Zachary Svajda
Svajda at the 2023 Washington Open | |
| Country (sports) | United States |
|---|---|
| Residence | San Diego, California, U.S. |
| Born | November 29, 2002 La Jolla, California, U.S. |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Turned pro | 2019 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Coach | David Nainkin, Rhyne Williams |
| Prize money | US $ 1,500,731 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 10–23[a] |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 96 (March 16, 2026) |
| Current ranking | No. 96 (March 16, 2026) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | 1R (2026) |
| French Open | Q2 (2024, 2025) |
| Wimbledon | Q2 (2023, 2024, 2025) |
| US Open | 2R (2021, 2025) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 0–2 |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 664 (August 8, 2022) |
| Current ranking | No. 1,282 (March 16, 2026) |
| Last updated on: March 16, 2026. | |
Zachary Svajda (/ˈsvaɪ.də/ SVY-duh;[1] born November 29, 2002) is an American professional tennis player.[2] He has a career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 96 achieved on March 16, 2026 and a doubles ranking of No. 664 achieved on August 8, 2022.
Early life and background
A native of San Diego, California,[3][4] Svajda took up tennis at the age of 2, initially coached by Matt Hanlin.[5] He is of Czech descent.[6] He has a younger brother Trevor who is also a tennis player,[7][8] and currently studying at SMU.[9]
Career
2018: Pro beginnings
He earned his first ATP World Tour ranking point at the age of 15, defeating top-seeded João Lucas Reis da Silva of Brazil 6–3, 6–4 at the 2018 Claremont Club Pro USTA Tennis Classic as a local main-draw wildcard.[10][11]
2019-2020: ATP and Grand Slam debut
On August 11, 2019, Svajda defeated Govind Nanda 6–7(3–7), 7–5, 6–3, 6–1 to win the USTA Boys 18s National Championship. This victory earned the 16-year-old a wildcard into the main draw of the 2019 US Open, making him the youngest player to play in the men's US Open since Donald Young in 2005.[12] There, despite succumbing to full-body cramps in a five-set first round loss to Paolo Lorenzi, he drew attention as a future prospect in American professional tennis for his solid ground strokes and adept net play.[13]
2021: First Major win at the US Open
After defeating Ben Shelton 6–1, 6–4, 6–1 to defend his Boys 18s National Championship title, Svajda was given another wildcard into the US Open.[14] There, ranked world No. 716, he beat world No. 81 Marco Cecchinato to progress to the second round[15] before bowing out against 13th seed Jannik Sinner in four tight sets. The latter was an unexpectedly close match between two young players with a differential in ranking of over 700 spots.[16]
2022: Maiden Challenger title
He won his maiden title at the 2022 Tiburon Challenger defeating compatriot Ben Shelton. As a result he climbed to a career-high No. 255 on 10 October 2022.[17]
2023: Three Challenger titles, First ATP 500 win, Top 150
He recorded his first ATP win outside a Major and first at an ATP 500 tournament at the 2023 Citi Open in Washington over Max Purcell as a qualifier. In August, Svajda entered the main draw of the US Open, also as a qualifier.[18] He won the 2023 Cary Challenger II.[19] Two weeks later, he also won the 2023 Tiburon Challenger, making him the first player to win the tournament twice.[20]
2024: Top 125 debut
He entered the main draw at the 2024 Dallas Open as a direct entry. He also qualified for the 2024 Delray Beach Open and defeated eight seed Max Purcell in the first round, for his second win over the Australian (first win was in the previous season in Washington) and second ATP win outside of the Grand Slams. He received a qualifying wildcard for the 2024 Abierto Mexicano Telcel.
In July, he qualified for the main draw of the 2024 Hall of Fame Open and the 2024 Atlanta Open but lost in the first rounds. He also entered the main draw at the 2024 Mubadala Citi DC Open in Washington as a lucky loser but lost to wildcard J. J. Wolf.
In August, he received a wildcard for the main draw of the 2024 US Open.[21] He again entered the main draw of the 2024 Winston-Salem Open as a lucky loser. There he defeated Laslo Djere in the first round and upset third seed Francisco Cerúndolo in the second, getting his revenge for the first-round loss at the 2023 US Open a year earlier.[22] As a result he reached No. 102 in the singles rankings on 26 August 2024.[23]
2025: Maiden grass court title
In July, Svajda won his first Challenger 125 title at the 2025 Hall of Fame Open, where he defeated top seed Brandon Holt en route[24] before defeating fourth seed Adrian Mannarino for the title. As a result, Svajda returned to the top 200 in the singles rankings on 14 July 2025, rising more than 75 positions.[25][26]
2026: Top 100 debut
Svajda lifted his seventh Challenger trophy at the 2026 San Diego Open. At the 2026 Delray Beach Open he reached the round of 16 as a qualifier, defeating Aleks Kovacevic, and made his debut in the top 100 in the ATP singles rankings on 23 February 2026.[27]
Performance timeline
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
Singles
| Tournament | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | SR | W–L | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam tournaments | |||||||||||
| Australian Open | A | A | A | A | A | Q2 | Q2 | 1R | 0 / 1 | 0–1 | 0% |
| French Open | A | A | A | A | Q1 | Q2 | Q2 | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |
| Wimbledon | A | NH | A | A | Q2 | Q2 | Q2 | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |
| US Open | 1R | A | 2R | Q2 | 1R | 1R | 2R | 0 / 5 | 2–5 | 29% | |
| Win–loss | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0 / 6 | 2–6 | 25% |
| ATP Masters 1000 | |||||||||||
| Indian Wells Masters | A | NH | 1R | A | Q2 | Q2 | Q1 | 0 / 1 | 0–1 | 0% | |
| Miami Open | A | NH | A | A | A | Q1 | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |
| Monte Carlo Masters | A | NH | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |
| Madrid Open | A | NH | A | A | A | Q1 | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |
| Italian Open | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |
| Canadian Open | A | NH | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |
| Cincinnati Masters | A | A | A | A | A | Q2 | Q1 | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |
| Shanghai Masters | A | NH | A | 2R | A | 0 / 1 | 1–1 | 50% | |||
| Paris Masters | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |
| Win–loss | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 / 2 | 1–2 | 33% |
ATP Challenger and ITF World Tennis Tour finals
Singles: 11 (10 titles, 1 runner-up)
|
|
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | Oct 2022 | Tiburon Challenger, US | Challenger | Hard | Ben Shelton | 2–6, 6–2, 6–4 |
| Win | 2–0 | Sep 2023 | Cary Challenger, US | Challenger | Hard | Rinky Hijikata | 7–6(7–3), 4–6, 6–1 |
| Win | 3–0 | Oct 2023 | Tiburon Challenger, US (2) | Challenger | Hard | Adam Walton | 6–2, 6–2 |
| Win | 4–0 | Oct 2023 | Fairfield Challenger, US | Challenger | Hard | Nishesh Basavareddy | 6–4, 6–1 |
| Loss | 4–1 | Jan 2024 | Southern California Open, US | Challenger | Hard | Blaise Bicknell | 3–6, 2–6 |
| Win | 5–1 | Jul 2025 | Hall of Fame Open, US | Challenger | Grass | Adrian Mannarino | 7–5, 6–3 |
| Win | 6–1 | Jul 2025 | Lexington Open, US | Challenger | Hard | Bernard Tomic | 2–6, 6–3, 6–2 |
| Win | 7–1 | Jan 2026 | San Diego Open, US | Challenger | Hard | Sebastian Korda | 6–4, 7–6(7–5) |
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | Mar 2021 | M25 Austin, US | WTT | Hard | Eduardo Nava | 6–4, 4–6, 6–4 |
| Win | 2–0 | Jun 2022 | M15 Los Angeles, US | WTT | Hard | Brandon Holt | 7–5, 6–4 |
| Win | 3–0 | Jul 2022 | M15 Fountain Valley, US | WTT | Hard | Sekou Bangoura | 6–3, 6–1 |
Notes
- ^ In ATP Tour and Grand Slam main draw matches, Summer Olympics, Davis Cup, United Cup, Laver Cup
References
- ^ "Zachary Svajda". ATPTour.com. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
- ^ "Zachary Svajda ITF Bio". itftennis.com. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
- ^ "La Jolla Native Zach Swajda to Make Third US Open Appearance". Times of San Diego. August 27, 2023. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
- ^ "Zachary Svajda's Non-Traditional Path To The Pros | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP Tour. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
- ^ Pratt, Steve (August 22, 2019). "PRATT: Getting to Know US Open Wild Card Zach Svajda". USTA Southern California. Archived from the original on June 18, 2020.
- ^ Walker, Randy (October 10, 2019). "Sixteen-Year-Old Zach Svajda Gets Attention of ESPN, New York Times, Andy Roddick In U.S. Open Loss". worldtennismagazine.com. Archived from the original on August 29, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
- ^ "San Diego's Svajda brothers ready to take New York as part of U.S. Open qualifiers". August 20, 2023.
- ^ "Pacific Beach's Svajda brothers finding tennis success through unconventional path to U.S. Open". August 28, 2023.
- ^ "Blue Chip Trevor Svajda Commits to SMU".
- ^ "Fifteen-Year Old Zachary Svajda Shocks Top Seed At Claremont Club USTA Pro Classic". Tennis Tour Talk. September 13, 2018. Archived from the original on September 24, 2022.
- ^ 2018 Claremont Club USTA Pro Tennis Classic
- ^ Pratt, Steve (August 26, 2019). "USTA Boys' Nationals winner Zach Svajda primed for Grand Slam debut". USOpen.org. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
- ^ Waldstein, David (August 27, 2019). "In Zachary Svajda, U.S. Men See a Glimmer of Hope (Even in Defeat)". The New York Times. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
- ^ Kapetanakis, Arthur (August 17, 2021). "Zachary Svajda, Ashlyn Krueger earn 2021 US Open wild cards after USTA National Championships titles". US Open.
- ^ Oddo, Chris (September 1, 2021). "2021 US Open Round 1, By the Numbers". US Open.
- ^ Finn, Richard (September 2, 2021). "Sinner holds off Svajda for spot in US Open third round". US Open.
- ^ Thompson, Grant (October 10, 2022). "#NextGenATP Svajda, Skatov Win Maiden Challenger Tour Titles". ATP Tour. Archived from the original on November 28, 2022.
- ^ Sikes, Jeff (August 26, 2023). "Meet the 2023 US Open men's qualifiers".
- ^ "Svajda's Non-Traditional Path To The Pros".
- ^ "Eat Your Heart Out Medvedev – Zach Svajda Again Wins Tiburon".
- ^ "Former men's champions Thiem, Wawrinka among 2024 US Open wild cards". August 14, 2024.
- ^ @WSOpen (August 20, 2024). "Svajda stuns Cerundolo 🤩 🤩 Zachary Svajda earns the biggest win of his career with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Francisco Cerundolo!" (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).
- ^ "Film study pays off, Coric avenges last year's Winston-Salem loss to Baez". ATPTour. August 20, 2024. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
- ^ "Friday Hall of Fame Open Recap". July 11, 2025.
- ^ "Unsung Svajda takes home Tennis Hall of Fame men's title". July 13, 2025.
- ^ "Former college standouts Pinnington Jones, Draxl win Challenger titles". ATPTour. July 14, 2025. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
- ^ "Svajda: Grief, gratitude and a homecoming triumph in memory of his father". ATPTour. February 19, 2026.