Introduction
Ellen Perez (born 10 October 1995) is a tennis player from Australia.
She has won one doubles title on the WTA Tour, one doubles title on the WTA Challenger Circuit, as well as two singles and 16 doubles titles on the ITF Women's Circuit. Her career-high rankings in singles and doubles are 162 and 41 respectively, achieved in August 2019 and March 2020.
Perez made her Grand Slam main-draw debut at the 2016 Australian Open in doubles with Belinda Woolcock; they lost in the first round to Jessica Moore and Storm Sanders. She made her first singles Grand Slam appearance at the 2016 US Open after winning the Australian Wildcard Playoff. She attended the University of Georgia in the U.S. from 2014 to 2017.
Personal life
Ellen is the daughter of John and Mitz Perez and sister to Matt Perez. She picked up a tennis racket at the age of three after receiving a totem tennis pole as a Christmas gift, and she started regular coaching at the age of seven. In 2012, she won the Gallipoli Youth Cup held in Ipswich, Queensland.
Career
2012–2014: The beginnings
Perez made her ITF debut in March 2012 in Bundaberg, losing in three sets to Jennifer Elie. In September 2013, she recorded her first main-draw singles win in Toowoomba after qualifying. Perez reached the quarterfinals losing to Azra Hadzic. In December 2013, she won her first ITF doubles title in Hong Kong with Abbie Myers.
In 2014, Perez reached the quarterfinal of the Burnie International and Melbourne, and then competed on the ITF circuit in Europe until June when she started attending college in the United States. Perez ended 2014 with a singles rank of 655 and a doubles rank of 517.
2015–2016: First Grand Slam appearance
In June 2015, Perez returned to play at Bethany Beach where she qualified and reached the singles quarterfinals and the doubles final. The following week in Charlotte, she reached the doubles final. She played across U.S. ITF events for the remainder of 2015.
Perez started her 2016 season in June in U.S. without qualifying for the main draw. In July, she qualified for and won her first singles ITF title in Brussels without dropping a set. She reached a semifinal and final at two subsequent events. Perez won four doubles titles in five weeks across June and July 2016.
In August, Perez won an Australian wildcard playoff to make her Grand Slam single debut at the US Open. She lost to Zhang Shuai in straight sets. Perez said of the experience "It definitely didn’t go as planned, or as hoped, but it was great to be able to have my Grand Slam debut and get out on court in front of all the fans and what-not. It was nice." She ended 2016 with asingles rank of 632 and doubles rank of 414.
2017–present: First WTA win
Perez began the season with a wild card into the Sydney International qualifying where she defeated Kateryna Kozlova ranked 101 in the world. She lost to Naomi Broady in the second round. At the Australian Open qualifying, Perez defeated Tadeja Majerič, then lost to Ana Bogdan.
She returned to play in June where she reached three consecutive doubles finals, winning one. Doubles success continued throughout the rest of the year. In July, Perez qualified for and reached the singles final of Gatineau. This increased her singles ranking to a career high of 363. Perez returned to Australia and reached the semi final of Toowoomba and quarter final of Cairns.
Perez began the 2018 season after being given wild card into the Sydney International where she upset world No. 11 Kristina Mladenovic in the first round. Her first win on the WTA Tour came when Mladenovic retired with the score 4–6, 2–4. Perez lost in round two to Ashleigh Barty.
At the Australian Open, Perez lost in the first round of qualifying to Valentini Grammatikopoulou. Perez made the second round of Burnie, Launceston and Perth, and then reached the final of the ACT Clay Court International in April, losing to Jaimee Fourlis. Perez traveled to Europe and North America's ITF circuit with limited success. In September, she attempted to qualify for two WTA tournaments in Asia before returning to Australia in October where she reached four consecutive ITF finals.
Grand Slam performance timelines
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | A | P | Z# | PO | G | F-S | SF-B | NMS | NH |
Singles
| Tournament | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | W–L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | Q2 | Q1 | 1R | Q1 | 0–1 |
| French Open | A | A | A | A | 0–0 | |
| Wimbledon | A | A | A | Q1 | NH | 0–0 |
| US Open | 1R | A | A | Q2 | 0–1 | |
| Win–Loss | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–2 |
| Year-end ranking | 632 | 343 | 181 |
Doubles
| Tournament | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | W–L |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | 1R | 1R | 2R | 1–3 |
| French Open | A | A | A | 0–0 |
| Wimbledon | A | A | Q1 | 0–0 |
| US Open | A | A | A | 0–0 |
| Win–Loss | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 |
| Year-end ranking | 414 | 205 | 88 |
WTA finals
Doubles: 3 (1 title, 2 runners-up)
| Finals by surface |
|---|
| Winner – Legend |
| Grand Slam tournaments (0–0) |
| Tour Championships (0–0) |
| Premier Mandatory & Premier 5 (0–0) |
| Premier (0–0) |
| International (1–2) |
| Finals by surface |
| Hard (0–1) |
| Grass (0–1) |
| Clay (1–0) |
| Carpet (0–0) |
| Grand Slam tournaments (0–0) |
| Tour Championships (0–0) |
| Premier Mandatory & Premier 5 (0–0) |
| Premier (0–0) |
| International (1–2) |
| Hard (0–1) |
| Grass (0–1) |
| Clay (1–0) |
| Carpet (0–0) |
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | May 2019 | Internationaux de Strasbourg, France |
International | Clay | Daria Gavrilova | Duan Yingying Han Xinyun |
6–4, 6–3 | |
| Loss | Jun 2019 | Nottingham Open, England |
International | Grass | Arina Rodionova | Desirae Krawczyk Giuliana Olmos |
6–7, 5–7 | |
| Loss | Feb 2020 | Hua Hin Championships, Thailand |
International | Hard | Barbara Haas | Arina Rodionova Storm Sanders |
3–6, 3–6 |
WTA 125K series finals
Doubles: 1 (1 title)
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | Nov 2019 | WTA Houston, United States | Hard | Luisa Stefani | Sharon Fichman Ena Shibahara |
1–6, 6–4, [10–5] |
ITF Circuit finals
Singles: 9 (2 titles, 7 runner–ups)
| Finals by surface |
|---|
| Legend |
| $100,000 tournaments |
| $80,000 tournaments |
| $60,000 tournaments |
| $25,000 tournaments |
| $15,000 tournaments |
| $10,000 tournaments |
| Finals by surface |
| Hard (1–5) |
| Clay (1–2) |
| Grass (0–0) |
| Carpet (0–0) |
| $100,000 tournaments |
| $80,000 tournaments |
| $60,000 tournaments |
| $25,000 tournaments |
| $15,000 tournaments |
| $10,000 tournaments |
| Hard (1–5) |
| Clay (1–2) |
| Grass (0–0) |
| Carpet (0–0) |
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | Jul 2016 | ITF Brussels, Belgium | 10,000 | Clay | Kimberley Zimmermann | 6–2, 6–3 | |
| Loss | Aug 2016 | ITF Rebecq, Belgium | 10,000 | Clay | Hélène Scholsen | 6–3, 1–6, 2–6 | |
| Loss | Jul 2017 | ITF Gatineau, Canada | 25,000 | Hard | Aleksandra Wozniak | 6–7, 4–6 | |
| Loss | Apr 2018 | ITF Canberra, Australia | 25,000 | Clay | Jaimee Fourlis | 3–6, 2–6 | |
| Loss | Sep 2018 | ITF Darwin, Australia | 60,000 | Hard | Kimberly Birrell | 3–6, 3–6 | |
| Loss | Oct 2018 | ITF Brisbane, Australia | 25,000 | Hard | Xu Shilin | 4–6, 3–6 | |
| Loss | Oct 2018 | ITF Toowoomba, Australia | 25,000 | Hard | Zoe Hives | 0–6, 2–6 | |
| Loss | Oct 2018 | ITF Bendigo, Australia | 60,000 | Hard | Priscilla Hon | 4–6, 6–4, 5–7 | |
| Win | Jul 2019 | ITF Ashland, United States | 60,000 | Hard | Zoe Hives | 6–2, 3–2 ret. |
Doubles: 26 (17 titles, 9 runner–ups)
| Finals by surface |
|---|
| Legend |
| $100,000 tournaments |
| $80,000 tournaments |
| $60,000 tournaments |
| $25,000 tournaments |
| $15,000 tournaments |
| $10,000 tournaments |
| Finals by surface |
| Hard (13–5) |
| Clay (3–3) |
| Grass (1–1) |
| Carpet (0–0) |
| $100,000 tournaments |
| $80,000 tournaments |
| $60,000 tournaments |
| $25,000 tournaments |
| $15,000 tournaments |
| $10,000 tournaments |
| Hard (13–5) |
| Clay (3–3) |
| Grass (1–1) |
| Carpet (0–0) |
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Partner | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | Dec 2013 | ITF Hong Kong, Hong Kong (SAR) | 10,000 | Hard | Abbie Myers | Lee Ya-hsuan Chuang Chia-jung |
4–6, 6–3, [10–8] | |
| Loss | Apr 2014 | ITF Glen Iris, Australia | 15,000 | Hard | Tammi Patterson | Aleksandrina Naydenova Jessica Moore |
4–6, 2–6 | |
| Loss | Jun 2015 | ITF Bethany Beach, United States | 10,000 | Clay | Belinda Woolcock | Andie Daniell Sophie Chang |
4–6, 1–6 | |
| Loss | Jun 2015 | ITF Charlotte, United States | 10,000 | Clay | Lauren Herring | Maria Fernanda Alves Renata Zarazúa |
4–6, 7–6 [8–10] | |
| Win | Jun 2016 | ITF Baton Rouge, United States | 25,000 | Hard | Lauren Herring | Jamie Loeb Ingrid Neel |
6–3, 6–3 | |
| Win | Jul 2016 | ITF Brussels, Belgium | 10,000 | Clay | Carolina Meligeni Alves | Karin Kennel Hélène Scholsen |
6–2, 6–3 | |
| Win | Jul 2016 | ITF Saint-Gervais, France | 10,000 | Clay | Abbie Myers | Fatma Al-Nabhani Estelle Cascino |
7–6 , 6–2 | |
| Win | Jul 2016 | ITF Maaseik, Belgium | 10,000 | Clay | Sally Peers | Deborah Kerfs Chiara Scholl |
6–2, 6–2 | |
| Loss | Jun 2017 | ITF Sumter, United States | 25,000 | Hard | Luisa Stefani | Kaitlyn Christian Giuliana Olmos |
2–6, 6–3, [7–10] | |
| Win | Jun 2017 | ITF Baton Rouge, United States | 25,000 | Hard | Luisa Stefani | Francesca Di Lorenzo Julia Elbaba |
6–3, 6–4 | |
| Loss | Jul 2017 | ITF Auburn, United States | 25,000 | Hard | Luisa Stefani | Emina Bektas Alexa Guarachi |
6–4, 4–6, [5–10] | |
| Win | Jul 2017 | ITF Granby, Canada | 60,000 | Hard | Carol Zhao | Alexa Guarachi Olivia Tjandramulia |
6–2, 6–2 | |
| Win | Aug 2017 | ITF Fort Worth, United States | 25,000 | Hard | Giuliana Olmos | Miharu Imanishi Ayaka Okuno |
6–4, 6–3 | |
| Loss | Nov 2017 | ITF Canberra, Australia | 60,000 | Hard | Jessica Moore | Asia Muhammad Arina Rodionova |
4–6, 4–6 | |
| Win | Feb 2018 | ITF Launceston, Australia | 25,000 | Hard | Jessica Moore | Laura Robson Valeria Savinykh |
7–6, 6–4 | |
| Win | Feb 2018 | ITF Perth, Australia | 25,000 | Hard | Jessica Moore | Olivia Tjandramulia Belinda Woolcock |
6–7, 6–1, [7–9] ret. | |
| Loss | May 2018 | ITF Caserta, Italy | 25,000 | Clay | Jaimee Fourlis | Chen Pei-hsuan Wu Fang-hsien |
6–7, 3–6 | |
| Win | Jun 2018 | ITF Surbiton, United Kingdom | 100,000 | Grass | Jessica Moore | Arina Rodionova Yanina Wickmayer |
4–6, 7–5, [10–3] | |
| Loss | Jul 2018 | ITF Berkeley, United States | 60,000 | Hard | Sabrina Santamaria | Nicole Gibbs Asia Muhammad |
4–6, 1–6 | |
| Win | Jul 2018 | ITF Granby, Canada | 60,000 | Hard | Arina Rodionova | Erika Sema Aiko Yoshitomi |
7–5, 6–4 | |
| Win | Aug 2018 | ITF Landisville, United States | 60,000 | Hard | Arina Rodionova | Chen Pei-hsuan Wu Fang-hsien |
6–0, 6–2 | |
| Win | Oct 2018 | ITF Bendigo, Australia | 60,000 | Hard | Arina Rodionova | Eri Hozumi Risa Ozaki |
7–5, 6–1 | |
| Win | Nov 2018 | ITF Canberra, Australia | 60,000 | Hard | Arina Rodionova | Naiktha Bains Destanee Aiava |
6–7, 6–3, [10–7] | |
| Win | Jan 2019 | ITF Burnie, Australia | 60,000 | Hard | Arina Rodionova | Irina Khromacheva Maryna Zanevska |
6–4, 6–3 | |
| Loss | Jun 2019 | ITF Ilkley, United Kingdom | 100,000 | Grass | Arina Rodionova | Beatriz Haddad Maia Luisa Stefani |
4–6, 7–6, [4–10] | |
| Win | Jan 2020 | ITF Burnie, Australia (2) | 60,000 | Hard | Storm Sanders | Desirae Krawczyk Asia Muhammad |
6–3, 6–2 |