Clara Burel (French pronunciation:[klaʁabyʁɛl]; born 24 March 2001) is a French professional tennis player. On 10 June 2024, she peaked at No. 42 in the WTA singles rankings.
Junior career
In 2018, Burel reached the junior singles final at three major events, the Australian Open, the US Open and the Youth Summer Olympics (YOG). Partnering with compatriot Hugo Gaston, she also won the mixed-doubles bronze medal at the YOG.
In October, Burel qualified for the ITF Junior Masters, where she captured her first major title. She became the junior world No. 1 the next week, on 29 October 2018.
At the French Open the following week, she beat Arantxa Rus in the first round, and Kaja Juvan in the second to reach the third round of a major for the first time in her career, becoming the youngest Frenchwoman since 18-year-old Alizé Cornet did so in 2008.[4]
2021: First WTA final, top 100 and WTA 1000 debuts
Burel reached her first WTA Tour final at the Ladies Open Lausanne, losing to Tamara Zidanšek in three sets.[5] As a result, she made her top 100 debut, at world No. 98, on 19 July 2021.
She made her WTA 1000 debut at the Canadian Open as a qualifier but lost to Ons Jabeur in the first round.
2022: Top 75, first WTA 1000 win, US Open third round
On 21 February 2022, she peaked at No. 74 in the singles rankings.
Burel qualified for the US Open,[6] and reached the third round defeating Wimbledon champion and 25th seed, Elena Rybakina,[7] and Alison Van Uytvanck, before losing to sixth seed Aryna Sabalenka.[8] As a result, her ranking rose almost 30 positions back to No. 102.
2023: Maiden WTA 125 title
She qualified for the Australian Open[9] and defeated wildcard Talia Gibson in the first round, her first win at this major.[10]
In April, she also qualified into the main draw of the WTA 1000 Madrid Open, losing to Camila Osorio in the first round.[11]
2024: Third major third round, first top-10 win, top 50 debut
Burel reached the third round at the Australian Open for the first time at this major defeating Aleksandra Krunić and fifth seed Jessica Pegula, her first top-10 win.[14] As a result, her rank moved into the top 50.
Performance timelines
Key
W
F
SF
QF
#R
RR
Q#
P#
DNQ
A
Z#
PO
G
S
B
NMS
NTI
P
NH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (P#) preliminary round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (Z#) Davis/Fed Cup Zonal Group (with number indication) or (PO) play-off; (G) gold, (S) silver or (B) bronze Olympic/Paralympic medal; (NMS) not a Masters tournament; (NTI) not a Tier I tournament; (P) postponed; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.
To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.
^ abEdition is split into the two years due to COVID-19.
^The first Premier 5 event of the year has switched back and forth between the Dubai Tennis Championships and the Qatar Ladies Open since 2009. Dubai was classified as a Premier 5 event from 2009 to 2011 before being succeeded by Doha for the 2012–2014 period. In 2015, Dubai regained its Premier 5 status while Doha was demoted to Premier status. The Premier 5 tournaments were reclassified as WTA 1000 tournaments in 2021.