Top New Sport: Anna Chakvetadze

Anna CHAKVETADZE

Anna Djambulilovna Chakvetadze (born March 5, 1987) is a Russian professional tennis player (with Georgian roots). On September 10, 2007, she reached her career-high professional singles ranking of World No. 5. She has won eight WTA Singles Titles and appeared in the 2007 US Open semifinals. As of August 9, 2010, Chakvetadze is ranked World No. 63.

She began playing tennis at the age of eight after being introduced to the sport by her mother, Natalia. She travels for tournaments with her father. She speaks both Russian and English.

Chakvetadze hit her peak of World No. 5 in 2007 after a semifinal appearance at the US Open. Also in that year, she reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open and the French Open, both of which were career bests for those events. Four of her eight career singles titles also occurred in 2007. She ended 2010 ranked inside the top 60 at number 56. The same year, she won 1 title and her 8th overall.

In 2003, she made it to the final of the Junior Championships at Wimbledon before falling to Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium 6–4, 3–6, 6–3. The same year, she won the International Bavarian Junior Challenge, defeating Marta Domachowska of Poland 7–6, 6–5. Her record as a junior was 67–19 in singles, and 22–14 in doubles. Her highest world ranking as a junior was #22 achieved in December 2003.

Chakvetadze debuted on the ITF circuit in November 2001, losing in the first round in Minsk, Belarus. In July 2002, she won her first ITF doubles title in Istanbul, teaming with fellow Russian Irina Kotkina.

At the 2004 U.S. Open, Chakvetadze won three qualifying matchers to reach the main draw of her first Grand Slam singles tournament. In the second round, she defeated World No. 3 Anastasia Myskina 7–6(3), 6–3 before losing in the third round to Eleni Daniilidou. With this result, she became tied for the second fastest player to defeat a world top 10 in WTA history, tying Serena Williams.

She broke into the top 100 in the WTA rankings on September 13, reaching World No. 91. She reached the top 50 on June 6, 2005, coming in at World No. 44.

On September 25, 2006, Chakvetadze won her first WTA singles tournament at the Tier III event in Guangzhou, China, defeating Spain's Anabel Medina Garrigues in the final. Two weeks later, she won her second WTA tournament at the Tier I Kremlin Cup in Moscow even though she was unseeded, beating Elena Dementieva and Nadia Petrova en route to the title.
These wins helped boost her ranking to World No. 16.

At the Australian Open, Chakvetadze lost in the third round to Maria Kirilenko 6–7(6), 6–1, 6–2. She then helped defending champion Russia win its first round tie against Israel in the Fed Cup by defeating Tzipora Obziler 6–4, 6–2.

Chakvetadze was the top-seed at the Tier II Open Gaz de France in Paris. She defeated Amélie Mauresmo in the quarterfinals, Marion Bartoli in the semifinals, and Ágnes Szávay in the final to win her seventh career singles title. She is now 7–0 in tournament finals.

At the Tier I Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida, Chakvetadze lost in the third round to Sabine Lisicki.At the French Open, sixth-seeded Chakvetadze lost in the second round to Kaia Kanepi 6–4, 7–6(2).

Chakvetadze was seeded eighth at Wimbledon. She defeated Stéphanie Dubois in the first round 2–6, 6–1, 8–6 after Chakvetadze saved two match points at 5–3 and an additional match point at 5–4 in the third set. Chakvetadze won her second and third round matches in straight sets but lost in the fourth round to eighteenth-seeded Nicole Vaidišová 4–6, 7–6(0), 6–3.

Chakvetadze played five tournaments during the North American summer hard court season. She was the second seeded player and defending champion at the Tier II Bank of the West Classic on the campus of Stanford University in California. She lost, however, to Bartoli in the quarterfinals 6–3, 6–4. The following week, she lost in the third round of the East West Bank Classic in Los Angeles to Sybille Bammer. Seeded sixth at the Tier I Rogers Cup in Montreal, Chakvetadze lost in the third round to tenth-seeded Bartoli 4–6, 7–5, 7–6(4). She then lost in the final of the Pilot Pen Tennis tournament in New Haven, Connecticut to Caroline Wozniacki. Chakvetadze was seeded tenth at the US Open but lost in the first round to Ekaterina Makarova.

Chakvetadze was seeded 17th at the Australian Open where she lost in the second round to Jelena Dokić 6–4, 6–7(4), 6–3. She also lost the opening round of the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships to Ayumi Morita.

At the Rome Masters, Chakvetadze lost a close three setter to Venus Williams in the third round. At the Madrid Masters, she defeated Virginia Ruano-Pascual in the first round. She then defeated Samantha Stosur in the second round, coming back from 4–1 down in the third set. She fell to Alona Bondarenko in the third round. Chakvetadze, who was seeded 26th at the French Open, suffered a first-round loss to Mariana Duque Marino in three sets 6–3, 4–6, 4–6, thus continuing her disastrous run.

Chakvetadze began her 2009 US Open Series campaign at the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, where she was unseeded. She was defeated in the first round by Maria Kirilenko 4–6, 7–5, 6–7. The following week, at the LA Women's Tennis Championships, she won her first two matches, against Virginie Razzano and Alisa Kleybanova, but then lost convincingly to Agnieszka Radwańska 6–3, 6–2 in the third round.

Having won the Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open in Cincinnati in 2007, Chakvetadze went into the 2009 tournament unseeded, and suffered another early round loss to 9th seed Victoria Azarenka in straight sets.

At the Rogers Cup in Toronto she lost again in the first round, to Sybille Bammer 3–6 6–4 6–1, after leading 6–3 4–1. Her next tournament was the Pilot Pen Tennis tournament, in New Haven, where she had been a finalist in 2008. She reached her first quarter-final of the year, defeating Nadia Petrova and Sybille Bammer all in three sets. She then lost to her good friend Elena Vesnina 6–1 7–5.

Chakvetadze entered the US Open as an unseeded player for the first time since 2005. She defeated Yurika Sema 4–6 6–1 6–2, but then fell in the second round to compatriot Vera Zvonareva 3–6 6–1 6–1.

Chakvetadze started the year with a first round loss at the 2010 ASB Classic in Auckland to wildcard Kimiko Date Krumm, 6–1, 6–2. At the Australian Open, she was defeated in the first round by 12th-seed Flavia Pennetta, 6–3, 3–6, 6–2.At the 2010 PTT Pattaya Open, Chakvetadze defeated Jill Craybas in the first round and defeated Anastasia Rodionova in the second. She fell to Tamarine Tanasugarn in the quarterfinals.At the 2010 Banka Koper Slovenia Open in Portoroz, Chakvetadze reached the quarterfinals by defeating Ekaterina Makarova 6-4, 6-1 and defending finalist Sara Errani 6-1, 6-2. In the quarterfinals she defeated No.6 seed Vera Dushevina in a match lasting over two hours, saving two match points in the final set at 4-5 before finally winning 2-6, 6-3, 7-5. In the semifinals, Chakvetadze beat 7th seed Polona Hercog 0-6, 6-2, 6-2. She defeated Johanna Larsson 6-1, 6-2 in her first final in two years and to win her eighth WTA Tour title. Her ranking is set to rise to top 80 in the world as a result. In the Portoroz doubles final, Chakvetadze and Marina Erakovic, lost to Kondratieva-Uhlířová after the super tie-break – 6-4, 2-6 and 10-7.

Chakvetadze then entered the 2010 E-Boks Danish Open in Copenhagen. She qualified by defeating Karolina Kosińska and Kathrin Woerle. In the main draw she then defeated Johanna Larsson 6-4 7-6(2) and Anna Lapushchenkova 6-3, 6-4. In the quarterfinals she defeated Polona Hercog 6-4 6-3 to book her place in the semi-final where her winning streak ended with a 6-1, 2-6, 6-4 loss to top seed Caroline Wozniacki.

Anna ended 2010 ranked 56. She won 1 singles title and reached two doubles finals.

Chakvetadze started the year with a first round loss at the 2011 Brisbane International to compatriot Ksenia Pervak. She again lost in the first round at the 2011 Moorilla Hobart International, this time to Sara Errani. She defeated Olga Govortsova in the first round of the 2011 Australian Open but lost in straight sets to Petra Kvitova in the second round.