ITF World Tennis Tour Player of the Month: Elvina Kalieva
Teenager Elvina Kalieva has been named ITF World Tennis Tour Player of the Month after a standout June on clay.
The 19-year-old American collected the title on Czech soil at W60 Ricany – just weeks after winning the first professional title of her career in Austria at W25 Warmbad Villach – and reached semi-finals at both W40 Otocec, Slovenia, and W40 Ystad, Sweden, in a hugely fruitful month on the ITF World Tennis Tour.
Kalieva won 11 of the 13 matches she contested through June, was one of only three players to win 11 or more ITF singles matches on clay during the month, and climbed 102 places over a four-week period to a career-high No. 168 in the WTA rankings.
Kalieva’s recent results are the latest indicator of a speedy ascent through the professional ranks. She has now featured in three finals at W60 level in total, having finished runner-up on American soil at both W60 Rancho Santa Fe (in October 2021) and W60 Pelham (in May 2022).
A former junior world No. 9, Kalieva won one of the most prestigious events on the ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors calendar at J500 Criciuma in 2020, and went on to reach the girls’ singles quarter-finals at the 2021 US Open.
Her June form, if nothing else, suggests a very bright future.
Kalieva's June on the ITF World Tennis Tour
- Compiled an 11-2 win-loss record
- Went 22-8 in sets
- Best win: World No. 157 Reka Luca Jani
- Achieved three bagels (6-0 sets)
- Climbed 102 spots in the WTA rankings to a career-high No. 168