Alina Korneeva

Alina Korneeva is a Russian professional tennis player who has competed on the WTA Tour since 2021.

Alina Korneeva was born in Moscow, Russia on June 23, 2007. Her father is Aleksandr Korneev - a former professional volleyball player who won bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Korneeva grew up playing tennis in Moscow and her nickname is ‘Mini Sharapova’, referencing former Russian great Maria Sharapova.

In 2020, aged 13, Korneeva began her tennis career on the ITF circuit. She was runner-up at the European Junior Championships under-14 girls singles in 2021. In 2022, Korneeva won six titles at the ITF junior level. She also won her first-ever ITF-level title at Casablanca in 2022, beating Laura Hietaranta in the final.

2023 was a strong season for Korneeva as her reputation grew at the junior and WTA levels. She won two junior Grand Slams at the Australian Open and Roland Garros, climbing to the world number one spot as a result. Then the Russian player made her WTA-level debut at the Hong Kong Open. She progressed to the round of 16 after beating her compatriot, Valeria Savinykh, in the first round.

To cap a breakthrough 2023 season, Korneeva won the ITF World Tennis Tour Junior Finals in October. She triumphed at the tournament after beating Sara Saito in the final. Korneeva carried her confidence into the 2024 season.

She made her career Grand Slam debut at the 2024 Australian Open after navigating through the qualifying rounds. In round one, the Russian teenager beat Sara Sorribes Tormo before losing in the second round against Beatriz Haddad Maia.

After her Grand Slam debut in January 2024, Korneeva continued to progress on the WTA Tour. She made the main draws at the Thailand Open and Mumbai Open, reaching the quarter-finals in Mumbai.