Veronika Kudermetova is 28 years old and has been around the WTA Tour for years, turning professional in 2011, but she is now becoming a household name to those who have yet to know much about her. She won her first Grand Slam, a Wimbledon women’s doubles title with Elise Mertens last month.
Now she is enjoying a stellar run in Cincinnati. The former World No. 9 in singles and No. 2 in doubles in 2022 defeated Belinda Bencic, Clara Tauson, and Magda Linette before taking on Varvara Gracheva. Her straight set win over Gracheva sets up a semifinal matchup with the winner of the Coco Gauff and Jasmine Paoline quarterfinal match.
First semifinal in Cincy 👏
Veronika Kudermetova is into the semifinal for the first time in Cincinnati after defeating Gracheva in straight sets.#CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/KNFMmjyGl5
— wta (@WTA) August 15, 2025
Why We Like Veronika Kudermetova
She has been grinding for years, and had three semifinal and one quarterfinal Grand Slam doubles finishes before winning Wimbledon this summer. Kudermetova also lost a heartbreaking 2021 Wimbledon final. She has two career WTA singles titles and nine doubles titles. Veronika, the elder Kudermetova sister of Polina, 22 ranked 60th, is now in the Top 30 and rising in singles and will be seeded at the US Open. Over the years, she has enjoyed big singles wins over Jessica Pegula, Naomi Osaka, Madison Keys, and Marketa Vondrousova to name a few.
The Kudermetova sisters are too adorable 🇷🇺🙂↔️🫶🏻 pic.twitter.com/JWocdoketB
— NickAlly (@nick_ally1986) July 30, 2025
Veronika Kudermetova has famously said in the past that her postmatch recovery includes a cold beer. All of us weekend tennis players can get behind this philosophy. She has a lovely and sweet personality and has experienced the ups and downs of a tennis career.
Kudermetova is living proof that persistence pays off and how diverse and competitive women’s tennis is. Like Iga Swiatek, she has played with a lightness since winning Wimbledon that has only enhanced her game in singles and doubles.
Veronika Kudermetova will take on the Gauff/Paolini winner in the semifinals on Saturday.
