The Quiet Dedication of Ekaterina Alexandrova

In 2025, Alexandrova boasts a 9-7 record against top 20 players, she upset Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula in Doha on hard courts, Qinwen Zheng on clay in Charleston, and Pegula again in Stuttgart on clay. Pegula got her revenge in what has been a very frequent matchup in 2025, winning a competitive three setter in Wuhan’s round of 16. 2025 may be the first year Alexandrova boasts a positive record against WTA Top 20 competition.

Her current form shows no signs of fading, and her dedication to her craft has been rewarded.

Underappreciated Improvements from 2024

In 2024 Alexandrova struggled badly with consistency, a semifinal in Adelaide was followed by an immediate exit to Laura Siegemund at the Australian Open. A run to the Miami semifinals with wins over Iga Swiatek and Pegula, was followed by a losing record on clay courts, before reaching the semifinals on grass at Den Bosch. Similar to 2025 however, Alexandrova played her best tennis of the season around the US Open, reaching the semis in Monterrey, and the quarters in Wuhan. The difference in 2025 has been consistency.

The improvements in her game have likely been mental and personal, as her father Evgeny remains her coach. Her tennis focused on flat, first strike hitting.

Targeting Grand Slam Success

Alexandrova is 6-6 in WTA finals in her career, she won a pair of titles in 2022, and has been particularly fantastic at the WTA Linz tournament in Austria, winning once and reaching the final twice. The Grand Slams are the next stage she will seek to summit; she has a subpar 7-9 record at the Australian Open, having last made the third round two years ago. At the French Open she finally reached the second week for the first time in 2025. At Wimbledon she’s 8-7 with a pair of fourth round appearances, including in 2025, and 2025 was also her career best result at the US Open.

Reaching a Grand Slam quarterfinal would be a significant achievement, WTA players who reached their first Grand Slam quarterfinal around her current age include Italian Roberta Vinci, who was older than Alexandrova when she cracked the WTA top 10, Magda Linette, and the 2015 US open finalist against Vinci, Flavia Pennetta who reached the final at 33.

The lack of success in Grand Slams to this point, is likely why Alexandrova remains one of the most unheralded top players on the WTA Tour. Her journey, and her quiet dedication to improving her game, remains one of the most compelling narratives in women’s tennis today.