Valeria Bhunu

Valeria Bhunu
Country (sports) Zimbabwe
Born (1995-04-03) 3 April 1995
Zimbabwe
Retired2026
PlaysRight-handed (two-handed backhand)
Prize moneyUS$44,592
Singles
Career record158–112
Career titles3 ITF
Highest rankingNo. 497 (14 November 2016)
Doubles
Career record59–81
Highest rankingNo. 534 (21 November 2016)
Medal record
Women's tennis
Representing  Zimbabwe
African Games
Bronze medal – third place2015 BrazzavilleSingles
Bronze medal – third place2015 BrazzavilleDoubles
Bronze medal – third place2015 BrazzavilleTeam
Last updated on: 01 May 2026.

Valeria Bhunu (born 3 April 1995) is a Zimbabwean former tennis player.[1]

Bhunu won three singles titles on the ITF Women's Circuit. On 14 November 2016, she reached her world's best singles ranking, No. 497. On 21 November 2016, she peaked at No. 534 in the doubles rankings.[2]

In 2015, she played for Zimbabwe in the 2015 African Games in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo where she won the bronze medal in women's singles and doubles.

In 2022, Bhunu was given three years and three months suspension for an anti-doping rule violation after testing positive for mesterolone.[3][4] Her sentence ended in 2025 and she started playing tennis again in February of that year.

Bhunu announced her retirement from professional tennis in February 2026.[5]

ITF Circuit finals

Singles: 8 (3 titles, 5 runner-ups)

Legend
W25 tournaments
W10/15 tournaments
Finals by surface
Hard (3–5)
Result W–L Date Tournament Tier Surface Opponent Score
Win 1–0 Nov 2015 ITF Stellenbosch, South Africa W10 Hard Germany Katharina Hering 6–4, 6–0
Loss 1–1 Jun 2016 ITF Grand-Baie, Mauritius W10 Hard India Snehadevi Reddy 4–6, 6–4, 3–6
Loss 1–2 Sep 2016 ITF Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt W10 Hard Slovakia Tereza Mihalíková 3–6, 6–7(3)
Loss 1–3 Jul 2018 ITF Corroios, Portugal W15 Hard New Zealand Paige Hourigan 4–6, 3–6
Win 2–3 Jun 2021 ITF Monastir, Tunisia W15 Hard Japan Saki Imamura 6–2, 6–2
Loss 2–4 Sep 2021 ITF Johannesburg, South Africa W25 Hard Netherlands Richèl Hogenkamp 3–6, 6–4, 3–6
Win 3–4 Jun 2025 ITF Hillcrest, South Africa W15 Hard France Astrid Cirotte 7–6(3), 6–3
Loss 3–5 Jul 2025 ITF Monastir, Tunisia W15 Hard Latvia Beatrise Zeltiņa 3–6, 2–6

Doubles: 6 (6 runner-ups)

Legend
W25 tournaments
W10/15 tournaments
Finals by surface
Hard (0–6)
Result W–L    Date    Tournament Tier Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 0–1 Nov 2015 ITF Stellenbosch, South Africa W10 Hard Namibia Lesedi Sheya Jacobs South Africa Madrie Le Roux
Netherlands Erika Vogelsang		 6–7(6), 2–6
Loss 0–2 Dec 2015 Lagos Open, Nigeria W25 Hard Israel Ester Masuri Russia Margarita Lazareva
Ukraine Valeriya Strakhova		 1–6, 2–6
Loss 0–3 Nov 2016 ITF Stellenbosch, South Africa W10 Hard Sweden Linnea Malmqvist United States Kaitlyn Christian
South Africa Chanel Simmonds		 0–6, 6–7(3)
Loss 0–4 Nov 2016 ITF Stellenbosch, South Africa W10 Hard Sweden Linnea Malmqvist South Africa Ilze Hattingh
South Africa Madrie Le Roux		 1–6, 2–6
Loss 0–5 Mar 2018 ITF Manama, Bahrain W15 Hard United Kingdom Emily Webley-Smith Oman Fatma Al-Nabhani
Philippines Marian Capadocia		 5–7, 2–6
Loss 0–6 May 2025 ITF Monastir, Tunisia W15 Hard Tunisia Lina Soussi Anastasiia Gureva
Ekaterina Khayrutdinova		 1–6, 1–6

References

  1. ↑ "Valeria Bhunu | Player Stats & More – WTA Official". Women's Tennis Association. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
  2. ↑ "Tennis Abstract: Valeria Bhunu ATP Match Results, Splits, and Analysis". www.tennisabstract.com. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
  3. ↑ Nhakaniso, Daniel (16 September 2022). "Zim tennis ace Bhunu banned over doping". NewsDay.
  4. ↑ "Decision in the case of Valeria Bhunu". Archived from the original on 2022-10-04. Retrieved 2022-10-04.
  5. ↑ "Tennis retirements – Two players call time on their careers in February". lastwordonsports.com. 28 February 2026.
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