Elena Dementieva
Jelena Wjatscheslawowna Dementieva (Russian: Елена Вячеславовна Дементьева, scientific transliteration Elena Vjačeslavovna Dement'eva; * October 15, 1981 in Moscow) is a former Russian tennis player.
- 3.1 Individual
- 3.2 double
- 4.1 Single
- 4.2 double
Career
Dementieva began the sport of tennis, when she was seven years old. She played and coached with her colleague Anastasia Myskina partially seven hours a day. In 1998, she began her professional career and a year later she already reached the Top 100
In 2000, she reached the first Russian tennis player the semi-finals at the U.S. Open, she lost to Lindsay Davenport. In the same year she won the silver medal at the Olympic Games in Sydney (Final defeat to Venus Williams). Her first WTA title she won in 2003 in Amelia Iceland.
In 2004, she was twice in the final of a Grand Slam tournament. At the French Open she lost to Anastasia Myskina, at the U.S. Open, she defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova. 2005 ranked Dementieva at the end of the season in eighth place in the WTA world rankings. For all tournaments, she traveled with her mother Vera who also coached and her ( from superstition ) before each game had to wish "Good Luck ". As an all-rounder to Dementjewa felt on any surface well. She was one of the quickest tennis players on the tour. Her greatest weakness mainly in- the surcharge. Noteworthy is the fact that many games for clear leadership often went three sets. In addition, she received a lot of unnecessary defeats against players who were not among the top 100. After, for example, 2004, the final of the French Open had reached, she was disqualified at Wimbledon against Sandra Kleinová in the first round. These came in 2004 another bitter defeat against Alicia Molik at the Olympic Games in Athens.
2006
The season opener was miserable. At the Australian Open Dementieva retired in the first round with 5:7 and 3:6 against the German Julia Schruff. However, they won the following tournament in Tokyo with a 6-2 -, 6-0 playoff victory over Martina Hingis. This said after the match, Jelena: "If they would play every time so they would soon win Grand Slam tournaments. "
At the Indian Wells tournament, she came to wins over Ana Ivanović, inter alia, Li Na and Justine Henin reached the final, however, which she lost to her compatriot Maria Sharapova with 1:6 and 2:6. At the French Open she came up in round three, in which they Shahar Peer 4:6, 5:7 defeated. She reached the semi-finals of 's- Hertogenbosch, which she lost after a match point awarded against Michaëlla Krajicek.
At the Grand Slam tournament at Wimbledon, she came without any problems to the quarter finals, but was defeated there again Marija Sharapova with 1:6, 4:6. Dementieva was one of the players who complained about the loud groans of Sharapova. Despite their defeat, they first got praise for her serve, which she played from now on as slice and so reached speeds of up to 180 km / hr. However, they still had a problem with the second serve, which was either too slow or led to a double fault.
At the Fed Cup tie against Croatia, she won both of her singles. In August she defeated Sharapova in Los Angeles, inter alia, and then won the final against Jelena Janković 6-3, 4-6, 6-4. At the U.S. Open she was the fourth time in the quarterfinals, but lost there this time against Janković ( 2:6, 1:6 ). In Stuttgart, she was forced to retire due to an injury after a competitive match against Katarina Srebotnik in the next match. In Moscow, she defeated and Others Shahar Peer and Patty Schnyder in the semifinals and then defeated Anna Chakvetadze.
This year Elena Dementieva was the only one of the eight is encountered in the WTA Tour Championships players who was always present at this important season final tournament since 2000. After defeats against their countrywomen Sharapova and Kuznetsova and Kim Clijsters against them already retired from in the first round.
2007
The year started with a second round participation in the Australian Open, but where she lost to Nicole Vaidišová 3:6, 3:6. At the tournament of WTA Antwerp she was injured in training before the match against her compatriot Jelena Lichowzewa and was sidelined until the end of February. On March 9, she wanted to participate as a finalist last year at the Indian Wells tournament, but the injury turned out to be worse than originally thought. By the break of six weeks, she fell in September 2003 for the first time out of the Top Ten. On May 1, she played the tournament of Warsaw then their first game, but it lacked match practice. She won with effort 6:7, 6:0 and 7:5 against Tu miles from the U.S. and was beaten in the second round Venus Williams with 1:6 and 6:7. At the German Open in Berlin, she sat down in round one against Mara Santangelo and in round two against Meghann Shaughnessy in three sets by. In the second round she defeated her compatriot Nadia Petrova with 3:6 and 3:6. At the Tier I tournament in Rome Dementieva advanced after beating Maria Elena Camerin, Catalina Castano and Nadia Petrova to the quarter-finals, which they lost to Jelena Janković, however, with 2:6 and 1:6. Many games were highly contested, it showed increasing trend in any case. In Istanbul, the last tournament before the French Open, she defeated among others Alyona Bondarenko and won the final against a strong Aravane Rezai; the French had the score of 6:7, 0:3 to give up injured. Dementieva thus secured their seventh single title on the tour and her first this year.
Thus, the expectations were quite high for Roland Garros; However, Dementieva reached only the third round. After wins over Angelique Kerber and the Frenchwoman Mathilde Johansson lost in a weak game in which they almost 50 " unforced errors " made with 2:6 and 4:6 against Marion Bartoli. In Eastbourne, the warm-up tournament for Wimbledon, she came to the quarter- finals, where they lost again against Bartoli. In the 1:6 -, 0:6 defeat Dementieva had once again problems with her serve.
At Wimbledon she was defeated in the third round Tamira Paszek 6-3, 2:6 and 3:6. At the Tier I tournament in San Diego, she defeated Castano, Kerber, Bartoli and her compatriot Maria Kirilenko and lost only in the semi-final against Patty Schnyder with 6-7 ( 4), and 0:6. In Los Angeles, Dementieva defeated defending champion Makarova, the US-American Brengle and a strong Daniela Hantuchova before they failed to Sharapova in the quarter final 3:6, 4:6.
In Toronto, Canada, she lost after a bye in the first round with 7:6, 3:6 and 2:6 surprisingly against Francesca Schiavone. After wins over Stéphanie Cohen- Aloro and Petra Cetkovská she then moved at the U.S. Open before up in round three, in which they having 1:6, 2:6 clearly defeated Sybille Bammer. This year's participation at the WTA Tour Championships was thus receded into the distance.
After losing in Beijing in the quarter-final against Lindsay Davenport returned, she managed in Stuttgart the quarter-finals. After convincing victories over Amélie Mauresmo and Daniela Hantuchova lost after a hard fight with 4:6 and 4:6 against the world number one Justine Henin. Somewhat surprisingly, they won their home tournament then in Moscow; after victories over Wiktoryja Azarenka and Dinara Safina she could beat for the first time in her career Serena Williams in the final. Their 5:7 -, 6:1 -, 6-1 victory moved Dementieva back into the top ten before, but missed ultimately participating in the WTA Tour Championships in Madrid.
2008
At the Australian Open, Dementieva came back only to the last sixteen, she lost there against the eventual winner Maria Sharapova with 2:6, 0:6. At the tournament in Paris, she lost in the semifinals after match points against the young Hungarian Ágnes Szávay 3:6, 6:1 and 5:7. In early March, she won her ninth singles title on the tour. In Dubai, she defeated Patty Schnyder, Alyona Bondarenko, Ana Ivanovic, Francesca Schiavone (previously Justine Henin had defeated ) and in the final Svetlana Kuznetsova with 4:6, 6:3 and 6:2. The success she had fought hard. The games against Ivanović, and Schiavone lasted just under three hours. At the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami she had to give up due to a shoulder injury her quarter-final match against Jankovic. Nevertheless, she moved into the world rankings again before eighth.
At the French Open Dementieva eliminated in the quarter-final against Dinara Safina. At Wimbledon, she reached after victories over Nadia Petrova, among others, for the first time the semi-final, which she lost to Venus Williams.
At the Olympic Games in Beijing, she defeated Serena Williams, among others. In purely Russian finals she defeated Dinara Safina with 3:6, 7:5 and 6:3 and won the silver after Sydney in 2000 now the gold medal.
At the U.S. Open she came after victories against Li Na in the eighth and against Patty Schnyder in the quarterfinals to the semifinals, which she lost 4:6, 4:6 against Jelena Janković. In the world rankings they thus returning their highest ever position, rank 4 that was last held in October 2004.
After they had each reached the quarterfinals in Tokyo and Stuttgart, she went in the Kremlin Cup in Moscow as defending champion at the start. However, this time was in the semi-finals conclude she succumbed to the world number one Jelena Jankovic 6-0, 1:6 and 0:6. Two weeks later they defeated in the final of Luxembourg and Caroline Wozniacki won her eleventh title. In September she had managed to qualify for the WTA Tour Championships in Doha. In their group, they defeated their compatriots there and Safina ( the Incoming for Serena Williams) and Petrova and lost to Venus Williams. So she reached for the first time since 2000 the semi-final, which they lost with 6:7, 6:3 and 3:6 against Wera Swonarjowa. The year 2008 closed Dementjewa from position 4.
2009
At the beginning of the year, Dementieva was able to post two tournament victories. First they defeated at the WTA tournament in Auckland her compatriot Jelena Wesnina 6:4 and 6:1. A week later, she beat in the semifinals of Sydney Serena Williams clearly in straight sets in the final and Dinara Safina 6-3, 2:6 and 6:1. At the Australian Open she reached after four knockout round for the first time attended the semi-final, which they lost with 3:6 and 4:6 against the eventual winner Serena Williams. At the indoor tournament in Paris, they lost the final Amélie Mauresmo in three sets. In Dubai, she lost defending champion in the quarter-finals with 3:6 and 3:6 against Venus Williams. After the early exit in Indian Wells she succeeded in Miami jump into the second round, they lost to Wozniacki. In the world rankings released after the tournament Dementieva stood for the first time in her career in third place. She was only the sixth Russian woman who succeeded in this.
In the semifinals of Charleston Dementieva lost just once in three sets against Wozniacki. At the tournament of Stuttgart, she also reached the semifinals. In Madrid was after a loss to Mauresmo in the second round deadline. At the French Open she lost already in the third round with 3:6, 6:4 and 1:6 against Samantha Stosur. At Wimbledon, she reached the semi-final, which they lost after a hard fight and vergebenem match point against eventual winner Serena Williams 7:6, 5:7 and 6:8, as in the previous year. The Rogers Cup in Toronto, one of the preparatory tournaments for the U.S. Open, she finished with a 6-4 -, 6-3 final win over Sharapova. At the U.S. Open, she then defeated in the second round in three sets of US-American Melanie Oudin.
According to the WTA, she had mid-September again qualified for the WTA Tour Championships. In Tokyo, where Dementieva won in 2006, she lost in the second round against Kateryna Bondarenko. In Beijing, the site of her Olympic triumph, she lost in the quarter-finals with 5:7 and 3:6 against the later finalist Agnieszka Radwańska.
In the final WTA Tour Championships in Doha, they already dropped out after the first round. They lost their group matches against Serena Williams ( 2:6, 4:6 ) and Svetlana Kuznetsova ( 3:6, 2:6 ). The victory against Venus Williams 3:6, 7:6 and 6:2 had only statistical value. Dementieva ended the year at world ranking 5.
2010 - End of career
At the beginning of the year, Dementieva was her title at the tournament in Sydney with wins among others over Safina and Azarenka defend. In the final, she defeated Serena Williams 6-3, 6-2. At the Australian Open she lost in the second round in a tight match against Justine Henin returned with 5:7 and 6:7.
The indoor tournament in Paris ended with the triumph. Dementieva won her 16th singles title. In the final, she defeated Lucie Šafářová with 6:7, 6:1 and 6:4. At the tournament in Dubai they had in round two due to a shoulder injury when the score was 4:6, 1:1 Daniela Hantuchova against ad. The next tournament denied Dementieva at the Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur. In one set they defeated there in the final with 3:6 and 2:6 her compatriot Alisa Kleibanowa. In Indian Wells was after a defeat against Agnieszka Radwanska in the quarter-final stage. After a bye in round one they lost in Miami already in round two with 3:6 and 2:6 against Justine Henin. The following clay court tournaments on the way to Roland Garros ran just as unsatisfactory. In Rome, she lost in the second round against Ana Ivanović with 1:6 and 6:7, in Madrid, she retired in the second round against the Romanian Alexandra Dulgheru with 1:6, 6:3 and 5:7 from.
The French Open ended in bitter disappointment. After they had been treated during the game at their quarter-final victory over Petrova short time, she had to retire due to a thigh problem after the first sentence the semi-finals against the eventual winner Francesca Schiavone. Because of a calf injury had sidelined Dementjewa eight weeks. At her first appearance after she was defeated in the quarter-finals of Stanford in three sets Sharapova. The following hard court tournaments ran less than satisfactory. In Cincinnati, she lost in the second round against her compatriot Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and in Montreal she was disqualified in the second round against Zheng Jie. However, At the tournament in New Haven, she reached the semi-final, which she lost to Caroline Wozniacki 6-1, 3-6 and 6-7.
The U.S. Open ended for Dementieva in the second round against Samantha Stosur. In the three hour-long match the Australian kept 6:3, 2:6 and 7:6 the upper hand.
At the tournament in Tokyo, she had to win in 2006, they came up before the finals and had to be there once more Wozniacki 6:1, 2:6 and 3:6 beaten. In Beijing, the site of her Olympic triumph in 2008, she lost in the second round against Ivanović in two tiebreaks. Even during the tournament, it was announced that Dementieva had for the tenth time for the final tournament, the WTA Tour Championships in Doha, qualified. There she lost her match against Wozniacki with 1:6 and 1:6. Their second match against Samantha Stosur ( 4:6, 6:4, 7:6 ) was to be their last victory.
After the last round match against Francesca Schiavone, they lost with 4:6 and 2:6, Elena Dementieva announced on 29 October 2010 announced its departure from professional tennis. A victory in a Grand Slam tournament had been denied her.
Personal
On July 16, 2011 Dementieva married hockey player Maxim Afinogenov Russian.