EDMOND, Okla. — Redmond’s Kristina Liutova reached the Edmond Open W100 final in Edmond, Oklahoma on Sunday after returning to action last week for the first time since her first-round U.S. Open loss in September.
Liutova, 16, won her first four matches in straight sets before losing Sunday’s final to 2017 U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens, 3-6, 2-6.
Stephens, 33, had not won a title since April 2024. She reached a career-high ranking of No. 3 in 2018 and is now ranked No. 118 following Sunday’s win.
Stephens has been working her way back up the tennis rankings after suffering a stress fracture in her right foot in 2025. Earlier in her career, she suffered a similar injury in her left foot.
By reaching the Edmond Open final, Liutova climbed six spots in the rankings to No. 110.
Kristina Liutova’s Memphis Classic breakthrough
Liutova entered the Memphis Classic over the summer ranked No. 229 in the world. She fought through qualifying and won the tournament, becoming the youngest active WTA champion and the first person born in the 2010s to win a tour-level event. It was the first tour-level event she had ever played.
Liutova’s mother, Elena Morozova, said her daughter has been competitive since birth.
“Even when she played hide-and-seek, she wanted to win every time. Even when she played chess with her dad, she wanted to win every time,” Morozova said. “In everything she was doing, she was trying to win.”
On the court, Liutova doesn’t focus on results. Her mentality is to put in the work and let the scoreboard take care of itself — the same mentality as her tennis hero.
“My favorite tennis player has always been Rafael Nadal, for his composure, for his hardworking character,” Liutova said. “He’s been through a lot of injuries, and the character is just shown in everything. He is just a great human as well, off the court. Always humble. Just an incredibly inspiring person and player.”
Liutova is keeping her overall tennis goals and dreams private for now. But she wants to inspire others and take care of her mom, who has sacrificed so much to get her where she is today.
“I want to make sure that she’s happy, and in the future, she has an easy life — a house, a cat — and just watch my matches with no worries and no pressure,” Liutova said.
Liutova’s U.S. Open run ends against Zheng Qinwen
After Memphis, Liutova won three U.S. Open qualifying matches in New York to reach the main draw. There, she faced 2024 Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen. Liutova couldn’t hold off the veteran, falling 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.
Liutova left the court in tears after her nine-match winning streak ended.
‘Don’t worry about that, Kristina’
ESPN match commentator Robbie Koenig offered Liutova words of encouragement.
“I’ll tell you what, there will be a lot more tears of joy in the years to come,” Koenig said after her U.S. Open loss. “That’s for sure, given the game that she possesses. Don’t worry about that, Kristina.”
Kristina Liutova makes Grand Slam main-draw history
Liutova fought through three qualifying matches to earn a place in the U.S. Open main draw.
“[She’s] just so accurate with her ball striking,” Koenig said of Liutova early in the match. “I’m gobsmacked that she’s just 16 years of age.”
Liutova is the first player born in the 2010s to qualify for a Grand Slam tournament’s main draw. She was also the youngest person in the draw.
“Honestly, I never look at the stats,” Liutova told KIRO Newsradio before the U.S. Open. “When I get told, I forget immediately.”
Zheng acknowledged the teenager during her post-match ESPN interview.
“I want to say congratulations first to the opponent because she’s only 16 years old,” Zheng said. “Very young junior, and she played incredible tennis. Fights a lot. It was not easy for me.”
Frank Lenzi is the News Director for KIRO Newsradio. Read more of his stories here.
This story was originally published on MyNorthwest.com.