Li Tu (born 27 May 1996) is an Australian tennis player who mainly competes on the ATP Challenger Tour. Tu has career-high rankings by the ATP of 186 in singles, reached on 18 March 2024, and 197 in doubles, achieved on 9 January 2023.[1]
![]() Tu at the 2023 French Open | |
Country (sports) | ![]() |
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Residence | Adelaide, Australia |
Born | Adelaide, Australia | 27 May 1996
Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) |
Turned pro | 2014 |
Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
Prize money | $401,378 |
Singles | |
Career record | 1–7 (at ATP Tour level, Grand Slam level, and in Davis Cup) |
Career titles | 0 |
Highest ranking | No. 186 (18 March 2024) |
Current ranking | No. 189 (12 August 2024) |
Grand Slam singles results | |
Australian Open | 1R (2021) |
French Open | Q2 (2024) |
Wimbledon | Q2 (2024) |
US Open | Q3 (2024) |
Doubles | |
Career record | 2–2 (at ATP Tour level, Grand Slam level, and in Davis Cup) |
Career titles | 0 |
Highest ranking | No. 197 (9 January 2023) |
Current ranking | No. 264 (19 August 2024) |
Grand Slam doubles results | |
Australian Open | 3R (2022) |
Last updated on: 19 August 2024. |
Career
edit2011–2014: Pro debut and retirement
editTu made his ITF Futures debut in February 2011 at the Australia F2. He played four other tournaments, losing in the first round in all.
Tu competed in the 2012 Junior Davis Cup alongside Thanasi Kokkinakis, later working as a tennis coach prior to his debut on the senior tour.[2]
In February 2014, he won his first match on ITF-level. In April 2014, Tu reached the quarterfinal of the Australia F5, his best result this level, but retired in June 2014.[3]
2020–2021: Return, ATP and Major debut, four ITF titles
editIn 2020, Tu was inspired to return to playing tennis and enjoyed success on the Australian UTR Pro Tennis Series.[3]
He made his ATP Tour debut at the 2021 Murray River Open, where he received a wildcard into the singles main draw.[4]
Tu also made his Grand Slam debut at the 2021 Australian Open, after receiving a wildcard. He lost in the first round to Feliciano López.[5]
In August 2021, Tu won his first ITF title as an unranked qualifier at a M15 tournament in Tunisia. He was competing in his first international event since June 2014.[3]
In September 2021, Tu won the singles and doubles titles at a tournament in Monastir, Tunisia.[6]
Tu ended the season with an ATP ranking of No. 521.
2022: Maiden Challenger title, top 200 debut
editTu lost in the first round of the 2022 Australian Open – Men's singles qualifying.[7] He made his Grand Slam debut in doubles and reached the third round after receiving a wildcard with Dane Sweeny.
In May, he scooped an ITF title in Cairo and finished runner-up at another ITF event at Monastir,[8] winning 11 of his past 12 matches. He raised 55 places to a new career-high of world No. 342 on 9 May 2022.[9]
In July, Tu made his debut on the ATP Challenger Tour in Rome, Georgia, USA, where he lost to Yasutaka Uchiyama. The following week in Indianapolis, as an alternate, he won his first Challenger match against Michail Pervolarakis, but lost to Dominik Koepfer in the second round. He then made his first Challenger quarterfinal in Winnipeg, defeating seventh seed Gijs Brouwer in the second round, before losing to Enzo Couacaud. [citation needed] As a result he reached world No. 252 on 1 August 2022.
In October, Tu made his first Challenger semifinal in Seoul after qualifying by beating Cho Se-hyuk and Mukund Sasikumar. In the main draw, he beat Kaichi Uchida, fellow qualifier Naoki Nakagawa and the fifth seed, compatriot Christopher O'Connell. He defeated the sixth seed, compatriot James Duckworth in the semifinals to reach his first Challenger final. He defeated Wu Yibing in straight sets in the final.[10] As a result, he moved more than 100 positions up inside the top 200 in the rankings at world No. 190 on 17 October 2022.
2023: First ATP Tour win
editIn Newport, after qualifying for the main draw, Tu won his first match at ATP Tour level by beating Aleksandar Vukic in straight sets. This was also his first match win against a top 100 player.[11]
He entered the 2023 Mallorca Championships also as qualifier but lost his first round match against lucky loser Pavel Kotov.
He also entered the main draw at the 2023 Chengdu Open as a lucky loser and lost in the first round.
2024
editHe qualified for his home tournament, the 2024 Brisbane International.
He also qualified for the 2024 Hall of Fame Open.
Personal life
editTu was born in Adelaide to Chinese immigrant parents. His mother Yu Ping Zheng, who died in 2022.[12]
ATP Challenger Tour finals
editSingles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up)
edit
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Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
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Win | 1–0 | Oct 2022 | Seoul, South Korea | Challenger | Hard | Wu Yibing | 7–6(7–5), 6–4 |
Loss | 1–1 | Jul 2024 | Lexington, USA | Challenger | Hard | João Fonseca | 1–6, 4–6 |
Doubles: 1 (1 title)
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Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Win | 1–0 | Jul 2024 | Chicago, USA | Challenger | Hard | Luke Saville | Mac Kiger Benjamin Sigouin |
6–4, 3–6, [10–3] |
ITF World Tennis Tour finals
editSingles: 13 (9 titles, 4 runner-ups)
edit
|
|
Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Win | 1–0 | Aug 2021 | M15 Monastir, Tunisia | WTT | Hard | Mateo Nicolás Martínez | 6–1, 6–1 |
Win | 2–0 | Sep 2021 | M15 Monastir, Tunisia | WTT | Hard | Gabriel Décamps | 6–2, 6–1 |
Win | 3–0 | Sep 2021 | M15 Monastir, Tunisia | WTT | Hard | Ryota Tanuma | 3–6, 6–1, 6–2 |
Win | 4–0 | Nov 2021 | M25 Saint-Dizier, France | WTT | Hard (i) | Dane Sweeny | 1–6, 6–1, 6–4 |
Win | 5–0 | Feb 2022 | M25 Bendigo, Australia | WTT | Hard | Andrew Harris | 6–3, 6–1 |
Win | 6–0 | May 2022 | M25 Cairo, Egypt | WTT | Clay | Colin Sinclair | 6–4, 3–6, 6–4 |
Loss | 6–1 | May 2022 | M15 Monastir, Tunisia | WTT | Hard | Skander Mansouri | 4–6, 2–6 |
Win | 7–1 | May 2022 | M25 Monastir, Tunisia | WTT | Hard | Skander Mansouri | 6–7(3–7), 6–4, 7–6(7–4) |
Loss | 7–2 | Jul 2022 | M15 Waco, Texas, USA | WTT | Hard | Adam Walton | 5–7, 6–0, 1–6 |
Win | 8–2 | Apr 2023 | M15 Monastir, Tunisia | WTT | Hard | Daniel Rodrigues | 3–6, 6–4, 6–4 |
Loss | 8–3 | Apr 2023 | M15 Monastir, Tunisia | WTT | Hard | Duarte Vale | 3–6, 0–3, ret. |
Loss | 8–4 | Feb 2024 | M25 Traralgon, Australia | WTT | Hard | Omar Jasika | 6–7(1–7), 2–6 |
Win | 9–4 | Mar 2024 | M25 Traralgon, Australia | WTT | Hard | Alex Bolt | 6–4, 6–2 |
Doubles: 5 (4 titles, 1 runner-up)
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Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Win | 1–0 | Aug 2021 | M15 Monastir, Tunisia | WTT | Hard | Jeremy Beale | August Holmgren Johannes Ingildsen |
6–4, 6–2 |
Win | 2–0 | Sep 2021 | M15 Monastir, Tunisia | WTT | Hard | Ajeet Rai | Martin Breysach Lilian Marmousez |
6–0, 6–4 |
Win | 3–0 | Feb 2022 | M25 Canberra, Australia | WTT | Hard | Dane Sweeny | Jayden Court David Hough |
6–3, 7–5 |
Loss | 3–1 | Mar 2022 | M25 Bendigo, Australia | WTT | Hard | Dane Sweeny | Akira Santillan Philip Sekulic |
5–7, 7–6, [7–10] |
Win | 4–1 | Mar 2022 | M25 Canberra, Australia | WTT | Clay | Dane Sweeny | Matthew Romios Eric Vanshelboim |
7–6, 3–6, [10–7] |
References
edit- ^ "Li Tu | Overview | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP Tour.
- ^ ""If I play my best I can beat half the draw" Unranked wildcard Li Tu ready to turn heads". 6 February 2021.
- ^ a b c Rogers, Leigh (30 August 2021). "Ranking Movers". Tennis Australia. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
- ^ "Albert Ramos sigue adelante en el Murray River Open". as.com. February 2021.
- ^ "De Minaur delivers". Tennis Australia. 9 February 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
- ^ Rogers, Leigh (20 September 2021). "Ranking Movers". Tennis Australia. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
- ^ "Aussie Men Exit Australian Open Qualifying". Tennis Australia. 12 January 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- ^ "From 'unbelievable' Australian Open chance to triumph in Egypt: Li Tu reaping rewards of six-year break from tennis". www.sportingnews.com. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
- ^ "Ranking movers: Li Tu climbs to new career-high".
- ^ "Australian tennis player Li Tu wins emotional first ATP Challenger title". www.sportingnews.com. 17 October 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
- ^ "Li Tu records milestone victory in all-Australian battle at Newport". Tennis Australia. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
- ^ Huntsdale, Duncan (21 October 2022). "Rising Australian tennis player Li Tu's emotional Challenger Tour breakthrough comes weeks after mother's death". ABC News. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
External links
edit- Li Tu at the Association of Tennis Professionals
- Li Tu at the International Tennis Federation
- Li Tu at Tennis Australia
- Li Tu at Universal Tennis