The 21 & Under Club in '21: Whitney Osuigwe

As long as the American keeps creating opportunities with her tidy baseline game and she stays healthy, one has to think a breakthrough will come sooner rather than later.

ByDavid Kane

Published Jun 19, 2021

Will turn 22 on

4/17/2024

What she’s done since last summer

Qualified for the Australian Open

Key Stat

Osuigwe’s best career win came against Belinda Bencic, then ranked No. 39, at an ITF Pro Circuit event in 2019

Osuigwe followed Marta Kostyuk into the junior Grand Slam club in 2017 when she won Roland Garros in an all-American final against Claire Liu, and has been in search of a tour-level breakthrough ever since. Her 2021 season looked primed for a bright start when she barreled through the qualifying draw, rallying from a set down to defeat Mihaela Buzarnescu in the final round, but took a tough defeat to Zhu Lin in Melbourne.

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Like countrywoman Catherine "Caty" McNally, the 19-year-old has peaked just under the Top 100 at No. 105, and as long as she keeps creating opportunities with her tidy baseline game—and provided she stays healthy after severe cramps forced her to retire from an ITF Pro Circuit event in Charlottesville—one has to think a break will come sooner rather than later.

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Baseline