Tennis star Elina Avanesyan has officially obtained Armenian citizenship and will now compete under the Armenian tricolor flag in upcoming tournaments, reports Zartonk Media.
Avanesyan has obtained her Armenian passport after changing her sporting citizenship from Russian to Armenian. She will make her debut under the Armenian tricolor at the US Open, which will begin on Monday, August 26, 2024, in Queens, New York.
The 21-year-old tennis player currently holds the 58th position in the WTA rankings and recently reached the final of a WTA 250 series tournament for the first time in her career.
In the athlete’s profile on the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) website, her Armenian citizenship is already indicated.
Earlier this year, Avanesyan began the process of changing her sporting citizenship from Russia to Armenia. Today, the WTA officially lists her nationality as Armenian.
Avanesyan, born in Pyatigorsk, Russia, to an Armenian family, currently ranked 58th in the WTA rankings. Her parents are from Artsakh and moved to Russia in 1992 during the First Artsakh War.