Kaitlin Quevedo made her tour-level debut at the Auckland Open in January. Eight months later, she is a WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz champion.
The 20-year-old rallied from a set down in Monday’s rescheduled Sao Paulo final, defeating fellow first-time finalist Nadia Podoroska 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 in 2 hours and 8 minutes to win the 2026 SP Open in just her eighth WTA main-draw appearance. The title comes on the same day she achieved a career-high ranking of No. 90.
After a start that largely tilted toward Podoroska, Quevedo erased a break deficit in the second set and broke in the final game to force a decider. She then rolled through the first five games of the third before closing with another break, watching Podoroska’s last forehand sail long to seal her championship moment.
It continues a prosperous season for the Spaniard. Since her debut, she has beaten Venus Williams in Madrid, made her Grand Slam main-draw debut at Roland Garros — where she defeated Leolia Jeanjean for her first Major win — and cracked the Top 100 for the first time in July.
In August, she reached her first WTA 125 final, falling to Laura Samson, and earlier won a W75 in Saint-Gaudens in May, her 10th WTT title.
More to come…