Svetlana Kuznetsova

Who is Svetlana Kuznetsova?

Svetlana Aleksandrovna Kuznetsova; born 27 June 1985 is a Russian professional tennis player and as of 5 August 2013 ranked No. 28 in the WTA singles and No. 89 in the doubles ranking. Kuznetsova has appeared in four Grand Slam singles finals, winning two, and has also appeared in seven doubles finals, winning twice. As a doubles player, Kuznetsova has reached the finals of each grand slam at least once, winning the Australian twice. She has qualified five times for the round-robin stage of the WTA Tour Championships but has never qualified for the semifinals.

Born to an athletic family, Kuznetsova moved at the age of seven to Spain to attend the Sanchez-Casal Academy. Since her first appearance as a tennis player in a 2000 junior tournament, she was coached by numerous people and was sometimes without a coach. In 2001 she first appeared on a major tournament, the Madrid Open, and a year later won her first WTA title at the Nordea Nordic Light Open in Helsinki, Finland. Her first appearance in a Grand Slam was at the 2002 Australian Open but her first Grand Slam title came at the 2004 US Open, making her the third Russian woman to win a Grand Slam title, after Anastasia Myskina and Maria Sharapova. Kuznetsova's second Grand Slam title was the 2009 French Open, defeating compatriot Dinara Safina in the final in straight sets. At the 2006 French Open and the 2007 US Open singles tournament she was the runner-up, both times to Belgian player Justine Henin. As a result, Kuznetsova obtained a career-high No. 2 WTA ranking, holding that position for 24 weeks in 2007 and 2008.