Redmond teen Kristina Liutova, 16, wins Memphis Classic — First tennis player born in the 2010s to capture a WTA title

A 16-year-old from Redmond made professional tennis history on Sunday by winning the Memphis Classic — her very first Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) tournament.

Kristina Liutova became the first person born in the 2010s to win a WTA title.

Born in Moscow, Russia, Liutova now lives and trains in Redmond.

Title came in the very first tour-level event of her career

Memphis was the first tour-level event Liutova had ever played. In the final, she came back from a set down to beat 23-year-old Darja Vidmanova 1-6, 6-1, 6-3.

“I want to thank my family, my mom. Look where we got. Look where you brought me,” she said in her winner’s speech on Sunday. “Since [I was] three years old, you’ve done such an amazing job on me. You’ve done everything for me. I’m super grateful, and I love you a lot. We’ll do many more.”

Liutova also thanked her coaches Ilya Osintsev and Tiago Campana at the Gorin Tennis Academy in Redmond, where she started training in 2021, as well as her “hitting partners back in Seattle.”

“I’m very tough to handle,” she said. “You’re doing a great job!”

Liutova ended by thanking Gorin Tennis Academy founder Vitaly Gorin.

“I miss him a lot, and I’m gonna see him soon. So, I’m very grateful to you,” she said. “I love you a lot. I’m so grateful to have you in my life and my career here.”

Redmond teen had already stacked up titles as a junior player

According to a post on the Gorin Tennis Academy Instagram page, Liutova won several tournaments as a junior tennis player, including:

• U16 Clay Court National Championships
• U16 Hard Court National Championships (Billie Jean King Championships)
• Champion of the Washington State Open
• Champion of the San Francisco KPSF Open

With her Memphis Classic victory on Sunday, Liutova moved up to No. 126 in the WTA rankings.

Liutova is likely to play at the U.S. Open — tennis’s final major of the year — later this month in New York.

Frank Lenzi is the News Director for KIRO Newsradio. Read more of his stories here.

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