McCartney Kessler

McCartney Kessler is the American who treated the climb like a degree program — clear every level before moving up. Born in Georgia in 1999 into a tennis household — her parents Julie and Carl both played college tennis at the University of Central Florida, and her brother McClain, who played for the Florida Gators, now serves as her coach — she went the full college route. She signed with the University of Florida in November 2017, became a three-time All-American and three-time First Team All-SEC player, and earned the 2022 SEC Player of the Year Award. She didn't enter WTA events until early 2024.

The game is built on a heavy forehand and an all-court base. Armed with a heavy forehand and an all-court game, Kessler models a poise on par with childhood idol Maria Sharapova. The Hobart final was the template: a master class of aggressive tennis to start, 15 winners in the first set including an ace on set point, and 44 winners in total by the finish.

The ascent was vertical. Ranked No. 944 at the start of 2023, she sat at No. 217 a year later. She won her maiden tour title at Cleveland in 2024, then doubled it at Hobart in January 2025, where she outlasted No. 2 seed Elise Mertens 6-4, 3-6, 6-0 in her tournament debut — link that to Elise Mertens. Weeks later in Dubai she scored her first top-10 win over Coco Gauff, then reached the ATX Open final, falling to Jessica Pegula. Her third title came on grass at Nottingham, a 6-4, 7-5 win over Dayana Yastremska, lifting her to a career-high No. 30 in June 2025. At the Canadian Open she made a WTA 1000 fourth round for the first time, upsetting world No. 5 Mirra Andreeva, and lifted her first doubles title alongside Gauff.

This season Kessler sits at No. 39, settling into the seeded-American tier she spent two years sprinting toward.