Carignan
Grape (Vitis)
Carignan grapes and leaves
Color of berry skin	Noir
Also called	See list of synonyms
Origin	Cariñena, Aragon
Notable regions	Languedoc, Sardinia, Algeria, California Central Valley, and Catalonia
Notable wines	Historically Cariñena and Rioja but little used now.
Hazards	rot, powdery mildew, downy mildew and grape worms. Late budding and ripening.

Carignan is a red wine grape that may have originated in Cariñena, Aragon and was later transplanted to Sardinia, elsewhere in Italy, France, Algeria, and much of the New World. Along with Aramon, it was once considered one of the main grapes responsible for France's wine lake.^[1] In California, the grape is rarely used to make varietal wines, but some examples from old vines do exist. In Australia, Carignan is used as a component of blended wines. In the Languedoc, the grape is often blended with Cinsaut, Grenache, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Mourvèdre and Merlot. It has an upright growth habit and can be grown without a trellis. It was crossed to Cabernet Sauvignon to give Ruby Cabernet.

History[link]

Location of the Languedoc-Roussillon, a leading Carignan producer.

Carignan is believed to have originated in Spain in the Aragon region and was historically a component of neighboring Rioja's red wine blend. From Spain it gained prominence in Algeria and fed that country's export production to France. Upon Algeria's independence in 1962, the French supply of Carignan wine was cut off and growers in Southern France began to plant the vine for their own production. The grape's prominence in France hit a high point in 1988 when it accounted for 167,000 hectares and was France's most widely planted grape. That year, in a drive to increase the overall quality of European wine and to reduce the growing wine lake phenomenon, the European Union started an aggressive vine pull scheme where vineyard owners were offered cash subsidies in exchange for pulling up their vines. Out of all the French wine varieties, Carignan was the most widely affected dropping by 2000 to 95,700 ha (236,000 acres) and being surpassed by Merlot as the most widely planted grape.^[2]

Viticulture and winemaking[link]

Powdery mildew(shown here on white wine grapes) is a serious hazard for Carignan growers which requires regular chemical spraying of vineyards.

The popularity of Carignan is largely tied to its ability to produce very large yields in the range of 200 hl/ha (11 tons/acre). The vine does face significant viticultural hazards with high sensitivity to rot, powdery mildew, downy mildew and grape worms. Carignan is a late budding and ripening grape which requires a warm climate in order to achieve full ripeness.^[1] The vine also develops very thick stalk around the grape clusters which makes mechanical harvesting difficult. A white grape mutation known as Carignan blanc also exists in Roussillon in small plantings of around 1000 ha (2,500 acres).^[2]

In winemaking the grape is often used as a deep coloring component in blends, rather than being made in a varietal form with some exception. Carignan produced from old vines in places like Montpeyroux and the Corbières AOC are predominantly Carignan. The grape is a difficult one for winemakers to work with being naturally high in acidity, tannins and astringency which requires a lot of skill to produce a wine of finesse and elegance. Some winemakers have experimented with Carbonic maceration and adding small amounts of Cinsault and Grenache with some positive results.^[2] Syrah and Grenache are considered its best blending partners being capable of performing a softer wine with rustic fruit and perfume. In California, Ridge Vineyards has found some success with a varietal wine made from Carignan vines that were planted in the 1880s.^[1]

Wine regions[link]

The grape is most widely found in south France, particularly in the Languedoc regions of Aude, Gard and Hérault where it is often made as Vin ordinaire and in some Vin de pays wines. In Spain the grape is almost non-existent in its ancestral home of Aragon where it was once a secondary component of wine from the Cariñena region after Grenache.^[3] It has found an increasing prominence in the Catalan wine region of Priorat, where it's the main variety in the northern half of the appellation and has been vindicated by a number of young growers such as South African Eben Sadie, and also Costers del Segre, Montsant, Penedès, Tarragona and Terra Alta. As of 2004, Spain had around 7,000 ha (17,300 acres). In Italy the grape is most commonly found in Sardinia and Lazio where it is often found as a rosé. The Carignano del Sulcis DOC features a Carignan based rosso from the Sardinian islands of Sant'Antioco and San Pietro. In the New World, Carignan was often planted in the warmer wine regions of California, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Australia and South Africa.^[2]

At one point in California's wine history, Carignane (as it is known there) was the third most widely planted grape variety but has since dropped considerably in production . The majority of the vines were planted in the Central Valley and used to make inexpensive box and jug wines. In the 1970s and 1980s, Californian Carignane was one of the leading "home winemaking" grapes in production. In Australia the grape was often confused with the Bonvedro vine, which is similarly prone to diseases, but in recent years Australian winemakers have been able to identify true Carignan. The grape is still popular in North Africa in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. Carignan also played an important role in the early development of the Israeli wine industry though it is not as prominent today. Chinese winemakers have also experimented with growing Carignan in some of their warmer wine regions.^[3]

Synonyms[link]

The grape is known under a variety of synonyms through the world. In Spanish it is known as Cariñena with Mazuelo, Tinto Mazuelo, Crujillon and Samsó also being used in Spain. The recent use of Samsó has been controversial because this seems to be an error, as there is a different grape called Samsó, which is France's Cinsault. In California it is spelled with an extra vowel on the end as Carignane. In Catalan the grape is known as Carinyena. In Italy it is known as Gragnano. In Portugal it is known as Pinot Evara even though it has no relation to the Pinot family of grapes. Other French synonyms include Carignan noir, Bois Dur, Catalan, Roussillonen, Monestel and Plant de Lédenon.^[3]

Carignan blanc[link]

Carignan blanc is a white mutation of the Carignan grape found primarily in the Roussillon region.^[4]

See also[link]

• List of Portuguese grape varieties

References[link]

External links[link]

• Carignan Renaissance

Jean Carignan, CM (December 7, 1916 – February 16, 1988) was a Canadian fiddler.

Born in Lévis, Québec on December 7, 1916. He was a well-known fiddler from Quebec. Joseph Allard, Michael Coleman, and J. Scott Skinner are all brilliant traditional fiddlers whose music Carignan studied. Carignan was a friend of famous violinist and conductor Yehudi Menuhin. In 1974, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada as "the greatest fiddler in North America".^[1] He died in Montreal on February 16, 1988 at the age of 71.

In 1976, The Folk Music Sourcebook wrote about Carignan : Carignan's technique is amazing, but more so the joy and energy with which he applies it. There are few players in any music who reach his degree of virtuosity without sacrificing feeling or originality'. As a fiddler, he was always aiming for the strictest authenticity in his executions, displaying an attitude of absolute rigor when playing his repertoire of 7000 pieces learned from Coleman, Skinner, Allard, Wellie Ringuette and many others.

Selected discography[link]

• 1960: Old Time Fiddle Tunes played by Jean Carignan (Folkways Records)
• 1961: Alan Mills and Jean Carignan: Songs, Fiddle Tunes and a Folk-Tale from Canada (Folkways)
• 1973: Jean Carignan (Philo)
• 1976: Jean Carignan rend hommage a Joseph Allard (Philo)
• 1977: Jean Carignan Plays the Music of - Joue La Musique De Coleman, Morrison & Skinner (Philo)
• 1987: Gigue A Deux (Radio Canada International)
• 2006: Classic Canadian Songs from Smithsonian Folkways (Smithsonian Folkways)
• French Canadian Fiddle Songs (Legacy - an Elektra/Everest Production)

Selected filmography[link]

• 1986 Featured in TV series "Down Home" for Channel Four TV made by Pelicula Films, Glasgow

References[link]

External links[link]

• Jean Carignan at the Internet Movie Database
• Jean Carignan at The Canadian Encyclopedia
• Carignan on Folkways
• Jean Carignan at YouTube

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From the film Stage Door Canteen, 1943

Signature of Yehudi Menuhin

Yehudi Menuhin, Baron Menuhin, OM, KBE (22 April 1916 – 12 March 1999) was an American violinist and conductor who spent most of his performing career in the United Kingdom. He was born to Russian Jewish parents in the United States, but became a citizen of Switzerland in 1970, and of the United Kingdom in 1985. He is often considered to be one of the greatest violinists of the 20th century.

Early life and career[link]

Yehudi Menuhin with Bruno Walter (1931). According to Henry A. Murray, Menuhin wrote: "Actually, I was gazing in my usual state of being half absent in my own world and half in the present. I have usually been able to 'retire' in this way. I was also thinking that my life was tied up with the instrument and would I do it justice?" (Yehudi Menuhin, personal communication, 31 October 1993).

Yehudi Menuhin was born in New York City, United States, to Bielorussian Jewish parents from what is now Belarus. His sisters were the concert pianist and human rights worker Hephzibah Menuhin and the pianist, painter, and poet Yaltah Menuhin. Through his father Moshe Menuhin, a former rabbinical student and anti-Zionist writer, Menuhin was descended from a distinguished rabbinical dynasty.

Menuhin began violin instruction at age four under violinist Sigmund Anker; his parents had wanted Louis Persinger to be his teacher, but Persinger refused.^[1] Menuhin displayed extraordinary talents at an early age. His first solo violin performance was at the age of seven with the San Francisco Symphony in 1923. Persinger then agreed to take Menuhin as a student. When the Menuhins went to Paris, Persinger suggested Yehudi go to his own teacher, Eugène Ysaÿe. He did have one lesson with Ysaÿe, but did not like his method or the fact that he was very old.^[1] Instead, he went to the Romanian composer and violinist George Enescu, after which he made several recordings with his sister Hephzibah. He was also a student of Adolf Busch. In 1929 he played in Berlin, under Bruno Walter's baton, three concerti by Bach, Brahms and Beethoven. In 1932 he recorded Edward Elgar's Violin Concerto in B minor for HMV in London, with the composer himself conducting, and between 1934 and 1936 he made the first integral recording of Johann Sebastian Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin.

World War II musician[link]

Yehudi Menuhin performed for Allied soldiers during World War II, and accompanied English composer Benjamin Britten to perform for inmates of Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, after its liberation in April 1945. He returned to Germany in 1947 to perform with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler as an act of reconciliation, becoming the first Jewish musician to do so following the Holocaust. He said to critics within the Jewish community that he wanted to rehabilitate Germany's music and spirit. After building early success on richly romantic and tonally opulent performances, he experienced considerable physical and artistic difficulties caused by overwork during the war as well as unfocused and unstructured early training (reportedly he said "I watched myself on film and realized that for 30 years I'd been holding the bow wrong").^{[citation needed]} Careful practice and study combined with meditation and yoga helped him overcome many of these problems. His profound and considered musical interpretations are nearly universally acclaimed. When he finally resumed recording, he was known for practicing by deconstructing music phrases one note at a time.

He and Louis Kentner (brother-in-law of his wife, Diana) gave the first performance of William Walton's Violin Sonata, at Zürich on 30 September 1949.

Menuhin continued to perform to an advanced age, becoming known for profound interpretations of an austere quality, as well as for his explorations of music outside the classical realm.

World interactions[link]

Menuhin credited German-Jewish philosopher Constantin Brunner with providing him with "a theoretical framework within which I could fit the events and experiences of life".^[2]

In 1952 Menuhin met and befriended the influential yogi B. K. S. Iyengar before he had come to prominence outside India. Menuhin arranged for Iyengar to teach abroad in London, Switzerland, Paris and elsewhere. This was the first time that many Westerners had been exposed to yoga.

Following his role as a member of the awards jury at the 1955 Queen Elisabeth Music Competition, Menuhin secured a Rockefeller Foundation grant for the financially strapped Grand Prize winner at the event, Argentine violinist Alberto Lysy. Menuhin made Lysy his first and only personal student, and the two toured extensively throughout the concert halls of Europe. The young protégé later established the International Menuhin Music Academy in Gstaad, in his honor.^[3]

Menuhin made several recordings with the German conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler, who had been criticized for conducting in Germany during the Nazi era. Menuhin defended Furtwängler, noting that the conductor had helped a number of Jewish musicians to flee Nazi Germany.

In 1962, he established the Yehudi Menuhin School in Stoke d'Abernon, Surrey. He also established the music program at The Nueva School in Hillsborough, California, sometime around then. In 1965 he received an honorary knighthood from the British monarchy. In the same year, Australian composer Malcolm Williamson wrote a violin concerto for Menuhin. He performed the concerto many times and recorded it at its premiere at the Bath Festival in 1965. Originally known as the Bath Assembly,^[4] the festival was first directed by the impresario Ian Hunter in 1948. After the first year the city tried to run the festival itself, but in 1955 asked Hunter back. In 1959 Hunter invited Yehudi Menuhin to become artistic director of the Festival. Menuhin accepted, and retained the post until 1968.^[5]

Menuhin also had a long association with Ravi Shankar, which began with their 1966 album West Meets East. During this time, he commissioned composer Alan Hovhaness to write a concerto for violin, sitar, and orchestra to be performed by himself and Shankar. The resulting work, entitled Shambala (c. 1970), with a fully composed violin part and space for improvisation from the sitarist, is the earliest known work for sitar with western symphony orchestra, predating Shankar’s own sitar concertos, but Menuhin and Shankar never recorded it. Menuhin also worked with famous jazz violinist Stéphane Grappelli in the 1970s on Jalousie, an album of pop music of the 1930s arranged in chamber style.

At the Edinburgh Festival in 1957 Menuhin premiered Priaulx Rainier's violin concerto Due Canti e Finale, which he had commissioned Rainier to write. He also commissioned her last work, Wildlife Celebration, which he performed in aid of Gerald Durrell's Wildlife Conservation Trust.

In 1983 Menuhin and Robert Masters founded the Yehudi Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists. Now one of the world's leading competitions for young violinists, many of its prizewinners have gone on to become prominent violinists, including Tasmin Little, Nikolaj Znaider, Ilya Gringolts, Julia Fischer, Daishin Kashimoto and Lara St. John.

In 1991 Menuhin was awarded the prestigious Wolf Prize by the Israeli Government. In the Israeli Knesset he gave an acceptance speech in which he criticised Israel's continued occupation of the West Bank:

"This wasteful governing by fear, by contempt for the basic dignities of life, this steady asphyxiation of a dependent people, should be the very last means to be adopted by those who themselves know too well the awful significance, the unforgettable suffering of such an existence. It is unworthy of my great people, the Jews, who have striven to abide by a code of moral rectitude for some 5,000 years, who can create and achieve a society for themselves such as we see around us but can yet deny the sharing of its great qualities and benefits to those dwelling amongst them."^[6]

In 1997 Menuhin and Ian Stoutzker founded the charity Live Music Now, the largest outreach music project in the UK. Live Music Now pays and trains professional musicians to work in the community, bringing the experience to those who rarely get an opportunity to hear or see live music performance.

Menuhin's pupils included Nigel Kennedy, Nicola Benedetti, and the violists Paul Coletti and Csaba Erdélyi. He owned and played several notable instruments; arguably the most famous of which is the Lord Wilton Guarneri del Gesù (1742).

In the 1980s Menuhin wrote and oversaw the creation of a "Music Guides" series of books; each covered a musical instrument, with one on the human voice. Menuhin wrote some, while others were edited by different authors.

Later career[link]

Menuhin with Stéphane Grappelli taken by Allan Warren, 1976

Menuhin regularly returned to the San Francisco Bay Area, sometimes performing with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. One of the more memorable later performances was of Edward Elgar's Violin Concerto, which Menuhin had recorded with the composer in 1932.

On 22 April 1978, along with Stéphane Grappelli, Yehudi played Pick Yourself Up, taken from the Menuhin & Grappelli Play Berlin, Kern, Porter and Rodgers & Hart album as the interval act at the 23rd Eurovision Song Contest for TF1. The performance came direct from the studios of TF1 and not that of the venue (Palais des Congrès), where the contest was being held.

Menuhin hosted the PBS telecast of the gala opening concert of the San Francisco Symphony from Davies Symphony Hall in September 1980.

During the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, Menuhin made jazz recordings with Stéphane Grappelli, classical recordings with L. Subramaniam and albums of Eastern music with the great sitarist Ravi Shankar. In 1983 he founded the Yehudi Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists in Folkestone, Kent.

His recording contract with EMI lasted almost 70 years and is the longest in the history of the music industry. He made his first recording at age 13 in November 1929, and his last in 1999, when he was nearly 83 years old. He recorded over 300 works for EMI, both as a violinist and as a conductor. In 2009 EMI released a 51-CD retrospective of Menuhin's recording career, titled Yehudi Menuhin: The Great EMI Recordings.

In 1990 Menuhin was the first conductor for the Asian Youth Orchestra which toured around Asia, including Japan, Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong with Julian Lloyd Webber and a group of young talented musicians from all over Asia.

Personal life[link]

Violinist Yehudi Menuhin and author Paulo Coelho captured at the Annual Meeting 1999 of the World Economic Forum held in Davos, Switzerland

Yehudi Menuhin was married twice. He married Nola Nicholas, daughter of an Australian industrialist, and sister of Hephzibah Menuhin's first husband Lindsay Nicholas. They had two children, Krov and Zamira (who married pianist Fou Ts'ong). Following their 1947 divorce he married the British ballerina and actress Diana Gould, whose mother was the pianist Evelyn Suart (who had played with artists such as Eugène Ysaÿe and Karel Halíř), and whose stepfather was Admiral Sir Cecil Harcourt. Menuhin and Gould had two sons, Gerard and Jeremy, a pianist. A third child died shortly after birth.

The name Yehudi means 'Jew' in Hebrew. In an interview republished in October 2004, he recounted to New Internationalist magazine the story of his name:

Obliged to find an apartment of their own, my parents searched the neighbourhood and chose one within walking distance of the park. Showing them out after they had viewed it, the landlady said: "And you'll be glad to know I don't take Jews." Her mistake made clear to her, the antisemitic landlady was renounced, and another apartment found. But her blunder left its mark. Back on the street my mother made a vow. Her unborn baby would have a label proclaiming his race to the world. He would be called "The Jew."^[7]

Menuhin died in Martin Luther Hospital,^[8] Berlin, Germany, from complications of bronchitis.

Soon after his death, the Royal Academy of Music acquired the Yehudi Menuhin Archive, one of the most comprehensive collections ever assembled by an individual musician.

Violins[link]

Menuhin used a number of famous violins including the Giovanni Bussetto 1680, the Giovanni Grancino 1695, the Guarneri filius Andrea 1703, the Soil Stradivarius, the Prince Khevenhüller 1733 Stradivari, the Guarneri del Gesù 1739, and the Lord Wilton 1742 Guarneri del Gesù.

Awards and honours[link]

• Freedom of the City (Edinburgh, Scotland, 1965)
• In 1965, while he was still an American citizen, Menuhin was made an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, which entitled him to use the postnominal letters KBE, but not to style himself Sir Yehudi. After Menuhin gained British citizenship in 1985, his knighthood was upgraded to a substantive one, and he became Sir Yehudi Menuhin KBE.
• The Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding (1968).^[9]
• The Léonie Sonning Music Prize (Denmark, 1972)
• Nominated as president of the Elgar Society (1983)
• The Ernst von Siemens Music Prize (1984)
• The Kennedy Center Honors (1986)
• Appointed a member of the Order of Merit (1987)
• His recording of Edward Elgar's Cello Concerto in E minor with Julian Lloyd Webber won the 1987 BRIT Award for Best British Classical Recording (BBC Music Magazine named this recording "the finest version ever recorded").
• The Glenn Gould Prize (1990), in recognition of his lifetime of contributions
• Ambassador of Goodwill (UNESCO, 1992)
• In 1993 Menuhin was made a life peer, as Baron Menuhin of Stoke d'Abernon in the County of Surrey.^[10]
• The Konex Decoration (Konex Foundation, Argentina, 1994)
• Honorary Doctorates from 20 universities, including Oxford, Cambridge, St Andrews, Vrije Universiteit Brussel and the University of Bath (1969).^[11]
• In the European Parliament in Brussels, the room in which concerts and performances are held is called the "Yehudi Menuhin Space".
• Menuhin was honored as "a Freeman" of the cities of Edinburgh, Bath, Reims and Warsaw.
• He held the Gold Medals of the cities of Paris, New York and Jerusalem.

Cultural references[link]

The catchphrase "Who's Yehoodi?" popular in the 1930s and 1940s was inspired by Menuhin's guest appearance on a radio show, where Jerry Colonna turned "Yehoodi" into a widely recognized slang term for a mysteriously absent person. It eventually lost all of its original connection with Menuhin.

Yehudi Menuhin was also 'meant' to appear on The Morecambe and Wise Show but could not do so as he was 'opening at the Argyl Theatre, Birkenhead in Old King Cole'. He was replaced by Eric Morecambe in the famous "Grieg's Piano Concerto by Grieg" sketch featuring the conductor André Previn.

A picture of Menuhin as a child is sometimes used as part of a Thematic Apperception Test.^[12]

Bibliography[link]

• Menuhin, Diana (1984). Fiddler's Moll. Life With Yehudi. New York: St Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-28819-0. 
• Menuhin, Yehudi (1977). Unfinished Journey. New York: Knopf. ISBN 0-394-41051-3. 
• Menuhin, Yehudi (1997). Unfinished Journey: Twenty Years Later. New York: Fromm Intl. ISBN 0-88064-179-7. 
• L. Subramaniam, Y. Menuhin; Directed by Jean Henri Meunier (1999) (documentary film). Violin From the Heart (DVD). 
• Bailey, Philip (2008). Yehudiana – Reliving the Menuhin Odyssey|Book One. Australia: Fountaindale Press. ISBN 978-0-9804499-0-7. 
• Bailey, Philip (2010). Yehudiana - Reliving the Menuhin Odyssey Book Two. Australia: Fountaindale Press. ISBN 978-0-9804499-1-4. 
• Burton, Humphrey (2000). Yehudi Menuhin: a life. Northeastern. ISBN 978-1-55553-465-3. 

Films[link]

• 1943 – Menuhin was a featured performer in the 1943 film, Stage Door Canteen. Introduced only as "Mr. Menuhin," he performed two violin solos, "Ave Maria" and "Flight of the Bumble Bee" for an audience of servicemen, volunteer hostesses and celebrities from stage and screen.
• 1979 – The Music of Man (television series)
• The Mind of Music

References[link]

External links[link]

• The Official website for Yehudi Menuhin
• Yehudi Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists
• Text and pictures from Yehudi Menuhin by french film director Bruno Monsaingeon
• Yehudi Menuhin Center Saanen/Gstaad Schweiz
• Yehudiana, Reliving the Menuhin Odyssey. A book, by Philip Bailey
• International Yehudi Menuhin Foundation
• The International Music School Founded by Yehudi Menuhin
• Live Music Now – Charity founded by Yehudi Menuhin
• PBS Series American Masters Yehudi Menuhin
• YouTube-Elgar Performance
• From the Sitar to the Guitar – The 1995 concerts featuring Yehudi Menuhin and Ravi Shankar
• Youtube Paganini Concerto: Third Movement
• Youtube: Paganini's Moto Perpetuo
• Yehudi Menuhin playing duos in the parc des Buttes Chaumont, Paris
• New biography (Yehudiana, a Menuhin family biography).
• Yehudi Menuhin's life in Alma
• Yehudi Menuhin interview by Bruce Duffie, January 31, 1987

André Gagnon, OC (born 2 August 1939 in Saint-Pacôme, Quebec, Canada) is a Canadian musician and composer. He shifted from a classical musical style to an adult contemporary style in the mid-1970s with albums such as Neiges.

André Gagnon has also composed music for many artists, such as Diane Dufresne (Le 304), Renée Claude (Je suis une femme d'aujourd'hui, Ballade pour mes vieux jours) and Nicole Martin (Mannequin).

Awards and recognition[link]

Juno awards[link]

• 1978: Instrumental Artist of the Year
• 1995: Instrumental Artist of the Year

He has received Juno nominations in several other years.

Government honours[link]

Gagnon was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1978.

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Singles[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• The Canadian Encyclopedia: André Gagnon

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Aleksandra Wozniak

Country	Canada
Residence	Blainville, Quebec, Canada
Born	(1987-09-07) September 7, 1987 (age 24) Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight	60 kg (130 lb; 9.4 st)
Turned pro	2005
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Career prize money	US$1,403,749
Official web site	www.aleksandrawozniak.com
Singles
Career record	270–171
Career titles	1 WTA, 9 ITF
Highest ranking	No. 21 (June 22, 2009)
Current ranking	No. 58 (May 28, 2012)
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open	2R (2012)
French Open	4R (2009)
Wimbledon	2R (2008, 2010)
US Open	3R (2009)
Doubles
Career record	28–45
Career titles	0 WTA, 0 ITF
Highest ranking	No. 136 (June 7, 2010)
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open	1R (2009)
French Open	2R (2010, 2012)
Wimbledon	2R (2009, 2010)
US Open	1R (2008)
Mixed Doubles
Career titles	0
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results
Australian Open	QF (2009)
Last updated on: May 28, 2012.

Aleksandra Wozniak (born September 7, 1987, in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian professional tennis player. She turned professional in November 2005. Wozniak achieved a career-best ranking of no. 21 on June 22, 2009, making her the fourth-highest ranked Canadian singles player of all time.^[1] She has won one WTA and nine ITF tournaments. At the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford in 2008, she became the first Canadian in 20 years to capture a WTA singles title and is the only Quebecer in history to have accomplished such a feat. She reached a career-high ITF junior ranking of No. 3 on January 31, 2005. She was named Female Player of the Year by Tennis Canada four times (2009, 2008, 2006, 2004). Wozniak is currently Canada's highest-ranked women's singles player.

Early life[link]

Wozniak's family immigrated to Canada from Poland in 1983. She speaks Polish, English and French fluently. She has an elder sister Dorota who, also, plays tennis.^[2][3][4] Aleksandra started playing tennis at the age of three. She was inspired to pick up a racquet by her sister and Monica Seles, her idol growing up and was coached by her father,^[5] Antoni.

Tennis career[link]

2002–05[link]

In 2002, as a 14-year-old, Wozniak won the Canadian Indoors Under-16 and Under-18 championships.^[6] Aleksandra won the Kentucky International Junior Tennis Derby in 2004.^[7] In 2005, Wozniak reached #3 in the juniors.^[8] She also won the Tevlin Challenger 25K tournament in Toronto, the Hamilton Challenger 25K in Canada, the Victoria Challenger 25K and the Junior Casablanca Cup (as well as the doubles) in Mexico, and the Junior Del Cafe Cup (as well as the doubles) in Costa Rica.^[7]

2006[link]

Wozniak won the Pittsburgh Challenger (defeating Belarusian Victoria Azarenka),^[9] the Ashland Challenger (defeating Hungarian Ágnes Szávay),^[10] and Hamilton Challenger tournaments.^[11] In February she beat her first top 100 player, world #63 Na Li in Thailand. In November she defeated her first top 50 player, world #40 Olga Poutchkova in Pittsburgh.

2008[link]

In the first round of the French Open in June, Wozniak made it to the third round, before losing to 11th seed Vera Zvonareva. It was by far her best performance at any of the Grand Slams, and she became the first Québécoise to reach the third round of a Grand Slam since 2002.^[12]

In July, Wozniak won her first WTA singles title at the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford, California. During the tournament she beat world #20 Francesca Schiavone of Italy, world #29 Sybille Bammer, and world #5 Serena Williams of the US (who had to retire in the match), before defeating sixth seed Marion Bartoli of France in the final. She was a qualifier to the tournament, so she had to win 3 qualifying matches and then 5 main draw matches in nine days. Wozniak became the first Canadian in 20 years to win a WTA singles title.^[13] The victory vaulted her WTA singles ranking from #85 to #45 in the world. In August 2008, she was presented with key to the city in Blainville, Québec, by the mayor; they renamed it "Wozniakville" for 24 hours because for the first time a woman from Québec won a Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles title (when she won Stanford in July).^[14] She also received an award from the National Assembly of Québec in October 2008 for her career-high ranking of #37 and first Tour singles title.^[14]

2009[link]

Wozniak was upset by German Sabine Lisicki, also of Polish heritage, in the first round of the Australian Open where Wozniak was the 30th seed. Wozniak joined up with compatriot Daniel Nestor in the mixed doubles, where they made it to the quarterfinals before losing to Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi of India.

In March she defeated world #48 Lucie Šafářová in Indian Wells. That month she moved up to a career-best world #29. She reached her third singles final in April in the Ponte Vedra Beach, beating world #10 Nadia Petrova in the semi-finals, but was then defeated by world #12 Caroline Wozniacki. In May she upset world #13 Marion Bartoli of France at the Madrid Open.^[15]

At the French Open, Wozniak was the No. 24 seed, and became the first Québécoise to ever be seeded at Roland-Garros.^[12] Wozniak made it to the round of 16 before losing to Serena Williams.^[16][17][18] With her French Open success, Wozniak became Canada's first representative in the fourth round of the French Open women's draw in 17 years, and the first Canadian woman to survive into the second week at the French Open since Patricia Hy-Boulais in 1992. Wozniak was also the first Canadian to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam event since Maureen Drake qualified for the round of 16 at the 1999 Australian Open. "That's awesome for Canada and I hope to keep going", said Wozniak.^[19]

She debuted her grass season in June, at the AEGON International in Eastbourne, Wozniak made it to the semifinals, before losing to Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark. After that tournament, Wozniak's ranking rose two spots, to a career high of No. 21.^[20] In the first round of Wimbledon, she was the first Canadian to be seeded in singles in 20 years at #23. However she fell in the first round to Italy's Francesca Schiavone.^[21]

At the US Open, she advanced to the third round before losing to 10th seeded Flavia Pennetta. Wozniak entered the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo and made it into the third round before losing in three sets to Magdaléna Rybáriková.

Wozniak was named Athlete of the Year for the second time in three years at the 24th edition of the Tennis Quebec Excellence Awards. Her father Antoni and fitness trainer André Parent were joint winners of the International Coach of the Year Award for Quebec athletes.^[22] She was also named Female Athlete of the Year by the Canadian Press in recognition of her outstanding season.

2010[link]

In January, close friend Caroline Wozniacki eliminated Wozniak for the sixth time at the Australian Open in straight sets. After early losses in Miami and Indian Wells, she went to defend her last year final at Ponte Vedra Beach. However, she lost in the quarterfinals to Dominika Cibulková. At the French Open, she lost in the third round to the 5th seed Elena Dementieva in a match that lasted more than three hours. At Wimbledon, Wozniak made it to the second round before losing to 4th seeded Jelena Janković. After losing in the first round of the Rogers Cup in her native Quebec against Timea Bacsinszky, she lost again in the first round again at the US Open against World No. 202 Sally Peers by the score of 6–0, 6–1, in a match that took just 48 minutes. She was out for the remainder of the season due to a forearm injury.^[23]

2011[link]

In her first Grand Slam appearance since coming back from injury, Wozniak qualified for the French Open. She won her first round match against Junri Namigata 6–1, 6–1 before losing in the second round to World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki by the score of 6–3, 7–6^(8–6). She also successfully qualified for Wimbledon but lost in the first round against Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová 7–6^(9–7), 6–4. She won in early August the second biggest tournament of her career at the $100,000 ITF Vancouver Open, where she defeated Jamie Hampton 6–3, 6–1 in the final. Wozniak qualified for her third straight Grand Slam at the US Open. She lost in the first round to young American Christina McHale 6–3, 6–7^(5–7), 6–4.

2012[link]

At the first Grand Slam of the season, the Australian Open, Wozniak defeated Zhang Shuai 6–3, 6–3 in the first round. She made it through to the second round for the first time of her career. She was defeated by the 27th seed Maria Kirilenko 6–4, 1–6, 6–2 in the next round. In March, she won the $100,000 ITF Bahamas Women's Open, beating Alizé Cornet 6–4, 7–5 in the final. Wozniak reached the third round of the Sony Ericsson Open with wins over Eleni Daniilidou and World No. 28 Monica Niculescu in first and second round respectively, but lost to Venus Williams 4–6, 6–4, 7–6^(7–5) after having a match point in the third set. At the French Open, she reached the third round for the fourth time in five years, but lost to World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka 6–4, 6–4.

Fed Cup[link]

Wozniak won her first Fed Cup match in 2004, defeating Swiss Timea Bacsinszky 6–0, 6–4, and boasts a 37–9 record through February 2012. Her 37 total victories is a Canadian Fed Cup record as are her 29 wins in singles. She has appeared in 32 ties during her career in Fed Cup.^[24] In 2006 she beat Argentine world #33 Gisela Dulko, 7–6^(8–6), 6–3.^[11]

Style of play[link]

Wozniak has an all court game that is anchored by an effective first serve and a strong backhand. She also possesses a good overhead.^[25] Her favourite surface is clay.

Career statistics[link]

WTA Tour finals[link]

Singles: 3 (1–2)[link]

Outcome	No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Runner–up	1.	May 21, 2007	Fes, Morocco	Clay	Milagros Sequera	6–1, 6–3
Winner	1.	July 20, 2008	Stanford, United States	Hard	Marion Bartoli	7–5, 6–3
Runner–up	2.	April 12, 2009	Ponte Vedra Beach, United States	Clay	Caroline Wozniacki	6–1, 6–2

ITF Circuit finals[link]

Singles: 12 (9–3)[link]

Outcome	No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Winner	1.	June 30, 2002	Lachine, Canada	Hard	Beier Ko	6–0, 6–3
Winner	2.	July 17, 2005	Hamilton, Canada	Clay	María José Argeri	6–1, 6–2
Runner–up	1.	October 2, 2005	Pelham, United States	Clay	Soledad Esperón	7–5, 6–2
Winner	3.	October 16, 2005	Victoria, Mexico	Hard	Olga Blahotová	2–6, 6–0, 6–4
Runner–up	2.	October 23, 2005	Mexico City, Mexico	Hard	María José Argeri	6–4, 4–0 ret.
Winner	4.	November 13, 2005	Toronto, Canada	Hard	Olena Antypina	6–4, 6–3
Winner	5.	July 23, 2006	Hamilton, Canada	Clay	Valérie Tétreault	6–1, 6–7(5–7), 6–2
Winner	6.	October 1, 2006	Ashland, United States	Hard	Ágnes Szávay	6–1, 7–6(7–2)
Winner	7.	November 12, 2006	Pittsburgh, United States	Hard	Victoria Azarenka	6–2, ret.
Runner–up	3.	March 23, 2008	Redding, United States	Hard	Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová	7–6(7–4), 6–3
Winner	8.	August 7, 2011	Vancouver, Canada	Hard	Jamie Hampton	6–3, 6–1
Winner	9.	March 17, 2012	Nassau, Bahamas	Hard	Alizé Cornet	6–4, 7–5

Doubles: 2 (0–2)[link]

Outcome	No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Runner–up	1.	June 16, 2002	Toronto, Canada	Hard	Diana Srebrovic	Lauren Cheung Christina Horiatopoulos	6–3, 6–1
Runner–up	2.	July 23, 2006	Hamilton, Canada	Clay	Soledad Esperón	Nicole Kriz Story Tweedie-Yates	6–4, 6–1

Singles performance timeline[link]

Key

Won tournament, or reached Final, Semifinal, Quarterfinal, Round 4, 3, 2, 1, played in Round Robin or lost in Qualification Round 3, Round 2, Round 1, Absent from a tournament or Participated in a team event, played in a Davis Cup Zonal Group (with its number indication) or Play-off, won a bronze or silver match at the Olympics. The last is for a Masters Series/1000 tournament that was relegated (Not a Masters Series). This table is current through the 2012 French Open.

Tournament	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	W–L
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open	A	A	A	A	A	A	1R	Q1	1R	1R	A	2R	1–4
French Open	A	A	A	A	A	A	1R	3R	4R	3R	2R	3R	10–6
Wimbledon	A	A	A	A	A	A	1R	2R	1R	2R	1R		2–5
US Open	A	A	A	A	A	A	1R	1R	3R	1R	1R		2–5
Win–Loss	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–4	3–3	5–4	3–4	1–3	3–2	15–20
Olympic Games
Summer Olympics	Not Held			A	Not Held			A	Not Held				0–0
Year-End Championship
WTA Tour Championships	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A		0–0
WTA Premier Mandatory Tournaments
Indian Wells	A	A	A	A	A	A	1R	Q2	3R	2R	Q1	1R	1–4
Miami	A	A	A	A	Q1	A	1R	2R	2R	2R	A	3R	3–5
Madrid	Not Held								2R	1R	A	A	1–2
Beijing	Not Tier I								3R	A	A		2–1
WTA Premier 5 Tournaments
Doha	Not Tier I							A	Not P5			1R	0–1
Dubai	Not Tier I								A	A	A	NP5	0–0
Rome	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	2R	A	A	1R	1–2
Montreal/Toronto	A	A	Q1	1R	1R	1R	2R	2R	1R	1R	2R		3–8
Cincinnati	Not Tier I								2R	A	A		1–1
Tokyo	A	A	A	A	A	Q1	A	1R	3R	A	A		2–2
Career Statistics
Tournaments Played	1	4	4	6	15	26	28	23	25	18	15	14	179
Titles–Finals	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–1	1–1	0–1	0–0	0–0	0–0	1–3
Overall Win–Loss	2–1	11–3	2–4	11–6	44–13	43–24	22–29	40–22	30–25	14–18	28–14	25–13	272–172
Win %	67%	79%	33%	65%	79%	64%	43%	65%	55%	44%	67%	66%	61.22%
Year End Ranking		569	878	491	190	91	130	34	35	126	105		–

References[link]