Elena Dementieva
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| Country: | Russia | |
| Residence: | Moscow, RUS | |
| Height: | 5'11" (1.80 m) | |
| Weight: | 141 lbs. (64 kg) | |
| Plays: | Right | |
| Turned pro: | 1998 | |
| Highest singles ranking: | 4 (10/25/2004) | |
| Singles titles: | 4 | |
| Career Prize Money: | $5,303,054 | |
| Grand Slam Record Titles: 0 | ||
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| Australian Open | 4rd (2001-05) | |
| French Open | F (2004) | |
| Wimbledon | 4rd (2002-03) | |
| U.S. Open | F (2004) | |
Yelena Vyacheslavovna Dementyeva (Russian: Елена Вячеславовна Дементьева; born October 15, 1981, Moscow), better known as Elena Dementieva, is a professional tennis player from Russia.
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Tennis Career
Dementieva played and won her first international tournament, Les Petits Aces, in France at the age of 13. In 1997, she entered the WTA top 500. She turned professional in 1998 and went on to enter the top 100 in 1999.
In 1999, she represented Russia in Fed Cup final against USA scoring Russia's only point. 1999 was also the year in which she played her first Grand Slam main draws qualifying for Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon and getting a direct entry into the US Open. She managed to reach the 2nd round at the Australian Open and Roland Garros, made a first round exit at Wimbledon and managed to reach the 3rd round of the US Open.
In 2000, she entered the top 20 by winning more than 40 singles matches for the second straight year and earned over US $600,000. She reached her first Grand Slam semifinal at the US Open before losing to Lindsay Davenport, becoming the first woman representing Russia to reach a US Open semifinal. At the 2000 Summer Olympics, Sydney, she won the silver medal, losing to Venus Williams in the final. She was named the 2000 WTA tour's Most Improved Player.
2001 was the second straight year in which she finished in the WTA top 20. During the year she became the no. 1 Russian tennis player, a position previously held by Anna Kournikova since December 1997.
In 2003, she played the most tournaments among the top 10 players (27) and won approximately US $900,000 in prize money. At Amelia Island, she won her first WTA tour title in her 92nd tour event, defeating 8th seeded Amanda Coetzer, 4th seeded Daniela Hantuchová, the then world no. 1 Justin Henin and world no. 2 Lindsay Davenport and became the lowest seed (10th) to win the tournament in its 24-year history. She won back-to-back titles in Bali and Shanghai defeating Chanda Rubin in the final in both events. She finished 2003 in the top 10. In addition she reached the Semi-Finals of the Wimbledon doubles with her friend and compatriot Lina Krasnoroutskaya, beating the Williams sisters on the way.
In 2004, Dementieva had a breakthrough year. She opened the season in January at Sydney as world no. 8 and the 6th seed, losing in the quarterfinal to world no. 5 Lindsay Davenport. Her ranking remained the same at the Australian Open where she was defeated by world no. 79 Jankovic. In February, she was forced to withdraw from Antwerp prior to start of play due to a right shoulder strain. She also withdrew from Indian Wells in March. At Miami, seeded 5th with a first round bye, she eliminated former world no. 1 Venus Williams who was seeded 2nd in the semifinal to face another former world no. 1, top seed and two-time defending and eventual champion Serena Williams. On April 5, she reached her highest singles ranking as 6th in the world. Along with no. 5 Myskina and no. 9 Nadia Petrova, it was the first time ever that 3 Russians appeared in the WTA top 10 simultaneously. In May, at Roland Garros, seeded 9th, she reached her first Grand Slam final defeating former world no. 1 Lindsay Davenport in straight sets on the way. She lost to compatriot 6th seeded Anastasia Myskina in an unprecedented all-Russian Grand Slam final. The match was witnessed by former Russian president Boris Yeltsin. It was the first time in the Open Era that three Russian women (Dementieva, Myskina and Sharapova) advanced to a Grand Slam quarterfinal and when she and Myskina reached the semifinals, it was the first time in the Open Era that two Russian women advanced to a Grand Slam semifinal. Incidentally, the last female Russian Grand Slam finalist was Dementieva's coach, Morozova at 1974 Roland Garros and Wimbledon. At Wimbledon, ranked and seeded no. 6, she was upset in the first round by world no. 129 Kleinova in 3 sets. Later that year, at the US Open, she reached her second grand slam final, defeating No. 8 seed Jennifer Capriati and No. 2 seed Amelie Mauresmo on the way. 19 year old countrywoman Svetlana Kuznetsova defeated Dementieva in straight sets in the final, to become the third consecutive Russian woman first-time grand slam winner. It was only the second time two Russian women played a grand slam singles final.
Titles (9)
| Legend (Singles) |
| Grand Slam (0) |
| Tour Championships (0) |
| Tier I Event (0) |
| WTA Tour (4) |
Singles (4)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the Final | Score |
| 1. | Apr 14, 2003 | Amelia Island, USA | Clay | Lindsay Davenport (USA) | 4-6 7-5 6-3 |
| 2. | Sep 8, 2003 | Bali, Indonesia | Hard | Chanda Rubin (USA) | 6-2 6-1 |
| 3. | Sep 15, 2003 | Shanghai, China | Hard | Chanda Rubin (USA) | 6-3 7-6 |
| 4. | Sep 27, 2004 | Hasselt, Belgium | Hard | Elena Bovina (Russia) | 0-6 6-0 6-4 |
Singles Finalist (9)
- 2000: The Olympics-Sydney (lost to Venus Williams)
- 2001: Acapulco (lost to Amanda Coetzer)
- 2001: Moscow (lost to Jelena Dokic)
- 2002: ’s-Hertogenbosch (lost to Eleni Daniilidou)
- 2004: Miami (lost to Serena Williams)
- 2004: Roland Garros (lost to Anastasia Myskina)
- 2004: US Open (lost to Svetlana Kuznetsova)
- 2004: Moscow (lost to Anastasia Myskina)
- 2005: Charleston (lost to Justine Henin-Hardenne)
Doubles Titles (5)
- 2002: Berlin (with Janette Husarova)
- 2002: San Diego (with Janette Husarova)
- 2002: Moscow (with Janette Husarova)
- 2002: WTA Tour Championships (with Janette Husarova)
- 2003: 's Hertogenbosch (with Lina Krasnoroutskaya)
External link
- WTA Tour Profile (http://www.wtatour.com/players/playerprofiles/PlayerBio.asp?PlayerID=40289)de:Jelena Wjatscheslawowna Dementjewa
et:Jelena Dementjeva fr:Elena Dementieva ja:エレナ・デメンティエワ nl:Elena Dementieva pl:Jelena Dementiewa sv:Elena Dementieva