardbarker.com. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  58. ↑ Trivedi, Naman (May 25, 2023). "Jennifer Brady suffers setback after withdrawing from French Open 2023". sportskeeda.com.
  59. ↑ Trivedi, Naman (May 25, 2023). "Jennifer Brady suffers setback after withdrawing from French Open 2023". sportskeeda.com.
  60. ↑ "Former Australian Open finalist Jennifer Brady makes winning return to tennis". Tennis Majors. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  61. ↑ "Jennifer Brady, Fully Recovered, is Going Back to Work". The Journal. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  62. ↑ "WTA roundup: Jennifer Brady returns with win in Washington". Reuters. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  63. ↑ "Keys defeats Brady to make Washington quarterfinals". Women's Tennis Association. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  64. ↑ "Jennifer Brady's return comes full circle, defeats Jelena Ostapenko who forced her two year injury break". tennisuptodate.com. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  65. ↑ "Rybakina survives Brady to reach round of 16 in Montreal". Tennis Majors. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  66. ↑ "Western & Southern Open: Vekic grits out win over Brady". Tennis Majors. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  67. ↑ "US Open: Brady books spot in second round with gutsy win over lucky loser Birrell". Tennis Majors. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  68. ↑ "US Open: Brady continues comeback, knocking out No 24 seed Linette". Tennis Majors. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  69. ↑ "US Open: Wozniacki's comeback charge continues with victory over Jennifer Brady in the third round". Tennis Majors. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  70. ↑ "Best photos of women's doubles semifinals at the 2023 US Open". US Open. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  71. ↑ "China Open: Brady beats Stearns in all-American clash to reach second round". Tennis Majors. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  72. ↑ "China Open: Linette reaches last 16 after Brady retires". Tennis Majors. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  73. ↑ "Jennifer Brady needs right knee surgery. She's expecting another lengthy layoff from tennis". Associated Press News. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  74. ↑ "Further injury woes for Jennifer Brady, announces further knee surgery and temporary coaching role after Australian Open absence". tennisuptodate.com. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  75. ↑ "World TeamTennis Adds Stars Tiafoe, Puig, Raonic, Bouchard, & Sock As Rosters Set For 2020". WTT.com. June 16, 2020.
  76. ↑ "Jennifer Brady announces Flex Seal partnership". Tennis.com. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
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