Every champion has an origin story. For WTA No. 51 Ashlyn Krueger, the 6’1″ American WTA star making waves on the Tour, that moment came long before she lifted trophies. From sweeping the USTA National Championships to becoming the first since Bianca Andreescu to win back-to-back Orange Bowl titles, Krueger’s growth has been remarkable. She has now reached the finals of the 2025 Abu Dhabi Open and awaits her next match against Belinda Bencic today. The WTA No. 51 has been super impressive at the tournament, defeating skilled opponents like Linda Noskova, Leylah Fernandez, and Daria Kasatkina. But what lights the fire within her? Well, it’s in her athletic genes, one that she got from her family.

Krueger’s mother Franchel Krueger had a strong affinity for the sport, as she played it in the early 1990s during her college days at Iowa State. Although she didn’t continue professionally, she introduced her daughter to it. Krueger’s mother, an expert in employer group benefit sales and service, built the intrigue for her daughter that fuelled her to take up the sport professionally.

The WTA No. 51 credited her mother’s far-sighted vision. “My mom played college tennis, and she started everything for me.” Later the WTA star found her rhythm, “It’s an independent sport, and I’m a pretty independent person, so it’s a perfect combo for me,” she reflected.

Krueger, who grew up in Missouri’s Springfield, later moved to Texas where her tennis journey started. “I just stuck with it and kept going. I don’t really even think I thought about anything more serious in tennis until I was about 14 or 15. I just had fun playing,” she said about her inclination towards the sport since childhood.

Apart from her mother, her esteemed coach helped her rise in the WTA Top 60 ranking. She found a mentor with a decorated CV, who helped her refine her playstyle and become a fierce opponent on all types of courts.

Who is Ashlyn Krueger’s famous coach?

Last year, Kruger partnered with Maria Sharapova’s former coach Michael Joyce. A retired player who started his career in 1991. Joyce reached the ATP No. 61 rank in April 1996 and won three Challenger-level tournaments. He also advanced to 1995 Wimbledon’s fourth round. His mentorship worked great for Krueger, who, after her first-round win at the 2024 Charleston Open, said, “Yeah, I mean, he was a USTA coach for a minute. So I was down there, and he picked me up, and we had a really good relationship. We just got along off the court really well. So I think that transpired on the court. But yeah, and he’s been coaching, oh my gosh, for so long, but an amazing player. So I know whatever he has to offer and whatever advice he has, you know, I listen.”

While highlighting Joyce’s brilliance, Krueger talked about the interesting Sharapova stories she heard from her mentor, especially about her similarity with the former WTA No. 1. “Oh, so many stories. Every day is a new story, but yeah, a lot of them are Maria because we have similar game styles and similar ways of play. So I listen to a lot of those,” she said.

Ashlyn Krueger, a Sharapova fan, surely got motivated by her coach’s compliments. However, it wasn’t just her mother or her coach who helped her in her career growth. Krueger’s agent Mackenzie Nickerson, an influential personality at the IMG Tennis Academy, also helped her a lot. Armed with a degree in Sports Law and Business from Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, Nickerson helped the WTA star with insights about marketing, business, and more.

As Ashlyn Krueger awaits her final match against Bencic in Abu Dhabi, are you backing her to win another title?