Which came first, the confidence or the cachet? For McCartney Kessler, rising 25-year-old American and former University of Florida standout, they seem to move in lockstep. 

Kessler sure looked confident in her first round match on Thursday evening at the BNP Paribas Open. She powered past Anna Blinkova 6-1, 6-2 in a blink-and-you-missed-it 60 minutes on Stadium 2, looking every bit the seasoned pro as she set a second-round clash with top seed and World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. 

Watching Kessler blitz her opponent with a melange of punishing ground strokes, well-timed drop shots and pinpoint precision, it’s hard to imagine her ever on the outside of the WTA Tour looking in, but that had been the case ever since the Calhoun, Georgia native finished her college career at Florida as a three-time All-American.

Until lately.

Now up to a career-high No. 46 in the WTA live rankings, Kessler looked back on her early days on the pro circuit after Thursday’s first-round victory.  

“Definitely the first year was tough,” she told BNPParibasOpen.com. “It’s expensive. I was not traveling with a coach. You had to figure out everything yourself, from the transportation to the food. I think there were definitely times where I was like ‘Is this worth it’ but as my ranking got higher I could see the finish line a little bit, as far as getting to these WTA tournaments, so it helped keep me on track.” 

Kessler, who is coached by her brother McClain, climbed from 944 to inside the Top 250 in 2023; then she rose from 217 to make her Top 100 debut last year, winning her first title at Cleveland in August and finishing the season at No. 68. 

In 2025, she hasn’t skipped a beat. Kessler started the season by winning her second WTA title in Hobart, and last month in Dubai she rattled off back-to-back wins over Amanda Anisimova and Coco Gauff, the latter her first ever Top 5 triumph. 

What’s the main catalyst in Kessler’s rapid rise? She says it is all in her head. 

“I’ve worked on some stuff on court with my game but I think the biggest thing is the mental side,” she said. “Knowing that I belong here and I can compete with anyone and I can beat anyone on any given day. I think that mentality is the biggest difference from last year.”

Though Kessler was thrilled to earn her biggest career win over 2023 US Open champion Gauff, she reveals a lot about her own competitive psyche when she talks about the experience. 

“Unfortunately the way tennis works, I got two of the biggest wins of my career and then had a 7-6 loss in the third that was really upsetting, a match that I knew I had chances,” Kessler says, referring to her loss to Karolina Muchova in the round of 16 at Dubai. “I think that kind of overshadowed the excitement of the wins, but when I got home I was really happy with my results and it gave me another sense of belief in myself.” 

Muchova, a former Top 10 talent, got the win by the skin of her teeth, but she too was impressed by Kessler’s dynamic game. 

“I think she was just smashing it left and right,” the Czech said. “I think she brought an unbelievable level. I honestly didn't know much about her before this tournament. I think if she keeps going this way, she's going to go up with the rankings.”

Kessler comes from a tennis-playing family. Both her parents played collegiately, and her coach/brother McClain played at Florida as well. She says her parents never forced the sport on her, but she and her brother chose it from a young age and have grown together. 

What makes him the perfect coach, besides the blood bond? 

“His positivity and his belief in me,” Kessler says. “And how good he thinks and knows I can be, that’s always super helpful for me when I have a coach that is so positive and has an optimistic outlook.”

Here in the California desert, Kessler is excited to have her first win under her belt. But she’s a forward-looking athlete, and it’s the next challenge that really grabs her attention. 

“Everyone loves to be here,” she said of the BNP Paribas Open. “Last year I was so excited to get a wild card and come here and then I didn’t play the tennis that I wanted to play at all. For the last year I’ve been looking forward to coming back and playing better.” 

As for her clash with former finalist Sabalenka, she knows that she’s earned the right to believe in her chances against any player, on any day. 

“Obviously if I’m playing my best tennis I know that I can win against anyone,” she said. “I think that’s something that obviously I have proven to myself and proven to other people over the last few months, so yes, I’m excited to get another opportunity.”