Carol Zhao

Carol Zhao (born June 20, 1995) is a Chinese-Canadian tennis player. She reached her highest WTA singles ranking of No. 131 in June 2018, and her career-high junior rank of No. 9 on January 1, 2013. She won the Australian Open junior doubles title in 2013. Zhao was a member of the Stanford University tennis team, ending her college career with a 76–16 overall record and leading the team to win the 2016 NCAA championship. She also was the 2015 NCAA singles runner-up.

She turned professional in June 2016 and was Canada's top singles player from June 11, 2018, to July 23, 2018.

Zhao was born in Chongqing, China, to Ping and Lily Zhao and started playing tennis at the age of five, with the encouragement of her grade school teacher. At the age of seven, she and her family emigrated to Canada and settled in the city of Richmond Hill, Ontario. In September 2010, she relocated to Montreal to be part of the National Training Centre until August 2013.

In July 2010, Zhao won three straight junior singles tournaments at the G5 in Edmonton, G4 in Vancouver and G5 in Manitoba, respectively. She also won three junior doubles tournaments around that time. She reached the semifinals in doubles of the GB1 in Tulsa in October. In November, Zhao played her first professional quarterfinal at the $50k tournament in Toronto.

In January 2011, Zhao reached the semifinals in doubles to back to back tournaments, the GA in Tlalnepantla and the G1 in San José. In March, she lost to Ashleigh Barty in the final of the G1 in Kuching. Zhao reached in June the second round of the French Open, her first junior Grand Slam tournament. She lost in the first round of the junior US Open in September.

In January 2012, Zhao lost in the second round in singles and the quarterfinals in doubles at the junior Australian Open. In March, she made the final in both singles and doubles of the G1 in Nonthaburi, but only won the doubles title. She lost a week later to Elizaveta Kulichkova in the final of the G1 in Sarawak. Zhao reached the second round for the second straight year at the junior French Open. In late June, Zhao reached her third G1 final of the year, but lost this time to fellow Canadian Eugenie Bouchard in three sets. Three of the four semifinalists were Canadian at this tournament (the third was Françoise Abanda). However, she lost in the first round of the junior Wimbledon Championships.

In September, Zhao lost in an all-Canadian final at the G1 in Repentigny to Françoise Abanda. A week later, she made it to the third round in singles at the junior US Open. She also reached the quarterfinals in doubles. In mid-September, Zhao reached the quarterfinals in doubles of the WTA tournament in Quebec City. In October, she ended runner-up in the GB1 in Tulsa, but won the final in doubles.

Zhao lost in the second round of the junior Australian Open in singles, but won the doubles title with Ana Konjuh by defeating Oleksandra Korashvili and Barbora Krejčíková in the final. In May, she made it to her first professional doubles final at the $10k event in Pula, but lost to Italians Martina Caregaro and Anna Floris. She also reached her first singles final at the same tournament, but was defeated this time by Sofiya Kovalets. At the junior event of the French Open, Zhao reached the third round in singles and made it to the semifinals in doubles. She also reached the third round at the junior Wimbledon in singles and the quarterfinals in doubles.