Elena Dementieva
From Free net encyclopedia
| Country: | Russia |
| Residence: | Moscow, Russia |
| Height: | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) |
| Weight: | 64 kg (141 lb.) |
| Plays: | Right |
| Turned pro: | 1998 |
| Highest singles ranking: | 4 (10/25/2004) |
| Highest doubles ranking: | 5 (4/14/2003) |
| Singles titles: | 5 |
| Doubles titles: | 6 |
| Career Prize Money: | $6,652,805 |
| Grand Slam Record Titles: 0 | |
|---|---|
| Australian Open | 4th (2001-05) |
| French Open | F (2004) |
| Wimbledon | 4th (2002, '03, '05) |
| U.S. Open | F (2004) |
Elena Vyacheslavovna Dementieva (yi-LEN-ah di-MENT-yi-vuh; Russian: Елена Вячеславовна Дементьева; born October 15, 1981, Moscow), better known as Elena Dementieva, is a professional tennis player from Russia.
With Amelie Mauresmo capturing the 2006 Australian Open, the title of Best Player to have never captured a Slam has generally been given to her.
Contents |
Tennis career
Dementieva played and won her first international tournament, Les Petit As, in France at the age of 13. In 1997, she entered the WTA top 500. She turned professional in 1998 and went on to enter the top 100 in 1999.
In 1999, she represented Russia in the Fed Cup final against the USA, scoring Russia's only point when she upset Venus Williams. 1999 was also the year in which she played her first Grand Slam main draws qualifying for Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon and getting a direct entry into the US Open. She managed to reach the second round at the Australian Open and Roland Garros, made a first round exit at Wimbledon, and managed to reach the third round of the US Open.
In 2000, she entered the top 20 by winning more than 40 singles matches for the second straight year and earned more than US $600,000. She reached her first Grand Slam semifinal at the US Open, losing to Lindsay Davenport and becoming the first woman from Russia to reach a US Open semifinal. At the 2000 Summer Olympics, Sydney, she won the silver medal, losing to Venus Williams in the final. In 2000, she was named the WTA tour's Most Improved Player.
2001 was the second straight year in which she finished in the WTA's top 20. During the year. she became the no. 1 Russian tennis player, a position previously held by Anna Kournikova since December 1997.
2002 was her best year in doubles. Partnering Janette Husarova of Slovakia, she reached her first Grand Slam final at the US Open and won the Year End Championships.
In 2003, she played the most tournaments among top 10 players (27) and won approximately US $900,000 in prize money. At Amelia Island, she won her first WTA tour title, defeating Amanda Coetzer, Daniela Hantuchová, then world no. 1 Justin Henin, and world no. 2 Lindsay Davenport. She was the lowest seed (10th) to win the tournament in its 24-year history. In 2003, she also won back-to-back titles in Bali and Shanghai, defeating Chanda Rubin in the final in both events. She finished 2003 in the top 10. In addition, she reached the semifinals of the Wimbledon doubles with her friend and compatriot Lina Krasnoroutskaya, beating the Williams sisters on the way.
In 2004, Dementieva had a breakthrough year. At Miami, seeded 5th, she eliminated former world no. 1 Venus Williams, who was seeded second, in the semifinal, then faced former world no. 1, top seed and two-time defending Serena Williams. Serena won the match. On April 5, she reached her highest singles ranking at sixth in the world. With no. 5 Myskina and no. 9 Nadia Petrova, it was the first time that three Russians appeared in the WTA top 10 simultaneously. In May, at Roland Garros, she reached her first Grand Slam final, defeating former world no. 1 Lindsay Davenport in straight sets on the way. She lost to compatriot Anastasia Myskina in the first all-Russian Grand Slam final. Former Russian president Boris Yeltsin watched the match. Incidentally, the last female Russian Grand Slam finalist was Dementieva's coach, Morozova at 1974 Roland Garros and Wimbledon. Later that year, at the US Open, she reached her second Grand Slam final, defeating Jennifer Capriati and Amelie Mauresmo on the way. 19-year-old countrywoman Svetlana Kuznetsova defeated Dementieva in straight sets in the final, becoming the third consecutive Russian woman first-time grand slam winner.
| Image:Olympic-rings.png | |
| Silver medal | Tennis Women's singles |
She reached the semifinals of the 2005 US Open where she lost to French woman Mary Pierce 6-3 2-6 2-6. Partnering Flavia Pennetta of Italy, she reached her second doubles final at the US Open. Elena led Russia to repeat as Fed Cup champions, beating France 3-2. All three pionts came from Dementieva: She avenged her loss to Mary Pierce, beat Amelie Mauresmo, then won the deciding doubles match with partner Dinara Safina.
At the 2005 WTA Tour Championships she lost all 3 round-robin matches against Amélie Mauresmo, Mary Pierce and Kim Clijsters with 3 times the same score: 6-2 and 6-3.
On January 16, 2006, Dementieva lost her opening round match in the Australian Open 5-7, 2-6 to Julia Schruff.
On February 5th, 2006, Elena finally won her first Tier I event, the Toray Pan Pacific Open, by soundly defeating a resurgent Martina Hingis 6-2, 6-0 in just over an hour.
On March 18, 2006, Dementieva lost in the final of the Pacific Life Open to Maria Sharapova. Sharapova won 6-1, 6-2.
She has won more prize money than any other female Russian tennis player in history and has won more Grand Slam matches than any Russian tennis player.
Style
Dementieva plays as an aggressive baseliner. She has one of the best groundstrokes in the WTA, able to punish with forehands as well as backhands. However, her glaring weakness is her weak serve for a top player. Her toughness is also up for debate. While she manages to consistently rank in the top 10 despite her weak serve, she rarely plays her best in a finals match. In 2004, she reached the final at the French and U.S. Open, losing both times in straight sets. Elena said it the best following her victory over Martina Hingis, winning her first Tier I title at Tokyo, "I have never had a 6-0 second set, only against me." (She defeated Martina Hingis 6-2 6-0). However, Dementieva is also known for her toughness in three-set matches and tiebreaks.
Grand Slam singles finals
Wins (0)
Runner-ups (2)
| Year | Championship | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
| 2004 | French Open | Anastasia Myskina | 1-6, 2-6 |
| 2004 | U.S. Open | Svetlana Kuznetsova | 3-6, 5-7 |
Titles (11)
| Legend (Singles) |
| Grand Slam (0) |
| Tour Championships (0) |
| Tier I Event (1) |
| WTA Tour (4) |
Singles (5)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the Final | Score |
| 1. | 14 April, 2003 | Amelia Island, USA | Clay | Lindsay Davenport (USA) | 4-6 7-5 6-3 |
| 2. | 8 September, 2003 | Bali, Indonesia | Hard | Chanda Rubin (USA) | 6-2 6-1 |
| 3. | 15 September, 2003 | Shanghai, P.R. China | Hard | Chanda Rubin (USA) | 6-3 7-6 |
| 4. | 27 September, 2004 | Hasselt, Belgium | Hard | Elena Bovina (Russia) | 0-6 6-0 6-4 |
| 5. | 5 February, 2006 | Tokyo (Pan Pacific), Japan | Carpet | Martina Hingis (Switzerland) | 6-2 6-0 |
Singles finalist (11)
|
|
Doubles titles (6)
- 2002: Berlin (with Janette Husarova)
- 2002: San Diego (with Janette Husarova)
- 2002: Moscow (with Janette Husarova)
- 2002: WTA Tour Championships (with Janette Husarova)
- 2003: 's Hertogenbosch (with Lina Krasnoroutskaya)
- 2005: Los Angeles (with Flavia Pennetta)
Trivia
- Is reportedly dating Buffalo Sabres winger and fellow Russian Olympian Maxim Afinogenov, although both Dementieva and Afinogenov have refused to comment about their relationship.
- Enjoys skiing and chess.
- Once had a large cactus collection.
External links
- Template:Wta
- Official website
- ElenaD.Ru
- Elena Dementieva Fanclub
- Dementieva.tkde:Jelena Wjatscheslawowna Dementjewa
et:Jelena Dementjeva fr:Ielena Dementieva he:ילנה דמנטייבה nl:Jelena Dementjeva ja:エレナ・デメンティエワ pl:Jelena Dementiewa ru:Дементьева, Елена Вячеславовна fi:Jelena Dementjeva sv:Jelena Dementieva zh:德门蒂耶娃