1. Overview
Alison Riske-Amritraj (née Riske; born July 3, 1990) is an inactive American tennis player. She achieved her career-high singles ranking of world No. 18 in November 2019 and secured her first WTA Tour title at the 2014 Tianjin Open. Throughout her career, Riske-Amritraj has won three WTA Tour singles titles, alongside nine singles titles and one doubles title on the ITF Circuit. She has notably reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in 2019, and the fourth round of the Australian Open in 2020 and the US Open in both 2013 and 2022. Known for her strong performances in major events, she has recorded significant wins against numerous current and former top-10 players including Ashleigh Barty, Elina Svitolina, Petra Kvitová, and Naomi Osaka. Her career earnings total over 6.82 M USD.
2. Early life and background
Alison Riske-Amritraj was born on July 3, 1990, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. She currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia. Her father, Al Riske, worked for the Secret Service and later as an FBI investigator, while her mother, Carol Riske, was a school teacher; both are now retired. Riske-Amritraj was introduced to tennis at the age of three when her father took her out to hit. She is approximately 69 in (175 cm) tall and weighs approximately 146 lb (66 kg).
Her family also has a strong connection to tennis. Her older sister, Sarah Riske, was a collegiate tennis player for Vanderbilt University and had a brief professional career, reaching a career-high ranking of world No. 372. Her brother, Dan, also played college tennis for West Liberty State and now works as an accountant.
Riske-Amritraj was educated by the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School. In the fall of 2006, she played for Peters Township High School, where she led the girls' tennis team to win the Pennsylvania State championship and also secured the singles championship. The following year, she won the USTA National Collegiate Clay Court Championship, which earned her a spot in the US Open qualifying draw, where she won her first match against Sorana Cîrstea before losing to Julie Ditty. She also won the ITA Summer Claycourt Championship and finished second at the USTA National Hardcourts that year. By early 2008, she achieved the No. 1 ranking in the United States in the Girls' 18s competition. Later that year, she gained her first experience on the professional circuit by serving as a hitting partner for the United States Fed Cup team during their semifinal match against Russia.
In her early career, Riske-Amritraj was coached by Janice Irwin, who coached the girls' tennis team at nearby Upper St. Clair High School. She later began working with Yves Boulais, the husband of former professional tennis player Patricia Hy-Boulais, often training alongside her sister Sarah. She also underwent brief training at the USTA training center in Boca Raton, Florida, as well as the Van der Meer Tennis Academy in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. She continued her training with Yves Boulais at the end of 2012. Additionally, she worked with coaches Billy Heiser and Thomas Gutteridge during her career.
3. Professional career
Alison Riske-Amritraj's professional career saw her rise through the rankings, achieving multiple titles and notable Grand Slam performances before a period of decline and a hiatus. Her career also includes participation in the Olympics, where she reached the first round of both singles and doubles at the 2020 Summer Olympics (held in 2021). She was also part of the winning 2017 Fed Cup team, holding a 2-3 win-loss record in the competition.
3.1. Early years (2009-2011)
Alison Riske-Amritraj began 2009 ranked No. 895 in the world. As a senior in high school, she had initially signed a letter of intent to play college tennis at Vanderbilt University. However, due to her breakthrough performances, she made the decision to forgo her scholarship and turn professional.
In May 2009, Riske-Amritraj started a strong run on the ITF Circuit. As a qualifier, she reached the semifinals of a professional tournament in Indian Harbour Beach, Florida. In June, she made it to the finals of a tournament in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, and again as a qualifier, reached the semifinals of a tournament in Boston. Her consistent form continued with another semifinal appearance in Atlanta. By the time of the US Open, her ranking had significantly improved to No. 344. She received a wildcard into the US Open qualifying tournament but lost in three sets to Yulia Fedossova. Before the US Open, Riske-Amritraj confirmed her decision to turn professional. She continued her strong form towards the end of the year, winning an ITF tournament in Troy, Alabama, as a qualifier, where she defeated fellow American Christina McHale in the final. She concluded 2009 ranked No. 232.
In 2010, her first full professional season, Riske-Amritraj reached the semifinals of an ITF event in Rancho Mirage, California. Her breakthrough came in June when she qualified for the grass-court Birmingham Classic. She secured wins over Aleksandra Wozniak, Anna Chakvetadze, and Yanina Wickmayer before falling in three sets to Maria Sharapova in the semifinals. This performance earned her a main-draw wildcard into Wimbledon, marking her Grand Slam debut, where she lost in the first round in a rematch against Wickmayer. In October, Riske-Amritraj completed an impressive streak by winning three consecutive ITF tournaments: one $75k event and two $50k events.
In 2011, Riske-Amritraj reached the finals of a $50k tournament in Indian Harbour Beach. A few weeks later, she found success on grass courts, reaching the semifinals of the Nottingham Open and the quarterfinals of the WTA Tour event Birmingham Classic. She concluded 2011 with a successful run in Europe, winning titles in Joué-lès-Tours and Limoges, and finished the year ranked No. 136.
3.2. Breakthrough and first WTA title (2013-2014)
The year 2013 marked a significant breakthrough for Alison Riske-Amritraj, culminating in her impressive performance at the US Open. At the US Open, she caused a major upset by defeating former Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitová in the third round with a dominant 6-3, 6-0 scoreline. She then advanced to the fourth round, where she was eventually defeated by former world No. 5, Daniela Hantuchová.
In 2014, Riske-Amritraj continued her ascent. She reached the quarterfinals at the 2014 Hobart International, with notable wins over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Casey Dellacqua. At the 2014 Australian Open, she upset the 23rd seed Elena Vesnina and advanced to the third round before losing to the ninth seed, Angelique Kerber. During the WTA Premier Birmingham Classic, she reached the third round, notably defeating both Lyudmyla Kichenok and her twin sister Nadiia Kichenok.
Her most significant achievement in 2014 came in October at the inaugural Tianjin Open. Seeded sixth, Riske-Amritraj navigated her way to the final without dropping a set, defeating Çağla Büyükakçay, Olga Govortsova, Varvara Lepchenko, and Zheng Saisai en route. In the final, she secured her maiden WTA title by defeating 17-year-old Belinda Bencic with a score of 6-3, 6-4. Reflecting on her victory, she stated, "It's a huge accomplishment for me to win my first WTA title, and I was here [in China] by myself, which made it even more special, just to know that I was able to do it by myself. I hope I can keep up the momentum and try to compete every week as best as I can." This victory helped her crack the top 50 in the world rankings.
3.3. Three WTA Tour finals (2016)
The year 2016 saw Alison Riske-Amritraj reach three WTA Tour finals, showcasing her consistency across different surfaces. In January, she reached the final of the WTA Shenzhen Open, where she was defeated by Agnieszka Radwańska in straight sets. In June, she made her first career final appearance on a grass court at the Nottingham Open, but she ultimately lost to Karolína Plíšková.
Later in October, Riske-Amritraj reached her third final of the year at the Tianjin Open, the same tournament where she had secured her first WTA title in 2014. During her run to the final, she achieved one of the biggest wins of her career by defeating two-time Grand Slam champion, former world No. 2, and then-world No. 8, Svetlana Kuznetsova, in the semifinals. However, in the final, she was defeated in straight sets by Chinese home favorite, former top-15 singles player, and former doubles world No. 1, Peng Shuai.
3.4. Wimbledon quarterfinal, second WTA title, and Top 20 breakthrough (2019)
The year 2019 proved to be the most successful year of Alison Riske-Amritraj's career, marked by a Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance and a breakthrough into the world's top 20. In January, she found success in doubles at the 2019 Australian Open, reaching the semifinals with her partner Jennifer Brady. Along the way, they achieved two notable upsets, defeating the fourth seeds Nicole Melichar and Květa Peschke in the third round, and the seventh seeds, the sisters Chan Hao-ching and Latisha Chan, in the quarterfinals, before falling to the second seeds and defending champions Tímea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic. In singles, she reached the final in Shenzhen for the third time in four years but lost to world No. 13, Aryna Sabalenka, marking her sixth consecutive loss in a WTA tournament final.
However, Riske-Amritraj managed to reverse her final-match struggles at the start of the grass-court season. In June, she reached her second final of the year at the Rosmalen Open. After being bageled (losing 0-6) in the opening set and facing five championship points in the second set, Riske-Amritraj staged a remarkable comeback to upset the home favorite and world No. 4, Kiki Bertens, in three sets with a score of 0-6, 7-6(3-7), 7-5. This victory marked her second WTA singles title, her first on grass, and her first title in over four and a half years. This win also propelled her back into the top 50 rankings for the first time since September 2017.
Despite this victory, Riske-Amritraj faced a challenging draw at Wimbledon. She caused a minor upset in the first round by defeating the 22nd seed Donna Vekić in three sets, followed by another three-set victory over the young Ivana Jorović. In the third round, Riske-Amritraj came back from a set down in the final set to upset the 13th seed Belinda Bencic, reaching the second week of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time since the 2013 US Open. She then achieved the biggest victory of her career by defeating the newly crowned world No. 1 and French Open champion, Ashleigh Barty, who was on a 15-match winning streak. Riske-Amritraj won in three sets (3-6, 6-2, 6-3), coming back from a set down for the third time in four matches, to advance to her first-ever Grand Slam quarterfinal. In the quarterfinals, she faced the formidable eleventh seed Serena Williams. Despite pushing the 23-time Grand Slam champion and former No. 1 to a third set, Riske-Amritraj ultimately succumbed to Williams, bringing an end to the best Grand Slam run of her career. Nevertheless, her exceptional performance at Wimbledon propelled her back into the top 40 rankings for the first time in two years.
Following Wimbledon, Riske-Amritraj continued to compete strongly. At the Toronto tournament, her first event after Wimbledon, she defeated Maria Sakkari in the first round before losing to Karolína Plíšková in three tight sets. At the Cincinnati tournament, she lost in the first round to Maria Sharapova in two close sets. At the US Open, Riske-Amritraj defeated Garbiñe Muguruza in the first round but exited in the second round to Jeļena Ostapenko. At the Zhenghzou tournament, she defeated Angelique Kerber in the first round before losing to Zheng Saisai in the second. At the Osaka tournament, Riske-Amritraj lost to Nicole Gibbs in the first round before heading to the 2019 Wuhan Open. In Wuhan, she defeated Kateryna Kozlova, Monica Puig, and Wang Qiang. She then caused an upset by defeating world No. 3, Elina Svitolina, in her first-ever Premier-5 quarterfinal, followed by a victory over world No. 7, Petra Kvitová, in the semifinals. In the final, she lost to the reigning champion Aryna Sabalenka, but this result marked her best performance in a Premier-level tournament. Following Wuhan, Riske-Amritraj competed at the Beijing tournament, where she defeated Ajla Tomljanović in the second round before losing to the eventual champion Naomi Osaka. These consistent performances brought her singles ranking into the top 20 for the first time in her career.
By virtue of her strong results throughout the year, Riske-Amritraj qualified for the Elite Trophy for the first time in her career. She was drawn in the Camellia Group but lost both of her matches to fellow American Sofia Kenin and Karolína Muchová, consequently failing to advance to the semifinals. Alison Riske-Amritraj concluded 2019 ranked No. 18, which remains her career-high ranking.
3.5. Australian Open fourth round and out of Top 20 (2020)
Alison Riske-Amritraj commenced her 2020 season at the Brisbane International, where her campaign ended in the quarterfinals with a loss to the eventual champion, Karolína Plíšková. She then participated in the 2020 Australian Open, where she was seeded 18th, marking her first time being seeded at a Grand Slam tournament. She successfully navigated the first two rounds, dismissing the Chinese youngsters Wang Yafan and Zhu Lin, and then defeated Julia Görges to advance to the fourth round in Melbourne for the first time in her career. In a highly anticipated rematch against world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty, Riske-Amritraj was unable to replicate her success from Wimbledon, falling to the Australian in three sets. Following this, she experienced early losses in Dubai and Doha before the professional tennis tour was suspended due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Upon the resumption of the tour, Riske-Amritraj made her return with a first-round loss at the 2020 Western & Southern Open. Despite being ranked 20th at the time, she was seeded 13th at the 2020 US Open due to several top-10 players withdrawing over safety concerns related to the pandemic. She defeated Tatjana Maria in the first round but was upset by fellow American and world No. 128, Ann Li, in the second round. In doubles, Riske-Amritraj partnered with Gabriela Dabrowski, and the pair reached the quarterfinals, where they were defeated by Asia Muhammad and Taylor Townsend. She achieved her career-high doubles ranking of No. 40 on January 13, 2020.
3.6. Foot injury and third WTA Tour title (2021)
The 2021 season presented challenges for Alison Riske-Amritraj due to a foot injury, which impacted her form and rankings. Despite this setback, she made a significant return to form later in the year. At the Linz Open, Riske-Amritraj successfully captured her third WTA Tour title by defeating lucky loser Jaqueline Cristian in a hard-fought match. This victory was a pivotal moment in her season, marking a successful comeback. As a direct result of her triumph in Linz, her ranking climbed from No. 73 at the start of the tournament to No. 51, demonstrating her resilience and ability to compete at a high level despite her injury.
3.7. Two WTA Tour finals and second US Open fourth round (2022)
In 2022, Alison Riske-Amritraj achieved notable results, including reaching two WTA Tour finals and a second fourth-round appearance at the US Open. She began the year by making her way to her first final at the 2022 Adelaide International 2, where she faced Madison Keys in the championship match, ultimately losing in straight sets, 1-6, 2-6, in just an hour.
Her 2022 Australian Open campaign was relatively brief, as she fell in the second round to Jeļena Ostapenko in three sets. After experiencing two consecutive losses, Riske-Amritraj found success at the Indian Wells tournament, where she won her next singles match. However, upon reaching the third round, she was once again defeated by fellow American Madison Keys in straight sets. Her 2022 Miami Open journey ended in a similar fashion, with another third-round loss in straight sets, this time to Naomi Osaka. Her clay-court season included a second-round loss at the 2022 French Open to the world No. 1 and eventual champion, Iga Świątek.
Riske-Amritraj's grass-court season began with her entry into the Nottingham Open, where she was seeded sixth. She won her first two matches in straight sets against Daria Snigur and Caroline Garcia. In her quarterfinal match against local player Harriet Dart, the match was suspended due to rain after they had split sets. Upon resumption, Riske-Amritraj dominated the third set, dropping only one game. In the semifinal, she defeated Viktorija Golubic in three sets, but she narrowly missed out on the Nottingham Open title for a second time, losing to Beatriz Haddad Maia in three sets in the final.
At the 2022 US Open, Riske-Amritraj, seeded 29th, reached the fourth round for the second time in her career. She achieved this by defeating Eleana Yu, Camila Osorio, and Wang Xiyu. In the fourth round, she was defeated by the 17th seed Caroline Garcia in straight sets.
3.8. Decline and hiatus (2023)
The year 2023 saw Alison Riske-Amritraj's ranking decline, eventually leading to a hiatus from professional tennis. She started her 2023 season in Adelaide. At the 2023 Adelaide International 1, she lost in the first round of qualifying to Viktorija Golubic. As a previous year's finalist at the 2023 Adelaide International 2, she advanced to the final round of qualifying but lost to Anna Kalinskaya. However, due to the withdrawal of defending champion Madison Keys, Riske-Amritraj earned a lucky loser spot into the main draw but was defeated in the first round by Barbora Krejčíková. At the 2023 Australian Open, she lost in the first round to Markéta Vondroušová in three sets.
In February, Riske-Amritraj competed at the inaugural Mérida Open. Seeded eighth, she was defeated in the first round by Wang Xiyu. At the first edition of the ATX Open in Austin, Texas, she was eliminated in the first round by fellow American Katie Volynets.
In March, she played at the Indian Wells Open and lost in the first round to wildcard and compatriot, Elizabeth Mandlik, in three sets, despite holding a significant lead of 6-3, 4-1. Her last match before taking a hiatus was at Wimbledon, where she lost to Paula Badosa.
4. Personal life
In late July 2019, just weeks after reaching her first major quarterfinal at Wimbledon, Alison Riske married her long-term partner Stephen Amritraj in her hometown of Pittsburgh. Stephen Amritraj is the nephew of legendary Indian tennis player Vijay Amritraj and the son of Anand Amritraj, who was also a professional tennis player.
In March 2024, Riske-Amritraj announced that she was expecting a baby girl in July, signaling a new chapter in her personal life.
5. Career statistics
Alison Riske-Amritraj's professional tennis career spanned over a decade, marked by three WTA Tour singles titles and consistent performances at the Grand Slam level. Her career statistics reflect her presence and competitiveness on the professional circuit.
5.1. WTA Tour finals
Alison Riske-Amritraj has reached 8 WTA Tour singles finals, winning 2 and losing 6.
| Result | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | October 12, 2014 | Tianjin | Hard | Belinda Bencic | 6-3, 6-4 |
| Runner-up | 1. | January 10, 2016 | Shenzhen | Hard | Agnieszka Radwańska | 3-6, 2-6 |
| Runner-up | 2. | June 12, 2016 | Nottingham | Grass | Karolína Plíšková | 6-7(8-10), 5-7 |
| Runner-up | 3. | October 16, 2016 | Tianjin | Hard | Peng Shuai | 6-7(3-7), 2-6 |
| Runner-up | 4. | January 7, 2017 | Shenzhen | Hard | Kateřina Siniaková | 3-6, 4-6 |
| Runner-up | 5. | May 26, 2018 | Nuremberg | Clay | Johanna Larsson | 6-7(4-7), 4-6 |
| Runner-up | 6. | January 5, 2019 | Shenzhen | Hard | Aryna Sabalenka | 6-4, 6-7(2-7), 3-6 |
| Winner | 2. | June 16, 2019 | s'Hertogenbosch | Grass | Kiki Bertens | 0-6, 7-6(3-7), 7-5 |
5.2. Grand Slam performance timelines
- W = winner
- F = finalist
- SF = semifinalist
- QF = quarterfinalist
- #R = rounds 4, 3, 2, 1
- RR = round-robin stage
- Q# = qualification round
- DNQ = did not qualify
- A = absent
- NH = not held
- W-L = win-loss record
5.2.1. Singles
| Tournament | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | W-L | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | A | A | A | 1R | 1R | Q3 | 3R | 1R | 1R | 3R | 1R | 1R | 4R | 1R | 2R | 1R | 8-12 | 40% |
| French Open | A | A | A | Q1 | A | Q1 | Q1 | 2R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | A | 2R | 1R | 2-9 | 18% |
| Wimbledon | A | A | A | 1R | 1R | Q2 | 3R | 3R | 1R | 1R | 3R | 2R | QF | NH | 1R | 3R | 1R | 13-12 | 52% |
| US Open | Q2 | A | Q1 | Q1 | 1R | Q1 | 4R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 2R | 1R | 4R | A | 8-11 | 42% |
| Win-loss | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0-3 | 0-1 | 5-2 | 5-4 | 0-4 | 0-4 | 4-4 | 1-4 | 5-4 | 4-3 | 0-3 | 7-4 | 0-3 | 31-44 | 41% |
5.2.2. Doubles
| Tournament | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | W-L | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | A | A | 3R | 1R | A | 1R | 1R | SF | 3R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 9-9 | 50% |
| French Open | A | A | A | 3R | 1R | A | 2R | 1R | 1R | 2R | A | A | A | 4-6 | 40% |
| Wimbledon | A | A | A | 2R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 2R | NH | A | 3R | 1R | 4-8 | 33% |
| US Open | 1R | A | 2R | 2R | 1R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 1R | QF | 1R | A | A | 6-10 | 38% |
| Win-loss | 0-1 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 6-4 | 0-4 | 1-2 | 1-4 | 0-4 | 5-4 | 6-3 | 0-2 | 2-2 | 1-2 | 23-33 | 41% |