Draft:Kristina Penickova

Kristina Penickova (born September 11, 2009) is an American professional tennis player. She has a career-high ITF junior combined ranking of No. 10, achieved on 10 June 2024.

Early life
Kristina Penickova was born in Campbell, California, to father Tomáš and mother Olga. Her parents are both former tennis players from the Czech Republic; her father was ranked as high as No. 884 by the ATP. Her twin sister, Annika, also plays tennis.

Junior career
In October 2022, Penickova made her ITF Juniors debut at the J60 event in Arequipa, where she reached the final. One week later, she reached the semifinals of the J30 Sport Slam Junior in Managua.

In March 2023, she reached the second round of both the J300 FILA International Junior Championships in Indian Wells and the J300 Youth Tennis San Diego Open. The following month, she and her sister won their first doubles title at the J100 event in Delray Beach. She won her first singles title at the J60 event in Kelibia in June 2023. In July, she and her sister were selected to represent the United States at the ITF World Junior Tennis Finals.

Penickova made her junior Grand Slam debut as a wildcard at the 2023 US Open. In singles, she lost in the first round to Hannah Klugman. In doubles, she and her twin sister, Annika, reached the quarterfinals. The following month, she won the J100 Tennis Foundation Ghana Open in Accra in both singles and doubles.

In early 2024, she reached the finals of both the J300 Copa del Café and the J300 Youth Tennis San Diego North American ITF. She won back-to-back titles at the J300 Sarawak Cup in Kuching and the J200 event in Kuala Lumpur. Unseeded at the French Open, she reached the semifinals in singles with wins over Emily Sartz-Lunde, Iva Ivanova, Mia Pohánková, and Rose Marie Nijkamp.

Professional career
In November 2023, Penickova qualified for her first ITF World Tennis Tour tournament at the $15k Norman Open in Norman, Oklahoma, where she reached the second round.