Polina Kudermetova has changed her sporting citizenship and will represent Uzbekistan

Russian tennis player Polina Kudermetova has officially changed her sporting citizenship and will now represent Uzbekistan on the international stage.

The athlete’s updated flag can already be seen on her profile on the websites of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA).

Kuderemetova is ranked 104th in the WTA rankings and is one of the most promising tennis players of her generation. Polina Kuderemetova reached her highest singles ranking on April 14, 2025, when she was ranked 54th in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA). At the professional level, she has already won eight ITF singles titles and two ITF doubles titles, performing consistently in ITF World Tennis Tour tournaments.

Polina Kuderemetova is one of the most successful and rapidly progressing ITF tennis players in recent years. She has won ten ITF titles.

Her 2025 season was particularly impressive:

Reaching the final of the WTA 500 in Brisbane (2025)

Polina reached her first WTA 500 final at the tournament in Brisbane. In the semifinals, she defeated Angelina Kalinina 6-4, 6-3, which was one of her most impressive victories at a high level and allowed her to reach the final of a major tournament for the first time in her career.

Victory over Daria Kasatkina (2025)

At the same tournament in Brisbane, Kudermetova defeated Daria Kasatkina, who was significantly higher in the rankings at the time. This victory helped her enter the top 100 of the WTA rankings for the first time.

Reaching the quarterfinals and semifinals on the WTA Tour

Polina has reached the quarterfinals and semifinals several times at WTA tournaments in Seoul and Merida, demonstrating her progress at the highest level.

Victory at the China Open (WTA 1000)

At the China Open in Beijing (WTA 1000 category) in 2025, she made it to the second round, defeating Madison Inglis 7-5, 7-6(9-7). This is a significant achievement in the biggest competitions after the Grand Slams.

ITF tournament victories

Before moving to the WTA main tour, Kudermetova won several ITF tournaments:

W50 Indore (2024) – champion
W40 Astana (2023) – champion

Polina won four trophies at once, winning the W25 Jerusalem, W25 Istanbul, W25 Raanana, and W15 Kazan tournaments, all on hard courts. She had also previously won titles in Kazan and Antalya, demonstrating her versatility and consistency on both hard and clay courts.

These victories confirm Kudermetova’s status as the strongest representative of the new generation and make her one of the key reinforcements for Uzbekistan tennis.

Kudermetova’s transfer has been a significant boost for Uzbek tennis. She is now the fifth athlete to decide to compete under the Uzbek flag. Previously, Kamila Rakhimova, Maria Timofeeva, Alexandra Barmicheva, and Laima Vladson changed their sporting citizenship.

Polina Kuderemetova’s addition is an important step in the development of women’s tennis in Uzbekistan and the strengthening of the national team ahead of major international competitions.

Press Service of the Uzbekistan Tennis Federation