Whitney Osuigwe (/əˈsɪɡw/ ə-SIG-way;[2] born April 17, 2002) is an American tennis player. She has a career-high WTA singles ranking of world No. 105 and a doubles ranking of No. 117 achieved in August 2019 and 2024 respectively.

Whitney Osuigwe
Country (sports) United States
Born (2002-04-17) April 17, 2002 (age 22)
Bradenton, Florida
Height1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)[1]
Turned pro2017
PlaysRight-handed (two-handed backhand)
CoachDesmond Osuigwe
Prize moneyUS$824,724
Singles
Career record169–166
Career titles3 ITF
Highest rankingNo. 105 (August 12, 2019)
Current rankingNo. 324 (November 18, 2024)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open1R (2019, 2021)
French OpenQ2 (2019)
WimbledonQ1 (2019, 2021)
US Open1R (2018, 2019, 2020)
Doubles
Career record104–82
Career titles1 WTA Challenger, 9 ITF
Highest rankingNo. 117 (October 21, 2024)
Current rankingNo. 167 (November 18, 2024)
Grand Slam doubles results
US Open2R (2019, 2022)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
US Open1R (2018)
Last updated on: 18 November 2024.

In 2017, Osuigwe was the ITF Junior World Champion.[3] She won the juniors 2017 French Open to become the first American to win the girls' singles event in Paris in 28 years.

Personal life

edit

Osuigwe has been playing tennis at the IMG Academy since age six, where her father Desmond has been a teacher at the academy since 1997 and acts as her primary coach. Desmond is from Lagos in Nigeria and played professional tennis events at the ITF Futures level before coming to the United States to attend college. Whitney has an older brother named Deandre who is a college basketball player and a younger sister named Victoria who also plays tennis.[4][5]

Junior career

edit

In June 2017, Osuigwe climbed to No. 2 in the junior rankings by dominating the clay-court events in the previous six months. She started by reaching the semifinals at the Orange Bowl in December, and then won two Grade-1 clay-court tournaments in back-to-back weeks in February. Osuigwe capped off her dominance in this part of the season by winning the 2017 Junior French Open over fellow American Claire Liu.

In doing so, she became the first American to win the girls' event since Jennifer Capriati in 1989, the fifth American champion overall, and the ninth youngest winner of the event at under 15 years and 2 months. This was also only the second time the final was contested between two Americans, with the other occurring in 1980.[6]

Osuigwe would go on to finish the season as the number-one-ranked junior in the world, for which she was named the combined 2017 ITF Junior World Champion. Furthermore, she then won the Orange Bowl before the year came to a close.

On August 12, 2018, Osuigwe won the USTA Girls 18s National Championships which earned her a wildcard entry into the main draw of the US Open.[7]

Professional career

edit

Osuigwe made her WTA Tour main-draw debut at the 2018 Miami Open, losing to her fellow wildcard and junior rival Claire Liu.

In January 2019, Osuigwe played alongside David Ferrer on the Spain team in the 2019 Hopman Cup, replacing Garbiñe Muguruza who was out due to injury. Osuigwe played only the mixed-doubles match, losing to the French team which consisted of Lucas Pouille and Alizé Cornet.

In March 2019, she entered the Miami Open main draw as a wildcard, winning her first-round match against fellow wildcard Mari Osaka, the sister of Naomi Osaka.[8]

Performance timeline

edit
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.[9]

Singles

edit

Current through the 2022 Australian Open.

Tournament 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 SR W–L
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open A A 1R Q1 1R Q2 A 0 / 2 0–2
French Open A A Q2 Q1 Q1 A A 0 / 0 0–0
Wimbledon A A Q1 NH Q1 A A 0 / 0 0–0
US Open Q1 1R 1R 1R Q1 Q3 A 0 / 3 0–3
Win–loss 0–0 0–1 0–2 0–1 0–1 0–0 0–0 0 / 5 0–5
WTA 1000
Miami Open A 1R 2R NH Q1 Q1 Q1 0 / 2 1–2
Career statistics
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 SR W–L
Tournaments 0 2 4 1 3 0 0 Career total: 10
Titles 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Career total: 0
Finals 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Career total: 0
Overall win–loss 0–0 0–2 1–4 0–1 0–3 0–0 0–0 0 / 10 1–10
Year-end ranking 1120 226 132 160 247 290 368 $610,068

WTA Challenger finals

edit

Doubles: 1 (title)

edit
Result W–L    Date    Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win 1–0 Nov 2023 Midland Tennis Classic,
United States
Hard (i)   Hailey Baptiste   Sophie Chang
  Ashley Lahey
2–6, 6–2, [10–1]

ITF Circuit finals

edit

Singles: 7 (3 titles, 4 runner-ups)

edit
Legend
W100 tournaments (0–1)
W80 tournaments (2–0)
W50 tournaments (1–0)
W25 tournaments (0–2)
Finals by surface
Hard (2–1)
Clay (1–3)
Result W–L    Date    Tournament Tier Surface Opponent Score
Loss 0–1 Jan 2018 ITF Wesley Chapel, United States W25 Clay   Francesca Di Lorenzo 2–6, 6–1, 4–6
Win 1–1 Nov 2018 Tyler Pro Challenge, United States W80 Hard   Beatriz Haddad Maia 6–3, 6–4
Win 2–1 Apr 2019 Charlottesville Open, United States W80 Clay   Madison Brengle 6–4, 1–6, 6–3
Loss 2–2 May 2019 Tyler Pro Challenge, United States W100 Clay   Taylor Townsend 4–6, 4–6
Loss 2–3 Mar 2023 ITF Boca Raton, United States W25 Hard   Victoria Jiménez Kasintseva 2–6, 2–6
Loss 2–4 Apr 2023 ITF Jackson, United States W25 Clay   Tímea Babos 5–7, 5–7
Win 3–4 Nov 2024 ITF Boca Raton, United States W50 Hard   Eva Vedder 7–6(8), 6–3

Doubles: 15 (9 titles, 6 runner-ups)

edit
Legend
W100 tournaments (2–1)
W80 tournaments (0–1)
W60/75 tournaments (2–3)
W40/50 tournaments (0–1)
W25/35 tournaments (4–0)
W15 tournaments (1–0)
Finals by surface
Hard (5–4)
Clay (4–2)
Result W–L    Date    Tournament Tier Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win 1–0 Mar 2018 ITF Orlando, United States W15 Clay   Caty McNally   Dia Evtimova
  Ilona Kremen
6–2, 6–3
Win 2–0 Apr 2018 ITF Jackson, United States W25 Clay   Sanaz Marand   Gaia Sanesi
  Chanel Simmonds
6–1, 6–3
Loss 2–1 Apr 2018 Charlottesville Open, United States W80 Clay   Ashley Kratzer   Sophie Chang
  Alexandra Mueller
6–3, 4–6, [7–10]
Loss 2–2 Jul 2018 Ashland Tennis Classic, United States W60 Hard   Sanaz Marand   Jovana Jakšić
  Renata Zarazúa
3–6, 7–5, [4–10]
Loss 2–3 Feb 2020 Kentucky Open, United States W100 Hard (i)   Hailey Baptiste   Catherine Harrison
  Quinn Gleason
5–7, 2–6
Win 3–3 Jan 2022 ITF Orlando Pro, United States W60 Hard   Hailey Baptiste   Angela Kulikov
  Rianna Valdes
7–6(7), 7–5
Win 4–3 Mar 2023 ITF Boca Raton, United States W25 Hard   Hailey Baptiste   Francesca Di Lorenzo
  Makenna Jones
6–2, 6–2
Win 5–3 Jul 2023 ITF Punta Cana, Dominican Republic W25 Clay   Victoria Osuigwe   Alicia Herrero Liñana
  Melany Krywoj
6–1, 1–6, [10–7]
Win 6–3 Nov 2023 ITF Charleston Pro, United States W100 Clay   Hailey Baptiste   Nigina Abduraimova
  Carole Monnet
6–4, 3–6, [13–11]
Loss 6–4 Jan 2024 ITF Vero Beach, United States W75+H Clay   Hailey Baptiste   Allura Zamarripa
  Maribella Zamarripa
3–6, 6–3, [4–10]
Loss 6–5 Feb 2024 Georgia's Rome Open, United States W75 Hard (i)   Hailey Baptiste   Angela Kulikov
  Jamie Loeb
walkover
Win 7–5 Feb 2024 Guanajuato Open, Mexico W100 Hard   Hailey Baptiste   Ann Li
  Rebecca Marino
7–5, 6–4
Win 8–5 Feb 2024 ITF Spring, United States W35 Hard   Alana Smith   Malkia Ngounoue
  Thaísa Pedretti
6–4, 6–4
Win 9–5 Jul 2024 Lexington Challenger, United States W75 Hard   Alana Smith   Carmen Corley
  Ivana Corley
7–6(5), 6–3
Loss 9–6 Nov 2024 ITF Austin, United States W50 Hard   Alana Smith   Diae El Jardi
  Thaisa Pedretti
2–6, 6–4, [12–14]

ITF Junior finals

edit

Grand Slam tournaments

edit

Singles: 1 (title)

edit
Result Year Tournament Surface Opponent Score
Win 2017 French Open Clay   Claire Liu 6–4, 6–7(5–7), 6–3

Doubles: 2 (runner-ups)

edit
Result Year Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 2017 Wimbledon Grass   Caty McNally   Olga Danilović
  Kaja Juvan
4–6, 3–6
Loss 2018 Wimbledon Grass   Caty McNally   Wang Xinyu
  Wang Xiyu
2–6, 1–6

ITF Junior Circuit

edit

Singles: 9 (6 titles, 3 runner–ups)

edit
Legend
Grade A (1–2)
Grade 1 (4–0)
Grade 4 (1–1)
Result W–L Date Tournament Tier Surface Opponent Score
Win 1–0 May 2015 ITF Plantation, U.S. Grade 4 Clay   Carson Branstine 6–2, 3–6, 6–4
Loss 1–1 May 2016 ITF Plantation, U.S. Grade 4 Clay   Carson Branstine 6–3, 4–6, 1–6
Win 2–1 Feb 2017 ITF Asunción, Paraguay Grade 1 Clay   Draginja Vukovic 6–3, 6–2
Win 3–1 Feb 2017 ITF Criciúma, Brazil Grade 1 Clay   Emily Appleton 7–5, 6–4
Win 4–1 Oct 2017 ITF Tulsa, United States Grade 1 Hard   Natasha Subhash 6–4, 6–3
Loss 4–2 Oct 2017 ITF Osaka, Japan Grade A Hard   Wang Xinyu 4–6, 4–6
Loss 4–3 Nov 2017 ITF Mexico City Grade A Clay   Alexa Noel 2–6, 4–6
Win 5–3 Dec 2017 ITF Bradenton, U.S. Grade 1 Clay   Clara Burel 6–4, 4–6, 6–1
Win 6–3 Dec 2017 ITF Plantation, U.S. Grade A Clay   Margaryta Bilokin 6–1, 6–2

Doubles: 7 (4 titles, 3 runner–ups)

edit
Legend
Grade A (1–1)
Grade 1 (3–1)
Grade 4 (0–1)
Result W–L Date Tournament Tier Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 0–1 May 2016 ITF Plantation, U.S. Grade 4 Clay   Alexa Noel   Alana Smith
  Peyton Stearns
2–6, 4–6
Loss 0–2 Feb 2017 ITF Criciúma, Brazil Grade 1 Clay   Hailey Baptiste   Elysia Bolton
  Vanessa Ong
6–4, 4–6, [5–10]
Win 1–2 Apr 2017 ITF Indian Wells, United States Grade 1 Hard   Caty McNally   Taylor Johnson
  Ann Li
6–3, 7–6(10–8)
Win 2–2 May 2017 ITF Milan, Italy Grade A Clay   Caty McNally   Cho I-hsuan
  Ayumi Miyamoto
6–3, 7–6(7–5)
Loss 2–3 Nov 2017 ITF Mexico City Grade A Clay   Ellie Douglas   Dalayna Hewitt
  Peyton Stearns
4–6, 3–6
Win 3–3 Dec 2017 ITF Bradenton, U.S. Grade 1 Clay   Caty McNally   Thasaporn Naklo
  Naho Sato
6–3, 6–1
Win 4–3 Jul 2018 ITF Roehampton, UK Grade 1 Grass   Caty McNally   Clara Tauson
  Wang Xinyu
7–6(7–4), 7–6(9–7)

References

edit
  1. ^ "French Open junior champ Whitney Osuigwe eyes bigger things". ESPN. June 23, 2017. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
  2. ^ RacquetComedy (December 28, 2017). "FULL INTERVIEW: Whitney Osuigwe & Caty McNally". YouTube. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  3. ^ "Whitney OSUIGWE". Archived from the original on April 18, 2018. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
  4. ^ "Bradenton teen reaches French Open girls final". Bradenton Herald. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  5. ^ "The Journey - Osuigwe Family". IMG Academy. June 29, 2017. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  6. ^ "American Whitney Osuigwe wins girls' title at French Open". Excelle Sports. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
  7. ^ "Floridian Whitney Osuigwe wins USTA girls 18s tennis championship". August 13, 2018.
  8. ^ Rothenberg, Ben (March 21, 2019). "The Osakas' Brief Sister Act at the Miami Open". New York Times. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  9. ^ "Whitney Osuigwe [USA] | Australian Open". ausopen.com.
edit
Awards
Preceded by ITF Junior World Champion
2017
Succeeded by
Sporting positions
Preceded by Orange Bowl Girls' Singles Champion
Category: 18 and under

2017
Succeeded by