Carol Zhao: The Inspiring Journey of a Tennis Prodigy

Carol Zhao is a Canadian female tennis player who has displayed notable accomplishments in both junior and professional tennis. Her achievements include winning four ITF singles titles, six ITF doubles titles, and the Australian Open junior doubles title in 2013. She has also reached the second round of the French Open and the third round of the Australian Open in singles, and the quarterfinals of the US Open in doubles. She is currently ranked No. 163 in singles and No. 1473 in doubles by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA)

Early Career of Carol Zhao

Carol Zhao was born in Chongqing, China on June 20, 1995. She started playing tennis at the age of five, with the encouragement of her grade school teacher. At the age of seven, she and her family emigrated to Canada and settled in the city of Richmond Hill, Ontario. In September 2010, she relocated to Montreal to be part of the National Training Centre until August 2013

In 2010, Carol Zhao began competing in junior tournaments and achieved three consecutive singles titles at the Edmonton, Vancouver, and Manitoba levels. She also won three doubles titles around that time. She reached the semifinals in doubles of the GB1 tournament in Tulsa in October. In November, she played her first professional quarterfinal at the $50k tournament in Toronto

In 2011, Carol Zhao achieved semifinal success in doubles at two GA tournaments held in Tlalnepantla and San José.

In the final of the G1 tournament in Kuching, she was defeated by Ashleigh Barty. She played her first junior Grand Slam tournament at the French Open, reaching the second round. She also played at the US Open, but lost in the first round

In 2012, Carol Zhao played at all four junior Grand Slam tournaments, reaching the second round at the Australian Open and the French Open, the third round at Wimbledon, and the quarterfinals at the US Open. She also reached two G1 finals in Nonthaburi and Sarawak, winning one doubles title and finishing runner-up in both singles and doubles. She ended the year with a junior ranking of No. 9

Professional career of Carol Zhao

Carol Zhao made her WTA Tour debut at the Rogers Cup in Montreal in 2013, where she received a wildcard into the main draw. She lost to Yanina Wickmayer in three sets in the first round. She also played at the US Open qualifying event, but failed to advance to the main draw. However, she had a breakthrough at the junior level, winning the Australian Open doubles title with Ana Konjuh and reaching the semifinals of Wimbledon and US Open singles events. She also won two ITF singles titles and one ITF doubles title that year

Zhao continued to play mostly on the ITF Circuit in 2014 and 2015, winning one singles title and two doubles titles. She also played at some WTA Tour events as a wildcard or a qualifier, but did not win any main draw matches. She reached her first WTA Tour quarterfinal at Washington D.C. in 2015 as a qualifier, but lost to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. She also reached her first WTA Tour semifinal in doubles at Quebec City with Maria Sanchez that year

Carol Zhao was also a member of the Stanford University tennis team from 2013 to 2016, where she had a stellar college career. She ended her college career with a 76–16 overall record and led the team to win the 2016 NCAA championship. She also was the 2015 NCAA singles runner-up, losing to Jamie Loeb in the final. She turned professional in June 2016 and was Canada’s top singles player from June 11, 2018 to July 23, 2018

Zhao had her best season in 2017, when she won two ITF singles titles and three ITF doubles titles. She also reached the second round of the French Open as a qualifier, defeating Kateryna Bondarenko in her Grand Slam main draw debut. She also reached the third round of the Australian Open qualifying event and the first round of the US Open qualifying event. She ended the year with a career-high singles ranking of No. 145

In 2018, Carol Zhao reached her first WTA Tour final in doubles at Taipei City with Bibiane Schoofs, but lost to Duan Yingying and Wang Yafan. She also reached the quarterfinals of Washington D.C. in singles as a qualifier, but lost to Donna Vekić. She played at all four Grand Slam tournaments that year, reaching the first round of Wimbledon and US Open in singles, and the quarterfinals of US Open in doubles with Alicja Rosolska. She achieved her career-high singles ranking of No. 131 on June 25, 2018

Zhao struggled with injuries and poor form in 2019 and 2020, playing only a few tournaments and dropping out of the top 500 in singles. She made a comeback in 2021, winning one ITF singles title and one ITF doubles title. She also qualified for the main draw of the French Open for the second time in her career, but lost to Sorana Cîrstea in the second round. She also reached the second round of qualifying at Wimbledon and US Open. She ended the year with a singles ranking of No. 283 and a doubles ranking of No. 503

In 2022, Carol Zhao continued to improve her form and ranking, winning one ITF singles title and one ITF doubles title. She also reached the third round of qualifying at the Australian Open, but lost to Martina Trevisan. She played at all four Grand Slam tournaments that year, reaching the first round of Wimbledon and US Open in singles, and the second round of Australian Open and French Open in doubles with Leylah Fernandez. She ended the year with a singles ranking of No. 163 and a doubles ranking of No. 388

Style of play

Carol Zhao is an aggressive baseliner who likes to hit powerful groundstrokes from both wings. She has a strong forehand that she can use to dictate rallies and create angles. She also has a solid two-handed backhand that she can hit down the line or crosscourt. She is not afraid to come to the net and finish points with volleys or overheads. She has a decent serve that she can vary with different spins and placements. She is also a good mover on the court, able to cover a lot of ground and slide on clay courts.

Zhao’s main weaknesses are her inconsistency and lack of experience at the highest level. She can sometimes make too many unforced errors or lose focus during matches. She can also struggle against players who can match her power or expose her defensive skills. She has not yet beaten a top-50 player in singles or a top-20 player in doubles on the WTA Tour. She is still working on improving her mental toughness and confidence on big stages.

Accomplishments

Carol Zhao has won four ITF singles titles and six ITF doubles titles in her career so far. Her best results on the WTA Tour are reaching one final in doubles at Taipei City in 2018, two quarterfinals in singles at Washington D.C. in 2015 and 2018, and one semifinal in doubles at Quebec City in 2015.

Zhao has also played at all four Grand Slam tournaments in both singles and doubles, reaching the second round of the French Open in singles in 2017 and 2021, and the quarterfinals of the US Open in doubles in 2018.

Carol Zhao has also represented Canada at various international events, such as the Fed Cup, where she has a 3–3 record in singles and doubles combined, and the Pan American Games, where she won a bronze medal in doubles with Gabriela Dabrowski in 2015.

Related: Katherine Sebov: The Next Great Canadian Tennis Player

Conclusion

Carol Zhao is one of the most successful and promising Canadian tennis players in recent years. She has shown her talent and potential at both junior and professional levels, winning several titles and reaching notable milestones. She has also represented her country with pride and passion at various international events. She is currently ranked No. 163 in singles and No. 1473 in doubles by the WTA, but she has the ability and ambition to climb higher in the future. She is still working hard to improve her game and overcome her challenges, hoping to achieve her goals and dreams in tennis.