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Jennifer Brady

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This article is about the American tennis player. For other people, see Jennifer Brady (disambiguation).
Jennifer Brady
Brady at the 2023 Washington Open
Country (sports) United States
Born (1995-04-12) April 12, 1995 (age 29)
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Height1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Turned pro2014
PlaysRight (two-handed backhand)
CollegeUCLA
Prize moneyUS$ 5,031,117
Singles
Career record247–171
Career titles1
Highest rankingNo. 13 (February 22, 2021)
Current rankingNo. 231 (February 19, 2024)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian OpenF (2021)
French Open3R (2021)
Wimbledon2R (2017, 2018)
US OpenSF (2020)
Other tournaments
Olympic Games1R (2021)
Doubles
Career record83–66
Career titles1
Highest rankingNo. 44 (August 19, 2019)
Current rankingNo. 97 (February 19, 2024)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian OpenSF (2019)
French Open3R (2018)
Wimbledon2R (2019)
US OpenSF (2023)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Wimbledon3R (2019)
US Open1R (2017)
Team competitions
Fed Cup0–1
Last updated on: February 20, 2024.

Jennifer Elizabeth Brady (born April 12, 1995[1]) is an American professional tennis player. She reached a career-high singles WTA ranking of world 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.

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 defeated Maria Sharapova, and recorded her first No. 1 victory by defeating Ashleigh Barty at Brisbane, and defeated Elina Svitolina, Markéta Vondroušová, and Garbiñe Muguruza at Dubai. She won her first WTA singles title at the Top Seed Open in Lexington, Kentucky, where she defeated Jil Teichmann in straight sets.[2] She progressed to her first Grand Slam semifinal at the 2020 US Open, defeating former world No. 1, Angelique Kerber, en route. Following her impressive US hardcourt swing, she reached a then career-high singles ranking of No. 24 on November 16. At the first Grand Slam of the following year, Brady reached her first major final at the 2021 Australian Open, where she lost to Naomi Osaka.

Brady had previously attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and made her debut for the Bruins tennis team in 2013.[3] During her freshman year at UCLA, she helped her team win the 2014 Division 1 Women's Tennis National Championship in Athens, Georgia.[4] She completed her sophomore year of college before turning professional in 2014.

Professional career

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2014–2016: Early years

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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.[5] 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 singles and doubles in September 2016.

2017: Breakthrough at the majors

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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, Heather Watson, and 14th seed Elena Vesnina.[6] Her run came to an end in the fourth round with a straight set loss to Mirjana Lučić-Baroni.[7]

Due to her success at the Australian Open, Brady obtained a spot in the main draw of the remaining three Grand Slam tournaments without playing qualifyings. At the French Open, she lost her opening-round match to 13th seed Kristina Mladenovic.[8] At Wimbledon, she lost in the second round to eighth seed Dominika Cibulková, in straight sets. At the US Open, she defeated Andrea Petkovic in the first, 23rd seed Barbora Strýcová in the second, and Monica Niculescu in the third round.[9] Facing top-seeded Karolína Plíšková in the fourth round, Brady was beaten in straight sets.[10]

2018: Slump in singles, success in doubles

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Brady at the 2018 French Open

Brady had more success in doubles than singles. In January, she reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open with Vania King.[11] 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.[12]

2019: Return to form

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Brady began to come back into form. She began the year 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.[13] In February, she made it to the third round of the Dubai Championships where she defeated world No. 22, Jeļena Ostapenko, and No. 20, Caroline Garcia, before falling to No. 4, Petra Kvitová, in three sets.[14] The following week, she reached the final of the Indian Wells Challenger, in which she fell to Viktorija Golubic, in three sets.[15] To keep the hot streak going, the following week at the Indian Wells Open, she defeated world No. 19, Caroline Garcia, before falling to No. 12, Ashleigh Barty, in the third round.[16]

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.[17] She also had a strong showing at the Premier Mandatory China Open where she defeated fellow Americans Amanda Anisimova and Madison Keys, before falling to US Open champion Bianca Andreescu in the third round.[18]

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

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Brady began the season at the Brisbane International, where she made it through qualifying and went on to defeat Maria Sharapova, before stunning world No. 1 and home favorite, Ash Barty, in the round of 16.[19] It was the biggest win of her career to date, and helped her reach a new career-high singles ranking of No. 49 in the world. She went on to lose in the quarterfinals to No. 4, Petra Kvitová, in straight sets.

Brady got a tough draw at the Australian Open, where she fell to No. 4, Simona Halep, in the first round. She did push the former world No. 1 though, as Halep had to save three set points in the first set.[20] 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. In the second, she faced Markéta Vondroušová and rallied from a set and a double break down to win the match in three sets.[21] 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,[22] where she lost in two sets to eventual champion Simona Halep.[23]

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.

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, sixth seed Magda Linette, Marie Bouzková, Coco Gauff, and Jil Teichmann without dropping a set, or facing a tiebreak in any set. Following her victory, Brady's ranking rose to a career-high No. 40.

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.) She defeated Anna Blinkova, CiCi Bellis and Caroline Garcia in straight sets, before defeating 2016 champion and former world No. 1, Angelique Kerber, to advance to her first Grand Slam quarterfinal. She then recorded another straight-sets win over the 23rd seed Yulia Putintseva to reach her first Grand Slam semifinal, which she lost to Naomi Osaka in three sets.[24][25]

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

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Brady started the season in Abu Dhabi. After winning the first set, she lost in the first round to Tamara Zidanšek.[26] She also played doubles in the same tournament with Garbiñe Muguruza, they lost in the quarterfinals.

At the Australian Open, Brady beat Aliona Bolsova, Madison Brengle, Kaja Juvan, Donna Vekić, Jessica Pegula, and Karolína Muchová to reach her first major final in which she was defeated by Naomi Osaka, in straight sets.[27] As a result, she reached a career-high of world No. 13 in the singles rankings on 22 February 2021.

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.[28]

Brady's next tournament was the 2021 Cincinnati Open. In the first round, she beat Ekaterina Alexandrova in straight sets. In the second round, she suffered a knee injury after taking the first set from Jelena Ostapenko. This injury would keep Brady out of tennis for two years.[29]

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

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Brady wanted to return to professional tennis at the French Open, however, these plans were stopped by a foot injury.[30]

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

Brady made her return to the WTA Tour at the Washington Open using a protected ranking. She routed Anhelina Kalinina in the first round, before losing to No. 17 ranked Madison Keys.

Playing style

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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

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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).[31]

Endorsements

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Brady is endorsed by Flex Seal,[32] Asics for attire and by Babolat for racquets. She uses the Babolat Pure Aero racquet on court.

Career statistics

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Main article: Jennifer Brady career statistics

Grand Slam tournament performance timelines

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Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# P# DNQ A Z# PO G S B NMS NTI P NH
(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

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Tournament 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 SR W–L Win %
Australian Open A A A 4R 1R Q3 1R F A A 0 / 4 9–4 69%
French Open A A Q3 1R 2R 2R 1R 3R A A 0 / 5 4–5 44%
Wimbledon A A Q1 2R 2R 1R NH A A A 0 / 3 2–3 40%
US Open Q1 Q1 Q3 4R 1R 1R SF A A 3R 0 / 5 10–5 67%
Win–loss 0–0 0–0 0–0 7–4 2–4 1–3 5–3 8–2 0–0 2–1 0 / 17 25–17 60%
Career statistics
Titles 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Career total: 1
Finals 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 Career total: 2
Year-end ranking 267 229 111 64 116 56 24 25 – $4,644,655

Doubles

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Tournament 2014 ... 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 SR W–L
Australian Open A A QF SF QF 2R A A 0 / 4 11–3
French Open A 2R 3R 1R 2R A A A 0 / 4 4–4
Wimbledon A 1R 2R 2R NH A A A 0 / 3 2–3
US Open 1R 1R 2R 1R 1R A A SF 0 / 6 5–6
Win–loss 0–1 1–3 7–4 5–4 4–3 1–0 0–0 4–1 0 / 17 22–16

Grand Slam tournament finals

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Singles: 1 (runner-up)

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Result Year Tournament Surface Opponent Score
Loss 2021 Australian Open Hard Japan Naomi Osaka 4–6, 3–6

References

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  1. ^ "Jennifer Brady". Retrieved August 24, 2014.
  2. ^ "Jennifer Brady caps off stellar week in Lexington with first WTA title".
  3. ^ "Women's Tennis Lands Top 5 Junior Jennifer Brady". Retrieved August 24, 2014.
  4. ^ "UCLA Women's Tennis Earns Second NCAA Championship". UCLA. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  5. ^ "Women's Doubles Draw". Retrieved August 24, 2014.
  6. ^ "American qualifier Jennifer Brady upsets No. 14 Elena Vesnina at Australian Open". Los Angeles Times. January 20, 2017. Retrieved January 21, 2017.
  7. ^ "LIVE Jennifer Brady - Mirjana Lucic-Baroni - Australian Open women - 23 January 2017 - Eurosport Asia". January 23, 2017. Archived from the original on January 28, 2017. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  8. ^ 2017 French Open results. International Tennis Federation. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  9. ^ 2017 US Open Draw: Women's Singles. Archived 2017-08-28 at the Wayback Machine US Open. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  10. ^ "Karolina Pliskova crushes Jennifer Brady to race into last eight". Eurosport. February 8, 2022. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  11. ^ "Babos and Mladenovic bounce top seeds from Aussie doubles". WTA Tennis. January 23, 2018. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  12. ^ Livaudais, Stephanie (March 4, 2018). "Errani, Bondarenko book Indian Wells 125K final clash". WTA Tennis. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  13. ^ "The Latest: Stosur, Zhang to meet champs in doubles final". AP News. January 23, 2019. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  14. ^ Ilic, Jovica (February 20, 2019). "WTA Dubai: Simona Halep and Petra Kvitova advance into quarters". Tennis World USA. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  15. ^ "Golubic saves match point, beats Brady to win Indian Wells 125K title". WTA Tennis. March 3, 2018. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  16. ^ "Barty, Halep shine as Serena bows out". beIN Sports. March 11, 2019. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  17. ^ "Garcia finishes off Brady to reach Nottingham final". WTA Tennis. June 16, 2019. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  18. ^ 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.
  19. ^ Kane, David (January 9, 2020). "'It's a little surreal' - Brady blasts to Barty stunner in Brisbane". WTA Tennis. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  20. ^ Macpherson, Alex (January 21, 2020). "Halep survives Brady upset bid in Australian Open first rounds". WTA Tennis. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  21. ^ Ndebele, Ashley (February 19, 2020). "Like in Brisbane, Jennifer Brady is Thriving as a Qualifier in Dubai". Tennis.com. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  22. ^ Macpherson, Alex (February 20, 2020). "Brady pulls off Muguruza upset to make Dubai semis". WTA Tennis. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  23. ^ "Top seed Halep blasts past Brady into Dubai final". WTA Tennis. February 21, 2020. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  24. ^ "Jennifer Brady has gone from under-the-radar to contender at the 2020 US Open". ESPN. September 6, 2020. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  25. ^ Berman, Marc (September 11, 2020). "Naomi Osaka outlasts Jennifer Brady to reach US Open final". New York Post. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  26. ^ "Tamara Zidansek vs Jennifer Brady". January 7, 2021.
  27. ^ Kilpatrick, James (February 18, 2021). "AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2021: JENNIFER BRADY SETS UP FINAL AGAINST NAOMI OSAKA AFTER EDGING OUT MUCHOVA". Eurosport.com.
  28. ^ "American Jennifer Brady upset in first round of women's singles at Olympics". July 25, 2021.
  29. ^ Trivedi, Naman (May 25, 2023). "Jennifer Brady suffers setback after withdrawing from French Open 2023". sportskeeda.com.
  30. ^ Trivedi, Naman (May 25, 2023). "Jennifer Brady suffers setback after withdrawing from French Open 2023". sportskeeda.com.
  31. ^ "World TeamTennis Adds Stars Tiafoe, Puig, Raonic, Bouchard, & Sock As Rosters Set For 2020". WTT.com. June 16, 2020.
  32. ^ "Jennifer Brady announces Flex Seal partnership". Tennis.com. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
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