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- published: 10 Aug 2012
- views: 3668
- author: TopTenTennisNetwork
Lisicki in 2012 |
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Full name | Sabine Lisicki |
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Country | Germany |
Residence | Bradenton, Florida, United States |
Born | (1989-09-22) 22 September 1989 (age 22) Troisdorf, West Germany |
Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) |
Turned pro | 2006 |
Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
Career prize money | $2,194,075 |
Singles | |
Career record | 195–123 |
Career titles | 3 WTA, 2 ITF |
Highest ranking | 12 (21 May 2012) |
Current ranking | 13 (28 May 2012) |
Grand Slam Singles results | |
Australian Open | 4R (2012) |
French Open | 2R (2008, 2011) |
Wimbledon | SF (2011) |
US Open | 4R (2011) |
Doubles | |
Career record | 37–25 |
Career titles | 1 WTA, 0 ITF |
Highest ranking | 35 (9 April 2012) |
Current ranking | 53 (28 May 2012) |
Grand Slam Doubles results | |
Australian Open | 1R (2010) |
French Open | 1R (2008) |
Wimbledon | F (2011) |
US Open | 2R (2008, 2010) |
Last updated on: 28 May 2012. |
Sabine Lisicki (/lɨˈzɪki/; born 22 September 1989 in Troisdorf) is a German professional tennis player.
Lisicki has won three WTA singles tournaments in her career (one in 2009 and two in 2011) and one doubles tournament (in 2011). She reached the semi-finals of the 2011 Wimbledon Championships and also reached the quarterfinals of the 2009 Wimbledon Championships. She achieved her career high rank of World No. 12 on 21 May 2012. After struggling with injuries in 2010, Lisicki rebounded in 2011 and re-entered the top 100 of the world rankings. She is only the second player in Wimbledon history to make it to the semifinals while entering the tournament as a wildcard.[1]
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Since 2004 Lisicki has trained at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Florida, USA where she is sponsored and managed by IMG. She is coached by her father who studied sport science in Wrocław and Cologne.[2]
Lisicki had a successful year in 2007 on the ITF circuit and climbed from World No. 497 to World No. 198 in the WTA rankings. She won two titles, one in Jersey and the other in Toronto, Canada. She defeated top-seed Katie O'Brien on 2 August 2007 at the Odlum Brown Vancouver Open.[3]
In 2006, Lisicki competed at the 2006 Sunfeast Open – Singles Qualifying in Kolkata where she crushed Ragini Vimal 6–1, 6–0 in the first round, but lost in the qualifying round to Sanaa Bhambri of India.
At the 2008 Australian Open, Lisicki's first Grand Slam tournament, she defeated the number 16-seeded player, Dinara Safina and Mariya Koryttseva to reach the third round as a qualifier. She lost her third round match to Caroline Wozniacki. In the first round of Fed Cup against the United States, Lisicki defeated Lindsay Davenport in straight sets.
Lisicki next reached the fourth round of the Miami 2008 Sony Ericsson Open, a Tier I event, where she defeated sixth seeded Anna Chakvetadze in straight sets. However, she was beaten in the next round by Elena Dementieva.
At the 2008 Wimbledon Championships, Lisicki lost in the first round to the 2007 runner up and the number 11 seed Marion Bartoli.
In October, Lisicki reached her first WTA final at the Tashkent Open where she lost in three sets to fellow teenager Sorana Cîrstea of Romania.
Lisicki started her year at the Hopman Cup in Perth where she advanced to the third round before losing to Dominika Cibulková in straight sets. At the Australian Open, Lisicki defeated the 30th seed Aleksandra Wozniak in the opening round before losing to Aussie Samantha Stosur in straight sets. She then took part in Germany's 3–2 win over Switzerland in their Fed Cup World Group II tie, defeating Timea Bacsinszky but losing to Patty Schnyder.
At the Cellular South Cup in Memphis, Lisicki reached the semi-finals, defeating no. 3 seed Lucie Šafářová on the way before losing to eventual winner Victoria Azarenka. Lisicki then took part in the first Premier Mandatory tournament of the year in North America. At the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, she lost in the first round to Elena Vesnina. At the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, she lost in the second round to 26th seed Iveta Benešová.
During the clay-court season, Lisicki lost in the second round of the MPS Group Championships in Ponte Vedra Beach to eventual finalist and no. 5 seed Aleksandra Wozniak. On the green clay at the Family Circle Cup in Charleston, Lisicki won her first WTA Tour title without dropping a set, defeating the 5th seed Caroline Wozniacki in the final. She had previously defeated 2nd seeded Venus Williams in the third round and no.6 seed Marion Bartoli in the semi-finals. She then took part in Germany's Fed Cup World Group play-off win against China. She defeated World No. 16 Zheng Jie in the first singles match, and partenered with Anna-Lena Grönefeld to win the decisive doubles match.
Lisicki advanced to the second round of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart before losing to third-seeded Jelena Janković in straight sets. She then advanced to the quarter-finals at the Estoril Open in Portugal where she lost to compatriot Anna-Lena Grönefeld, retiring when 6–2 down. At the French Open, Lisicki lost to Lucie Šafářová in the first round.
On her first match on grass at the AEGON International in Eastbourne, Lisicki lost to Samantha Stosur in the first round. In doubles, Lisicki and her partner Ana Ivanović lost in the first round to World No. 1's Cara Black and Liezel Huber.
Lisicki played her first Grand Slam quarter-final at the 2009 Wimbledon Championships, where she was beaten by World No.1 Dinara Safina.[4] To reach the quarter final, she had defeated Anna Chakvetadze in the first round, Patricia Mayr in the second round, the recent French Open champion and No. 5 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova in the third round, and 9th seed Caroline Wozniacki in the 4th round.
Seeded 23rd, Lisicki advanced to the second round at the 2009 US Open, but lost to qualifier Anastasia Rodionova. On Rodionova's match point, Lisicki slipped while going to return a backhand and injured her left ankle. She left the court in a wheelchair as Rodionova advanced to the third round. Lisicki later reported[5] that an MRI showed no tears. The injury was a sprain, and Lisicki returned to her base in Florida for rehabilitation.
Lisicki returned to the tour at the Toray Pan Pacific Open at the end of September, where she reached the second round, but losing in three sets to 7th seeded Jelena Janković.
In October, Lisicki reached the Final of Luxembourg, but lost there to Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland. On her way to the final she beat Iveta Benešová, Polona Hercog, Patty Schnyder and Shahar Pe'er.
Lisicki qualified for the Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions. She lost her first round robin match to Aravane Rezaï, but won her second round robin match against Melinda Czink.
Lisicki started the 2010 season by playing at the Hopman Cup for Germany. She won her singles ties against Elena Dementieva and Laura Robson but lost to Yaroslava Shvedova. Partnering with Philipp Kohlschreiber, they lost all their doubles matches, so Germany did not proceed to the finals.
Lisicki then travelled to Melbourne to compete in the Australian Open where she was the 21st seed. However she was defeated in the second round by Alberta Brianti in three sets. Her first tournament after the Australian Open was the Pattaya Open in Bangkok where she was the second seed. However, she lost her second round match to home player Tamarine Tanasugarn.
She then went to Dubai to compete in the Dubai Tennis Championships. She lost her second round match against Venus Williams.
Her next two tournaments were at Indian Wells and Miami. In both tournaments, Lisicki retired in the second round because of an ankle injury. The injury sidelined her for five months, and she withdrew from tournaments at Ponte Vedra and Charleston. She also missed the Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
Coming into the 2010 US Open ranked world number 96, Lisicki advanced to the second round before losing to 7th seeded Vera Zvonareva.
After the US Open, Lisicki failed to qualify for the Luxembourg Open leading to her dropping out of the top 100.
Lisicki started the 2011 season at the ASB Classic in Auckland. She lost to Yanina Wickmayer in three sets in the second round. In the Australian Open, Sabine played the qualifying tournament and lost in the second round to Vesna Manasieva 7–6, 6–4.
After losing at 2011 BNP Paribas Open to Sorana Cîrstea in the qualifying rounds, Lisicki lifted her form and reached the third round at the 2011 Sony Ericsson Open, where she was defeated by Maria Sharapova.
At the 2011 Family Circle Cup, Lisicki reached the third round, but lost to Sania Mirza in two sets.
At the 2011 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, Lisicki lost in the third round against her compatriot Julia Görges, eventual champion of the tournament. In doubles, Lisicki partnered with former world no. 1 doubles player Samantha Stosur to win her first ever career doubles title.
At the 2011 French Open, she advanced to the second round against the number three seed, Vera Zvonareva. Lisicki had a match point at 5–2 of the third set, but she lost the point and eventually the match, 4–6, 7–5, 7–5. Afterwards, she lay on the court, sobbing, and was taken off on a stretcher due to injury.[6]
At the 2011 AEGON Classic, Lisicki reached the final where she defeated Slovak Daniela Hantuchová in 6–3, 6–2, to win her second WTA Tour title.
At the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, Lisicki received a wildcard to enter the tournament, advancing to the semifinals of a major for the first time, and beating third seed and recent French Open champion Li Na in the second round. She was eliminated by Maria Sharapova in straight sets 4–6, 3–6 after leading the first set 3–0.[7] This is the first time in 12 years that a German woman (since Steffi Graf reached the Wimbledon finals in 1999) has reached the semifinal stage of a Grand Slam. Lisicki is the second wild-card entry to reach the women's semifinals in Wimbledon history.[8] In doubles, Lisicki partnered with Samantha Stosur and lost in the final 6–3, 6–1.[9]
At the 2011 Bank of the West Classic, Lisicki beat 4th seed and doubles partner Samantha Stosur and 5th seed Agnieszka Radwanska, but fell to Serena Williams in the semifinals 1–6, 2–6.
At 2011 Western & Southern Open Lisicki lost to Shahar Pe'er in the first round 4–6, 6–7 despite being 5–0 down in the second set.[10]
Lisicki then traveled to Dallas to compete in the inaugural 2011 Texas Tennis Open as the 5th seed. After advancing to the semifinals with an easy win over qualifier Kateryna Bondarenko, she crushed 8th seed Irina-Camelia Begu 6–0, 6–1 to advance to the final. Sabine won her 3rd title, defeating qualifier Aravane Rezaï, having dropped no more than three games each match of the way to her victory. She moved to a new career-high rank of No. 18 on 29 August.
Seeded 22nd at the 2011 US Open, she easily advanced to the second round with a straight-sets win over Alona Bondarenko. She was scheduled to play Venus Williams in the second round, but Williams withdrew before it started due to her recent diagnosis of Sjögren's syndrome. Lisicki dispatched Irina Falconi 6–0, 6–1 to advance to the fourth round for the first time, before ultimately being defeated by second seed Vera Zvonareva 2–6, 3–6.
At the China Open Liscki defeated Zheng Saisai in straight sets but withdrew from her second round match against Kaia Kanepi.
Lisicki was named the WTA comeback player of the year in November.[11]
Lisicki's first tournament in 2012 was the 2012 ASB Classic Tournament where she was the number 1 seed. In the first round, she defeated Virginie Razzano 6–4, 6–4. In the second round, she defeated Mona Barthel 7–6, 3–6, 6–3. In the quarter-final, she faced Angelique Kerber, 2011 US Open semi-finalist, and was losing 4–6, before retiring, due to a back injury, in the second set at a score of 3–4. In doubles, she entered with Chinese player Peng Shuai and they won their first round match against Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci 6–2, 6–3. Both the Italians would go on to the Australian Open in four weeks time. In the second round, they pulled out due to the injury picked up by Lisicki in the quarterfinal of the singles tournament against Angelique Kerber.
Then she entered the 2012 Apia International Sydney where she was unseeded. Before the first round of the tournament began, she pulled out with her recent back injury and gave her place to Lucky Loser, Alexandra Dulgheru.
She competed in the Australian Open where she was the fourteenth seed. In the first round, she faced Swiss Stefanie Vögele and beat her 6–2, 4–6, 6–4. In the second round, she deafeated Shahar Pe'er 6–1, 6–2. In the third round, she beat eighteenth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova 2–6, 6–4, 6–2.[12] She was defeated by Russian Maria Sharapova 6–3 2–6 3–6. Lisicki took the first set, winning six consecutive games after being down 0–3, but was unable to match Sharapova in the following two sets.
At the 2012 Fed Cup, Lisicki played for her country of Germany alongside Julia Görges, Anna-Lena Grönefeld and Angelique Kerber. She started off the meeting between Germany and the Czech Republic by facing Iveta Benešová. She lost the match by a score of 6–2, 4–6, 2–6. In her second match, she faced Wimbledon Champion Petra Kvitová and also lost 7–6, 4–6, 1–6. Germany lost the meeting by a score of 1–4.
Her next tournament was supposed to be the 2012 Open GDF Suez where she was to be the fifth seed. She pulled out before the tournament began with a viral illness.
She then competed in the 2012 Qatar Ladies Open where she was the ninth seed. In the first round she met compatriot and the unseeded Angelique Kerber and lost 6–4, 4–6, 1–6 to continue a losing streak dating back to the fourth round of the Australian Open. In Doubles, she was the fourth seed along with Russian Maria Kirilenko. They received a bye into the second round. There they met Andreja Klepač and Alicja Rosolska. They bet them at a score of 6–2, 4–6, [10–8]. In the third round they met fifth seeds Nuria Llagostera Vives and Anastasia Rodionova. They lost the first set 4–6 and in the second set, Llagostera Vives and Rodionova took an early 3–1 led but Lisicki and Kirilenko were able to bring the score back to level. The two teams swapped a break of serve to bring the score to 4–4. The teams held serve and brought the set to a tiebreak. Lisicki and Kirilenko won 7–3 to level the score at 1 set each. In the third set, they lost at a score of [8–10] and hence lost the match.
Her next tournament was the 2012 Dubai Tennis Championships where she was supposed to face fifth seed Agnieszka Radwanska in the first round. However, after second seed Petra Kvitová withdrew, she became the ninth seed and received Kvitová's bye into the second round. Their she met Iveta Benešová and beat her 6–3, 6–3. In the quarterfinals, she faced the fifth seed Agnieszka Radwańska but lost 2–6, 1–6.
She then went to 2012 Indian Wells where she was the eleventh seed. She received a bye into the second round where she faced Spaniard Lourdes Domínguez Lino. She lost 1–6, 4–6. In doubles, she competed with compatriot Julia Görges. They bet Americans Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears at a score of 6–2, 6–7, [10–7]. They faced Czech pair and 2011 French Open champions Lucie Hradecká and Andrea Hlaváčková. They lost 2–6, 4–6.
She then went to the 2012 Sony Ericsson Open where she was the twelfth seed. She got a bye to the second round where she faced Sofia Arvidsson. Lisicki won 6-3, 6-2. She faced Peng Shuai in the third round. She won 6-4, 7-5 and then faced Li Na in the fourth round. There Lisicki lost the match 6-3, 4-6, 2-6.
Her next tournament was the 2012 Family Circle Cup where she was the sixth seed. She received and bye into the second round. She will face lucky loser Andrea Hlaváčková. In doubles, she paired with 2012 Australian Open champion Vera Zvonareva. They faced top seeds Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond in the first round.
At the 2012 Family Circle Cup, Lisicki was the sixth seed. She received a bye into the second round. There she faced lucky loser Andrea Hlaváčková. She won 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. She faced qualifier Yaroslava Shvedova in the third round and won 7-5, 6-4. In the quarter-final, she faced Serena Williams. At a score of 1-4 to Serena, Lisicki fell and injured her left ankle. She retired from the match in tears sending Serena to the semis. In doubles, she paired with 2012 Australian Open women's doubles champion, Vera Zvonareva. They faced top seeds Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond and lost 2-6, 2-6.
As a result of the fall in her quarter-final match, Lisicki was forced to sideline at the Fed Cup World Group Play-off tie against Australia. She was also forced to pull out of the 2012 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix from which she was defending a quarter-final spot in singles and the doubles title which she won with Samantha Stosur. Lisicki also missed the 2012 Mutua Madrid Open, a Premier Mandatory tournament.
After nearly a month off the tour, Lisicki returned as the twelfth seed in the 2012 Internazionali BNL d'Italia. She faced Marina Erakovic in the first round. She lost 6-7(4-7), 6-4, 3-6. She then traveled to the 2012 Internationaux de Strasbourg where she was the top seed. She again faced a first round shock losing to Pauline Parmentier 4-6, 4-6.
She then traveled to Paris to play the second Grand Slam of the year, the French Open, where she was the twelfth seed. On the red clay of Roland Garros, Lisicki lost 4-6, 3-6 to American Bethanie Mattek-Sands.
Her parents emigrated to West Germany from Poland in 1979; her father, Dr. Richard Lisicki, is of German and Polish descent, and her mother, Elisabeth, of Polish.[2][13][14] Her father is her coach and her mother, Elizabeth, is a painter specializing in ceramics. She started playing at the age of 7, (introduced by her father). Lisicki currently lives in Bradenton, Florida. She is fluent in German, English and Polish. Her off-court interests include reading, music and athletics. Her favorite book is Lance Armstrong's autobiography and her favorite music is pop and R&B.
Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
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Runner-up | 2011 | Wimbledon | Grass | Samantha Stosur | Květa Peschke Katarina Srebotnik |
3–6, 1–6 |
Only Main Draw results in WTA Tour are considered. This table is current through the 2012 Australian Open.
Tournament | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | SR | W–L |
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Grand Slam Tournaments | |||||||||
Australian Open | A | A | 3R | 2R | 2R | LQ | 4R | 0 / 4 | 7–4 |
French Open | A | A | 2R | 1R | A | 2R | 1R | 0 / 4 | 2–4 |
Wimbledon | A | A | 1R | QF | A | SF | 0 / 3 | 9–3 | |
US Open | A | A | 2R | 2R | 2R | 4R | 0 / 4 | 5–4 | |
Win–Loss | 0–0 | 0–0 | 4–4 | 6–4 | 1–1 | 8–3 | 3–2 | 0 / 15 | 23–15 |
Year-End Championship | |||||||||
WTA Tour Championships | A | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | |
Tournament of Champions | Not Held | A | A | 4th | 0 / 1 | 1–1 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sabine Lisicki |
Awards | ||
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Preceded by Justine Henin |
WTA Comeback Player of the Year 2011 |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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Persondata | |
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Name | |
Alternative names | |
Short description | German tennis player |
Date of birth | |
Place of birth | |
Date of death | |
Place of death |
Country | Russia |
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Residence | Moscow, Russia |
Born | (1987-01-25) 25 January 1987 (age 25) Moscow, Soviet Union now Russia |
Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) |
Weight | 57.6 kg (127 lb; 9.07 st) |
Turned pro | 2001 |
Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
Career prize money | $4,731,989 |
Singles | |
Career record | 306–218 |
Career titles | 5 WTA, 3 ITF |
Highest ranking | No. 16 (14 May 2012) |
Current ranking | No. 17 (28 May 2012) |
Grand Slam Singles results | |
Australian Open | QF (2010) |
French Open | 4R (2010, 2011) |
Wimbledon | 3R (2010, 2011) |
US Open | 4R (2011) |
Doubles | |
Career record | 226–137 |
Career titles | 11 WTA, 0 ITF |
Highest ranking | No. 5 (24 October 2011) |
Current ranking | No. 12 (28 May 2012) |
Grand Slam Doubles results | |
Australian Open | F (2011) |
French Open | QF (2010, 2011) |
Wimbledon | 3R (2007) |
US Open | SF (2011) |
Last updated on: 28 May 2012. |
Maria Yuryevna Kirilenko (Russian: Мари́я Ю́рьевна Кириле́нко) (born 25 January 1987) is a Russian professional tennis player. Kirilenko won her first WTA Tour title in 2005, defeating Anna-Lena Grönefeld in the China Open. Kirilenko reached no. 16, her career-high singles ranking, on the WTA tour in May 2012. She won the junior event at the 2002 Canadian Open, as well as the 2002 US Open junior tournament. She has reached one Grand Slam quarterfinal at the 2010 Australian Open. As of 28 May 2012, Kirilenko is ranked world no. 16.
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Born in the Soviet Union of paternal Ukrainian heritage, Kirilenko is a good friend to fellow WTA players Maria Sharapova, Daniela Hantuchová, Victoria Azarenka, Ana Ivanović, Agnieszka Radwańska, Nadia Petrova, and Marta Domachowska.
Kirilenko dated fellow Russian player, Igor Andreev for several[quantify] years[1][2]. In November 2011, Russian hockey player Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals identified Kirilenko as his girlfriend on his Twitter account[3]
Maria Kirilenko started showing a passion for tennis at age 5, but it was difficult to get practice in while still attending school. Her father enrolled her in a tennis school, and hours of training started to pay off as she won several tournaments.
When Kirilenko was 12 years old, an Honored Master of sports, Elena Brioukhovets, saw her while training. Brioukhovets watched Maria making progress and offered to work with her. A three-year program was set up, and a special team selected. In less than three years, Maria became no. 1 in her age group and no. 2 in the 18-and-under group. The well-known tennis-players who had created an organization supporting young tennis players included Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Andrei Olhovskiy, and Max Mirnyi.
In 2002, Kirilenko became one of the youngest winners of the Canadian Open and US Open junior tournaments.
In 2002, Kirilenko started participating in WTA events. She began moving up the rankings in 2004, but was set back by an injury. At the end of 2005, she climbed back up the rankings and won her first title in Beijing. On 12 June 2006, she broke into the world's top 20 for the first time. Kirilenko was also the runner-up to Nicole Pratt at the 2004 AP Tourism Hyderabad Open.
Kirilenko made her debut for Russia at the Fed Cup tournament in April 2006. In the World Group quarterfinal tie against Belgium, Kirilenko lost her singles match against 2005 US Open champion Kim Clijsters, but partnering with Dinara Safina, won her doubles match against Justine Henin and Clijsters. However, Russia ended up losing 3–2.
At the 2006 US Open, Kirilenko was seeded 20th and reached the third round, before losing to Aravane Rezaï.
In January 2007, she advanced to the third round of the 2007 Australian Open, before being defeated by third-seed Svetlana Kuznetsova. She then competed in the 2007 Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, where she advanced to the second round, upsetting world no. 15 Shahar Pe'er of Israel, before being defeated by Ai Sugiyama. She then competed in the Dubai Tennis Championships, where she reached the second round, before losing in a close match to Daniela Hantuchová.[4]
At the Acura Classic in San Diego, California, Kirilenko upset second seeded Jelena Janković of Serbia to advance to the quarterfinals, before losing to fellow Russian Elena Dementieva. At the East West Bank Classic in Los Angeles, she also reached the quarterfinals, upsetting sixth seed Marion Bartoli in straight sets.
Unseeded at the US Open, she defeated Martina Müller of Germany, and then 22nd seed Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia. She then lost to unseeded Julia Vakulenko of Ukraine. After the US Open, she appeared in the Sunfeast Open. There, Kirilenko won her second WTA Tour singles title, defeating unseeded Mariya Koryttseva of Ukraine in straight sets. The next week at a tournament in Seoul, Kirilenko, as the fourth seed also reached the finals, but lost to top seed Venus Williams.
At the Australian Open, Kirilenko reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in her career, beating sixth seed Anna Chakvetadze. Her next opponent was Daniela Hantuchová, to whom she lost, 6–1, 4–6, 4–6, after leading 6–1, 3–1.
Kirilenko then reached the second round of a Tier I event in Doha, beating Ekaterina Makarova, before losing to Anabel Medina Garrigues in three sets. Kirilenko then lost four matches in a row at Dubai, Bangalore, Indian Wells, and Miami. However, as the second seed, she reached the final of a Tier IV event at Estoril, where she defeated Iveta Benešová in straight sets. She also won the doubles title there, partnering with Flavia Pennetta. Kirilenko also won in Barcelona, defeating Martinez-Sanchez for her fourth career WTA title and the second of the year.
Kirilenko played at the Tier III tournament in Cincinnati in August, where she was third seed. She reached the semifinals, where she lost to eventual champion Nadia Petrova. She partnered with Petrova as the second seed doubles team and beat the top seed pair of Hsieh Su-wei and Yaroslava Shvedova in the finals.
Kirilenko was seeded 27th at the Australian Open, but lost in the first round to unseeded Sara Errani of Italy in the tournament's first upset.
In the Dubai doubles tournament, Kirilenko partnered with Agnieszka Radwańska, and even though they were unseeded, they reached the final, eventually losing to Liezel Huber and Cara Black, the world no. 1 doubles pairing at that time.
At the 2009 French Open, Kirilenko was unseeded in the singles tournament, and lost to Olivia Rogowska of Australia in the first round. In the doubles tournament, Kirilenko and doubles partner Flavia Pennetta of Italy were seeded eighth. They made it to the third round, before losing to 11th seeded Anna-Lena Grönefeld of Germany and Patty Schnyder of Switzerland.
Kirilenko was unseeded at the 2009 Wimbledon Championships and made it to the second round, before losing to ninth seeded Caroline Wozniacki.
At the US Open, she made it to the third round, before losing to Li Na. She then competed in the 2009 Hansol Korea Open in Seoul, where she was the defending champion, but lost in the semifinals to eventual champion Kimiko Date-Krumm.
Kirilenko began the year by competing in the 2010 ASB Classic, where she reached the quarterfinals, before losing to Shahar Pe'er. With a world ranking at that time of 58, Kirilenko was unseeded at the 2010 Australian Open, where in the first round she upset her friend, and former doubles partner, 14th seed Maria Sharapova, 7–6(4), 3–6, 6–4, in a 3-hour, 22-minute marathon. It was the second-longest women's match in Australian Open history. She advanced to the quarterfinals, before losing to Zheng Jie, who was also unseeded for this tournament. In the doubles portion, she and her partner, Agnieszka Radwańska, were seeded 15th and advanced to the semifinals, before losing to the world no. 1 pairing of Cara Black and Liezel Huber in three sets.
Kirilenko entered as 32nd seed at the 2010 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California. She made it to the third round, before losing to second seeded Caroline Wozniacki.
Kirilenko participated in the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Florida as 32nd seed. Like Indian Wells, she advanced to the third round, before again losing to Caroline Wozniacki.
Kirilenko played in Rome in the 2010 Internazionali BNL d'Italia, where she was unseeded. She advanced to the quarterfinals, before losing to world no. 1 Serena Williams.
Kirilenko's entered the French Open as 30th seed. She advanced to the round of 16 here for the first time in her career, before losing to 17th seed and eventual champion Francesca Schiavone. In the doubles draw of the French Open, Kirilenko and Agnieszka Radwańska were seeded 11th. They reached the quarterfinals, before losing to the eventual champions Serena and Venus Williams in straight sets.
At Wimbledon, she was 27th seed in the singles draw. She advanced to the third round, before losing to eighth seed Kim Clijsters.[5] Kirilenko also paired up with Agnieszka Radwańska in the doubles draw, where they were seeded tenth.
Kirilenko made the quarterfinals of the 2010 Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, California. before losing to Agnieszka Radwańska. She entered the doubles tournament with Victoria Azarenka, but they lost in the semifinals.
She then reached the second rounds of 2010 Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open and the 2010 Rogers Cup, losing to Vera Zvonareva and Victoria Azarenka, respectively. Then at the 2010 Pilot Pen Tennis, she reached the semifinals, before losing to Nadia Petrova.
She reached the third round of the 2010 US Open, losing to 11th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova.
She then reached the second rounds of 2010 Hansol Korea Open, losing to former world no. 1 Dinara Safina, and 2010 Toray Pan Pacific Open, losing to Flavia Pennetta. At the last Premier Mandatory event of the year, the 2010 China Open, she lost in the third round to eventual finalist and compatriot Vera Zvonareva. In the 2010 HP Open, she retired in the second round due to a left hip injury against Chang Kai-chen after losing the first set 4–6. Kirilenko reached the final of the 2010 Kremlin Cup, where she fell to Victoria Azarenka.
Kirilenko ended the 2010 season ranked no. 20 in the world.
She competed at the Hong Kong Tennis Classic and won the Gold Group Championship with her compatriots Vera Zvonareva and Yevgeny Kafelnikov. At the Australian Open, she failed to defend her quarterfinal points by being knocked out in the second round. However, in the doubles competition, she reached the final, partnered with Victoria Azarenka, but lost to Pennetta and Dulko. She then fell early in the 2011 PTT Pattaya Open and 2011 Dubai Tennis Championships. She then reached the third round of both 2011 BNP Paribas Open and 2011 Sony Ericsson Open losing to Agnieszka Radwańska in both occasions. She then suffered three loses in a row in the second round of 2011 Family Circle Cup, and the first rounds of 2011 Mutua Madrid Open and 2011 Internazionali BNL d'Italia. However, she won doubles at the Mutua Madrid Open with Victoria Azarenka. At the 2011 French Open, she reached the fourth round losing to Andrea Petkovic 6–2, 2–6, 6–4
She then fell in the first round of 2011 UNICEF Open to Kimiko Date-Krumm, However she rebounded by reaching the third round of the 2011 Wimbledon, evenutally being stopped by the seventh seeded Serena Williams. She then failed to win back-to-back matches falling in the second rounds of 2011 Bank of the West Classic, 2011 Mercury Insurance Open, first round of 2011 Rogers Cup, and the second rounds of 2011 Western & Southern Open and 2011 Bank of the West Classic. She then rebounded at the 2011 US Open falling to eventual champion Samantha Stosur 6–2, 6–7(15), 6–3 in the fourth round.
She then reached her first semifinal of the year at the 2011 Guangzhou International Women's Open to Chanelle Scheepers 7–5, 5–7, 6–4. She then played at the 2011 Toray Pan Pacific Open and the 2011 China Open, where she defeated Samantha Stosur in three sets in both occasions in the second round, she also fell in the quarterfinals on both events losing to Vera Zvonareva and Monica Niculescu, respectively. She the played her last tournament of the year at the 2011 BGL Luxembourg Open, where she had to withdrew in the second round due to an ankle injury.
Kirilenko began her 2012 season in Sydney where she didn't reach the main draw after losing against Sofia Arvidsson in the second round of qualifications. After that she reached the third round of the Australian Open by defeating Gajdosiva in the first and Wozniak in the second. Then Kvitova stopped her run with a 6–0 1–0 ret'. Later in the year she reached the final of Pattaya Open and then lost to Hantuchova.
In 2006, Kirilenko was selected to be the face of Adidas by Stella McCartney tennis range, designed by noted British fashion designer Stella McCartney and has played exclusively in the gear since the 2006 Australian Open.[6] In 2009, she was replaced by Caroline Wozniacki since 2009 US Open.
Like her good friend Maria Sharapova, she likes connecting athletics and fashion, and when she spoke to Teen Vogue in August 2006, she said of being dressed by McCartney for a banquet, "I felt so glamorous!"[7] She appeared in the 2009 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition alongside Daniela Hantuchová and Tatiana Golovin in a pictoral entitled Volley of the Dolls.[8]
Currently Kirilenko is using the discontinued Yonex RQiS 2 Tour racquet. The racquet is an extended length model measuring 27.5 inches long and currently has no replacement. She is using Yonex Poly Tour Pro 1.25 typically strung around 57/53.[9]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Maria Kirilenko |
Awards | ||
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Preceded by Serena Williams & Venus Williams |
WTA Fan Favorite Doubles Team of the Year (with Victoria Azarenka) 2011 |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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Persondata | |
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Name | Kirilenko, Maria Yuryevna |
Alternative names | Мари́я Ю́рьевна Кириле́нко (Russian) |
Short description | Russian tennis player |
Date of birth | 25 January 1987 |
Place of birth | Moscow, Russia |
Date of death | |
Place of death |
Victoria Azarenka at the 2012 Qatar Total Open |
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Country | Belarus |
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Residence | Monte Carlo, Monaco |
Born | (1989-07-31) 31 July 1989 (age 22) Minsk, Byelorussian SSR, Soviet Union now Belarus |
Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) |
Weight | 66 kg (150 lb; 10.4 st) |
Turned pro | 2003 |
Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
Career prize money | $ 13,458,503 |
Singles | |
Career record | 314–125 |
Career titles | 12 WTA, 1 ITF |
Highest ranking | No. 1 (30 January 2012) |
Current ranking | No. 1 (28 May 2012)[1] |
Grand Slam Singles results | |
Australian Open | W (2012) |
French Open | QF (2009, 2011) |
Wimbledon | SF (2011) |
US Open | 4R (2007) |
Other tournaments | |
Championships | F (2011) |
Doubles | |
Career record | 135–51 |
Career titles | 6 WTA, 3 ITF |
Highest ranking | No. 1 (7 July 2008) |
Current ranking | No. 38 (28 May 2012) |
Grand Slam Doubles results | |
Australian Open | F (2008, 2011) |
French Open | F (2009) |
Wimbledon | QF (2008) |
US Open | 2R (2009) |
Mixed Doubles | |
Career titles | 2 |
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results | |
Australian Open | F (2007) |
French Open | W (2008) |
Wimbledon | 1R (2007) |
US Open | W (2007) |
Last updated on: 28 May 2012. |
Victoria Azarenka (Belarusian: Вікторыя Фёдараўна Азаранка, Russian: Виктория Фёдоровна Азаренко; born 31 July 1989) is a Belarusian professional tennis player. She is the current World No. 1 as of 28 May 2012.[1]
She won the 2012 Australian Open singles title, becoming the first Belarusian player to win a Grand Slam in singles. Her other achievements include winning two mixed doubles Grand Slam titles, the 2007 US Open with Max Mirnyi and the 2008 French Open with Bob Bryan.
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At age 16, Azarenka moved to Scottsdale, Arizona from Minsk, Belarus, to train. In this she was aided by National Hockey League goalie Nikolai Khabibulin and his wife, who is a friend of Azarenka's mother.[2] In 2010 she briefly considered a break from the sport of tennis to focus on education, however, after a conversation with her grandmother she decided to continue playing. It is the inspiration from her grandmother that is regarded as the key for her continued developments in the sport.[3] Azarenka is romantically involved with tennis player Sergei Bubka Jr, son of former Olympic gold medalist and World Champion, Sergey Bubka. [4]
This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2012) |
Azarenka debuted on the International Tennis Federation (ITF) junior tour in November 2003 in Israel, winning one doubles title with countrywoman Olga Govortsova.[5] She continued to participate in ITF tournaments in 2004, and at the end of the season she had a rank of 508 on WTA singles tour.[6] Azarenka had a successful year in 2005, winning two junior Grand Slams: the Australian[7] and US[8] championships. She ended the season as the junior world no. 1 and was named the 2005 World Champion by the ITF, becoming the first Belarusian to do so.[9][10] In addition, she reached her first semifinal on the main tour in Guangzhou, China. She went from the qualifying draw of the tournament to the main draw, where she defeated Martina Suchá and Shuai Peng, before losing to the eventual champion Yan Zi.
In 2006 in Memphis, Azarenka defeated her first top-20 player, Nicole Vaidišová, and two months later defeated her second top-30 player in Jelena Janković at Miami. On clay, Azarenka pushed 2004 French Open champion Anastasia Myskina to 7–6 in the third in Rome, and took clay-court specialist Anabel Medina Garrigues to 9–7 in the third set in the first round at Roland Garros. At the 2006 Wimbledon Championships Azarenka lost in 1st round to 2005 Junior Wimbledon and 2006 Junior French Open Champion and Wildcard Agnieszka Radwanska 5:7 4:6. 2006 US Open, she had her first win over Myskina in the first round, and lost to Anna Chakvetadze in the third round, her best result in a Grand Slam event to that date. In her next tournament, Azarenka reached her second pro-level semifinal in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, losing to Tiantian Sun. She finished the year reaching the final of an ITF event in Pittsburgh, losing to Canadian Aleksandra Wozniak.[11]
Ranked world no. 96, Azarenka began the year by playing two tournaments in Australia. She lost in the second round at the Moorilla Hobart International to Serena Williams. At the Australian Open, Azarenka reached the third round of a Grand Slam singles tournament for the second consecutive time, where she lost to world no. 11 Jelena Janković in straight sets.
She was upset in the first round of the French Open by Karin Knapp of Italy, and at Wimbledon, she lost in the third round to 14th-seeded Nicole Vaidišová.
At the US Open, Azarenka upset former world no. 1 Martina Hingis in the third round, before 2004 US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova beat her in the fourth round. In mixed doubles, Azarenka and countryman Max Mirnyi won the title, defeating Meghann Shaughnessy and Leander Paes.[12]
She ended her year at the Tier I Kremlin Cup in Moscow, where she upset world no. 4 Maria Sharapova in the second round.[13] She then lost to the eventual winner of the tournament, world no. 14 Elena Dementieva, in the quarterfinal. At the same tournament, Azarenka and her doubles partner Tatiana Poutchek, also of Belarus, lost in the final to the world no. 3 team of Liezel Huber and Cara Black in three sets. Azarenka's results at the Kemlin Cup elevated her rankings to career highs of world no. 27 in singles and world no. 29 in doubles.
Azarenka began the year at the Mondial Australian Women's Hardcourts tournament in Gold Coast, Australia. Unseeded, she reached the semifinals, where she beat fifth-seeded Shahar Pe'er of Israel, Azarenka's sixth top-20 victory. In her third career WTA tour final, she lost to Li Na, but the points she earned in this tournament were enough to improve her ranking to a career-best world no. 25.
Azarenka was seeded 26th at the Australian Open. This was her first appearance as a seeded player in a Grand Slam singles tournament. She showed no ill effects from a leg injury while winning her first two matches, but lost in the third round to seventh-seeded and defending champion Serena Williams. In doubles, Azarenka and her partner Pe'er were seeded 12th. They made it to the finals, before losing to the unseeded team of Kateryna and Alona Bondarenko.
She was seeded 16th at the French Open. She defeated 18th-seeded Francesca Schiavone of Italy in the third round, before losing to fourth-seeded Kuznetsova in the fourth round. Azarenka teamed with American Bob Bryan to win the mixed doubles title at the French Open, defeating the top seeded team of Katarina Srebotnik and Nenad Zimonjić in the final.
At Wimbledon, Azarenka was seeded 16th in singles and 6th in doubles (with Pe'er). In singles, Azarenka was defeated by 21st-seeded Nadia Petrova of Russia in the third round. In doubles, Azarenka and Pe'er reached the quarterfinals, where they lost to the top-seeded team of Cara Black and Liezel Huber.
Azarenka was seeded 14th at the US Open, but was defeated by 21st-seeded Caroline Wozniacki in the third round.
Azarenka began the year at the Brisbane International as the second seed. She defeated Kateryna Bondarenko, Jarmila Groth, Lucie Šafářová, and Sara Errani, all in straight sets to reach her fifth career final. In the final, Azarenka defeated third seed Marion Bartoli, 6–3, 6–1, to win her first WTA career title.
Azarenka was seeded 13th at the Australian Open. She advanced to the fourth round for the first time, winning the first set against world no. 2 Serena Williams, before she was forced to retire because of heat stress, with the score 6–3, 2–4.
At the Cellular South Cup in Memphis, Tennessee, Azarenka was seeded second. She won her second WTA title by beating her doubles partner and top seeded Caroline Wozniacki in the final. Afterwards, Wozniacki and Azarenka won the doubles title, beating Michaëlla Krajicek and Yuliana Fedak in the final.
At the BNP Paribas Open, Azarenka was seeded 8th and reached the semifinals, where she lost to her doubles partner and eventual champion Vera Zvonareva, 3–6, 3–6. Because of her performance at this tournament, Azarenka improved her singles ranking to a career-best world no. 10.[14] She is the second woman from Belarus ever to be ranked that high, following Natasha Zvereva who was ranked world no. 5 in the late 1980s.[14]
At the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida, Azarenka was seeded 11th. She defeated world no. 1 and defending champion Serena Williams in the final, 6–3, 6–1. This was Azarenka's first Tier I or Premier Mandatory event title. Azarenka also became the sixth teenage female singles champion in the history of this tournament, with the others being Steffi Graf, Monica Seles, Martina Hingis, Venus Williams, and Gabriela Sabatini.[15] By winning this tournament, Azarenka's ranking increased to a new career high of world no. 8.
Her next tournament was on clay at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany, where she lost to Gisela Dulko in the second round. At the Italian Open, Azarenka lost to Svetlana Kuznetsova in the semifinals.
At Roland Garros, Azarenka was seeded ninth and advanced to her first Grand Slam quarterfinal, where she fell to top seed Dinara Safina, 6–1, 4–6, 2–6. With her partner Elena Vesnina, Azarenka made the final of the ladies doubles at Roland Garros. In the final, they played the Spanish pairing of Garrigues and Ruano Pascual, and the higher-ranked Spanish pair won, 6–1, 6–1.
She withdrew from her first match at the AEGON International, the warm-up for Wimbledon, citing a hip injury.
Azarenka was seeded 8th at Wimbledon. She fell, 2–6, 3–6, to second seed and eventual winner Serena Williams in the quarterfinals.[16]
Receiving a bye in the first round at the Los Angeles, Azarenka fell to Maria Sharapova, 7–6, 4–6, 2–6. In Cincinnati, Azarenka lost to Jelena Janković in the third round 5–7, 6–7, committing 11 double faults. At the Rogers Cup in Toronto, she was seeded ninth. She lost to returning Kim Clijsters in the second round, 5–7, 6–4, 1–6.
At the US Open, Azarenka was seeded eighth. She fell to Francesca Schiavone in the third round, 6–4, 2–6, 2–6.
Seeded eighth at the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, she lost to Li Na in the quarterfinals, 6–7, 6–4, 6–7, giving up a 5–1 lead in the first set. In her next tournament the China Open, Azarenka was seeded ninth. She lost in the second round to recent Tokyo champion Maria Sharapova, 3–6, 7–6, 5–7, leading 5–2 in the final set and serving for the match twice. She intended to play the Kremlin Cup in Moscow, but she withdrew.
At the year-end Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha, Azarenka vanquished Jelena Janković in her first-round robin-match, 6–2, 6–3.[17] In her second match, however, Azarenka was defeated by Caroline Wozniacki, 6–1, 4–6, 5–7. Azarenka failed to convert a match point in the final set in which she led by a break on four occasions, and also served for the match at 5–3. Azarenka also conceded her serve at 5–5, to leave Wozniacki serving for the match after receiving a point penalty for racket abuse.[18] Due to her loss to Wozniacki, Azarenka had to defeat second alternate Agnieszka Radwańska to qualify for the semifinals. She led 6–4, 5–2 with a double break, before going on to lose nine of the next ten games, eventually conceding the match after severe cramping in the third set forced her to retire while trailing 6–4, 5–7, 1–4.[19]
Azarenka ended the year ranked world no. 7, with a 45–15 win-loss record, having won three titles and qualified for the year-end championships for the first time in her career. On 15 December, Azarenka split with long-time coach Antonio Van Grichen.
Azarenka began the season at the Hong Kong Tennis Classic exhibition. She was part of Team Europe, along with Caroline Wozniacki and Stefan Edberg. In her first match, she defeated Gisela Dulko, 6–1. The match was played best of one set due to rain. She withdrew from her remaining matches due to illness. She was seeded sixth at the Medibank International. She won her first three matches, all 7–5 in the third set. In the semifinals, she fell to fifth seed Elena Dementieva, 3–6, 1–6.
At the Australian Open, she was seeded seventh. She lost to Serena Williams in the quarterfinal, 6–4, 6–7, 2–6, giving up a 4–0 lead in the second set. This was the third consecutive year she has lost to Williams at this tournament. Seeded fourth at the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships, on her way to the final, she defeated Vera Zvonareva in the quarterfinals and Agnieszka Radwańska in the semifinals. In the final, she lost to defending champion Venus Williams, 3–6, 5–7.
At the 2010 BNP Paribas Open, she was seeded third, but was upset in the third round by María José Martínez Sánchez, 6–7, 2–6.
At the 2010 Sony Ericsson Open, where she was the defending champion and fourth seed, she lost in fourth round to 14th seed and eventual champion Kim Clijsters. This was the fourth match in the five tournaments this year that Azarenka lost to eventual champions.
At the Andalucia Tennis Experience, she was the top seed. She had to retire in her quarterfinal match against María José Martínez Sánchez, leading 4–0 due to a left thigh injury.
Seeded third at the Family Circle Cup, she had to retire from her first match while leading, 6–2, 2–2, against qualifier Christina McHale. At the 2010 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, she was upset in the second round by qualifier Anna Lapushchenkova, who was ranked no. 138 at the time.
At the 2010 Internazionali BNL d'Italia, as the ninth seed, Azarenka lost to Ana Ivanović, 4–6, 4–6. As the tenth seed at the 2010 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open, Azarenka retired from her first round match against Shuai Peng, while trailing 0–3 with a groin injury.
At the 2010 French Open, coming back from injury, Azarenka was upset in the first round by unseeded Gisela Dulko, 1–6, 2–6. This loss caused Azarenka to fall to world no. 15. Azarenka was unseeded at the 2010 AEGON International. Struggling with injuries, Azarenka fell to qualifier Ekaterina Makarova in the final.
Azarenka was seeded 14th at the Wimbledon. She lost to Petra Kvitová in the third round. Having served for the first set at 5–4, Azarenka lost nine consecutive games losing, 5–7, 0–6.
To begin the summer hard-court season, Azarenka competed in the 2010 Bank of the West Classic as a wildcard and eight seed. Azarenka defeated Maria Sharapova in the final, 6–4 6–1. The win propelled Azarenka to world no. 12. Despite being the favourite to win the Mercury Insurance Open, Azarenka withdrew to recover from a right shoulder injury. Seeded ninth at the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters and Women's Open, Azarenka lost to Ana Ivanović, 2–6, 6–7, 2–6, despite serving for the match twice in the second set. However, she won the doubles title, partnering with Maria Kirilenko, defeating Lisa Raymond and Rennae Stubbs 7–6, 7–6.
At the US Open, during the second round against Gisela Dulko and whilst trailing 5–1, Azarenka collapsed on the court. There were concerns that the cause of the fall was heat-related. Azarenka was taken to a local hospital for treatment and was diagnosed with a concussion after hitting her head whilst warming up before the match during a sprint exercise.[20]
At the Toray Pan Pacific Open, she lost to Caroline Wozniacki in the semifinals 2–6, 7–6, 4–6. At the China Open, Azarenka retired in her secound-round match, having received a bye, to Timea Bacsinszky while leading, 6–4, 2–3.
At the 2010 Kremlin Cup Azarenka, as the second seed, defeated Maria Kirilenko in the final, 6–3 6–4, coming back from 4–0 down in the second set to win her fifth career title.
Azarenka's performance in Moscow qualified her for the year-end 2010 WTA Tour Championships, where she was in the White Group as the eighth seed. In her first round-robin match, Azarenka lost to Vera Zvonareva, 6–7, 4–6, despite serving for the first set at 5–4 and leading 3–1 in the second. She also lost to Kim Clijsters in her second match, 4–6, 7–5, 1–6, which assured that she did not qualify for the semifinals. Then, in her final match of the tournament and season, she defeated Janković for the second year in a row, 6–4, 6–1. Azarenka ended the year as world no. 10, her second consecutive year-end top-10 finish.
Azarenka then took part in a charitable exhibition match in mid-November with Caroline Wozniacki, beating the Dane, 6–3 6–3, at the Sports Palace in Minsk.
Azarenka began her year at the Medibank International as the seventh seed, where she lost to Kim Clijsters in the quarterfinals 3–6, 2–6. At the 2011 Australian Open Azarenka was seeded eighth. She lost to the ninth seed and eventual finalist, Li Na 3–6, 3–6, in the fourth round. Azarenka partnered with Maria Kirilenko in the women's doubles event, but the pair lost to Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta in the final.
Azarenka then travelled to Israel to compete in Fed Cup. Belarus beat Croatia, Austria, and Greece in the group stage, without losing a match. The Belarusian team then defeated Poland 2–0 to qualify for the World Group II play-Offs in April where they played Estonia.
Azarenka's next tournament was the 2011 Dubai Tennis Championships, where she was seeded 7th. She lost to Flavia Pennetta in the third round. Azarenka then competed at the 2011 Qatar Ladies Open as the sixth seed, but lost to Daniela Hantuchová in the first round in three sets 6–4, 1–6, 2–6.
Azarenka's next event was the 2011 BNP Paribas Open, where she competed as the eighth seed. She retired in the quarterfinals against world no. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, whilst trailing 0–3, due to a left leg injury. She also became the second person to defeat both Radwańska sisters in the same tournament.
Azarenka then competed at the 2011 Sony Ericsson Open as the eighth seed. She reached her second final at the event, where she defeated sixteenth seed Maria Sharapova 6–1, 6–4 to win the title.
At the 2011 Andalucia Tennis Experience, Azarenka was the top seed and dropped only fourteen games on her way to the final. She defeated Irina-Camelia Begu 6–3, 6–2, in the final. Azarenka's victory, and Samantha Stosur's inability to defend her points at Charleston, ensured that Azarenka would reach a career high of world no. 5. She then participated in Belarus' 5–0 win over Estonia in the Fed Cup, registering a 6–2, 6–0 win in her singles rubber. In her next tournament the 2011 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, Azarenka retired after the first set of her first match, having won the first set 6–4 against Julia Goerges, ending her 12-match winning streak. Ironically, Julia went on to win the tournament.
At the 2011 Madrid Masters, Azarenka was seeded fourth. She lost in the final in straight sets to Petra Kvitová, but still rose to a career-high world no. 4. Azarenka then reached the quarterfinals of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome, where she was up a set before retiring to eventual champion Maria Sharapova.
Azarenka was the fourth seed at the 2011 French Open. She beat Andrea Hlaváčková in the first round, Pauline Parmentier in the second round, 30th seed Roberta Vinci in the third round, and Ekaterina Makarova in the fourth round to reach her fourth career Grand Slam quarterfinal. She lost to Li Na in the quarterfinals.
Azarenka was the fourth seed at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships. She beat 25th seed Daniela Hantuchová in a three-set third-round match, before beating Nadia Petrova. She followed that up with an easy victory over Tamira Paszek, advancing to the semifinals of a Grand Slam for the first time. Azarenka was beaten by Czech player and eventual champion Petra Kvitová, going down in three sets 1–6, 6–3, 2–6.
Her next tournament was the 2011 Bank of the West Classic, where she was the defending champion and top seed. Azarenka was ousted by 124th-ranked Marina Erakovic from New Zealand in the second round. Despite her 'horrible match' in singles, Azarenka claimed the doubles title with partner Kirilenko.
The next tournament Azarenka played was the 2011 Rogers Cup, where she was seeded fourth. After a bye, Azarenka crushed Stephanie Dubois, Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, and Galina Voskoboeva, before being stopped by Serena Williams in the semifinals, 3–6, 3–6. Azarenka reached the doubles final with Kirilenko, but the team was forced to withdraw because of a hand injury to Azarenka. Azarenka pulled out of the 2011 Western & Southern Open with the same injury.
Azarenka's next tournament was the 2011 US Open, where she was seeded fourth. She made it to the third round, where she was defeated by Serena Williams 1–6, 6–7.[21] Despite the early loss, she reached a new career high of no. 3 in the world.
Azarenka reached the semifinals of the 2011 Toray Pan Pacific Open, losing to eventual champion Agnieszka Radwańska. In doing so she qualified for the year-end championships in Istanbul.
The Belarusian participated in the China Open, the last of the four mandatory events for 2011, as the second seed. She defeated Polona Hercog in the second round, after receiving a first-round bye. She then withdrew from the tournament citing a right foot strain.
Azarenka would win her third title of the year at the 2011 BGL Luxembourg Open, defeating Monica Niculescu in the final.[22]
Azarenka was placed in the White Group at the 2011 WTA Tour Championships. She beat Samantha Stosur 6–2, 6–2 and Li Na 6–2, 6–2 in her first two Round Robin matches. She secured the move to the semifinals despite her loss in three sets, 7–5, 4–6, 4–6, to Marion Bartoli, a substitute for Maria Sharapova. She then beat Vera Zvonareva 6–2, 6–3 to move to the final where she lost to Petra Kvitova 5–7, 6–4, 3–6.[23]
Azarenka claimed her first title of the season at the 2012 Apia International Sydney as the third seed. She defeated her first three opponents, Stefanie Voegele, Jelena Jankovic and Marion Bartoli all in straight sets to advance to the semifinals where she defeated the seventh seed, Agnieszka Radwańska in three sets 1–6, 6–3, 6–2 to reach the final, where she defeated the defending champion Li Na in three sets 6–2, 1–6, 6–3.[24]
Azarenka competed at the 2012 Australian Open as the third seed, defeating Heather Watson, Casey Dellacqua, Mona Barthel and Iveta Benesova in the first four rounds without dropping a set, losing just 10 games and winning 48. In the quarterfinals, Azarenka faced a sterner test against world no. 8 Agnieszka Radwańska, and lost the opening set on a tie-break before coming back strongly, losing just two further games en route to a 6–7, 6–0, 6–2 win.[25] In the semi-finals, she defeated the eleventh seed and defending champion Kim Clijsters 6–4, 1–6, 6–3[26] to reach her first Grand Slam singles final where she faced the world no. 4 Maria Sharapova, conqueror of 2011 Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitová in the other semifinal. In a nervous start to the final, Azarenka lost the opening two games of the match, and was within two points of trailing 0–3 after Sharapova took the first two points of the third game. Azarenka came back to hold serve, however, and took the next two games to establish a 3–2 lead, before her opponent held serve to level the score at 3–3. This would prove to be Sharapova's last service hold in the match, as Azarenka then proceeded to win all of the next nine games, to record an emphatic 6–3, 6–0 victory.[27] Unusually, due to the earlier quarter-final defeat of Caroline Wozniacki by Clijsters in the same tournament, whichever of the finalists triumphed in Melbourne would gain sufficient points to replace Wozniacki at the top of the Women's rankings. Azarenka thus recorded her first Grand Slam singles title and became the world no. 1 (with effect from 30 January 2012) in the same match.
Her first tournament as world number one was the 2012 Qatar Total Open. After receiving a bye in the first round, she played German Mona Barthel, dropping just one game in a comprehensive 6–1 6–0 victory. She won her third title of the year in Doha, defeating Barthel, Simona Halep, Yanina Wickmayer, Agnieszka Radwanska and Samantha Stosur all in straight sets. Azarenka planned to compete at the 2012 Dubai Tennis Championships. However, after a bye in the first round, she withdrew from the tournament due to an ankle injury.
In March, she played in the 2012 BNP Paribas Open, where she was the top seed. After receiving a bye in the first round, she defeated Mona Barthel in a tough three set match. In the next four rounds, she defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova, Julia Gorges, Agnieszka Radwanska and Angelique Kerber easily in straight sets, dropping just 16 games. In a re-run of the 2012 Australian Open decider, her opponent in the final was World No. 2 Maria Sharapova, and once again, Azarenka won in straight sets, this time by 6–2 6–3, thus extending her undefeated record in 2012 to 23–0. Azarenka´s next tournament was the 2012 Sony Ericsson Open, where after a bye in the first round, she went to defeat Michaella Krajicek 6–3 7–5 in the second round, Heather Watson 6–0 6–2 on the third round, next round she faced a harder test against Dominika Cibulkova, losing the first set and being 4–0 down on the second set, Azarenka managed to came back and pull out the match, with a final score of 1–6, 7–6(7), 7–5. In the next round she faced Marion Bartoli, who ended Azarenka's 26 match winning streak to start the 2012 season (3–6, 3–6).
In April, she competed at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. She received a bye into the second round against Andrea Petkovic, however Petkovic was forced to retire in the second set after suffering an ankle injury during the match, ending it 6–4, 4–4 to Azarenka. Azarenka then faced a tough match from Mona Barthel in the quarter finals but winning in 3 sets 6–4, 6–7, 7–5. She then faced Agnieszka Radwanska in the semi finals and winning comfortably in straight sets 6–1, 6–3. This win meant she had beaten Radwanska in all 5 matches against her this year. Azarenka would then face World No. 2 Maria Sharapova in the final, creating another top 2 seeded final. Sharapova was able to beat Azarenka comfortably in the final in straight sets 6–1, 6–4.
Azarenka then competed at the 2012 Mutua Madrid Open. After the first 2 rounds, she faced Ana Ivanovic and won the match 6–4, 6–4. She then faced a tricky challenge from World No. 8 Li Na in the quarter finals but eventually winning in 3 sets 3–6, 6–3, 6–3. In the semi finals she faced yet again Agnieszka Radwanska and was able to win comfortably in straight sets 6–2, 6–4 and in doing so, extending her winning streak to 6 games in a row over Radwanska. In the finals the pressure was on for Azarenka, as Serena Williams was looking very impressive through out the tournament and would face Azarenka in the finals. This was the first meeting since the 2011 US Open match they had in which Williams won. Azarenka was beaten easily in the final by Williams 6–1, 6–3. The result gave Azarenka only her 3rd defeat of the year. Azarenka's next tournament was the 2012 Internazionali BNL d'Italia, she advanced to the third round quite easily but then with drew from the tournament and avoided a third round clash with Dominika Cibulkova, due to a right shoulder strain.
Azarenka's next tournament will be the French Open.
Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Winner | 2012 | Australian Open | Hard | Maria Sharapova | 6–3, 6–0 |
Tournament | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | W–L | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Grand Slam tournaments | ||||||||||||||
Australian Open | A | A | A | 1R | 3R | 3R | 4R | QF | 4R | W | 21–6 | |||
French Open | A | A | A | 1R | 1R | 4R | QF | 1R | QF | 11–6 | ||||
Wimbledon | A | A | A | 1R | 3R | 3R | QF | 3R | SF | 15–6 | ||||
US Open | A | A | A | 3R | 4R | 3R | 3R | 2R | 3R | 12–6 | ||||
Win–Loss | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 2–4 | 7–4 | 9–4 | 13–4 | 7–4 | 14–4 | 7–0 | 59–24 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Victoria Azarenka |
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Persondata | |
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Name | Azarenka, Victoria |
Alternative names | |
Short description | Belarusian tennis player |
Date of birth | 31 July 1989 |
Place of birth | Minsk, Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet Union (now Belarus) |
Date of death | |
Place of death |
This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (May 2011) |
Country | Russia |
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Residence | Miami, USA |
Born | (1982-06-08) June 8, 1982 (age 30) Moscow, Soviet Union |
Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) |
Weight | 65 kg (140 lb; 10.2 st) |
Turned pro | September 6, 1999 |
Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
Career prize money | $10,083,429 |
Singles | |
Career record | 489–272 |
Career titles | 10 WTA, 4 ITF |
Highest ranking | No. 3 (May 15, 2006) |
Current ranking | No. 29 (May 21, 2012) |
Grand Slam Singles results | |
Australian Open | QF (2006, 2010) |
French Open | SF (2003, 2005) |
Wimbledon | QF (2005, 2008) |
US Open | QF (2004, 2005) |
Other tournaments | |
Championships | RR (2005, 2006, 2008) |
Olympic Games | 2R (2004) |
Doubles | |
Career record | 311–148 |
Career titles | 19 WTA, 1 ITF |
Highest ranking | No. 3 (March 21, 2005) |
Current ranking | No. 16 (May 7, 2012) |
Grand Slam Doubles results | |
Australian Open | SF (2011) |
French Open | SF (2005) |
Wimbledon | QF (2004, 2005, 2007) |
US Open | F (2010) |
Other Doubles tournaments | |
WTA Championships | W (2004) |
Last updated on: October 10, 2011. |
Nadezhda Viktorovna Petrova (Надежда Викторовна Петрова; born June 8, 1982 in Moscow, Soviet Union) is a Russian professional tennis player.
Overall, she has won 28 WTA Titles, ten in singles and eighteen in doubles. In singles, Petrova has reached a career high ranking of World No. 3 in May 2006 and has reached the semi-finals of the French Open in 2003 and 2005. In doubles, she won the year-ending Sony Ericsson Championships in 2004 with Meghann Shaughnessy. As of 7 May 2012 (2012 -05-07)[update], Petrova is ranked World No. 31 in singles and World No. 16 in doubles.
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Petrova was born in Moscow. Her parents were both very athletic – her father Viktor was a leading hammer thrower, while her mother Nadezhda Ilyina won a bronze medal at the 1976 Montreal Olympics in the 400 meter relay. Both her parents are still athletics coaches. As a child, Nadia did a lot of travelling around the world with her parents. She eventually settled in Egypt, where she trained with Mohammed Seif and her parents. Petrova states hard courts as her favourite surface, however, she has been most successful on clay courts. She is currently coached by Vladimir Platenik
Petrova is an all-court aggressive player who is capable of hitting winners off both wings, but particularly off her back-hand and which she hits flat and with slice. Petrova's serve is considered her biggest asset and one of the best serves in the women's game. In 2010 she hit the most aces on the tour with 306. She had an impressive 70% of first serve points won and also won over 74% of her service games. As an accomplished doubles player, Petrova's volleying skills are considered exceptional and she is not afraid to come into the net to finish off points. Petrova's main weakness is her movement around the court as she is often slow to retrieve balls and can sometimes struggle to defend well during rallies. Also, her forehand is sometimes erratic and can produce many unforced errors. Petrova states hard courts as her preferred surface, however, she has been most successful on clay courts where she can dictate play easier because it gives her more time on the ball.
As a junior, Petrova won the 1998 French Open, beating Jelena Dokić in the final.[1] The same year she finished runner-up at the Orange Bowl to Elena Dementieva and she also finished runner-up at the junior 1999 US Open to Lina Krasnoroutskaya. In May 1998, she played her first WTA tournament at the J&S Cup as a wildcard entrant. She also received a wildcard for her home event in Moscow, the Kremlin Cup, where she picked up her first top twenty win over Iva Majoli. By the end of 1999, Petrova had reached the top 100.
In 2000, she reached the third round of the Australian Open and the quarterfinals of the Ericsson Open, beating Julie Halard-Decugis for her first top ten win before losing to Lindsay Davenport. She finished the season at No. 50. She reached the fourth round of both French Open and the US Open in 2001 and her ranking hit a high of No. 38 during the season. However, her 2002 season was marred by injuries causing her ranking to drop out of the top 100.
At the 2003 Australian Open, Petrova defeated Gréta Arn 6–2, 6–1 and then defeated 21st seed Ai Sugiyama 6–4, 6–4 in the second round. Petrova then lost in three sets to World No. 15 Patty Schnyder 6–2, 4–6, 6–3 in the third round.
Petrova was ranked World No. 76 going into the 2003 French Open. In the first round she beat the three-time champion and World No. 12 Monica Seles 6–4, 6–0. She then defeated Silvija Talaja 6–1, 6–1 and Marissa Irvin 6–1, 6–1 to reach the fourth round. Here, Petrova stunned 7th seed Jennifer Capriati 6–3, 4–6, 6–3. In the quarter-finals, Petrova won again in three sets over 21st seed Vera Zvonareva 6–1, 4–6, 6–3 to reach her first ever Grand Slam Semi-Final. Petrova faced World No. 2 Kim Clijsters and despite having a set point in the first set, Petrova was beaton in straight sets 7–5, 6–1. Despite this, Petrova's ranking increased to World No. 30.
Petrova reached the semi-finals of S'Hertogenbosch, defeating Elena Dementieva en-route but lost to World No. 3 Justine Henin in three sets. At the 2003 Wimbledon Championships, Petrova was seeded 29th and made it to the third round before losing to Venus Williams 6–1, 6–2.
Petrova was seeded 19th at the 2003 US Open and defeated 14th seed Amanda Coetzer 6–0, 6–1 in the third round. In the fourth round, Petrova lost to 3rd seed Lindsay Davenport 6–0, 6–7(6), 6–2. Petrova continued her success by reaching the semi-finals of Zurich, beating World No. 8 and US Open finalist before losing to Henin 6–4, 6–4.
The following week in Linz, Petrova beat Paola Suárez and Patty Schnyder to reach her first Sony Ericsson WTA Tour final. However she fell to Ai Sugiyama 7–5, 6–4.
Petrova ended 2003 ranked World No. 12 with a 45–23 singles record.
Petrova reached her second WTA final at Gold Coast, losing once again to Ai Sugiyama 1–6, 6–1, 6–4. She was upset in the first round of the Australian Open to Anikó Kapros, losing 6–3, 6–3.
In March 2004, she hit the top ten at No. 9 after reaching the semifinals of the Tier 1 NASDAQ-100 Open in Miami. She reached the semifinals at the Bausch & Lomb Championships, beating second-seeded Serena Williams before losing to Lindsay Davenport. After this, her ranking elevated to a career high of No. 7. However, she failed to defend her semifinal points from the 2003 French Open, losing to Marlene Weingärtner in the third round 6–3, 6–2.
At the US Open, she pulled off the biggest win of her career by defeating World No. 1 and defending champion Justine Henin 6–3, 6–2 in the fourth round. It was Petrova's first victory over a world No. 1. She lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Svetlana Kuznetsova 7–6, 6–3.
Petrova reached the semi-finals of Linz, losing to Elena Bovina in three sets. She also reached the semi-finals of Philadelphia, losing to Vera Zvonareva.
Petrova finished the year ranked World No. 12 with a 40–25 singles record.
Petrova reached the fourth round of the Australian Open, losing to the eventual champion Serena Williams, 6–1, 3–6, 6–3. She reached her third career final at the Qatar Total German Open in May, beating Mary Pierce, Amélie Mauresmo and Jelena Janković, before losing to Justine Henin. Her ranking rose to No. 9, where she stayed for the next two years before dropping out in May 2007.
At the French Open, Petrova reached her second Grand Slam Semi-Final but lost to Henin 6–2, 6–3, but her ranking rose one place to No. 8. A few weeks later at Wimbledon, she reached the quarterfinals before losing to Maria Sharapova 7–6, 6–3. After Wimbledon, she reached five straight quarterfinals at Los Angeles, Toronto, the US Open, Luxembourg, and Filderstadt.
Petrova finally won her first title at the Generali Ladies Linz held in Linz, Austria. She beat Patty Schnyder in the final.
Her successful season meant she qualified for the Sony Ericsson Championships in Los Angeles. She ended 2005 ranked World No. 9, her first top ten finish.
At the Australian Open, Petrova was seeded 6th and defeated Sophie Ferguson, Martina Müller, Maria Elena Camerin and Elena Vesnina on her way to her first quarterfinal at the Australian Open. She lost to fourth-seeded Maria Sharapova 7–6(4), 6–4 in the quarterfinals.
At the Qatar Total Open held in Doha, Petrova picked up her first title of the year and second overall by beating second-ranked and top-seeded Amélie Mauresmo 6–3, 7–5 in the final. The victory took her ranking to No. 7. She followed it with a quarterfinal showing at the NASDAQ-100 Open, losing to Mauresmo 6–3, 6–1.
Petrova then began her run that would take her to three titles, winning fifteen straight matches. At the Bausch & Lomb Championships, she defeated Francesca Schiavone in the final to pick up her third title in the past six months. One week later, she won her second straight title and fourth overall at the Family Circle Cup with a victory over Patty Schnyder.[2]
She next entered the Qatar Telecom German Open in Berlin, defeating Justine Henin.[3] With this win, she ascended to her career high of No. 3.
However, Petrova was defeated in the first round of the French Open by Akiko Morigami 6–2, 6–2. This may have been caused by an ankle injury Petrova suffered during training before the tournament. She then withdrew from Wimbledon and did not win a match in the U.S. Open Series, going 0–3. At the US Open, Petrova was upset in the third round by Tatiana Golovin.
At the Stuttgart, Petrova won her first tournament title since the Tier I Qatar Telecom German Open in May 2006. She then continued her return to form by reaching the final of the Kremlin Cup in Moscow, losing to Russian Anna Chakvetadze.
At the Sony Ericsson Championships in Madrid in November 2006. Her lone victory was over top-ranked Amélie Mauresmo 6–2, 6–2. She finished the year at No. 6.
At the Australian Open, she reached the third round before falling to Serena Williams, the eventual champion, after holding a 5–3 second set lead.
At the Open Gaz de France in Paris, Petrova picked up her seventh tour title and first of the season by beating Lucie Šafářová. Petrova reached the quarterfinals of the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida, losing to Justine Henin. Petrova then reached the final in Amelia Island, losing to Tatiana Golovin.
She was the eleventh-seeded player at the French Open but lost to Květa Peschke 7–5, 5–7, 6–0. After the loss, she claimed that the low back pain had been bothering her. It was her second consecutive first round loss at the French Open because of injury.
At Wimbledon, Petrova lost to Ana Ivanović 6–1, 2–6, 6–4 in the fourth round.
In the 2007 Fed Cup tie against the USA on July 14/15, Petrova played a pivotal role in securing the victory for her team. While losing on the first day against Venus Williams, she won her singles match against Meilen Tu on the second day and then teamed with Elena Vesnina to beat Williams and Lisa Raymond in the decisive doubles rubber.[4]
At the JPMorgan Chase Open, Petrova reached her third final of the year, losing to Ana Ivanović in straight sets.
At the US Open, Petrova was seeded seventh but lost to Ágnes Szávay 6–4, 6–4. The loss meant that she had not gone past the fourth round of any Grand Slam tournament all year, the first time since 2002.
She finished 2007 ranked No. 14, her lowest year-end ranking in five years.
Petrova started her 2008 season on a two-match losing streak going into the Australian Open, losing in the first round in Gold Coast as the number 2 seed to Tathiana Garbin 5–7, 7–5, 6–3 and in Sydney 7–5, 6–3 to Sybille Bammer. She still managed to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open though as the 14th seed with wins over Nicole Pratt, Anne Kremer and Ekaterina Makarova all in straight sets.. There she played Agnieszka Radwańska of Poland, who beat her 1–6, 7–5, 6–0. Petrova held a 6–1, 3–0 lead and looked on form for an easy victory. In the third set, she won just four points.
At the Open Gaz de France in Paris, Petrova was the defending champion and seeded 5th but lost in the first round to Kateryna Bondarenko 7–6(4), 3–6, 6–4. Petrova retired in her first–round match at the 2008 Qatar Total Open against Anabel Medina Garrigues due to an upset stomach while trailing 2–6, 2–1. At Dubai, she lost 6–4, 6–4 to Katarina Srebotnik.
Petrova's injuries continued to strike at her when she was forced to retire in the second round of Miami with a right quad strain while trailing 2–1 in the first set against Zheng Jie.
At the 2008 German Open in Berlin, Petrova returned to action as the 16th seed and defeated Katarina Srebotnik 7–6(5), 3–6, 7–6(2) in the first round before losing in the second round to Maria Kirilenko 6–3, 6–3. Petrova was once again defeated by Kirilenko in the first round of Rome, but this time in three sets, 3–6, 7–5, 6–4. At her final warm-up tournament in Istanbul, Nadia was seeded third and got past Lilia Osterloh 6–1, 6–2 in the first round and Marta Domachowska 6–2, 6–2 in the second round. She lost to Akgul Amanmuradova 7–6(0), 1–6, 6–4 in the quarter-finals.
These losses put Petrova in poor stead going into the French Open. As the twenty-fifth seed, she beat Aravane Rezaï and Alisa Kleybanova in straight sets before being thrashed by Svetlana Kuznetsova 6–2, 6–1.
Petrova's grass season began at Eastbourne, where she reached her first final of the year showing good form. She was beaten in a close match by Pole Agnieszka Radwańska 6–4, 6–7(11), 6–4.
At Wimbledon, Petrova was the number 21 seed and was on the right track after wins over Olga Govortsova 6–4, 6–4 and Mara Santangelo 6–4, 7–5. Petrova then pulled off an excellent win over the in-form teenager and 16th seed Victoria Azarenka 7–6(11), 7–6(4) in the third round. In the fourth round she faced unseeded Alla Kudrayatseva who just came off a win over 3rd seed Maria Sharapova; Petrova won 6–1, 6–4 to reach her second quarterfinal at Wimbledon. This was also the first time that Petrova had reached a Grand Slam quarterfinal since the 2006 Australian Open. She lost a cracker two and a half hour marathon match against the fifth seed Elena Dementieva 6–1, 6–7(6), 6–3. Petrova rallied from 6–1, 5–2 down and saved match points throughout the second set but eventually lost the match in the third set. Her ranking improved to World No. 17 after the tournament.
Bouncing back from a first-round defeat at Stanford to Dominika Cibulková, Petrova reached the quarterfinals at Los Angeles, defeating 5th seed Vera Zvonareva 6–4, 7–5 en route before losing to Jelena Janković 7–5, 6–4. At Montreal, she again suffered a surprise defeat to Cibulková in the third round, this time losing 7–6(2), 6–2.
Nadia then played in Cincinnati, as she did not gain entry into the Olympics because she was not in the top four ranked Russian players at the time. After easy wins over Galina Voskoboeva, Julie Ditty and Lilia Osterloh, Petrova once again found herself up against Maria Kirilenko for a place in the final. This time though, Petrova was victorious, coming back from a set down to win 1–6, 6–2, 6–1. Petrova then thrashed Nathalie Dechy 6–2, 6–1 in the final to win her first title of the year and the eighth of her career.
Petrova was in good form heading into the final Grand Slam Tournament of the year at the US Open. Petrova was seeded 19th and beat Olivia Sanchez 6–2, 6–4 in the first round and Hsieh Su-wei 6–4, 6–2 in round two. Petrova was ousted 4–6, 6–4, 6–3 by the 16th seed Flavia Pennetta in the third round.
Petrova bounced back to good form at the 2008 Commonwealth Bank Tennis Classic. Seeded 4th, Nadia defeated fifth seed Francesca Schiavone 6–4, 6–3 in the quarter-finals but she lost in the semi-finals to second seed and eventual champion Patty Schnyder 7–5, 6–1.
At the 2008 Toray Pan Pacific Open, Petrova was unseeded but beat two top–ten players, Ana Ivanović, the second seed 6–1, 1–6, 6–2 in the second round and Agnieszka Radwańska 6–3, 6–0 to reach the semifinals, where she lost 6–1, 6–0 to Dinara Safina, the eventual champion. At Stuttgart, she reached her third final of the season, after an impressive run, beating Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová, Patty Schnyder, Li Na and Victoria Azarenka in straight sets but failed to win the title, this time losing to Jelena Janković, the World No. 2 6–4, 6–3. Despite not winning the title, Petrova's ranking moved back into the top 15 to World No. 14 as a result of reaching the final.
Petrova was a quarter-finalist at her home event, the 2008 Kremlin Cup in Moscow, beating teenager Caroline Wozniacki before losing to compatriot and third seed Elena Dementieva 6–4, 4–6, 7–6(6). She was also a quarter–finalist at the Linz, losing 6–3, 6–2 to Radwańska.
At her final tournament of the season in Quebec City, she won her second title of the year beating lucky loser Angela Haynes 6–3, 6–1 in the semifinals and Bethanie Mattek-Sands 4–6, 6–4, 6–1 in the final. This title also secured her status as the second alternate for the WTA Tour Championships should a player withdraw. This scenario did indeed happen, and Petrova came in replacing Serena Williams. She lost her only match to Dementieva 6–4, 4–6, 6–4.
Petrova finished the 2008 season ranked World No. 11.
Petrova started 2009 playing at the 2009 Medibank International Sydney where she was seeded seventh. She lost in the first round to Alizé Cornet 6–2, 6–4. Petrova was seeded tenth at the Australian Open in Melbourne. She lost to seventh–seeded Vera Zvonareva in the fourth round 7–5, 6–4. However, this caused her ranking to move back into the top ten for the first time since early 2007 to World No. 10. She later reached World No. 9.
Petrova did not play in the Indian Wells, a Premier Mandatory event due to injury. In Miami Nadia entered as the no. 9 seed, but lost to world no. 54 Ekaterina Makarova in the third round, 7–5, 6–1.
Petrova next headed to Ponte Vedra Beach as the top seed where she defeated Olga Govortsova, Madison Keys (who had just won her first ever main draw match) and Alona Bondarenko. She fell in the semi final to eventual finalist Aleksandra Wozniak, 6–4, 4–6, 6–2. Petrova fell in the second round at Charleston to Melinda Czink in three sets 3–6, 6–4, 7–5. At the 2009 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgard, Petrova was seeded sixth but lost in the second round to Flavia Pennetta 6–2, 6–2. She next went to the Rome Masters as the number eight seed where she had a first round bye before defeating giant killer Carla Suárez Navarro. In the third round Petrova was ousted by María José Martínez Sánchez 6–4, 6–7 (5) 6–4.
Petrova was seeded eleventh at the 2009 French Open in Paris where she reached the semi-finals in 2003 and 2005. She defeated Lauren Embree in the first round 6–1, 6–2. She lost in the second round to world no. 102 Maria Sharapova by 6–2, 1–6, 8–6.
At the 2009 AEGON International, Petrova was seeded seventh and defeated Ana Ivanović in the first round in three sets 6–1, 4–6, 6–4 where she came back from a double break down in the final set to win. However, she was defeated in the second round by fellow Russian Vera Dushevina 7–5, 0–1 where she was forced to retire due to a lower back injury after taking the first set.
Petrova's next tournament was Wimbledon, the third grand slam of the year where she was the tenth seed. She beat Anastasiya Yakimova in the first round 6–1. 6–1. Petrova won her second round match against Shahar Pe'er 6–3, 6–2. She then came from a set down to beat Gisela Dulko 3–6, 6–3, 6–4. Petrova lost to #8 Victoria Azarenka, in three sets, in the fourth round.
Petrova began her 2009 US Open Series campaign at Stanford where she was seeded 5th. After defeating her doubles partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands in three sets in the first round, Petrova lost again to Sharapova 6–1, 6–2 in just over an hour. In Los Angeles, she was also seeded 5th but lost to 10th seed Flavia Pennetta 6–3, 6–3 in the third round. Petrova then headed to Cincinnati where she was the defending champion and the tenth seed. She was unable to defend her title, losing in the first round to Alona Bondarenko 6–2, 6–3. This caused her ranking to slip out of the top ten to World No.12. Petrova next played in Toronto as the tenth seed where her poor form continued as she fell again to Maria Sharapova in the first round. Continuing her campaign on the 2009 US Open Series, she then received a wildcard as the 4th seed at the New Haven but again lost to compatriot Anna Chakvetadze in the first round.
Her next tournament was the final Grandslam of the year, the 2009 US Open. Petrova was the thirteenth seed and defeated Katarina Srebotnik and Julie Coin in the first and second round in straight sets. Petrova then got past World No. 22 Zheng Jie, 6–4, 6–1. Petrova was defeated in the fourth round by unseeded American Melanie Oudin 1–6, 7–6(2), 6–3. However, her ranking improved one spot higher to World No. 12.
Petrova then headed to Quebec to defend her title at the 2009 Bell Challenge. Petrova was the top seed and advanced to the quarterfinals with wins over Carly Gullickson and Madison Brengle in straight sets. Here, Petrova faced 5th seed Melinda Czink and was a set down when she was forced to retire due to a viral illness. Czink would go on to win the title. However, Nadia quickly returned to action in Tokyo as the number 13 seed but continued a dismal season, losing in the second round to Magdaléna Rybáriková 6–2, 6–2. She slipped to World No. 17 as a result of this bad form.
Nadia then participated at China Open, a Premier Mandatory tournament, where she was the thirteenth seed. She beat her compatriot Alla Kudryavtseva 6–1, 5–7, 6–2 in the first round and World No. 24 Daniela Hantuchová 6–1, 2–6, 7–5 in the second round. She played one of her best matches in 2009 by beating Serena Williams in a thriller three sets match, by 6–4, 3–6, 7–6(5), in the third round despite the fact that Williams was just about to snitch back the World No. 1 ranking from Dinara Safina the following week due to the Russian's second round loss. Petrova then survived another three setter against Peng Shuai (who earlier beat Jelena Janković and Maria Sharapova) in the quarterfinals. This was only Petrova's second semi-final of the year but she lost to the reigning French Open Champion, Svetlana Kuznetsova, by 6–1, 6–3.
Petrova then competed at Kremlin Cup as the fifth seed. She defeated Yana Buchina 6–2, 6–0 in the first round but fell to Alona Bondarenko in the second round.
Petrova finished her poor year with a 30–21 singles record and she finished the year ranked World No. 20. It was by far her worst year on tour as she captured no titles for the first time since 2004. Her highlights of the year are reaching the semi-finals in Ponte Vedra Beach and Beijing and reaching the quarterfinals in Quebec City.
Petrova's started her year at the Brisbane International in Australia. After drawing comeback queen Justine Henin as the number two seed, Petrova lost in a close 5–7, 5–7 match. She then competed in the Medibank International Sydney but lost again in the opening round to 39 year-old Kimiko Date-Krumm 3–6, 7–5, 4–6.
Seeded 19th at the 2010 Australian Open, Petrova reached the third round by defeating Edina Gallovits 6–3, 6–4 and Kaia Kanepi 6–4, 6–4. In the third round, Petrova caused a huge upset as she crushed the 15th seed Kim Clijsters in a 52-minute onslaught, winning 6–0, 6–1. Clijsters was the bookmaker's second favourite to win the tournament. She followed that with another upset in the 4th round over 3rd seed Svetlana Kuznetsova with a score of 6–3, 3–6, 6–1. This was the second time in Petrova's career that she had reached the Quarterfinals at the Australian Open. She fell to former World No. 1 Justine Henin 6–7, 5–7 in a tight match after leading 3–0 in the second set.
After a first round defeat to Stefanie Vögele in Dubai, Petrova next competed at the Premier Mandatory events in Indian Wells and Miami. At the 2010 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Petrova was seeded 16th. After receiving a bye to the second round, she dispatched Patty Schnyder 6–3,5–7,6–4, and then Shuai Peng 6–1, 7–5, before losing in the fourth round to second seed Caroline Wozniacki 6–3, 3–6, 6–0. At the 2010 Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Petrova was again seeded 16th but fell in the third round to 19th seed Daniela Hantuchová 6–2, 6–4.
Petrova began her clay court season in Charleston and won her first two matches in straight sets against Vania King and Aleksandra Wozniak before losing to Wozniacki in the quarter-finals.
On European clay, Petrova was seeded 14th at the Italian Open. She advanced to the quarter-finals by defeating Tathiana Garbin, Katarina Srebotnik and Alexandra Dulgheru but lost here to World No. 58 Ana Ivanović 6–2, 7–5. Petrova was seeded 16th at the 2010 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open. where she beat Elena Vesnina 4–6, 6–2, 6–3 and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6–2, 7–5 to advance to the third round. Here, Petrova had a fantastic win as she upset World No. 1 Serena Williams 4–6, 6–2, 6–3. However she fell to World No. 30 Lucie Šafářová in the quarter-finals.
Petrova was seeded 19th at the 2010 French Open. She defeated Zhang Shuai 6–0, 6–3 in the first round and the talented Ágnes Szávay 6–1, 6–2 in the second round. In the third round, Petrova fell a set behind against the in-form 15th seed and recent Madrid champion Aravane Rezaï before coming back to take the second set. In the third set, Petrova saved three match points as Rezaï served for the match at 5–4 before Petrova came back to serve for the match herself at 7–6 where she too held three match points. Rezaï, however, broke back and the match was abandoned due to bad light. The match was completed the following day where Petrova eventually won, causing the upset 6–7(2), 6–4, 10–8. She continued her success in the fourth round where she stunned the World No. 2 Venus Williams 6–4, 6–3. Petrova led by a set in the quarter-final against fifth seed Elena Dementieva but required treatment twice by the trainer during the match and limped to the finish line with Dementieva winning 2–6, 6–2, 6–0. Despite this loss, Petrova's quarter-final run caused her ranking to increase to World No. 13.
Beginning the grass court season in Eastbourne, Petrova was unseeded and came back from a set down to win on a final set tie-break to beat Karolina Šprem in the first round. In the second round, Petrova was heavily defeated 6–2, 6–0 by eventual champion Ekaterina Makarova. Petrova was seeded 12th at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships. She defeated Tatjana Malek 6–4, 6–3 in the first round and Yung-Jan Chan 6–3, 6–4 in the second. Petrova then fell to 17th seed Justine Henin in the third round, 6–1 6–4. This caused her ranking to slip to World No. 19.
Petrova next played at the 2010 Mercury Insurance Open in San Diego in her first event of the 2010 US Open Series. Unseeded, she was defeated in three sets in the first round to World No. 32 Yaroslava Shvedova 5–7, 6–4, 6–1. Petrova was seeded 15th at the 2010 Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open in Cincinnati but was forced to retire due to heat stress while trailing 7–6(4), 5–3 to Christina McHale.
Petrova was seeded 18th at the 2010 Rogers Cup in Montreal and won a tough opener against Lucie Šafářová, 7–5, 4–6, 6–3. In the second round, Petrova faced former World No. 1 Dinara Safina and despite serving 15 aces, she was defeated 7–5, 4–6, 6–4. Petrova is currently playing in her final event of the US Open Series in New Havan at the 2010 Pilot Pen Tennis where she received a wild-card to play as the 8th seed. In the first round she came from a set down to beat Varvara Lepchenko 1–6, 7–5, 6–1. She then defeated her former doubles partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6–3, 6–2 to advance to the quarter-finals and then had an impressive 6–2, 6–1 victory over 2nd seed Samantha Stosur for her fourth top ten win of the season. She defeated Maria Kirilenko 2–6 6–2 6–2 in her semi-final match, but was beaten by Caroline Wozniacki in the final 6–3, 3–6, 6–3.
Petrova was seeded 17th at the 2010 US Open, the final Grand Slam of the year. Despite her recent final appearance in New Havan, Petrova suffered a shock first round defeat in the hands of a tough opponent in World No. 38 Andrea Petkovic 2–6, 6–4, 6–7(4). However, partnering with Liezel Huber, she had her best run in a grandslam by reaching the final where they faced Yaroslava Shvedova and Vania King. Despite having a championship point, they eventually lost by 2–6, 6–4, 7–6(4) in the final, after the match got postponed due to rain.
Petrova bounced back in singles at the 2010 Hansol Korea Open in Seoul. As the top seed, Petrova's first round opponent, was the World No. 41 Jarmila Groth who had captured her first WTA title the previous week in Guangzhou. However, Petrova came through comfortably 6–3, 6–2. She then defeated Vania King 6–3, 6–4 to advance to the quarter-finals where she thrashed Belgian Kirsten Flipkens 6–2, 6–1. She then fell to Klára Zakopalová.
Petrova was the 15th seed at the 2010 Toray Pan Pacific Open, but fell to Roberta Vinci in the first round. Nadia ended her cooperation with her coach Vladimir Platenik. She finished the 2010 season ranked World No. 15.
As the 3rd seed, Petrova fell to Petra Kvitová 7–6(3) 6–3 in the first round of the 2011 Brisbane International. She also fell in the first round of the 2011 Medibank International Sydney, this time to Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová 6–2 6–2. At the Australian Open, Petrova defeated Ksenia Pervak of Russia 6–2 6–1. In the second round, she faced wildcard Alicia Molik 6–4 6–1. Her third round match against Ekaterina Makarova resulted in a tough three setter where she lost 2–6 6–3 8–6. For the 2011 French Open Petrova was seeded 26th, and lost in the first round 6–7 (5–7), 6–3, 6–4, to Anastasia Rodionova of Australia.[5] Petrova then reached the 4th round of the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, falling to Victoria Azarenka. Following Wimbledon, Petrova won the inaugural 2011 Citi Open, beating Shahar Pe'er for her first title since 2008 . at cincinnati she lost to Andrea Petkovic 7–5, 6–1 in the quarters.
Petrova was seeded 29th at the Australian Open in Melbourne. She reached only the second round by defeating Andrea Hlaváčková 6–3 3–6 6–0, but fell easy to Italian Sara Errani 2–6 2–6.
Petrova has also had success in doubles, reaching a career high of No. 3 in the doubles rankings. She has eighteen doubles titles, eight of them with Meghann Shaughnessy including the prestigious year-ending WTA Tour Championships in 2004, where they beat Cara Black and Rennae Stubbs in the final. She also has victories at the Tier I events in Moscow, Key Biscayne, Berlin, Rome, and Montreal, with all but the Montreal title being with Meghann Shaughnessy and the aforementioned other one being with Martina Navrátilová. In 2002 and 2003, she also reached the finals of three Tier I events with Jelena Dokić. In 2010, Petrova is partnered with a top 10 doubles player Samantha Stosur and Liezel Huber. In 2011, Petrova partnered with Liezel Huber and Anastasia Rodionova. Petrova and Kirilenko will playing together during 2012 Olympic season.
Tournament | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | W–L | |
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Grand Slam Tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||
Australian Open | A | A | A | 1R | 3R | 2R | A | 3R | 1R | 4R | QF | 3R | 4R | 4R | QF | 3R | 2R | 27–13 | |
French Open | A | A | A | LQ | 1R | 4R | A | SF | 3R | SF | 1R | 1R | 3R | 2R | QF | 1R | 3R | 24–12 | |
Wimbledon | A | A | A | 2R | 2R | 4R | A | 3R | 4R | QF | A | 4R | QF | 4R | 3R | 4R | 29–11 | ||
US Open | A | A | LQ | LQ | 2R | 2R | 1R | 4R | QF | QF | 3R | 3R | 3R | 4R | 1R | 3R | 24–12 | ||
Win–Loss | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 4–4 | 8–4 | 0–1 | 12–4 | 9–4 | 16–4 | 6–3 | 7–4 | 11–4 | 10–4 | 10–4 | 5–3 | 3–2 | 102–47 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Nadia Petrova |
Awards and achievements | ||
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Preceded by Daniela Hantuchová |
WTA Most Improved Player of the Year 2004 |
Succeeded by Maria Sharapova |
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Persondata | |
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Name | Petrova, Nadia |
Alternative names | |
Short description | Tennis player |
Date of birth | June 8, 1982 |
Place of birth | Moscow, Soviet Union |
Date of death | |
Place of death |