In July 2013, Kerkhove made her WTA Tour main-draw debut at the
Swedish Open. She made her
Grand Slam debut at the
2017 US Open as a qualifier, and recorded her first major singles match-win at the
2021 Wimbledon Championships over
Svetlana Kuznetsova. She recorded her second major singles win as a lucky loser at the
2022 Wimbledon Championships over wildcard
Sonay Kartal, before being defeated by world No. 1,
Iga Świątek, in three sets. In July 2024, she announced her retirement from professional tour. ==Personal life==