Who is Tyra Grant? Former American talent dazzling for Italy on home soil as WTA breakthrough imminent

Tyra Grant is a name many tennis fans will start to get accustomed to. The 18-year-old is currently competing at her home event in the Rome Open as she aims to continue her progress at this level.

Her popularity in her home country is something to behold. In an all-Italian tussle, she defeated fellow wildcard Lisa Pigato 1-6, 6-2, 6-4 to blast herself into the second round, making it back-to-back WTA 1000 round two appearances. The match lasted two hours and two minutes, but the experience would not be over.

As routine, she was called for media duty, and no less than 18 journalists were huddled around eagerly anticipated to hear what Grant had to say after that blistering victory. In total, the teenager spent an hour talking to the press while also having interviews with the likes of the Tennis Channel, SuperTennis and wtatennis.com. At such a young age, an insane amount of pressure and responsibility has been thrown onto her shoulders, but she continues to deliver at the highest level, showcasing great maturity and composure. Her journey has just begun, and it will be closely followed by millions of tennis fans.

While Italy was always in her blood, it was not the first country she represented. Born in Rome, she presided in Milan in her younger days. Her mother was Italian, and father American. This led her to represent the USA as a junior.

Both nations were desperate to get the young talent representing their colours on court. It was a tough decision for Grant who had strong allegiances to both. She made her decision 12 months ago, picking Italy to the delight of many Italian tennis fans.

She first made an impression on the ITF Circuit, winning a brace of titles in 2024 before losing two finals in 2025. Success has come as recent as last month with a W35 title sewn up in Italy.

She has also proven to be a handy doubles player. This was showcased on the Grand Slam scene. Partnered with Clervie Ngounoue, the duo won the 2023 junior French Open doubles title. Grant made the final of the first three junior doubles Grand Slam events in 2024, all partnered with a certain Iva Jovic. They failed to reclaim the title at Roland Garros, but tasted success in Melbourne and Wimbledon.

Before all of this, she has started up a flourishing friendship with the world number one Jannik Sinner. They met at the Piatti Tennis Center in Bordighera when Sinner was 14, and remain in close contact ever since.

"I had the chance to see him growing up and developing while I was growing up and developing," she said. "And that was great for me -- just seeing him daily, before knowing that he would become what he's becoming. Just seeing a person that trains so hard and does the right things."

She looks to lean in on what Sinner did to get to the top of tennis, learning from the best. "He didn't rush," she said. "He didn't have that many good results as juniors, but he just kept doing the right thing. He knew that was the right thing to do, and he just kept believing it. And eventually the results, obviously, are showing."

Grant has already been apart of a winning Billie Jean King Cup team. The strength in depth of Italy's team is no secret, especially on the men's side. But the women are also packed with talent. None less than two-time Grand Slam finalist and reigning Rome Open champion Jasmine Paolini.

Grant would not step out onto the court in Shenzhen when Italy lifted a second consecutive Billie Jean King Cup title, but she was an integral part of the squad, gaining valuable advice and lessons from her seniors with that possibly being her in the future.

The FIT president Angelo Binaghi was in full praise of Grant, sharing his high expectations of her and the prospect of a bright future. "We're banking heavily on her, but we're not rushing," he told Corriere Della Sera. "Tyra represents the cornerstone on which we can build the Italy of the future."

Grant took the battle between Italy and the USA tennis federations to get her onboard as a huge compliment, linking to her abilities on court. Her switch to Italy was one that made sense with her growing up there, and she is the latest in line from a flourishing tennis country.

Her debut came as a 17-year-old last year at the Rome Open. It would end in a heartbreaking manner, squandering two match points enroute to a devastating 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 to Antonia Ruzic.

Her pathway has not been simple from there. After reaching a career high of world number 206, a wonderful prospect of qualifying for the Australian Open was slammed in her face after a shoulder injury kept her on the sidelines.

She will also be unable to participate in Roland Garros qualification as her wait to debut in a Grand Slam continues. She tried to find the silver lining. "That was really sad," she said. "But I think that gave me more weeks to prepare and to work on my physical in the gym -- and I think that helped me a lot in these matches, especially on the clay swing. It was sad in the moment, but I think in the long run, it was the best thing that happened."

However, that has not stopped her from making more progress. Her ranking has taken a slide in recent times thanks to that untimely injury, but points are slowly being added. Grant thrashed Elsa Jacquemot 6-1, 6-2 after successfully qualifying for the Madrid Open. It was a maiden WTA win before coming a cropper against the 25th seed Sorana Cirstea 6-2, 7-6(5).

The recent match in Rome against Pigato follows in suit. A very good friend and doubles partner, it was a tough clash for both. It would be Grant who came back from a set deficit to secure a hugely important win. "I know her really well, obviously," Grant said. "Not only how she plays, but how she thinks. So I think that helped a bit.

"At the end, I try to treat every match the same," she said. "No matter whether I know how my opponent plays or not, in the end, probably I'm going to have to adjust. That's what I had to do today as well. Just being neutral on how she plays and my past experiences with her helped me today to find a solution to win the match.

"The main difference between the first and second set was that I just didn't give her the opportunity to step in the court. That's what she was doing really well, just being aggressive, looking to come to the net a lot. Second and third set, I tried to be more aggressive."

Her biggest test is set to come, and a huge opportunity with it. She will have the support from the crowd when Canadian open champion Victoria Mboko takes her on in the second round.