diff --git a/python/pyspark/sql/tests.py b/python/pyspark/sql/tests.py
index 3055225fdafed..536ef552519e1 100644
--- a/python/pyspark/sql/tests.py
+++ b/python/pyspark/sql/tests.py
@@ -315,6 +315,7 @@ def test_chained_udf(self):
         self.assertEqual(row[0], 6)
 
     def test_multiple_udfs(self):
+        self.sqlCtx.registerFunction("double", lambda x: x * 2, IntegerType())
         [row] = self.sqlCtx.sql("SELECT double(1), double(2)").collect()
         self.assertEqual(tuple(row), (2, 4))
         [row] = self.sqlCtx.sql("SELECT double(double(1)), double(double(2) + 2)").collect()
diff --git a/python/pyspark/worker.py b/python/pyspark/worker.py
index 9ce754aa893cc..b7bb1edc40890 100644
--- a/python/pyspark/worker.py
+++ b/python/pyspark/worker.py
@@ -91,8 +91,9 @@ def read_udfs(pickleSer, infile):
     if num_udfs == 1:
         udf = udfs[0][2]
 
+        # fast path for single UDF
         def mapper(args):
-            return (udf(*args),)
+            return udf(*args)
     else:
         def mapper(args):
             return tuple(udf(*args[start:end]) for start, end, udf in udfs)
diff --git a/sql/core/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/execution/python/BatchPythonEvaluation.scala b/sql/core/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/execution/python/BatchPythonEvaluation.scala
index 8c642e026fb7c..a9c8bd4f6752b 100644
--- a/sql/core/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/execution/python/BatchPythonEvaluation.scala
+++ b/sql/core/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/execution/python/BatchPythonEvaluation.scala
@@ -71,7 +71,6 @@ case class BatchPythonEvaluation(udfs: Seq[PythonUDF], output: Seq[Attribute], c
 
       val (pyFuncs, children) = udfs.map(collectFunctions).unzip
       val numArgs = children.map(_.length)
-      val resultType = StructType(udfs.map(u => StructField("", u.dataType, u.nullable)))
 
       val pickle = new Pickler
       // flatten all the arguments
@@ -97,15 +96,26 @@ case class BatchPythonEvaluation(udfs: Seq[PythonUDF], output: Seq[Attribute], c
         .compute(inputIterator, context.partitionId(), context)
 
       val unpickle = new Unpickler
-      val row = new GenericMutableRow(1)
+      val mutableRow = new GenericMutableRow(1)
       val joined = new JoinedRow
+      val resultType = if (udfs.length == 1) {
+        udfs.head.dataType
+      } else {
+        StructType(udfs.map(u => StructField("", u.dataType, u.nullable)))
+      }
       val resultProj = UnsafeProjection.create(output, output)
 
       outputIterator.flatMap { pickedResult =>
         val unpickledBatch = unpickle.loads(pickedResult)
         unpickledBatch.asInstanceOf[java.util.ArrayList[Any]].asScala
       }.map { result =>
-        val row = EvaluatePython.fromJava(result, resultType).asInstanceOf[InternalRow]
+        val row = if (udfs.length == 1) {
+          // fast path for single UDF
+          mutableRow(0) = EvaluatePython.fromJava(result, resultType)
+          mutableRow
+        } else {
+          EvaluatePython.fromJava(result, resultType).asInstanceOf[InternalRow]
+        }
         resultProj(joined(queue.poll(), row))
       }
     }