Svetlana Kuznetsova

Svetlana Kuznetsova is a former Russian professional tennis player who has played on the WTA Tour since 2000.

Date of Birth: 27 June 1985
Birthplace: Saint Petersburg, Russia
Residence: Moscow, Russia
Height: 5'9" (174 cm)
Weight: 161 lbs (73 kg)
Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Turned Pro: 2000

Svetlana Aleksandrovna Kuznetsova was born on June 27, 1985, to Aleksandar Kuznetsov and Galina Tsareva. Her father, Aleksandar, coached five Olympic and world cycling champions, while Kuznetsova’s brother Nikolay was a silver medallist at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

Kuznetsova had her first breakthrough in 2002 as a teenager by winning two titles. The first was on clay at the Nordic Lights Open in Finland, where she defeated Denisa Chladkova in a third-set tiebreak to win the tournament. Her second title was even more notable.

Kuznetsova overcame 1994 Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez in the final of the Wismilak International. After a quieter 2003, the 2004 season turned Kuznetsova into a worldwide star. She began the year by reaching four WTA 500 finals. After finishing as the runner-up in the first three, the Russian beat Daniela Hantuchova to take the title at the Eastbourne International.

However, the 2004 US Open was when Kuznetsova rose to stardom. She did not drop a set in her opening five matches against Sesil Karatantcheva, Nicole Pratt, Amy Frazier, Mary Pierce, and Nadia Petrova. In the semifinal, Kuznetsova recovered from a set down to triumph against three-time Grand Slam champion Lindsay Davenport.

That set up a final against her compatriot, Elena Dementieva. Kuznetsova’s incredible run had a glorious ending, as she won her first Grand Slam at the age of just 19 by prevailing 6-3, 7-5. This made her the first Russian to ever win the US Open. 2005 was not as successful, but Kuznetsova rebounded in 2006. She claimed her maiden WTA 1000 title at the Miami Open.

This was achieved by beating Maria Sharapova 6-4, 6-3. That was followed a few months later with a run to the French Open final, but she lost out to Justine Henin. 2007 and 2008 saw Kuznetsova lose several finals. The most notable of these was at the US Open, where she was thwarted by Henin once again.

Kuznetsova also lost all five finals she reached at WTA 1000 level during that period. That agony in finals came to an end in 2009, with the other huge moment in Kuznetsova’s career coming at that year’s French Open. After comfortably coming through her opening three matches, she overcame future Wimbledon runner-up Agnieszka Radwanska to make the quarterfinal.

Kuznetsova then stunned Serena Williams by winning an epic quarterfinal 7-6, 5-7, 7-5, before defeating Samantha Stosur in the semifinal in another three-set battle. She obtained a second Grand Slam title with a 6-4, 6-2 victory against the No. 1 seed Dinara Safina.

2009 also saw Kuznetsova claim a second and final WTA 1000 title. She achieved this with another win against Radwanska. Kuznetsova dominated in the final against the Pole, triumphing 6-2, 6-4. Although the Russian did not claim any more Grand Slam or WTA 1000 titles after that, she was an incredibly consistent player for many more years.

Kuznetsova reached five more WTA 1000 finals, finishing as the runner-up in all cases. The last of these was at the 2019 Cincinnati Open against Madison Keys. Despite never officially announcing her retirement, Kuznetsova has not competed on the WTA Tour since 2021. Therefore, it can be assumed that her superb career is now one for the history books.

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