Amarissa Kiara Toth is a young 20-year-old emerging tennis player who was born on 10th February 2003 and hails from Hungary. Tennis is not the sport that is played very much in the country she comes from, and that is why her prominent performances are gathering more limelight than usual in the sport.
She is a beacon of hope for her country and the future of Hungarian women’s tennis. Incidentally, she gained much notoriety recently when she played her first main draw singles match in a WTA tournament against Chinese pro, Zhang Shuai (World #28) at the Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest.
Wow I can’t believe this, Toth went to wipe the mark despite Zhang keep shouting ”wait wait, keep the mark” pic.twitter.com/qtKC7KGyAO
— LorenaPopa 🕵️♀️🎾 (@popalorena) July 18, 2023
In the match, a controversial decision against Zhang further escalated to a boiling point, when Toth walked over to the ‘debatable’ ball mark and deliberately erased it with her foot. A visibly upset Zhang retired from the match in protest amidst celebrations by the Hungarian player and the cheer from the home crowd. Many followers and tennis players criticized Amarissa Toth for her actions on Social Media.
All about the rising Hungarian star: Amarissa Toth
Interestingly, Amarissa Toth who was born in Budapest, Hungary doesn’t look like a Hungarian as she has a mixed ethnic origin. She was born to a Hungarian father, Zoltan Toth, and a mother of Thai descent, Adam Kellner.
Amarissa Toth has been enjoying her highest WTA rankings. She has a career-high singles ranking of 534 achieved in June 2023. Her highest ranking in doubles is 264 which was achieved in October 2022. Amarissa Toth’s diverse cultural background and skill sets coupled with her Hungarian sporting spirit bring in a fascinating intrigue to her persona.
Younger days as a Junior Pro
In 2015 she debuted in junior competitions, securing tournament victories and making waves in the international junior circuit. Buoyed by her success, she traveled to Mallorca for training at the prestigious Nadal Academy in 2018.
With each passing year, Amarissa’s skills and experience grew, making her a force to be reckoned with on the court. Her major breakthrough in the junior circuit came when she reached the girls’ doubles final at the French Open along with her partner Maria Bondarenko.
Young tennis star’s career progression on the Women’s Tour
Toth continued to make giant strides on the women’s tour, achieving further success with the unwavering dedication and talent she has endowed for the sport. She won her first ITF singles title at the Kottingbrunn $15K ITF in 2020 by defeating Carolina Kuhl of Germany in the finals.
She made her debut in the WTA main draw when she played in women’s doubles at the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2021. In a period of 2 years from 2021 to 2023, her rankings have risen by more than 500 points on the WTA rankings ladder.
She made her singles WTA main draw appearance in the same tournament in 2023 against Zhang Shuai, albeit riddled by a major controversy sparked by her. In her budding career to date, she has already won 1 singles title and 11 doubles titles in the ITF circuit. She has earned a career prize money of $40,000 to date.
Amarissa Toth issued a public apology to Zhang Shuai after the controversial match in Budapest. The Hungarian star is quickly learning from mistakes in her young career. Despite the constant pressure and adulations that come with being a rising star, she remains grounded with a single-minded focus on improving her game further for greater success.