Zarina Diyas facts for kids

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Zarina Diyas
Singles
Diyas at the 2022 French Open
Native name	Зарина Диас
Country (sports)	Kazakhstan
Residence	Almaty, Kazakhstan
Born	(1993-10-18) 18 October 1993 (age 31) Almaty
Height	1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Turned pro	2007
Plays	Right (two-handed backhand)
Coach	Roberto Antonini
Prize money	US$ 3,754,277
Career record	341–247 (57.99%)
Career titles	1 WTA, 9 ITF
Highest ranking	No. 31 (12 January 2015)
Current ranking	No. 383 (11 November 2024)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	3R (2014, 2015, 2020, 2021)
French Open	2R (2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021)
Wimbledon	4R (2014, 2015)
US Open	3R (2014)
Other tournaments
Olympic Games	1R (2021)
Doubles
Career record	29–43 (40.28%)
Career titles	0
Highest ranking	No. 89 (8 June 2015)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	2R (2015, 2018)
French Open	2R (2015, 2021)
Wimbledon	2R (2014, 2021)
US Open	QF (2014)
Team competitions
Fed Cup	18–8 (69.23%)

Zarina Diyas (born October 18, 1993) is a professional tennis player from Kazakhstan. She has achieved a high ranking of No. 31 in the world by the WTA. Zarina has won one singles title on the main WTA Tour and nine singles titles on the ITF Women's Circuit.

Before 2014, Diyas mostly played on the ITF Circuit. That year was a big turning point for her. She started outside the top 150 but quickly moved into the top 40. This allowed her to play in bigger tournaments on the WTA Tour more often. She is known as one of the most successful female tennis players from Kazakhstan, along with Elena Rybakina and Yulia Putintseva.

Diyas joined the Kazakhstan Fed Cup team in 2011. She holds the record for the most singles wins for her country, tied with Yaroslava Shvedova. As of July 2024, her overall record in team matches is 18 wins and 8 losses.

Early Life and Training
Junior Tennis Career
Professional Tennis Journey
Playing Style
Personal Life
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and Training

Zarina Diyas was born in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on October 18, 1993. Her mother is Aida Aulbekova, and she has a sister named Alissa. When Zarina was five, she moved to the Czech Republic with her mother and sister. Her mother introduced her to tennis when she was six years old.

Around 2010, she was part of a tennis club in Prague. She could have become a Czech citizen, but she chose to keep playing for Kazakhstan. She lived in the Czech Republic until she was 12. Then, she moved to Guangzhou, China, for most of her tennis training. Later, she started studying psychology online at a university.

Junior Tennis Career

Diyas was a very good junior player, reaching a high ranking of No. 17. She started playing on the ITF Junior Circuit in January 2007 when she was 13. In July of that year, she won a smaller tournament called the Safina Cup in singles. She also played doubles for the first time at that event.

In 2008, she started strong by winning a big junior tournament in the Czech Republic. In March 2008, she won her first doubles title with Ksenia Lykina. She made her debut at the Grand Slam tournaments in June 2008 at the French Open. She won her first match there but lost in the second round. She also played at Wimbledon and the US Open that year. Her last junior tournament was the French Open in June 2009.

Professional Tennis Journey

2007–2009: Starting Out in Pro Tennis

Diyas began her professional career on the ITF Women's Circuit in 2007 at age 14. She got her first professional title at a $25,000 tournament in Astana in April 2008. In 2009, she won another ITF title in Stuttgart.

She made her debut on the main WTA Tour in Prague as a special player (wildcard). She won her first match and reached the quarterfinals there. Later in 2009, she tried to qualify for the US Open, a major tournament, but didn't make it into the main draw.

2010: Big Wins and Top 200

In 2010, Zarina continued to improve her ranking, entering the top 200 in July. She reached a final at an ITF event in Rome. In October, she had a huge moment at the Kremlin Cup in Moscow. She qualified for the main tournament and then beat the world No. 7 player, Jelena Janković. This was her biggest win at the time! She reached the quarterfinals of that tournament.

2011–2012: Challenges and Comeback

In 2011, Diyas had mixed results. Her best was reaching a final at an ITF event in China. Later that year, she had shoulder surgery and couldn't play for seven months. This caused her ranking to drop outside the top 300.

She returned to play in May 2012. A month later, she won her third ITF title in Uzbekistan without losing a single game in any set. She also reached another final in Taipei and beat the world No. 40, Peng Shuai, at a new WTA Challenger event.

2013: Back in the Top 200

Diyas started 2013 ranked No. 264 and ended it much higher. She won a match at the Malaysian Open, a WTA tournament. Her only ITF title of the year was in Japan, where she beat a rising young player, Belinda Bencic.

2014: Breaking into the Top 50

Diyas at the 2014 Italian Open

The year 2014 was a breakthrough for Diyas. She reached a final at an ITF event in Hong Kong. Then, she qualified for the Australian Open, her first time in the main draw of a Grand Slam. She won two matches there, reaching the third round, which greatly improved her ranking.

She then won a $50,000 ITF event in China. At the Miami Open, she qualified and won a match. She reached her first WTA Tour quarterfinal since 2010 at the Malaysian Open. At Strasbourg, she beat the world No. 22, Kirsten Flipkens.

At Wimbledon, she had her best Grand Slam result yet. She won three matches, beating a seeded player and a former Wimbledon finalist. She reached the fourth round before losing to Simona Halep.

Later in the year, at the US Open, she reached the third round in singles. In doubles, she made it to her first Grand Slam quarterfinal with her partner Xu Yifan. She also reached her first WTA Tour final at the Japan Women's Open. All these achievements helped her finish the year as world No. 34.

2015: Strong Start, Then Challenges

Diyas in 2015

Diyas started 2015 well, reaching quarterfinals in Shenzhen and Hobart. At the Australian Open, she was seeded 31st and reached the third round. In February, she had a good run at the Dubai Tennis Championships, a big tournament, reaching the third round.

She continued to play well on hard courts. However, the clay-court season was tougher for her. At the French Open, she reached the second round.

Despite a slow start on grass, Diyas reached the fourth round of Wimbledon for the second year in a row. She beat seeded players like Flavia Pennetta and Andrea Petkovic. However, her hardcourt season after Wimbledon was difficult, and she lost early in many tournaments, including the US Open. She finished the year ranked No. 52.

2016: Wrist Injury and Recovery

Diyas at the 2016 Wimbledon Championships

Diyas started 2016 with some wins but also early losses. At the Miami Open, she reached the third round. On clay, she made it to the second round of the French Open.

Unfortunately, Diyas suffered a wrist injury at Wimbledon and had to have surgery. She didn't play for the rest of 2016, which caused her ranking to drop out of the top 100.

2017: Comeback and First WTA Title

Diyas at the 2017 Wimbledon

After her injury, Diyas had a tough start to 2017 with several losses. But she soon found her form, reaching quarterfinals and winning an ITF title in China. She also reached a final at a $100,000 tournament in China.

In June, she won the $100,000 Manchester Trophy on grass without losing a set. At Wimbledon, she received a special entry (wildcard) and reached the third round.

Her biggest achievement came at the Japan Women's Open. She qualified for the main draw and then beat several higher-ranked players. In the final, she defeated Miyu Kato to win her first ever WTA Tour title!

2018: Back in Top 100, Another Injury

Diyas started 2018 back in the top 100. She reached the quarterfinals in Shenzhen. At the Miami Open, a major event, she reached the fourth round but had to stop playing due to an injury.

In May, she reached her first WTA clay-court quarterfinal in Strasbourg. She also reached the second round of the French Open. However, she suffered a serious knee injury at the Nottingham Open, which made her miss the entire grass-court season. She returned for the US Open but lost in the first round.

2019–2022: Continued Struggles and Injuries

At the start of 2019, Diyas lost in the first round of the Australian Open. She dropped out of the top 100 again but won an ITF title in May, which helped her get back in.

In 2020, she reached the quarterfinals in Shenzhen. At the Australian Open, she made it to the third round. She continued to face challenges with injuries and early losses in tournaments throughout 2020 and 2021. At the 2021 Australian Open, she reached the third round again. She also played at the 2020 Summer Olympics but had to withdraw from her match due to heat. She finished 2021 ranked 100th.

In 2022, Diyas lost in the first round of the 2022 Australian Open and French Open. She ended her season in June due to injury and her ranking dropped significantly.

2024: Return to the Court

After a two-year break, Zarina Diyas returned to tennis in 2024. She played at Wimbledon, reaching the final round of qualifying. At the China Open, she qualified for her first WTA main tournament since 2022. This helped her ranking move back into the top 500.

Playing Style

Diyas preparing for a forehand shot

Zarina Diyas is an aggressive player who mostly plays from the back of the court. Her game focuses on powerful and accurate shots called groundstrokes. Her forehand shot is very strong and helps her move opponents around the court. This allows her to control the point and win.

Her serve is not her strongest weapon, but she places it well. She uses a special delayed motion when serving, which can make it hard for her opponents to time their return shots. While she isn't the fastest player on the court, she makes up for it with her strong fighting spirit.

When she was 17, Zarina was coached by Jaroslav Jandus. After her shoulder surgery in 2011, she worked with Alan Ma. In 2018, she started working with Roberto Antonini as her coach and Carlo Bilardo as her fitness trainer. Dunlop sponsors Diyas, providing her with racquets, clothes, and shoes. She uses the Dunlop Srixon Revo CV 3.0 Tennis Racquet.

Personal Life

Zarina Diyas has said that her tennis heroes are Justine Henin, Martina Hingis, and Serena Williams. She can speak Russian, Czech, and English fluently. In an interview, Diyas mentioned that her favorite tournament is Wimbledon. She loves its long history and traditions.

In 2019, she won the Fed Cup Heart Award for her region. She is the third player from Kazakhstan to receive this award. In 2014, she was nominated for Newcomer of the Year but the award went to Belinda Bencic.