Hülya Esen

Hülya Esen
Country (sports)	Bulgaria, Turkey
Born	7 August 1989; Istanbul, Turkey
Turned pro	2003
Retired	2024 (last match played)
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Prize money	$53,787
Singles
Career titles	0
Highest ranking	No. 504 (9 July 2012)
Doubles
Career titles	6 ITF
Highest ranking	No. 406 (11 November 2013)

Hülya Esen, Хюлия Велиева (born 7 August 1989) is a Turkish-Bulgarian former professional tennis player. Esen won six ITF doubles titles and reached career-high WTA rankings of No. 504 in singles (on 9 July 2012) and No. 406 in doubles (on 11 November 2013). She was the No. 1 player in the Bulgaria national rankings for seven consecutive years.^[1] She represented team Bulgaria until 2011, before switching her representation to play in the Turkey team competitions.^[2]

Personal life

Her parents are from Turkish origin from Kardzhali, Bulgaria, and her ancestors came from Konya. Her mother Nebahat Velieva (maiden name Sadakova) is from Ardino, Kardzhali Province, Bulgaria and has been her coach, managing her and her sister's Lütfiye careers. She has dual Bulgarian and Turkish citizenship.^[2]

Career

Esen made her WTA Tour main-draw debut at the 2008 Gastein Ladies in the doubles event, partnering Stefanie Haidner. She also played in the doubles event of the 2010 İstanbul Cup, partnering Derya Turhan.^[3]^[4]^[2]^[5]

She played her last match on the ITF Circuit in September 2024.

Together with her sister Lütfiye, they were 12 times women's doubles champions of Bulgaria. Hülya is in an 18 times champion of Bulgaria, in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles.^[1] She is the first and was the only triple champion of Bulgaria (till 2021), that have won all singles, doubles and mixed doubles competitions in one championship.^[6]^[7]

ITF Circuit finals

Singles: 2 (2 runner–ups)

Legend
$10,000 tournaments

Finals by surface
Hard (0–2)

Result	W–L	Date	Tournament	Tier	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	0–1	May 2011	ITF Gaziantep, Turkey	10,000	Hard	Melis Sezer	2–6, 1–6
Loss	0–2	Apr 2012	ITF Antalya, Turkey	10,000	Hard	Nicole Melichar	4–6, 3–6

Doubles: 18 (6 titles, 12 runner–ups)

Legend
$25,000 tournaments
$10,000 tournaments

Finals by surface
Hard (2–3)
Clay (4–9)

Result	W–L	Date	Tournament	Tier	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	0–1	Sep 2007	ITF Palić, Serbia	10,000	Clay	Lütfiye Esen	Martina Babáková Davinia Lobbinger	2–6, 3–6
Win	1–1	May 2008	ITF Adana, Turkey	10,000	Clay	Lütfiye Esen	Julia Efremova Diana Isaeva	5–7, 6–1, [10–4]
Loss	1–2	Oct 2009	ITF Dobrich, Bulgaria	10,000	Clay	Lütfiye Esen	Diana Marcu Simona Matei	5–7, 6–4, [5–10]
Loss	1–3	Oct 2010	ITF Dobrich, Bulgaria	10,000	Clay	Lütfiye Esen	Camelia Hristea Ionela-Andreea Iova	0–6, 6–2, [6–10]
Win	2–3	Sep 2011	ITF Antalya, Turkey	10,000	Hard	Lütfiye Esen	Magali de Lattre Christina Shakovets	7–5, 7–5
Loss	2–4	Sep 2011	ITF Adana, Turkey	10,000	Hard	Lütfiye Esen	Nikola Fraňková Hsu Chieh-yu	6–7⁽⁴⁾, 4–6
Win	3–4	Oct 2011	ITF Antalya, Turkey	10,000	Clay	Lütfiye Esen	Khristina Kazimova Francesca Stephenson	6–4, 6–2
Win	4–4	Dec 2011	ITF Antalya, Turkey	10,000	Clay	Lütfiye Esen	Laura Ioana Paar Raluca Elena Platon	6–0, 1–6, [10–7]
Loss	4–5	Feb 2012	ITF Antalya, Turkey	10,000	Clay	Seda Arantekin	Diana Enache Daniëlle Harmsen	6–7⁽⁵⁾, 1–6
Win	5–5	Apr 2012	ITF Antalya, Turkey	10,000	Hard	Lütfiye Esen	Lu Jiaxiang Lu Jiajing	1–6, 6–4, [10–8]
Win	6–5	Jun 2012	ITF Niš, Serbia	10,000	Clay	Lütfiye Esen	Lina Gjorcheska Maria Mokh	3–6, 7–6⁽²⁾, [10–6]
Loss	6–6	Jul 2012	ITF Prokuplje, Serbia	10,000	Clay	Lütfiye Esen	Lina Gjorcheska Dalia Zafirova	3–6, 2–6
Loss	6–7	Nov 2012	ITF Antalya, Turkey	10,000	Clay	Lütfiye Esen	Diana Buzean Daniëlle Harmsen	6–4, 1–6, [3–10]
Loss	6–8	Nov 2012	ITF Antalya, Turkey	10,000	Clay	Lütfiye Esen	Laura Ioana Andrei Raluca Elena Platon	4–6, 6–3, [7–10]
Loss	6–9	Jul 2013	ITF Izmir, Turkey	10,000	Hard	Lütfiye Esen	Başak Eraydın Zuzana Zlochová	1–6, 3–6
Loss	6–10	Aug 2013	ITF Izmir, Turkey	10,000	Hard	Lütfiye Esen	Anett Kontaveit Polina Leykina	4–6, 5–7
Loss	6–11	Jul 2014	ITF Prokuplje, Serbia	10,000	Clay	Lütfiye Esen	Lina Gjorcheska Alexandra Nancarrow	2–6, 4–6
Loss	6–12	Jul 2016	ITF Prokuplje, Serbia	10,000	Clay	Lütfiye Esen	Veronika Miroshnichenko Valeriya Zeleva	5–7, 1–6

ITF Junior Circuit finals

Singles: 3 (3 runner–ups)

Result	W–L	Date	Tournament	Grade	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	0–1	May 2005	Plovdiv, Bulgaria	G5	Clay	Anna Maskaljun	2–6, 7–5, 1–6
Loss	0–2	May 2005	Istanbul, Turkey	G5	Hard	Nikki Prosser	1–6, 6–7⁽⁴⁾
Loss	0–3	Aug 2005	Skopje, Macedonia	G5	Clay	Lütfiye Esen	2–6, 0–2 ret.

Doubles: 4 (4 titles)

Result	W–L	Date	Tournament	Grade	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Win	1–0	May 2004	Istanbul, Turkey	G5	Hard	Gözde Ünkaya	Ina Sireţeanu Gabriela Stepa	6–4, 6–0
Win	2–0	Sep 2004	Sofia, Bulgaria	G5	Clay	Lütfiye Esen	Ioana-Alexandra Bara Nicoleta-Ana Maria Bara	6–0, 6–4
Win	3–0	May 2005	Istanbul, Turkey	G5	Hard	Lütfiye Esen	Eylül Benli Valeria Savinykh	7–6⁽⁵⁾, 4–6, 6–4
Win	4–0	Aug 2005	Skopje, Macedonia	G5	Clay	Lütfiye Esen	Nives Pavlovic Nevena Selaković	6–4, 6–1

References

1 2 Хюлия Велиева - Тенис клуб „Про Спорт“
1 2 3 "Хюлия Велиева - гласът на Родопите в тениса ни" (in Bulgarian). 22 June 2020.
↑ "Жени - сингъл".
↑ "Хюлия Велиева - момичето със страхотен глас, с много таланти и част от нaй-уcпешнaтa двойкa в cтрaнaтa през поcледното деcетилетие - Tennis.bg".
↑ "Хюлия Велиева спечели Държавното лично първенство по тенис на закрито за жени" (in Bulgarian). 12 March 2020.
↑ "Hulya ESEN". itftennis.com. Archived from the original on 2017-03-18. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
↑ "Hulya Esen". wtatennis.com. Archived from the original on 2019-12-07. Retrieved 2023-10-18.

External links

Hülya Esen at the Women's Tennis Association
Hülya Esen at World Tennis

[profile-1] 1 2 Хюлия Велиева - Тенис клуб „Про Спорт“

[bio-2] 1 2 3 "Хюлия Велиева - гласът на Родопите в тениса ни" (in Bulgarian). 22 June 2020.

[3] "Жени - сингъл".

[4] "Хюлия Велиева - момичето със страхотен глас, с много таланти и част от нaй-уcпешнaтa двойкa в cтрaнaтa през поcледното деcетилетие - Tennis.bg".

[5] "Хюлия Велиева спечели Държавното лично първенство по тенис на закрито за жени" (in Bulgarian). 12 March 2020.

[6] "Hulya ESEN". itftennis.com. Archived from the original on 2017-03-18. Retrieved 2023-10-18.

[7] "Hulya Esen". wtatennis.com. Archived from the original on 2019-12-07. Retrieved 2023-10-18.

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