Biographical Information on Some Main Draw Players
The following are brief biographical sketches for some of the players who are expected to compete at the Western & Southern Financial Group Women’s Open. Information as of June 11, 2007.
Serena Williams / USA
Cincinnati Highlights nd > Making 2 appearance (3-1) > Semifinalist, 2006 Career Highlights > Has 28 career singles titles including eight Grand Slam titles: Australian Open (’07, ’05 & ’03), French Open (’02), Wimbledon (’03 & ’02) and the U.S. Open (’02 & ’99). > Has been ranked as high as No. 1 in the world (July ’02). > As part of a comeback from a six-month injury layoff, the unseeded Williams defeated six seeds at the 2007 Australian Open as she became the third-lowest-ranked player in Tour history to win a Grand Slam singles title. > 2002 was her most impressive year winning eight out of 11 tournaments played, including all three Grand Slams she entered. She became only second woman in Open Era after Navratilova (’83) to win Wimbledon and U.S. Open in same year without losing a set. > After her Australian Open title in 2003, she became fifth woman all-time to hold all four Grand Slam titles at once. > Has won 11 career doubles titles, including six Grand Slam titles, all with sister, Venus Williams. > Won the WTA Tour Championship in 2001 and was a finalist in 2004 and ’02. > Won gold medal in doubles at 2000 Olympics with Venus. > Named Tour Comeback Player of the Year in 2004. Highlights This Year > Winner at Australian Open; Winner at Miami; Quarterfinalist at French Open; Quarterfinalist at Rome; Quarterfinalist at Hobart Did you know? > Began playing tennis at age five-and-a-half at neighborhood courts in Compton, California. > Coached by dad, Richard Williams, and mother, Oracene Price. > Introduced a custom-designed Nike apparel line on May 22, 2004 in Paris. > Named by Sports Illustrated as third most influential minority in sports (behind Robert Johnson and Tiger Woods). > She enjoys listening to Mariah Carey and Brandy. > In 2004, won ESPY Best Female Tennis Player Award for the second year. > Official website is www.serenawilliams.com. > Born on September 26, 1981; age 25. Born in Saginaw, Michigan on September 26, 1981; age 25
Anna Chakvetadze / RUS
Cincinnati Highlights st > Making 1 appearance Career Highlights > Has won three Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles titles (Hobart ’07, Guangzhou ’06 & Moscow ’06). This year, she reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open in January and the French Open in June. > She has reached the semifinals or better eight times at WTA events since 2005. > She made her Grand Slam debut at the 2004 U.S. Open where she reached the third round. Her second round victory over No. 3 Anastasia Myskina came in just her third Tour main draw match, which is tied for the second-fastest to defeat a top 10 player (tied with Serena Williams who defeated No. 7 Mary Pierce in 1997 in her third Tour main draw match). > Posted her first top 40 finish in 2005, a year highlighted by her first Tour semifinal appearance at New Haven. She also
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reached three Tour qualifying matches earlier that year. > She recorded five top 10 wins in 2006, and finished the year with No. 13 world ranking. Highlights This Year Finalist at Hobart; Semifinalist at Antwerp; Quarterfinalist at Australian Open; Quarterfinalist at French Open; Quarterfinalist at Paris; Quarterfinalist at Warsaw Did You Know? > She was introduced to tennis by her mother, Natalia, at age eight. > Made her debut on the Tour in 2002 as a wild card in Budapest qualifying. > Speaks Russian and English. > Attends Moscow University. > Her favorite movie is Troy. > Her goal is to be in the top 5. > Born in Moscow, Russia on March 5, 1987; age 20.
Patty Schnyder / SUI
Cincinnati Highlights rd > Making 3 appearance (8-1) > Champion, 2005 > Semifinalist, 2006 Career Highlights > She has won ten singles titles and four doubles titles in her career and has been ranked as high as No. 7 in the world. > 2005 marked her first career top 10 finish. The year was highlighted by reaching the quarterfinals or better at 15 events and winning two titles, including Cincinnati, her first title on U.S. soil. > Posted her second consecutive top 10 finish in 2006 finishing at No. 9. > Reached the quarterfinals or better at 15 of 25 events in 2006. She was a six-time semifinalist-- Paris, Cincinnati, San Diego, Bali, Stuttgart and Linz. > In 2004, reached her first Grand Slam semifinal at the Australian Open where she lost to world No. 2 Kim Clijsters. > Reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open in 2005 beating Elena Dementieva along the way. Also reached the quarterfinals at the French Open and U.S. Open in 1998. > 2002 was highlighted by her title win in her hometown of Zurich, where she became only the fifth unseeded player to win a WTA Tour Tier I event. She saved one match point in the second set on her way to defeating Lindsay Davenport. > In 2005, reached Tier I final in Rome, defeating Maria Sharapova before falling to Amélie Mauresmo. > Along with the Cincinnati title, she also won at Gold Coast in 2005 where she defeated Stosur and became only the second woman to have won two titles at Gold Coast (the other being Ai Sugiyama). > In doubles, she and partner Corina Morariu reached the semifinals at the 2005 French Open and the quarterfinals at the U.S. Open in the same year. > Member of the Swiss Olympic Team in 1996, ’00 and ’04. > Received the WTA’s “Most Improved Player” award in 1998. Highlights This Year > Semifinalist at Rome; Quarterfinalist at Dubai; Quarterfinalist at Doha; Quarterfinalist at Berlin Open Did You Know? > She once defeated the No. 1 Austrian regional champion Patrik Mayr in front of a sold-out crowd during a “Battle of the Sexes” match in Austria. > Coached by her husband, Rainer Hofmann. They were married in 2003 at a resort in Baden-Baden, Germany. > In 1996, she was the WTA’s biggest mover in the rankings, moving up 634 spots. > She has her own Web site at www.patty-schnyder.com. > She and her husband, Rainer, are coming out with a new book titled The White Mile. > Has two cats, Mister and Gizmo. > Favorite book is the biography of Nelson Mandela. > Other sport interests include skiing, billiards, golf, football and Photo Play computer games. > Born in Baech, Switzerland on December 14, 1978; age 28.
Vera Zvonareva / RUS
Cincinnati Highlights
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> Making 4 appearance (9-2) > Champion, 2006 > Finalist, 2004 Career Highlights > Has won five career Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles titles and four doubles titles. > In 2006, she captured singles titles at Birmingham and Cincinnati, and doubles titles at the US Open (with Nathalie Dechy) and at Auckland (with Elena Likhovtseva). The duo of Zvonareva and Dechy became the first unseeded team to win a doubles major since 2001. > 2004 marked the best year-end finish of her career as she broke into the top 10 at No. 9 and ended the year at No. 11. That year, she reached the finals in both Cincinnati and Philadelphia losing to Lindsay Davenport and Amélie Mauresmo, respectively. > 2003 saw her reach the quarterfinals at the French Open – her career best Grand Slam finish. She defeated No. 3 seed Venus Williams before falling to Nadia Petrova. > She won her first WTA singles title at Bol in 2003, defeating Conchita Martinez Granados in the final. > Reached the semifinal at Rome in 2005 losing to eventual champion Amélie Mauresmo for the second straight year. > She reached six semifinals in 2004: at Warsaw (losing to Venus Williams), Rome (losing to Mauresmo), Eastbourne (losing to Svetlana Kuznetsova), San Diego (losing to Ana Myskina), Montreal (losing to Mauresmo) and Beijing (losing to Serena Williams). > At Berlin in 2005, she won her second career doubles title with fellow Russian Elena Likhovtseva. > Has six career top 10 wins, the best coming against No. 3 Venus Williams at 2003 French Open. > In 2004, won the mixed doubles at the U.S. Open with partner Bob Bryan. > Played on the Russian Fed Cup team in 2003 and ‘04. Highlights This Year Finals at Auckland; Semifinalist at Charleston; Quarterfinalist at Indian Wells Did You Know? > Her mother introduced her to the game of tennis at age six, but no one else in her family plays. > Her other sports interests include volleyball and hockey. > Off court training includes swimming and running. > She is coached by Samuel Sumyk. > In juniors, she won the Orange Bowl Under 18s in 2000 and ‘01. > She enjoys reading and listening to music. > Born in Moscow, Russia on September 7, 1984; age 22.
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Katarina Srebotnik / SLO
Cincinnati Highlights nd > Making 2 appearance (4-1) > Finalist, 2006 Career Highlights > Has won four career singles titles and 14 career doubles titles on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. > Recorded her first top 25 year-end finish in 2006. > Best Grand Slam showing was at 2002 French Open where she reached the fourth round. > In 2005 she won two titles, the first being at Auckland and the second Stockholm, both Tier IV events. > Has reached four finals in her career: Cincinnati (’06), Portoroz (’05), Palermo (’03) and Bogota (’02). > Has won six career ITF singles titles and 19 career ITF doubles titles. > In 2006, she cracked the doubles Top 10 for the first time at No. 7. She captured two doubles titles along the way at Antwerp and Amelia Island. > Has won three Grand Slam mixed doubles titles: French Open (’06 with Nenad Zimonjic & ’99 with Piet Norval) and U.S. Open (’03 with Bob Bryan). > Reached the finals at Cincinnati last year, defeating top seed Patty Schnyder in the semifinals. > Member of Slovenian Fed Cup Team 1997, 1999-2001, 2003-05. > Member of Slovenian Olympic Team 2000 and ‘04. Highlights This Year > Quarterfinalist at Sydney; Quarterfinalist at Charleston Did You Know? > Nickname is Kata. > Relaxes by listening to music and reading books, watching movies and hanging out with friends.
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Other sports interests include skiing, cycling, swimming and table tennis. Admires Monica Seles. Coached by Biljana Veselinovic. Born in Slovenj Gradec, Slovenia on March 12, 1981; age 26.
Cincinnati Highlights th > Making 4 appearance (5-3) Quarterfinalist, 2006 > Semifinalist, 2004 > Doubles Quarterfinalist, 2004 Career Highlights > She had a breakthrough year in 2006, highlighted by her first three WTA Tour singles titles, a third round appearance at the U.S. Open and her top 20 debut at No. 19. Her first title came at Auckland, where she defeated Vera Zvonareva. The others came at Tokyo [Japan Open] and Québec City. > Also in 2006, she reached the semifinals at Seoul, and three quarterfinals, including at Cincinnati. The fourth top 10 win of her career also came last year in a win over Patty Schnyder. > She won her third career Tour doubles title at Prague (w/Peer) in 2006. > In 2004, she finished in the top 50 for the first time in her career, while reaching the semifinals at Cincinnati, Auckland and Hyderabad. > 2003 was her breakout year as she qualified at Canberra and then reached her first semifinal. She also reached the quarterfinals at Miami (losing to Serena Williams). > She made her Fed Cup debut in 2004, replacing an injured Mary Pierce, and helped France to a 5-0 victory over Spain. > In 2001, she made her WTA and Grand Slam debut at French Open as a wild card. Also that year she won three ITF titles and improved her ranking from 1120 to 345. > She has won a total of six singles titles and one doubles title on the ITF circuit. > Bartoli teamed up with Emilie Loit again at Casablanca in 2004 to win her first Sony Ericsson WTA Tour doubles title. Highlights This Year >Finalist at Prague; Semifinalist at Strasbourg; Quarterfinalist at Estoril Did You Know? > In juniors, she won the U.S. Open, the Australian Hardcourt Championships and the Victorian Championships in 2001. > She is coached by her father, Walter, who is also a doctor. > Favorites include the color blue, roses, the movies Gladiator & A Beautiful Mind, the book Le Pianiste and her mother’s apple pie. > Most memorable tennis experiences have been winning the U.S. Open juniors, and playing against Lindsay Davenport at the U.S. Open in Arthur Ashe Stadium. > Other sports interests include jet skiing, volleyball and basketball. > The tennis players she most admires are Pete Sampras and Monica Seles. > She has her own web site at www.marionbartoli.com. > Born in Le Puy en Velay, France on October 2, 1984; age 22.
Marion Bartoli / FRA
Severine Bremond / FRA
Cincinnati Highlights nd > Making 2 appearance (0-1) Career Highlights > Her best Grand Slam finish came at Wimbledon in 2006, when she reached the quarterfinals. She became the first qualifier in seven years to reach the quarterfinals there. Along the way, she defeated three seeded players before falling to eventual finalist Justine Henin. > She owns five ITF singles titles and four ITF doubles titles. Her best Tour finishes came in 2006, when she reached the semifinals at Tier III Bangkok and Tier III Quebec City. > Made her top 50 debut in 2006 after reaching the quarterfinals at Bali. She jumped more than 60 spots in the rankings last year en route to a No. 39 finish. > She turned pro in 2002, and earned her first direct entry into a tournament at Tier V Pattaya City. > In 2004 at Stockholm, she reached her first Tour quarterfinal and reached the second round at the U.S. Open, Charleston and Strasbourg to help her to the first top 100 finish of her career.
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> Has also been a member of the French Fed Cup Team since 2005. Highlights This Year > Round of 16 at Tokyo; Round of 16 at Gold Coast; Round of 16 at Acapulco; Round of 16 at Hobart Did You Know? Married Eric Bremond (who is also her coach) on September 10, 2005. Began playing tennis at age 10. Turned pro in 2002, and did not play collegiate or juniors. Attended the University of Law on Montpellier. She speaks French, English and Spanish. Favorite foods are pizza and her father’s recipes. She also enjoys pop and R&B music. Other sports of interest are football, rugby and golf. She relaxes by reading, listening to music and shopping. Born on August 14, 1979; age 27.
Meilen Tu / USA
Cincinnati Highlights st > Making 1 appearance Career Highlights > Last year, she finished in the top 100 for the fifth time of her career. > She won her first career Tour singles title at Auckland in 2001. Also that year, she reached the quarterfinals at Nice, Tokyo and Luxembourg to finish a career-best No. 45. > She possesses four Tour doubles titles, including at Tier II Paris in 2002. > Her best Grand Slam showing came in 2002 at Wimbledon, where she reached the third round. > Turned pro on October 31, 1994. Later that year at Philadelphia, she defeated world No. 16 Amanda Coetzer and No. 36 Magdalena Maleeva as a wild card to reach the quarterfinals. > In 2000 at Quebec City, she reached her first Tour semifinal. th > Last year at Zurich, she earned the 300 singles match win of her career. Highlights This Year > Semifinals at Memphis; Round of 16 at Amelia Island Did You Know? Coached by Samuel Sumyk. Father, Ching, passed away in 1999 and serves as her inspiration both on and off the court. Mother’s name is Mei, and her sister, Helen, played tennis at UCLA. Her parents are from Taiwan. “Meilen” means “beautiful” in Mandarin Chinese, which she speaks fluently. Enjoys shopping and going to the movies with friends. Born on January 17, 1978; age 29.
Maria Kirilenko / RUS
Cincinnati Highlights nd > Making 2 appearance (0-1) Career Highlights > Owns one career Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles title, a Tier II event at Beijing in 2005 and two ITF singles titles (St. Gaudens ’04, Boca Raton ’03). > Has three Sony Ericsson WTA Tour doubles titles (Doha ’07, Tokyo ’05 & Birmingham ’04). > Made her tour debut at Tokyo Princess Cup as a qualifier. > Made her Grand Slam debut at the 2003 U.S. Open, reaching the third round before losing to Amelie Maursemo. > Broke into the top 20 for the first time in 2006 when she posted career-best Grand Slam finishes at the French Open, U.S. Open, and Australian Open by reaching the third round in each. Highlights This Year > Round of 16 at Gold Coast; Round of 16 at Tokyo; Round of 16 at Dubai; R16 at Doha Did You Know? > She began playing tennis at age seven. > Her most memorable tennis experience was the U.S. Open junior awards ceremony.
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She speaks Russian and English. Soccer is the sport she most enjoys outside of tennis. She relaxes by reading books, watching movies, fishing and cooking. Her parents are Olga and Yuri, who is also her coach. Official website is www.mariakirilenko.com. Born in Moscow, Russia on January 25, 1987; age 20.
Cincinnati Highlights nd > Making 2 Appearance (4-1) > Finalist in 2005 Career Highlights > She owns one career Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles title, a tier IV event at Prague in 2007, and 5 ITF singles titles (Surbiton ’04, Saga ’01, Home Hill ’01, Warrnambool ’00, Wodonga ’00) > Her first Tour singles semifinals appearance was at Hyderabad in 2003. That year, she also reached the semifinals at Shanghai where she tallied her first career top 20 win. > In 2003, she broke into the top 100 at No. 93. She also debuted at all four Grand Slams, reaching the third round at Wimbledon before losing to Jennifer Capriati. > She owns one career Sony Ericson WTA Tour doubles title, at Memphis ‘03(w/Obata) and one ITF title at Prostejov (w/Gajdosova) > Her first top 50 finish came in 2005 at No. 48. > She was part of Japanese Fed Cup Team from 2002-2006 and a member of the Japanese Olympic Team in 2004. > Reached career high singles ranking of No. 41 in August 2005. Highlights This Year > Winner at Prague; Finalist at Las Vegas Did You Know? > She began playing tennis at age 8. > She enjoys skiing and shopping. > Her favorite cities are Paris & New York because of the good shopping. > Her favorite food is Japanese Pancakes. > Pearl Harbor is her favorite movie. > No one else in her family plays tennis. Born on January 12, 1980; age 27.
Akiko Morigami / JPN
Sania Mirza / IND
Cincinnati Highlights rd > Making 3 appearance (4-2) > Quarterfinalist, 2006 & ‘05 > Doubles Semifinalist, 2005 (with Yuliana Fedak) Career Highlights > She had an impressive doubles year in 2007, as she captured the title at Fes, reaching the finals at Istanbul and the semifinals at Bangalore. > In 2006, she posted her second straight top 100 finish behind semifinal appearances at Kolkata and Hobart. > Also in 2006, she reached four quarterfinals, including Cincinnati and Seoul, where she defeated No.8 Martina Hingis for her first top 10 victory of year and third of her career. > She became the first Indian woman to crack the top 50 when she hit No. 48 in August of 2005. In October, she reached a career-high ranking of 31. > In 2005, she reached the third round at the Australian Open, losing to Serena Williams, and the fourth round at the U.S. Open, where she lost to top seed Maria Sharapova. Her finish at the U.S. Open was the most successful finish ever for an Indian woman at a Grand Slam event. > Captured her first Sony Ericsson WTA Tour title in her home country at Hyderabad in 2005. The win pushed her into the top 100 for the first time in her career. > In 2005, she upset the No. 4 seed and reigning U.S. Open champ, Svetlana Kuznetsova, at Dubai. > In 2004 at Hyderabad, she paired with Liezel Huber to win her first WTA doubles title. She became the youngest Indian male or female to win a Tour event and became the only Indian woman to ever capture a WTA crown. > She has won 12 ITF titles in all.
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Highlights This Year > Quarterfinalist at Bangalore; Semifinalist at Hobart; Semifinalist at Pattaya City; Round of 16 at Doha Did You Know? > She was turned away by her first coach when she was six years old. > She likes listening to hip-hop – especially Eminem. > Mirza’s favorite sports, outside of tennis, include swimming and cricket. > She most admires Gandhi. > Her favorite movie is Oceans 11 and her favorite actors are Brad Pitt and Hugh Grant. > The tennis pro she admires most is Steffi Graf. > Born in Mumbai, India on November 15, 1986; age 20. Cincinnati Highlights nd > Making 2 appearance (0-1) Career Highlights > First top 50 finish came in 2001, the year that she won her first tour singles (Shanghai) and doubles (Quebec City w/Pratt) titles. > She has won five WTA Tour singles titles (Rabbat ’06, Forest Hills ’06, Canberra ’03, Qubec City ’01, Shanghai ’00) and six ITF titles. > Has won 15 doubles titles, including seven in 2004. > She was part of United States Fed Cup Team from 2002-2003. > In 2006 at Rabbat and Forest Hills, she won two singles titles in a season for the first time. > She reached career-high singles ranking of No. 11 in September 2001, and a career-high doubles ranking of 4 in March 2005. Highlights This Year > Quarterfinalist at Istanbul Did You Know? > Favorite surface is hardcourt. > Has two brothers and a sister. > Favorite actor is Harrison Ford. > Enjoys water skiing. Born on April 13, 1979; age 28. Cincinnati Highlights st > Making 1 appearance Career Highlights > She finished in the top 50 for the first time in 2006, which was highlighted by four top 20 wins and two WTA Tour singles quarterfinals. In total, she won 25 singles matches last year. > In her Grand Slam main draw debut last year at the Australian Open, she reached the fourth round, becoming the first player since Vera Zvonareva in 2002 to advance that far in her Grand Slam debut. > Owns two WTA doubles titles, the first coming at Tier III Quebec City in 2005 and the most recent at Tier IV Hobart in January. > Made her WTA Tour debut in 2004 at Quebec City. Also that year, she captured her fourth, fifth and sixth career ITF Circuit doubles titles. th > In 2005 at Tashkent and Quebec City, she reached her first two Tour singles quarterfinals. Her 100 career singles win came in a victory over Severine Bremond at Quebec City. > Turned pro in 2002 and reached her first ITF Circuit event quarterfinal. > She has been a member of the Russian Fed Cup Team since 2006. Highlights This Year Quarterfinalist at Gold Coast; Quarterfinalist at Strasbourg Did You Know? Coached by her father, Sergej Vesnin, and Boris Konujushkov. Introduced to tennis by her mother at age 7. Her first coach, Jurij Vasiljevich, is also the former coach of Maria Sharapova. Favorite surfaces are clay and hardcourt.
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Meghann Shaughnessy / USA
Elena Vesnina / RUS
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Other sports interests include soccer, basketball and ice hockey. Enjoys rap, pop and R&B music, and her favorite artists are Maroon 5 and 50 Cent. Official website is www.elena-vesnina.com. Born on August 1, 1986; age 20.
Anastasia Rodionova / RUS
Cincinnati Highlights st > Making 1 appearance Career Highlights > She reached the third round in 2006 at her U.S. Open debut, as she went on to earn her first career top 100 finish. > Has won two career WTA Tour doubles titles, coming at Quebec City in 2005 and Estoril in 2007. > Has won five ITF singles titles. > In 2002 at Quebec City, she reached her first career semifinal. > She was a quarterfinalist at Tashkent in 2006, and Casablanca and Pataya City 2003. Her WTA Tour debut came in 2000 at Tashkent as a qualifier. Two years later, she won her first Tour main draw match at Casablanca. Highlights This Year > Round of 16 at Pattaya City Did You Know? > She is a baseliner who prefers clay courts. > She admires Martina Hingis. > Favorite book is Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. > Favorite actor is Nicolas Cage. Born on May 12, 1982; age 25.
Milagros Sequera / VEN
Cincinnati Highlights st > Making 1 appearance Career Highlights > She won her first career WTA Tour singles title at Fes in 2007. > She was a finalist at Quebec City in 2003. > In 2004, she reached the quarterfinals at Strasbourg and Vancouver. > Was a member of the Venezuelan Fed from 1998-2001. > Her career-high singles rank of No. 68 came in May 2007. She has won 10 ITF singles titles. > In January of 2005, she reached a career-high doubles rank of No. 29. Highlights This Year > Winner at Fes; Semifinalist at Sea Island; Quarterfinalist at Dothan Did You Know? > Won singles gold medal at 2003 Pan American Games. > In juniors, she reached 1998 Wimbledon quarterfinals. > Enjoys listening to music, reading, and writing in her spare time. > Favorite surface is hardcourt. Born on September 30, 1980; age 26.
Laura Granville / USA
Cincinnati Highlights rd > Making 3 appearance (2-2) > Quarterfinalist, 2004 > Doubles Champion, 2005 > Doubles Semifinalist, 2004 Career Highlights > She reached the fourth round at Wimbledon in 2002 defeating Mary Pierce along the way. She has reached the third round at each of the Grand Slams: U.S. Open (’05), Australian Open (’04, 06), French Open (’03) and Wimbledon (’03).
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> At Memphis in 2004, she reached the semifinals in both singles and doubles (with Abigail Spears). > She’s reached four Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles semifinals and nine singles quarterfinals. > Won first career Sony Ericsson WTA Tour doubles title here in Cincinnati with partner Abigail Spears. She reached her first doubles final showing at Memphis in the same year (also with Spears). > She has a total of six singles titles and four doubles titles on the ITF circuit. > In 1998, Granville won the USTA National Girls’ 18s title. Highlights This Year > Quarterfinalist at Sydney; Quarterfinalist at Memphis Did You Know? > She won the NCAA singles championship for Stanford University in both 2000 and ‘01. She was also named the Tennis Magazine/Intercollegiate Tennis Association “College Player of the Year” both years. > Granville is coached by John Trump, the former coach of veteran Amy Frazier. > Began playing tennis at age four in a Tiny Tots program at Mid-Town Tennis Club in Chicago, Illinois and has trained there ever since. > Chose Stanford over Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Duke for her undergraduate degree in fall of 1999. > Grandfather, Edwin Lennox, was member of 1924 U.S. Olympic swimming team, which competed in Paris. > Born in Chicago, Illinois on May 12, 1981; age 26.
Cincinnati Highlights nd > Making 2 appearance (0-1) Career Highlights > She reached the fourth round of Wimbledon in 2006 and the third round in 2005. > In August last year, she reached a career-high singles ranking of No. 40. > She was a member of the American Fed Cup Team in 2006. > She reached the quarterfinals at Memphis in 2006, Quebec City in ’06 and ’05, and Auckland in 2004. For her career, she owns six career ITF singles titles and four ITF doubles titles. Highlights This Year > Round of 16 at Memphis; Round of 16 at Dothan; Round of 16 at Indian Harbour Beach; R16 at Sydney Did You Know? > Began playing tennis at 4. > Favorite music is rap. > Likes actress Halle Berry. Born on July 6, 1984; age 23.
Shenay Perry / USA
Jill Craybas / USA
Cincinnati Highlights nd > Making 2 appearance (0-1) > Doubles champion, 2004 Career Highlights > Her first WTA Tour title came in 2002 at Tokyo (Japan Open) by defeating Silvija Talaja in the finals after trailing 4-0 in the third set. She has reached the semifinals on two other occasions, Auckland in 2007 and at Memphis in 2006. > She ended 2006 ranked No. 73, marking her sixth consecutive top 100 finish. > Her first top 50 finish came in 2005, which was highlighted by a fourth round appearance at Wimbledon, her best Grand Slam finish to date. Along the way, she defeated world No. 4 Serena Williams. > At Tier I Miami in 2006, she posted her biggest career top 10 win by defeating No. 2 Kim Clijsters in three sets. > In doubles, she won her first WTA Tour title in 2003 at Madrid, and her most recent title in 2004 at Cincinnati. > Member of the United States Fed Cup Team from 2004-06. > She also owns four ITF circuit singles titles. Highlights This Year Winner at Midland; Semifinalist at Auckland Did You Know? Won the NCAA team championship in 1993 at the University of Texas and in 1996 at the University of Florida. She is the only woman to be a member of a national championship team with two different schools. Was the 1996 NCAA champion as a senior at the University of Florida, earning a berth into the 1996 U.S. Open.
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Named an All-American at Florida and Florida’s Female Athlete of the Year in 1994-95. Coached by Raj Chaudhuri. Her sister, Jody, played college tennis and her brother, Matt, played college soccer. Graduated from the University of Florida in 1996 with a degree in telecommunications. Was elected to Tour Players’ Council for 2004. Born on July 4, 1974; age 33.
Vania King / USA
Cincinnati Highlights st > Making 1 appearance Career Highlights > Turned pro last year and tallied a 24-20 singles record en route to a No. 50 finish. > Her first WTA Tour singles win came last year at Tier III Bangkok. Along the way, she defeated three top-eight seeds. She also reached the semifinals at Tier III Bangalore. > In 2005, she made the main draw of her first Grand Slam, the U.S. Open, after receiving a wild card entry into the qualifying tournament. She reached the second round of the main draw after defeating world No. 41 Klara Zakopalova. > She owns three WTA Tour doubles titles, including a title this year at Fes and two in 2006 at Tokyo and Bangkok. By capturing both the singles and doubles titles at Bangkok, she became the first player to sweep an event since Serena Williams did so at the 2003 Australian Open. > Made her top 100 debut in 2006 on April 3 after finishing 2005 ranked No. 202. Highlights This Year Round of 16 at Pattaya City; Round of 16 at Fes; Round of 16 at Istanbul Did You Know? Coached by her father, David King, who travels with her. Began playing tennis at age four on the neighborhood courts after being introduced to the sport by her father and brother. Her favorite shot is the forehand and prefers playing on hardcourts. Speaks English and Mandarin. Favorite types of music are Christian and heavy metal, her favorite type of food is Chinese, and her favorite movie is Tomb Raider 2. Has one brother (Phillip) and two sisters (Mindy, Ivana), all of whom play tennis. Official website is www.vaniaking.com. Born on February 3, 1989; age 18.
Alina Jidkova / RUS
Cincinnati Highlights rd > Making 3 appearance (1-2) Career Highlights > Her best WTA Tour singles finishes were appearances in the semifinals at Vancouver and Quebec City in 2004 and at Memphis in 2002. She captured her first Tour doubles title in 2005 at Acapulco. > In 2000, she recorded her first top 100 finish as she debuted at all four Grand Slams. At her first Grand Slam, the Australian Open, she reached the third round. > She tallied her first career top 10 win in 2004 by defeating No. 9 Serena Williams 7-6(5), 6-2 at Linz. > In 2001 at Hawaii, she advanced to her first WTA Tour quarterfinal. Highlights This Year Winner at Tampa Did You Know? She is also the co-owner in the e-commerce business BeMyPearl.com. Other sports interests include ice skating and gymnastics. Favorites include wild flowers, the book Memoirs of a Geisha, the movie Far and Away, Italian foods and her mom’s borsht (Russian soup). Born on January 18, 1977; age 30.
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WESTERN & SOUTHERN FINANCIAL GROUP MASTERS & WOMEN’S OPEN
Camille Pin / FRA
Cincinnati Highlights rd > Making 3 appearance (1-2) Career Highlights > She has reached the semifinals of three WTA Tour events, including at Auckland this year, at Tokyo last year and at Vancouver in 2004. She was also a doubles semifinalist at Tokyo last year. > In 2006, she went 40-24 en route to the second top 100 finish of her career. > Her best season to date came last year, with a semifinal appearance at Tokyo and quarterfinal appearance at Bangalore. She reached the second round in eight other Tour main draws, including the Australian Open. > She made her Grand Slam debut at the French Open in 2001. Her first Grand Slam victory came in 2004 at the Australian Open, where she defeated Tathiana Garbin. > Won her first ATP Tour match in 2001 over No. 34 Tatiana Panova at Nice. Highlights This Year Semifinalist at Auckland; Quarterfinalist at Prague; Quarterfinalist at Fes; Quarterfinalist at Cagnes-Sur-Mer Did You Know? Coached by Eric Bremond and travels with her playing partner, Carine Bornu. Most memorable experience was scuba diving in a cave in Mexico. Enjoys water sports such as water skiing, wake boarding and scuba diving. Favorite movie is Le Grand Bleu, and her favorite actors are Johnny Depp and Anthony Hopkins. Likes playing on the Tour because she gets to do things she loves: sport, travel and challenges. Born August 25, 1981; age 25.
Lilia Osterloh / USA
Cincinnati Highlights th > Making 4 appearance (1-3) Career Highlights > She turned professional in 1997, and reached the third round of the U.S. Open in her first tournament as a pro. > Her first WTA Tour title came in 2000 in the doubles draw at Shanghai. In singles, she has reached the semifinals on three occasions: Quebec City last year, Caberra in 2002 and Oklahoma City in 1999. > In 2000, she played all four Grand Slams for the first time in her career en route to a career-best No. 44 finish. She also earned her first top 10 win that same year by defeating No. 5 Mary Pierce to reach the quarterfinals at Tokyo. > She has three top 100 finishes in her career (2001, ’00 & ’99). > Her best Grand Slam finishes came at the U.S. Open and Wimbledon in 2000, where she reached the fourth round at each. > She was a member of the United States Pan American Team in 1999. Highlights This Year Winner at Monzon Did You Know? Won the 1997 NCAA national collegiate singles title at Stanford University, and named an All-American in both singles and doubles. Stanford also won the national collegiate team title. Named the 1997 Tennis Magazine/Rolex College Player of the Year. Juniors highlights include winning the singles and doubles at the 1996 USTA National Girls 18 Championships, reaching the 1996 Wimbledon final and being named Tennis Magazine’s Junior Player of the Year for 1995 and ’96. Coached by Richard Allgurin. Her parents, Linus and Yolanda, are both retired and live in Columbus, Ohio. Enjoys skiing, shopping, going to the movies, traveling and reading. Plans to return to Stanford to earn a B.A. degree. Born on April 7, 1978; age 29.
Aiko Nakamura / JPN
Cincinnati Highlights nd > Making 2 appearance (1-1)
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WESTERN & SOUTHERN FINANCIAL GROUP MASTERS & WOMEN’S OPEN
Career Highlights > In 2006, she recorded her first top 60 finish by winning 28 matches. > She made her Tour main draw debut at Bali in 2004 as a qualifier. In the first round, she pulled off the upset of world No. 14 Ai Sugiyama in straight sets. > Last year at Tier III Tokyo, she reached her first career Tour singles final. > She has advanced to the third round at the Australian Open in each of the last two years, her best Grand Slam finishes to date. > Her first Tour doubles semifinal came last year at Bali (with Akiko Morigami). > On the ITF Circuit, she owns two singles titles and two doubles titles. > She was a member of the Japanese Fed Cup team from 2005-06. Highlights This Year R32 at Auckland; R16 at Hobart; R32 at Australian Open; R32 at Tokyo; R16 at Pattaya City; R64 at Indian Wells; R128 at Miami; R64 at Amelia Island; R16 at Strasbourg; R128 at French Open Did You Know? Coached by Eiji Takeuchi. Began playing tennis at age five. Trains by lifting weights, swimming and running. Admires Monica Seles for her similar two-handed play on both sides. Born on December 28, 1983; age 23.
Cincinnati Highlights st > Making 1 appearance Career Highlights > Her best year-end finish came in 2006 when she used 42 match wins to finish No. 106. In March this year, she peaked at a career-best No. 79. > In 2006 at Kolkata, she reached her first Tour quarterfinal. > She made her Grand Slam debut at the French Open last year. > In 2001, she played her first career Tour main draw at Tashkent. th > The 200 career singles match win of her career came in the semifinals last year at ITF/Putignano. > She holds seven ITF singles titles and nine ITF doubles titles. > In 1998, she won the U18 Italian Championships. Highlights This Year R128 at Australian Open; R32 at Bangalore; F at Ortisei; QF at Las Vegas; R64 at Indian Wells; R16 at Budapest; R16 at Estoril; R32 at Prague; R64 at Rome; R128 at French Open; R32 at Surbiton; R64 at Birmingham Did You Know? Coached by former Tour player Laura Golarsa and Matteo Cecchetti. Began playing tennis at age six at a local club. Speaks English, French and Italian. Enjoys shopping, watching soccer matches at the stadium in Milan, and playing soccer. Favorite movies are Ghost and Top Gun, and her favorite actors are Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts. Other favorites include the book The Da Vinci Code, pizza and coca-cola. Her goal is to reach the world’s top 50. Born April 5, 1980; age 27.
Alberta Brianti / ITA
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