Maria Timofeeva About

Tashkent's adopted star: the lucky loser who fairy-taled into Melbourne's last 16

Born in Moscow on November 18, 2003, Maria Timofeeva is the granddaughter of a concert pianist and the kid sister of a rock singer — a backstory she's leaned into as a vlogger, running a YouTube channel that chronicles her life on tour. A Russian-born professional, she is the granddaughter of classical pianist Liubov Timofeeva, while her older sister Antonia performs as a rock singer. In October 2025 she swapped federations: she received Uzbekistani citizenship and began representing Uzbekistan, having lived in Tashkent for the prior six months and contacting the federation on her own accord. The move instantly made her the country's top-ranked woman.

At 1.67m she's no power-server, and her game reflects it. Her run at Melbourne showcased a blend of counterpunching and attack from her small frame — grit and a baseline game. She redirects pace, takes the ball early, and grinds rallies long: at the 2024 Australian Open she won one of the tournament's rallies in a 24-shot exchange. On a confident day she finds the lines, and her preferred surfaces are hard and carpet.

Her career turns on two improbable runs. Ranked No. 246, she won her first WTA title on her main-draw debut at the 2023 Budapest Grand Prix as a lucky loser, becoming only the fourth lucky loser in WTA history to win a singles title. Six months later came the fairytale: a qualifier at the 2024 Australian Open, she knocked out former champion Caroline Wozniacki from a set down, then toppled No. 10 seed Beatriz Haddad Maia for her first top-20 win before Marta Kostyuk ended the run in the last 16. She was the lowest-ranked player to reach the AO fourth round since 2017. That carried her to a career-high No. 93 on April 1, 2024.

The current beat is rebuild. Now ranked outside the top 100, well off her spring-2024 peak, Timofeeva is grinding ITF and qualifying draws under her new flag, hunting the form that once stunned Melbourne.

Prize money

Maria Timofeeva's tour-reported career prize money is $1,387,946 USD (WTA, as of Sep 28, 2026); the 2026 reported season total is $582,991 USD; and the ledger below itemises 9 published main-draw singles awards from 2024 to 2026.

Reported totals include the events and bonuses counted by the publishing tour. Covered singles awards below exclude qualifying, doubles and bonuses; currencies are kept separate.

Career
$1,387,946
WTA · Sep 28, 2026
2026 Season
$582,991
WTA · Sep 28, 2026
2026 Season7
2026 reported total
$582,991 USD
Singles
$581,090 USD
Doubles
$1,901 USD

Published awards for 7 of 8 completed tournaments. Reported by WTA as of .

Maria Timofeeva — 7 published main-draw singles awards in the 2026 season, by tournament and finishing round; qualifying, doubles and bonuses excluded
TournamentAward
China OpenRound of 64

WTA official draw · Oct 6, 2026

$36,110 USD
US OpenRound of 64

US Open · Sep 21, 2026

$190,000 USD
Cincinnati OpenRound of 128

WTA official draw · Sep 8, 2026

$16,260 USD
Prague OpenRound of 16

WTA official draw · Sep 8, 2026

$4,285 USD
WimbledonRound of 64

Wimbledon · Sep 8, 2026

£126,000 GBP
Open de RouenRound of 32

WTA official draw · Sep 8, 2026

€2,663 EUR
Mérida OpenRound of 32

WTA official draw · Sep 8, 2026

$12,700 USD

Covered singles

EUR
€2,663
GBP
£126,000
USD
$259,355
2025 Season
2025 reported total
$144,519 USD
Singles
$139,902 USD
Doubles
$4,617 USD

Reported by WTA 2025 prize money report as of .

2024 Season2

Published awards for 2 of 4 completed tournaments.

Maria Timofeeva — 2 published main-draw singles awards in the 2024 season, by tournament and finishing round; qualifying, doubles and bonuses excluded
TournamentAward
Miami OpenRound of 64

WTA official draw · Sep 8, 2026

$34,500 USD
Australian OpenRound of 16

WTA official Australian Open preview · Sep 8, 2026

A$375,000 AUD

Covered singles

AUD
A$375,000
USD
$34,500

Archive coverage (2024–2026): 9 of 12 completed tournaments. Published main-draw singles awards for resolved results in our match archive.

Excluded

  • Qualifying, doubles, mixed doubles and participation or performance bonuses.
  • Missing payout tables, unresolved results and ambiguous tournament editions.
  • Taxes, fines, withdrawals and other adjustments to the amount actually paid.
  • Currency conversion: source-currency subtotals are kept separate.

Maria Timofeeva at a glance

Maria Timofeeva is 22 years old; was born in Moscow, Russia; stands 1.67 m; plays right-handed; and is ranked No. 68 in the WTA rankings.

Maria Timofeeva — player bio facts: country, date of birth, birthplace, height, playing hand, and current WTA ranking
CountryUZB
BornNov 18, 2003 (age 22)
BirthplaceMoscow, Russia
Height1.67 m
Playsright-handed
WTA rankingNo. 68