Asia Muhammad
Asia Muhammad (born April 4, 1991) is an American professional tennis player specializing in doubles competitions.[1] Born in Long Beach, California, she stands at 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 meters) tall and plays right-handed with a two-handed backhand.[1] Muhammad turned professional in 2006 at the age of 15 and has since established herself as a prominent figure on the WTA Tour, particularly in doubles where she reached a career-high ranking of world No. 8 on March 17, 2025.[2][3] Muhammad's early tennis journey began at age 8, inspired by idols such as the Williams sisters and Andre Agassi, and she favors hard courts as her preferred surface.[1] She hails from an athletic family; her father, Ronald Holmes, is a basketball coach, while her brothers include Shabazz Muhammad, a former NBA player, and Rashad, who played college basketball at the University of Miami.[1] In singles, she achieved a career-high ranking of No. 124 in April 2017, but her true success has come in doubles, where she has amassed a win-loss record of 447–248 as of September 2025.[2][3] Her breakthrough in doubles intensified in recent years, highlighted by her first WTA 125 doubles title in Midland in 2022 and subsequent WTA Tour victories.[1] Among her most notable achievements are 13 WTA doubles titles, including triumphs at the 2025 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells with partner Demi Schuurs, the 2025 HSBC Championships in London, the 2024 Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, and the 2023 Adelaide International with Taylor Townsend.[1] She has also secured five WTA 125 doubles titles, such as the 2024 Open Capfinances-Arras in Paris.[1] Muhammad represented the United States in the 2022 Billie Jean King Cup and has made 11 main draw appearances at the US Open since 2007, her favorite tournament.[1] As of November 2025, she is ranked No. 19 in doubles and has earned over $2.8 million in prize money throughout her career.[4] Currently coached by Tim Blenkiron and training in Las Vegas and Carson, California, Muhammad balances her professional pursuits with interests in shopping, basketball, hiking, and dining.[1]Early life and junior career
Family background
Asia Muhammad was born on April 4, 1991, in Long Beach, California, to parents Ronald Holmes and Faye Muhammad.[1][5] Her father, Ronald Holmes, served as a basketball coach, while her mother, Faye Muhammad, had been a standout point guard and track athlete at Long Beach State University.[1][5] As the oldest of three siblings, Muhammad grew up in a household steeped in athletic heritage, with her younger brothers Shabazz and Rashad also pursuing competitive sports.[1] Shabazz Muhammad went on to have a professional career in the NBA, including stints with the Minnesota Timberwolves, highlighting the family's emphasis on high-level athletic achievement.[1][6] This environment fostered a competitive spirit from an early age, with Muhammad initially exploring various sports alongside her siblings under their parents' influence.[6] Muhammad's introduction to tennis came around age eight, sparked by her family's broader engagement with athletics and her own curiosity after trying multiple activities.[7] This early interest aligned with the supportive dynamics at home, where sports were a central part of daily life and family bonding.[8] By her pre-teen years, she began formal training at the No Quit Tennis Academy in Las Vegas under coach Tim Blenkiron, who had been working with her since she was 11 and became a pivotal figure in her development.[1][9]Junior accomplishments
Asia Muhammad began her competitive junior career in the United States Tennis Association (USTA) circuit, where she quickly established herself as a top doubles player. At age 14, she captured national doubles titles in the 16s division, demonstrating early prowess in the discipline. She continued her success by winning the 2004 USTA National Claycourt and Hardcourt doubles titles alongside Krista Damico, followed by victories in the 2005 and 2006 USTA National Claycourt doubles events with partner Brittany Augustine.[10] By 2007, Muhammad had risen to No. 5 in the USTA national junior singles rankings and No. 1 in doubles, reflecting her consistent performance across national events. From spring 2006 to summer 2007, she reached the finals of eight USTA national tournaments, securing wins in half of them, which highlighted her reliability and competitive edge against top American juniors like Augustine and Kristy Frilling. A notable achievement came in August 2007 when she and Frilling advanced to the doubles final at the USTA Girls' 18 Nationals, just two weeks before the US Open juniors.[10] Her international junior exposure peaked at the 2007 US Open Junior Championships, where she and Frilling, as unseeded Americans, upset the fourth-seeded pair of Lenka Jurikova and Katarzyna Piter in the quarterfinals (4-6, 6-1, 6-1) before falling in the semifinals to the second-seeded Ksenia Milevskaya and Urszula Radwanska. This run marked one of her strongest showings on the global stage, though her overall ITF Junior Circuit participation was limited, with a career-high singles ranking of No. 222 achieved on January 1, 2009.[11][12][13] Transitioning early to professional tennis, Muhammad turned pro in 2006 at age 15, balancing junior commitments with her debut on the USTA Pro Circuit. As an unseeded qualifier, she won her first professional title at the $10,000 USTA event in Houston that year, signaling a smooth shift from junior to senior competition. This early professional foray, supported by her junior foundation, allowed her to forgo extensive ITF junior play in favor of building senior experience.[1][10]Professional career
Early senior years
Asia Muhammad turned professional in 2006, competing on the ITF Women's Circuit shortly after her junior career.[1] Her debut Grand Slam appearance came the following year at the US Open, where she lost in the first round of qualifying to Melinda Czink.[1] Early on, she focused on building experience through lower-level ITF events, primarily in singles and doubles, while navigating the challenges of transitioning to the professional level. In 2007, Muhammad secured her first professional title on the ITF Circuit at the $10,000 event in Houston.[10] Her singles career during this period was marked by consistent but modest progress, with year-end rankings remaining outside the top 200 as she competed in numerous qualifying draws and early-round matches.[14] Fluctuations in her ranking reflected the competitive demands of the circuit, though she later achieved a career-high singles ranking of No. 124 in April 2017, providing context for her foundational efforts in the preceding decade.[1] Muhammad also began forming early doubles partnerships on the ITF Circuit, contributing to minor titles that highlighted her versatility. In 2012, she won a doubles title at the Albuquerque ITF event, partnering with Yasmin Schnack. These successes, often in $25,000 or lower prize money events, underscored her growing reliability in the discipline amid ongoing singles challenges. Throughout her early senior years, Muhammad faced setbacks from injuries, including a series of back issues that culminated in two bulging disks and a muscle tear in her lower back in 2011, forcing her to end that season prematurely in October.[15] Despite these hurdles, she persisted in qualifying for major tournaments, reaching the main draw in women's doubles at the 2014 US Open alongside Taylor Townsend via a wild card entry. This appearance marked a notable milestone, as the pair competed in the event's opening rounds against established competition.[16]Singles career
Asia Muhammad's singles career spanned nearly two decades, during which she primarily competed on the ITF Circuit, amassing a record of 346 wins and 290 losses overall. Although she never won a WTA Tour singles title, she achieved moderate success in lower-tier events and made sporadic appearances in WTA main draws, recording four victories in those matches, including a notable upset over world No. 14 Madison Keys in the second round of the 2025 National Bank Open in Toronto as a qualifier.[17] Her career-high singles ranking of No. 124 came on April 24, 2017, following a strong run that included qualifying for the main draw at the Brisbane International, where she reached the round of 16.[1] Muhammad turned professional in 2006 and quickly found success at the ITF level, winning her first title at the $10,000 event in Houston in 2007. She added four more ITF titles between 2013 and 2017, including the $25,000 event in Raleigh in 2013 and the W60 tournament in Burnie, Australia, in 2017, which helped propel her into the top 150 for the first time. In 2015, she advanced to the quarterfinals of the Nottingham Open, a WTA grass-court tune-up event, marking one of her best performances on the tour circuit. Her ITF success peaked in 2018 with three titles at the W60 level in Rancho Santa Fe, Lexington, and Templeton, all in the United States, bringing her total to seven ITF crowns by the end of that year.[18][19] Recurring injuries, including back issues that had previously sidelined her in 2011, prompted Muhammad to shift her focus toward doubles around 2018, where she found greater success and longevity. Her singles activity became more sporadic thereafter, though she continued to compete occasionally, winning seven more ITF titles from 2019 to 2023, including three in Australia in 2022 (Canberra, Bendigo, and another W25 event). Her last ITF singles title came at the W25 Roehampton in Great Britain in 2023. Overall, Muhammad reached 18 ITF singles finals, compiling a 14–4 record in those decisive matches. In WTA main draw singles, her record stands at 4–11 as of November 2025.[15][18]Doubles career
Asia Muhammad has established herself as a prominent figure in women's doubles tennis, achieving her career-high ranking of No. 8 on March 17, 2025.[1] Her ascent in the discipline began modestly, entering the WTA doubles rankings around No. 100 in 2016 before steadily climbing to the top 20 by 2024 through consistent performances and title wins.[7] This progression marked her transition from a singles-focused player to a doubles specialist, where she has amassed 13 WTA titles, 5 Challenger titles, and 35 ITF doubles titles.[1] Overall, she has reached 17 WTA finals with a 13-4 record, 9 Challenger finals (5-4), and 55 ITF finals (35-20).[1] Muhammad's success stems from several key partnerships that have defined her career. She has frequently teamed with Taylor Townsend, securing 5 WTA titles together, including the 2020 Auckland Open and the 2024 Washington D.C. event.[1] In 2024, she partnered with Erin Routliffe to win the Cincinnati Open, a WTA 1000 title that highlighted her versatility across surfaces.[1] Her collaboration with Demi Schuurs proved particularly fruitful in 2025, yielding two WTA titles: the Indian Wells Open, where they defeated top-seeded pairs to claim the WTA 1000 crown, and the London Queen's Club Championships.[20][21] In Grand Slam competitions, Muhammad's most notable doubles result came at the 2020 US Open, where she and Townsend reached the semifinals after a strong quarterfinal victory over Gabriela Dabrowski and Alison Riske.[22] This run underscored her aggressive net play and synergy with Townsend, though they fell in the semifinals to Nicole Melichar and Xu Yifan.[23] Subsequent appearances have included third-round showings at the 2025 Australian Open and French Open, demonstrating her sustained competitiveness at the majors.[24] The 2025 season represented a pinnacle for Muhammad, with her WTA Finals debut in November as an eighth-seeded pair alongside Schuurs, earned through consistent top performances and their two titles earlier in the year.[25] This campaign solidified her status as a top doubles contender, building on prior successes like the 2024 WTA 1000 win in Cincinnati.[1]Personal life
Relationships
Asia Muhammad's first notable romantic relationship was with Australian tennis player Dayne Kelly, whom she began dating around 2017. Kelly, who reached a career-high ATP singles ranking of No. 252, credited Muhammad with providing both personal support and coaching guidance during tournaments, such as the 2017 Cairns Tennis International where they traveled together.[26] Their engagement was announced publicly in December 2020 via social media, marking a significant personal milestone amid Muhammad's ongoing professional commitments on the WTA Tour.[27] The couple, who had kept much of their relationship private for several years, eventually parted ways quietly without public disclosure of the split.[28] In September 2025, Muhammad announced her engagement to James Cross, a non-tennis professional, sharing the news on Instagram from Kentucky Alleyne Provincial Park with a caption noting it had "made it out of the group chat."[29][30] The proposal was celebrated with a surprise dinner organized by WTA peers in New York, attended by Jessica Pegula, Eugenie Bouchard, Erin Routliffe, Demi Schuurs, and Jennifer Brady, featuring a custom cake inscribed "She said yes."[28] This event highlighted the close-knit support network among her fellow players, coming shortly after Muhammad's quarterfinal run at the 2025 US Open doubles with Schuurs.[31] Muhammad has maintained a relatively private approach to her personal life, rarely sharing details of her relationships beyond key announcements, which she has described as a way to balance the demands of her extensive travel schedule and tennis commitments with personal privacy. This discretion allows her to focus on her career while nurturing off-court connections, as evidenced by the supportive reactions from peers like Coco Gauff and Madison Keys upon her latest engagement news.[32]Family connections
Asia Muhammad maintains close ties with her family, particularly her brother Shabazz Muhammad, a former professional basketball player whose career paralleled her own in professional tennis. Shabazz was selected 14th overall in the 2013 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz, with his rights immediately traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he played from 2013 to 2018. He later joined the Milwaukee Bucks for the remainder of the 2017–18 season before pursuing opportunities overseas, embodying the family's athletic legacy that spans generations.[33] Their parents, Ronald Holmes and Faye Muhammad, played pivotal roles in nurturing both siblings' athletic pursuits, drawing from their own backgrounds as college athletes—Ronald as a point guard for the USC Trojans in the 1980s and Faye as a point guard and track star at Long Beach State.[5] The couple dedicated significant resources and time to supporting Asia's tennis development and Shabazz's basketball trajectory, including traveling to competitions. This unwavering commitment fostered a shared family ethos of perseverance in elite sports, though it was complicated by Ronald Holmes' involvement in a mortgage fraud scheme; he pleaded guilty in 2013 and was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison in 2014.[34][35] With the siblings often crediting their parents for instilling discipline and resilience. The Muhammad siblings demonstrate mutual support in their professional endeavors, with Shabazz described as Asia's "biggest fan" who actively follows her matches via apps and attends them when possible, becoming deeply engaged during events. In return, Asia frequently watches Shabazz's games when her tennis schedule allows, highlighting the ongoing familial bond that extends beyond their childhood upbringing in a sports-oriented household. This dynamic has been evident in public instances of encouragement, reinforcing the family's collective pride in their athletic achievements.[36]Performance timelines
Doubles
Asia Muhammad's doubles performance in major tournaments has evolved from early appearances in 2007 to consistent deep runs in Grand Slams and WTA events by the mid-2020s, reflecting her transition to a doubles specialist. Her partnerships, particularly with Taylor Townsend in the late 2010s and Demi Schuurs in 2025, significantly influenced her results and ranking trajectory. The following table outlines her doubles results in Grand Slams from 2007 to 2025, with selected WTA 1000 and other notable events where verifiable data is available. Rounds reached are listed, along with partners where specified.| Year | Australian Open | French Open | Wimbledon | US Open | Notable WTA 1000/Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | 1R (w/ various) | - |
| 2008-2018 | 1R or Q (multiple years) | 1R or Q | 1R or Q | 1R or 2R | - |
| 2019 | 3R (w/ Townsend) | 1R | QF | 2R | - |
| 2020 | 2R | QF (w/ Townsend) | Did not play | SF (w/ Townsend) | Indian Wells Challenger W (w/ Townsend) [37] |
| 2021 | 1R | 2R | 2R | 1R | - |
| 2022 | 2R | 1R | 3R | 2R | Indian Wells F (w/ Townsend) [37] |
| 2023 | 1R | 2R | 2R | QF | - |
| 2024 | 1R | 2R | 3R | 3R | Cincinnati W (w/ Routliffe) [1] |
| 2025 | 3R (w/ Schuurs) | 3R (w/ Schuurs) | 2R (w/ Schuurs) | QF (w/ Schuurs) | Indian Wells W (w/ Schuurs) [38]; Beijing R16 (w/ Schuurs) [39]; London W (w/ Schuurs) [1] |
Mixed doubles
Asia Muhammad has competed in mixed doubles events sporadically throughout her professional career, partnering with various male players to achieve notable results primarily at Grand Slams and select WTA tournaments. Her mixed doubles record stands at 12 wins and 10 losses as of November 2025, with no titles won at the WTA level but several deep runs in major championships that highlight her versatility in partnering with male players. Key highlights include her third-round appearance at the 2019 US Open alongside Joel Kielbowicz, where the pair defeated opponents before falling to the eventual champions, Chan Hao-ching and Michael Venus. More recently, Muhammad reached the quarterfinals of the 2025 Australian Open with Andres Molteni, marking her best Grand Slam result in the discipline and showcasing her tactical adaptability in mixed play. She has also progressed to the second round at other majors, such as the 2021 French Open with Luke Bambridge and the 2023 Wimbledon Championships with Andrew Harris. Muhammad's mixed doubles efforts often complement her stronger women's doubles focus, with partnerships formed opportunistically for Grand Slams or ITF events, where she has secured minor successes like a 2016 ITF title in doubles, though her primary impact remains in major tournament progress rather than consistent tour-level play.| Year | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Round | Opponents | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | US Open | Hard | Denis Kudla | First round | Liezel Huber / Marcelo Melo | Lost | 4–6, 4–6 |
| 2016 | Australian Open | Hard | Alex Bolt | First round | Chan Yung-jan / Henri Kontinen | Lost | 3–6, 3–6 |
| 2017 | French Open | Clay | Nicholas Monroe | First round | Chan Hao-ching / Michael Venus | Lost | 6–7(5), 4–6 |
| 2018 | Wimbledon | Grass | Ken Skupski | Second round | Latisha Chan / Juan Sebastián Cabal | Lost | 6–7(4), 4–6 |
| 2019 | US Open | Hard | Joel Kielbowicz | Third round | Latisha Chan / Michael Venus | Lost | 3–6, 4–6 |
| 2020 | No main draw appearances | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2021 | French Open | Clay | Luke Bambridge | Second round | Barbora Krejčíková / Rajeev Ram | Lost | 5–7, 6–7(4) |
| 2022 | US Open | Hard | Lloyd Glasspool | First round | Giuliana Olmos / Santiago González | Lost | 6–7(5), 4–6 |
| 2023 | Wimbledon | Grass | Andrew Harris | Second round | Hsieh Su-wei / Jan Zieliński | Lost | 4–6, 3–6 |
| 2024 | No main draw appearances | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2025 | Australian Open | Hard | Andres Molteni | Quarterfinals | Michael Venus / Erin Routliffe | Lost | 6–4, 3–6, 8–10 [41] |
| 2025 | Wimbledon | Grass | Andres Molteni | Second round | Luisa Stefani / Joe Salisbury | Lost | 6–7(7–9), 6–7(5–7) [42] |
| 2025 | No further main draw appearances post-Wimbledon | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Career finals
WTA 1000 tournaments
Asia Muhammad has achieved notable success in WTA 1000 doubles events, reaching four finals and securing two titles, which highlight her prowess at the premier level of the tour.[1] Her first WTA 1000 final came in 2022 at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, where she partnered with Ena Shibahara. The pair advanced through the draw by defeating strong opponents, including Veronika Kudermetova and Elise Mertens in the semifinals. In the final, however, they fell to Xu Yifan and Yang Zhaoxuan, 7–5, 7–6(4), after a competitive match where Muhammad and Shibahara struggled to convert break opportunities in tight sets.[43] In 2024, Muhammad reached her second final at the Wuhan Open alongside Jessica Pegula. As unseeded entrants, they upset higher-seeded teams en route to the championship match, including a 7–5, 6–2 semifinal victory over Aldila Sutjiadi and Leylah Fernandez. They were defeated in the final by Anna Danilina and Irina Khromacheva, 6–3, 7–6(7–6), in a match marked by resilient serving from the winners and several momentum shifts in the second set. Later that year, Muhammad claimed her first WTA 1000 title at the Cincinnati Open with Erin Routliffe. The American-New Zealand duo, in their debut partnership, navigated a challenging draw to reach the final, where they came back from a set deficit to beat Leylah Fernandez and Yulia Putintseva, 3–6, 6–1, 10–4, showcasing strong net play and composure in the super-tiebreak.[44][45] Muhammad's second WTA 1000 crown arrived in 2025 at Indian Wells with Demi Schuurs. Seeded eighth, they dominated early rounds before edging out Timea Babos and Nicole Melichar-Martinez in the quarterfinals and reaching the final against unseeded Tereza Mihalíková and Olivia Nicholls. In the championship match, Muhammad and Schuurs secured a 6–2, 7–6(4) victory, saving two set points in the second set to clinch the title in 1 hour and 43 minutes, with Schuurs' powerful serving proving decisive.[46] Beyond these finals, Muhammad has progressed to semifinals or better in other WTA 1000 events, such as the 2024 Indian Wells Open, where she and Routliffe reached the last four before a narrow defeat. These deep runs underscore her consistency and adaptability with multiple partners at the highest tier.[37]| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponents | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Indian Wells | Ena Shibahara | Xu Yifan / Yang Zhaoxuan | Runner-up | 7–5, 7–6(4) |
| 2024 | Cincinnati | Erin Routliffe | Leylah Fernandez / Yulia Putintseva | Winners | 3–6, 6–1, 10–4 |
| 2024 | Wuhan | Jessica Pegula | Anna Danilina / Irina Khromacheva | Runner-up | 6–3, 7–6(7–6) |
| 2025 | Indian Wells | Demi Schuurs | Tereza Mihalíková / Olivia Nicholls | Winners | 6–2, 7–6(4) |