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Conchita Martínez (born April 16 1972) is a professional tennis player from Spain. She won the women's singles title at Wimbledon in 1994. She also finished runner-up at the Australian Open in 1998, and the French Open in 2000.
Martínez turned professional in 1988. In 1992, she was a Silver Medalist in the women's doubles at the Olympic Games in Barcelona (partnering Arantxa Sánchez Vicario), and also runner-up in the women's doubles at the French Open.
In 1993, Martínez became the first Spanish woman in the Open era to reach semi-finals at Wimbledon, where she lost to Steffi Graf 7-6, 6-3.
In 1994 Martínez reached the Wimbledon final, where she faced the 9-time former Wimbledon champion Martina Navratilova. Navratilova's last Wimbledon triumph had come four years earlier, but many observers felt that the 37 year-old Czech-born American was the favourite going into the match given her long track record of success on grass courts, whereas Martínez's most significant tournament victories up to that time had been on slower-playing surfaces, particularly clay courts. However Martínez siezed her moment and won in three sets 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
In 1995, Martínez was a semi-finalist at all four of the Grand Slam tournaments and reached her career-high singles ranking of World No. 2.
In 1996, Martínez became the first player to win the presigious Italian Open clay court title in Rome for four consecutive years. She also partnered Sánchez Vicario to claim a women's doubles Olympic Bronze Medal in Atlanta.
1998 saw Martínez reach her second career Grand Slam final. She was defeated in the final of the Australian Open by Martina Hingis 6-3, 6-3. She also helped Spain win the Fed Cup that year, beating Patty Schnyder of Switzerland 6-3, 2-6, 9-7 in three hours and 19 minutes in a marathon match during the final.
Martínez reached the final of the French Open in 2000, where she lost to Mary Pierce 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.
In 2001, Martínez was runner-up in the women's doubles at the French Open (partnering Jelena Dokic).
Martínez won her second Olympic Silver Medal in the women's doubles in 2004 in Athens (partnering Virginia Ruano Pascual).
In 2005, Martínez won her first singles title for five years at Pattaya, Thailand, bringing her career total to 33 top-level singles titles and 12 doubles titles.
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Grand Slam finals
Wins (1)
Year Championship Opponent in Final Score in Final 1994 Wimbledon Martina Navratilova 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
Runner-ups (2)
Year Championship Opponent in Final Score in Final 1998 Australian Open Martina Hingis 6-3, 6-3 2000 French Open Mary Pierce 6-2, 7-5
Singles titles
- 2005 - Pattaya
- 2000 - German Open
- 1999 - Polish Open
- 1998 - German Open, Warsaw Cup
- 1996 - Italian Open, Moscow
- 1995 - Hilton Head, Amelia Island, Hamburg, Italian Open, San Diego, Los Angeles
- 1994 - Wimbledon, Hilton Head, Italian Open, US Hardcourts
- 1993 - Brisbane, Houston, Italian Open, US Hardcourts, Philadelphia
- 1992 - Austrian Open
- 1991 - Barcelona, Austrian Open, Paris Indoor
- 1990 - Paris Indoor, Scottsdale, Indianapolis
- 1989 - Phoenix, Wellington, Tampa
- 1988 - Sofia, Futures/Rocafort-ESP, Futures/Castellon-ESP, Futures/Reggio Emilia-ITA
Singles runner-ups
- 2004 - Charleston
- 2003 - Eastbourne
- 2002 - Wismilak International
- 2000 - Amelia Island, Gold Coast, French Open
- 1998 - Australian Open, Amelia Island
- 1997 - Italian Open, Stanford
- 1996 - Indian Wells, Hamburgo
- 1995 - Delray Beach
- 1993 - Linz, Barcelona, Essen
- 1992 - Indian Wells, Boca Raton, Hilton Head, San Diego
- 1989 - Ginebra
- 1988 - European Open, Bayonne
External links
- Official WTA profile (http://www.wtatour.com/players/playerprofiles/PlayerBio.asp?ID=&EntityID=1&CustomerID=0&OrderID=0&ReturnURL=/&PlayerID=130113)de:Conchita Martinez