Elena Baltacha

Elena Baltacha

Country	Great Britain
Residence	Ipswich, England
Born	14 August 1983 (1983-08-14) (age 28) Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Turned pro	1997
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Career prize money	$948,474
Official web site	www.elena-baltacha.com
Singles
Career record	297–215
Career titles	0 WTA (10 ITF)
Highest ranking	No. 49 (13 September 2010)
Current ranking	No. 50 (31 October 2011)
Grand Slam results
Australian Open	3R (2005, 2010)
French Open	2R (2011)
Wimbledon	3R (2002)
US Open	2R (2010, 2011)
Doubles
Career record	59–57
Career titles	0 WTA (4 ITF)
Highest ranking	211 (17 January 2011)
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open	2R (2010)
Wimbledon	2R (2005, 2010)
Mixed Doubles
Career titles	0
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results
Wimbledon	3R (2002)
Last updated on: 2 August 2011.

Medal record
Tennis
Competitor for  Scotland
Commonwealth Youth Games
Silver	2000 Edinburgh	Women's Team

Elena Baltacha (Ukrainian: Олена Балтача; born 14 August 1983) is a British professional tennis player of Ukrainian background. Being a four-time winner of the AEGON Award, she is also the long standing British number 1, a position she has held intermittently since 2002.^[1] As of 24 November 2011 she holds a current world ranking of No. 50. Her career high ranking of World No. 49 was achieved on 13 September 2010.^[2]

Over the course of her career she has won ten ITF singles titles (five $25,000, one $50,000, two $75,000 and two $100,000) and four ITF doubles titles (all $25,000). She has also twice been a runner-up in ITF events in singles and four times in doubles.

In 2010, Baltacha had victories over top 10 players, including two victories over Li Na and one against Francesca Schiavone, who at the time was the reigning French Open champion. In 2011, Baltacha won her most highest ranked tournament of the ITF tour winning the 2011 AEGON Nottingham Challenge.

Personal life

Baltacha was born in Kiev, Ukraine. She comes from a sporting family: her father Sergei is a former professional footballer, representing the USSR and playing in the United Kingdom with Ipswich Town, St Johnstone and Inverness Caledonian Thistle, and her mother Olga represented the USSR in both the pentathlon and heptathlon at the Olympic Games.^[3] Her brother Sergei played football for Scottish Football League team St Mirren of Paisley and for Millwall.^[4]

After arriving at Heathrow Airport on 13 January 1989, Baltacha moved to Ipswich where her father was to play football for the next year before moving to Perth where she grew up and spent her teenage years.^[3] At the age of 19 she was diagnosed with the liver condition primary sclerosing cholangitis and in June 2010 she became patron of the Children's Liver Disease Foundation.^[5][6]

Currently living in Ipswich, England, she trains at Culford School near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk and Ipswich Sports Club, where she is coached by Nino Severino, a multi-sports specialist in mental and movement training who has also worked with Ipswich Town F.C. and in coaching martial arts athletes.^[7] Baltacha can also call on LTA's Head Coach of Women's Tennis Nigel Sears and LTA Coach Simon Walsh.^[8]

Career

Junior (1997–2001)

Baltacha played her first match on the ITF junior circuit in February 1997 and her last at the 2001 US Open junior tournament. She never won a title but reached the final of two junior tournaments, at the 14th Bahia Junior Cup and at the LTA International Junior Tournament, Bisham Abbey. She also reached the semifinals of three tournaments and the quarterfinals of six others. In 2001 she reached the semifinals of the Wimbledon juniors championships where she was beaten by eventual champion, Angelique Widjaja. Over the course of her career as a junior, she gained wins over players such as Svetlana Kuznetsova, Gisela Dulko (twice) and Anne Keothavong. Her career-high singles ranking was World No. 77 and her final singles win-loss record was 40–40.^[9] Aside from junior ITF events, she also competed in the Commonwealth Youth Games in 2000 representing Scotland and won a silver medal alongside Karen Paterson and Mhairi Brown in the women's team event.

As a doubles competitor, Baltacha won four tournaments and lost in the final of four more. She also lost in the semifinal stages of tournaments four times and the quarterfinals eight times. Her final doubles win-loss record was 37–30 and her career-high doubles ranking was World No. 60.^[9]

1997–2000

In November 1997, Baltacha made her debut on the ITF circuit in Edinburgh where she was beaten in the first round of the qualifying stages in three sets by Danica Kovakova. She did however reach the quarterfinals of the doubles tournament.^[10]

She played only three adult ITF tournaments in 1998 (Birmingham, Southsea and Glasgow, all $10,000 events) and lost in the qualifying stages for each of them.^[10]

1999 saw her first ITF main draw appearances. She competed in four tournaments in total and reached the quarterfinals of the $10,000 tournament in Glasgow.^[10]

In April 2000, Baltacha reached the quarterfinals of the $10,000 tournament in Bournemouth as a qualifier. She was given a wild card into the qualifying draw of her home Grand Slam, The Championships, Wimbledon where Flavia Pennetta beat her in three sets. In October she received another wild card, this one into the Swisscom Challenge, a tier I tournament held in Zürich. The very next week she was a quarterfinalist at the $50,000 ITF tournament in Cardiff. Her season ending singles ranking was World No. 397.^[10]

2001

Baltacha reached the quarterfinals of her first tournament of the year in January, a $10,000 ITF tournament in Jersey when she was forced to retire early in the second set. She was out of action until late April when she reached the quarterfinals of the $10,000 tournament in Hatfield. Two weeks later she reached the quarterfinals of the $25,000 tournament in Edinburgh as a qualifier. She followed this up with a run to the semifinals of the $25,000 event in Surbiton. She was then given a wild card into the qualifying draw for the tier II event in Eastbourne, the Britannic Asset Management International Championships where she beat Frenchwoman, Virginie Razzano, in the final round of qualifying to reach the main draw. Conchita Martínez beat her in the first round. Just a week later she was given a wild card into the main draw of Wimbledon to give her the first appearance in the main draw of a Grand Slam. She was beaten by Nathalie Dechy in round one. Following Wimbledon she reached yet another ITF quarterfinal; this one in a $25,000 tournament in Felixstowe. She lost in round one of the qualifying tournament for the US Open in August and competed in four more ITF tournaments, reaching the quarterfinals of two of them (both $25,000). She ended the year with a singles ranking of World No. 248.^[10]

2002

In February, Baltacha reached the quarterfinals of the $25,000 ITF tournament in Sutton. She played for Great Britain in the Fed Cup in April and won her singles rubber against Norway's, Annette Aksdal. She then beat Lina Stančiūtė from Lithuania in the relegation play offs in three sets. Following this she attempted to qualify for the tier III, Croatian Bol Ladies Open where she was beaten in round one of the qualifying draw. This was the first of a string of five consecutive losses, the last of which was in the first round of the qualifying draw for the DFS Classic, a tier III event. She broke this string of losses with a win over Alina Jidkova in round one of the qualifying draw for the tier II, Britannic Asset Management International Championships. She was beaten by Elena Likhovtseva in the second round of qualifying. She was then given a wild card into the main draw of Wimbledon where she beat María Vento-Kabchi in the first round^[11] and Amanda Coetzer in the second round^[12] before losing to Elena Likhovtseva (for the second time in two consecutive tournaments) in the third round.^[13]

Her next tournament after Wimbledon was the $25,000 ITF event in Felixstowe which she won by beating Irishwoman, Kelly Liggan, in the final to give her the first ITF singles title of her career.^[14] Two weeks later she won her second title in Pamplona, again $25,000, when she defeated Virginie Pichet in the final. After this she attempted to qualify for the US Open but lost in the first round of the qualifying tournament for the second consecutive year. She played two more $25,000 ITF tournaments after the US Open, Glasgow and Southampton, where she reached the semifinals and quarterfinals respectively. Her season ending ranking for 2002 was World No. 157.^[10]

2003

Baltacha's 2003 season started slowly; she lost in round one of the qualifying tournament for the first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open. In April she was again part of the Great Britain Fed Cup team but lost her only match against Hungary's Petra Mandula. She spent May failing to qualify for the tier III tournament, the Internationaux de Strasbourg and the second Grand Slam of the year, the French Open. In June she was given a wild card into the main draw of the DFS Classic but was forced to retire during her first round match verses fellow Brit, Jane O'Donoghue, after the first game of the final set.^[15] She was then awarded another wild card; this one into the qualifying draw of the tier II Hastings Direct International where she was beaten by Virginie Razzano. For the third year running, she received a wild card into the main draw of Wimbledon where she forced the former world No. 5, Jelena Dokić, to fight for her eventual three-set victory.^[16] This was Baltacha's final match of the year as she underwent invasive surgery after Wimbledon (to determine the cause of her persistent liver troubles) which put her out of action until 2004. As a result, her year-end singles ranking fell to World No. 373.^[10]

2004

Baltacha returned to action with a vengeance in January 2004 by reaching the semifinals of her first two ITF tournaments of the year. These were the $10,000 event in Hull and the $25,000 event in Sunderland. She played in the Fed Cup for the Great Britain Fed Cup team where she won her two singles rubbers against Turkey and Romania by beating Cigdem Duru and Monica Niculescu respectively. She also beat Irishwoman, Yvonne Doyle, in the Europe/Africa Group II play-offs. In June, Samantha Stosur beat her in the first round of the DFS Classic and Cara Black beat her in the final round of the qualifying tournament for the Hastings Direct International one week later.^[17] Baltacha then headed to Wimbledon main draw courtesy of another wild card. She demolished World No. 61, Marta Marrero in round one^[18] before falling to three-time Grand Slam champion, Jennifer Capriati in the second round.^[19]

Between Wimbledon and the US Open qualifying tournament (where she reached the second round before being beaten by Angelique Widjaja), she suffered three consecutive first-round losses in $50,000 ITF tournaments in the United States. After the US Open she reached the final of a $25,000 ITF event in Jersey where she was beaten by Emma Laine. She spent the remainder of her year competing on the ITF circuit and her year-end singles ranking rose to World No. 202.^[10]

2005

In the 2005 Australian Open qualifying tournament she won three matches in straight sets to successfully qualify; she beat Els Callens, Jaslyn Hewitt and Teryn Ashley in rounds one, two and three respectively. In the first round of the main draw she beat Katarina Srebotnik who later remarked that the Brit was "on fire" and that "if [Elena] plays like today, she can beat anyone. Some of the shots she was hitting were unbelievable."^[20] She continued her winning streak with another three-set victory in round two, this one over Frenchwoman, Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro.^[21] Unfortunately for Baltacha, she ran out of steam in the third round, losing to No.15 seed, Silvia Farina Elia.^[22] She used her momentum from her good performance in the first Grand Slam of the year to carry her to the semifinals of her next tournament, a $25,000 ITF event in Sunderland where she lost to Sofia Arvidsson. She then immediately reached the finals of another $25,000 ITF event (this one in Redbridge) before being beaten by Nika Ožegović. She again played for Great Britain in the Fed Cup. She lost her singles rubber against Ana Timotić from Serbia, won her singles rubber verses Karina-Ildor Jacobsgaard and was demolished in her third singles rubber against Katarina Srebotnik in retribution for her first round Australian Open exit. In the Europe/Africa Group I play-off, Baltacha was defeated by Ukrainian, Alona Bondarenko.

She then failed to qualify for two consecutive tier I events before losing in the first round of qualifying for the French Open when she lost to Elise Tamaëla. In June, three consecutive wild cards granted her entry into the main draws of the DFS Classic, the Hastings Direct International and Wimbledon where she was beaten by Milagros Sequera in the second round (having beaten Alona Bondarenko in the first), Conchita Martínez in round one^[23] and Sabine Klaschka in the first round respectively. Following Wimbledon, Baltacha traveled to the ITF circuit in the United States without much success; she won only one of five matches she played in the run-up to the US Open qualifying draw where she also lost in the first round of qualifying. She then returned to the ITF circuit and reached the quarterfinals of the $25,000 event in Glasgow, the semifinals of the $25,000 event in Bolton and won the $25,000 tournament in Jersey. Her year-end singles ranking for the 2005 season was World No. 122.^[10]

2006

For Baltacha, 2006 was a year much shortened by injury. Her first tournament of the year was the qualifying event for the Australian Open where she lost to Yuan Meng at the second stage of qualifying. In February she played one $25,000 ITF event (where she lost to Melanie South in the first round) and attempted to qualify for three consecutive tier II tournaments: Antwerp, Dubai (beaten in final round by Kateryna Bondarenko)^[24][25] and Qatar. This was then followed by two first round losses in $25,000 ITF tournaments and a run to the semifinals of another. In May she again represented Great Britain in the Fed Cup and again won all three of her singles matches. She beat: Hungarian, Kyra Nagy, Bulgaria's Dimana Krastevitch and Valeria Bondarenko from Ukraine. In the Europe/Africa play-off however, she lost to Slovakia's, Magdaléna Rybáriková. After the Fed Cup, Elena played only one more tournament in 2006. This tournament was the French Open where she lost in round one of qualifying to Yevgenia Savransky. She underwent keyhole surgery on a prolapsed disc on the 7th June and spent the rest of the season out-of-action recovering^[26] and as a result, her season-ending ranking was World No. 347.^[10]

2007

By the time Baltacha returned to action in March 2007 after surgery on a prolapsed disc, her singles ranking had fallen to 660 in the world and as such, she had to qualify for her first $25,000 ITF tournament of the year in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. She successfully qualified before losing to Sorana Cîrstea in the first round. She competed in two more $25,000 events in March (reaching the quarterfinals of one) before heading to Bulgaria to compete in the Fed Cup for Britain. She played two singles matches (winning one) and four doubles matches (winning two). Following this she reached two consecutive $25,000 ITF semifinals in Incheon and Gimcheon, one as a qualifier and the other as a lucky loser. She consolidated these results with a run to the quarterfinals of another $25,000 in Changwon. In June she received a wild card into the main draw of the DFS Classic where she showed "fighting spirit" in her first round loss to Milagros Sequera.^[27] She then received a wild card into the qualifying draw for the Hastings Direct International and proved she deserved it by dropping only nine games in the three matches she won to successfully qualify. She then went on to beat the British No. 1, Anne Keothavong, in round one of the main draw in a tense three set match and join fellow Britons, Melanie South and Katie O'Brien in the second round, making this the first year since 1991 that three British women reached the second round.^[28] She could not quite match up to World No. 14, Nicole Vaidišová, in the second round though and was beaten in straight sets.^[29] She then received another wild card into the main draw of Wimbledon but wasn't able to overcome the 19th seed, Katarina Srebotnik.^[30]

After Wimbledon, Baltacha headed to the United States to compete again on the ITF circuit where she reached the quarterfinals of the $50,000 event in Lexington. After being beaten in the first round of qualifying for the US Open by Evgeniya Rodina, Baltacha headed to Japan to attempt to qualify for the Japan Open. She beat María Emilia Salerni, Agnes Szatmari and Natalie Grandin to qualify and then continued winning by defeating Yan Zi in the first round. She was defeated by No. 5 seed and eventual champion, Virginie Razzano, in round two. This was followed by an unsuccessful attempt to qualify for a tier III event in Bangkok and then a return to the ITF circuit where she reached the semifinals in Makinohara and the quarterfinals in Hamanako (both $25,000), losing both times to Japan's, Seiko Okamoto. Her final singles ranking of 2007 was World No. 187.^[10]

2008

Baltacha began her 2008 season by qualifying for the ASB Classic, beating compatriot, Melanie South, along the way. She faced two-time ASB Classic champion and No. 7 seed, Eleni Danilidou, in the opening round and was beaten. She then progressed to round two of the qualifying tournament for the Australian Open when her first round opponent opponent, Virginie Pichet, retired when down one set.^[31] She was beaten in the second round of qualifying by Zhang Shuai.^[32] In February she tried to qualify for Doha (tier I) and Dubai (tier II) but was unsuccessful in both. She then returned to action on the ITF circuit and won her next two consecutive tournaments: Jersey ($25,000) and Torhout ($75,000). In May she again lost in the first round of the qualifying tournament for the French Open and in June she again received a wild card into the main draw of the DFS Classic where she was beaten in round one by Ekaterina Makarova. Another wild card granted her entry into the qualifying rounds of the International Women's Open where she won her first match against Naomi Cavaday before retiring at one set down in her second match against Tsvetana Pironkova. She then played in the main draw of Wimbledon (again courtesy of a wild card) where she beat Angelique Kerber in the first round.^[33] She was defeated in the second round by China's eventual semifinalist, Zheng Jie in straight sets.^[34]

Baltacha then lost three consecutive matches before defeating Anna Korzeniak and Carly Gullickson in the first two rounds of qualifying for the US Open. She fell just short of reaching the main draw when she lost to Julie Coin in the final round of qualifying. She played seven more higher-level ITF tournaments over the rest of the year and reached the quarterfinals in one of them: the $50,000 event in Ismaning where she lost to Julia Görges. Her year-end ranking was World No. 136.^[10]

2009

Baltacha began 2009 by falling in the first round of qualifying for the ASB Classic before winning three matches to successfully qualify for the Australian Open. She joined compatriots, Katie O'Brien (also a qualifier), Anne Keothavong and Melanie South in the main draw; the first time that four British women had competed in the main draw of a Grand Slam other than Wimbledon since the 1992 U.S. Open.^[35][36] Baltacha came up against German, Anna-Lena Grönefeld, in the first round and defeated her comfortably to set up a clash with former World No. 1, Amélie Mauresmo. Despite surprising many by taking the first set, Baltacha eventually lost in three sets.^[37]

February saw Baltacha represent her country in the Fed Cup where she won all three of her singles rubbers in straight sets. In April, Baltacha was the top seed in the $75,000 ITF tournament in Monzón where she reached the quarterfinals before losing to former world No. 4, Kimiko Date Krumm in a close three-set match. Later that month she reached the final of a $25,000 ITF where she faced the No. 6 seed, Junri Namigata, and won to give her the sixth ITF singles title of her career.^[38] In May she reached the semifinals of a $50,000 ITF in Fukuoka before going on to reach the final round of qualifying for the French Open, where she lost to Yaroslava Shvedova. Between the French Open and Wimbledon, she reached the semifinals of another $50,000 ITF and reached the second round of the International WTA tournament, the AEGON Classic. She beat Georgie Stoop in the first round before falling in an epic three-set battle with the then World No. 27, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. She received a wild card into the main draw of Wimbledon in June where she came up against World No. 33, Alona Bondarenko, in the first round. Baltacha managed to come back from a set down to win in three sets. She then went on to lose to Kirsten Flipkens in round two.^[39]

This was followed by three consecutive losses in the first round of qualifying for WTA events before Baltacha won two matches to qualify for the Rogers Cup, a Premier tournament. She faced former World No. 1, Kim Clijsters, in the second tournament of her comeback and lost to the Belgian in straight sets. Following this, she reached the final round of qualifying for the US Open before going on to win the $75,000 ITF in Shrewsbury. She beat fellow Brit, Katie O'Brien, in the final. This result was enough to put both finalists into the top 100 for the first time in each of their careers.^[40] After this, Baltacha reached the semifinals of one more $50,000 ITF, the second round of a $100,000 ITF (where she had to withdraw due to food poisoning) and the quarterfinals of a $75,000 ITF tournament. These showings helped her accumulate enough points to catapult her back to the British number 1 spot. Her year-end ranking was World No. 87.^[10]

2010

Baltacha whilst winning her first match at the US Open and breaking into the top 50

Baltacha began her 2010 season by winning three matches to successfully qualify for the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand. In the first round of the main draw she was beaten by Ioana Raluca Olaru in straight sets. She then went on to win another three matches to qualify for the Moorilla Hobart International before again losing in the first round, this time to resurgent former world number 4, Jelena Dokić. Her next tournament was the first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open. For the first time in her career she was able to gain direct entry into the main draw of the tournament due to her improved ranking. She defeated Frenchwoman, Pauline Parmentier, in the first round. As Baltacha’s compatriot, Katie O’Brien, also reached the second round, 2010 marked the first time since 1991 that more than one British woman had reached the second round of the Australian Open. In round two Elena defeated the 30th seed from Ukraine, Kateryna Bondarenko but she was beaten in the round of 32 by Dinara Safina, the World Number Two. In the doubles tournament she partnered Liga Dekmeijere to reach the second round. In February, Baltacha participated in the Fed Cup where the British team was competing in the Europe/Africa Zone. She played two singles matches, losing against Sybille Bammer and defeating Sandra Martinovic from the Austria team and the Bosnia and Herzegovina team respectively. She also partnered Sarah Borwell in two doubles matches, winning both. Following this performance in the Fed Cup, Elena competed in a $100,000 American ITF tournament in Midland where she reached the final and defeated Lucie Hradecká to win the biggest title of her career. Baltacha then went on to compete in the Cellular South Cup as the 8th seed. She reached the quarterfinals before losing to the top seed and eventual champion, Maria Sharapova. March saw Baltacha qualify for the BNP Paribas Open. After defeating Alexa Glatch in the first round, she faced world No.10, Li Na, in round two and went on to win the match. This gave Elena the first victory of her career over a player ranked in the top-10. Alicia Molik defeated Baltacha in the third round. In her only other tournament during March, Baltacha had to win two matches to qualify for the Sony Ericsson Open before going on to lose to Yanina Wickmayer in the second round of the main tournament. After this, she went on to reach the quarterfinals of a $100,000 ITF tournament in Johannesberg before beginning her clay court season with a loss to Gréta Arn in the first round of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, a WTA Premier 5 event. In her final event before the French Open, Bally participated in the Internationaux de Strasbourg as the 8th seed but was forced to retire in the second round due to a back injury. In her first round match at the French Open, she was beaten by Agnieszka Radwańska in straight sets.

Her grass court season then began and the AEGON Trophy, a $50,000 ITF event in Nottingham, gave Baltacha the second title of the year. She didn’t drop a set throughout the tournament, including in the final when she faced Carly Gullickson. Baltacha stayed on grass for her next tournament, the AEGON Classic, where she was the No.12 seed. She was forced to retire after losing the first set in her first round match against Kaia Kanepi. Her next event was the AEGON International where during her first round match with Li Na, the Chinese player had to retire with a leg injury after winning the first set on a tie-break. After a second-round win over another Chinese player, Zheng Jie, she lost to Sam Stosur in three sets in the quarterfinals. Nevertheless, this was the first time since 1983 that a British woman had progressed to the quarterfinals of this tournament. Baltacha then suffered a disappointing first round loss at Wimbledon. She lost in three sets to Petra Martić after leading by a set and 5–2.

In the lead up to the US Open, Baltacha played in the Istanbul Cup, where she reached the quarterfinals. Along the way she defeated world No.8 and reigning French Open champion, Francesca Schiavone, in straight sets to give her the best win of her career. She was beaten by Andrea Petković in the quarterfinals. Baltacha then lost four of her next five matches before participating in the main draw of the US Open for the first time in her career. She managed to exact some revenge by beating Petra Martić in round one however she lost to Petra Kvitová in the second round. Baltacha competed in four more tournaments that year, reaching the second round of the Hansol Korea Open and a $100,000 ITF in Torhout but losing in the qualifying rounds of the Toray Pan Pacific Open and the Kremlin Cup. She had also been selected to represent Scotland at the Commonwealth Games but chose not to participate due to the poor sanitation in the athletes’ village which, as a result of her chronic liver problem, may have left her susceptible to picking up infections. Her year-end singles ranking was world No.54.^[10]

2011

Baltacha began the year at the 2011 Moorilla Hobart International lost to Roberta Vinci 6–3, 6–4 in the second round. Baltacha then entered the 2011 Australian Open without having to qualify. In the first round, she defeated American qualifier Jamie Hampton 3–6, 6–4, 7–5. In the second round, however, she was defeated by Former World No.1 and 2004 Australian Open Champion Justine Henin 6–1, 6–3.

Her next tournament was the 2011 PTT Pattaya Open in Thailand., where she lost to 6th seed Peng Shuai who defeated her in the next round 2–6, 6–1, 6–4.

Baltacha lost in the first round of the 2011 Dubai Tennis Championships to Alexandra Dulgheru 7–6(3), 6–4. She then lost in the second round of qualifying at the 2011 Qatar Ladies Open to Klára Zakopalová 6–1, 6–2.

In the first round of the 2011 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, Baltacha saved 4 match points at 2–6, 4–5 in the first round against Roberta Vinci, finally winning 2–6, 7–5, 6–2. In the second round she was defeated by 12th seed Flavia Pennetta.

In the first round of the 2011 Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Baltacha defeated Sybille Bammer 3–6, 7–6, 7–6. However was defeated in the second round by Klára Zakopalová, the 32nd seed, 7–6, 6–3.

After direct acceptance into the main draw of the 2011 French Open, she defeated American qualifier Sloane Stephens 7–5, 6–2. Due to the previous win by fellow Briton Heather Watson, it is the first time since 1992 that two British women have cleared the first round of the French Open. In the second round, Baltacha drew another American Vania King, who defeated her 4–6 6–1 6–4. On the 12 June Baltacha won her first tournament of the season winning the 2011 AEGON Nottingham Challenge with out dropping a single set throughout the tournament defeating Petra Cetkovská 7–5, 6–3.

An improvement on the previous years disappointment, she reached the second round of Wimbledon, after a victory over Mona Barthel. She failed to progress, however, after losing 4–6, 6–2, 7–5 to the twentieth seed, Shuai Peng of China. She went on to enter the qualifying draw of the 2011 Cincinnati Open, but despite being seeded 10th, she lost in the first round against Olga Govortsova. She then went on to the inaugural Texas Tennis Open. She managed first and second round wins over Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová and third seed Julia Görges respectively, before a quarter-final loss to Aravane Rezaï.

Her next tournament was the US Open, where in the First round Baltacha beat American wildcard Jamie Hampton 2–6, 6–2, 5–1r. Hampton had to retire unexpectedly due to cramp and dehydration as she collapsed on the base line. Worried Officials and medical staff attended to her with even baltacha tending to her help. She lost to Svetlana Kuznetsova in the second round.

WTA tour and ITF circuit finals

Singles: 13 (10–3)

Legend (pre/post 2009) Grand Slam tournaments (0–0) WTA Tour Championships (0–0) WTA Tier I / WTA Premier (0–0) WTA Tier II – IV / WTA International (0–0) ITF Circuit / ITF Circuit (10–3) $100,000 tournaments $75,000 tournaments $50,000 tournaments $25,000 tournaments $10,000 tournaments

Titles by surface Hard (7–3) Clay (0–0) Grass (3–0) Carpet (0–0)

Outcome	Date	Tournament	Surface	Opponent in the final	Score in the final
Winner	02002-07-08 8 July 2002	$25,000 Felixstowe, Great Britain	Grass	Liggan, KellyKelly Liggan	4–6, 6–2, 6–3
Winner	02002-07-22 22 July 2002	$25,000 Pamplona, Spain	Hard (i)	Virginie Pichet	6–2, 6–1
Runner-up	02004-09-20 20 September 2004	$25,000 Jersey, Great Britain	Hard (i)	Laine, EmmaEmma Laine	3–6, 2–6, 1–6
Runner-up	02005-02-09 9 February 2005	$25,000 Redbridge, Great Britain	Hard (i)	Ožegović, NikaNika Ožegović	0–6, 3–6
Winner	02005-10-12 12 October 2005	$25,000 Jersey, Great Britain	Hard (i)	Daniela Kix	4–6, 4–6
Winner	02008-03-26 26 March 2008	$25,000 Jersey, Great Britain	Hard (i)	Vrljić, AnaAna Vrljić	6–1, 6–3
Winner	02008-04-01 1 April 2008	$75,000 Torhout, Belgium	Hard (i)	Benešová, IvetaIveta Benešová	6–7(5–7), 6–1, 6–4
Winner	02009-04-21 21 April 2009	$25,000 Changwon, Korea	Hard	Namigata, JunriJunri Namigata	6–3, 6–1
Winner	02009-09-22 22 September 2009	$75,000 Shrewsbury, Great Britain	Hard (i)	O'Brien, KatieKatie O'Brien	6–3, 4–6, 6–3
Winner	02010-02-09 9 February 2010	$100,000 Midland, Michigan, United States	Hard (i)	Hradecká, LucieLucie Hradecká	5–7, 6–2, 6–3
Winner	02010-05-31 31 May 2010	$50,000 Nottingham, Great Britain	Grass	Gullickson, CarlyCarly Gullickson	6–2, 6–2
Winner	02011-06-12 12 June 2011	$100,000+H Nottingham, Great Britain	Grass	Cetkovská, PetraPetra Cetkovská	7–5, 6–3
Runner-up	02011-10-30 30 October 2011	$100,000 Poitiers, France	Hard (i)	Kimiko Date Krumm	7-6(3) 6-4

Doubles: 8 (4–4)

Legend (pre/post 2009) Grand Slam tournaments (0–0) WTA Tour Championships (0–0) WTA Tier I / WTA Premier (0–0) WTA Tier II – IV / WTA International (0–0) ITF Circuit / ITF Circuit (4–4) $100,000 tournaments $75,000 tournaments $50,000 tournaments $25,000 tournaments $10,000 tournaments

Titles by surface Hard (4–2) Clay (0–1) Grass (0–1) Carpet (0–0)

Outcome	Date	Tournament	Surface	Partnering	Opponents in the final	Score in the final
Runner-up	02001-04-30 30 April 2001	$10,000 Hatfield, Great Britain	Clay	Nicola Trinder	Natalia Egorova Ekaterina Sysoeva	3–6, 6–4, 1–6
Winner	02002-07-15 15 July 2002	$25,000 Valladolid, Spain	Hard	Natacha Randriantefy	Baker, LeanneLeanne Baker Malhotra, ManishaManisha Malhotra	6–2, 6–3
Winner	02002-07-22 22 July 2002	$25,000 Pamplona, Spain	Hard (i)	Liggan, KellyKelly Liggan	Yvonne Doyle Susanne Trik	6–7(6–7), 7–6(7–1), 6–3
Winner	02004-10-11 11 October 2004	$25,000 Sunderland, Great Britain	Hard (i)	O'Donoghue, JaneJane O'Donoghue	Eva Fislová Stanislava Hrozenská	6–1, 4–6, 6–2
Winner	02005-09-22 22 September 2005	$25,000 Glasgow, Great Britain	Hard (i)	Rüütel, MargitMargit Rüütel	Keothavong, AnneAnne Keothavong Paterson, KarenKaren Paterson	6–3, 6–7(2–7), 6–2
Runner-up	02006-03-21 21 March 2006	$25,000 Redding, California, United States	Hard	Yevgenia Savransky	Bardina, VasilisaVasilisa Bardina Rolle, AhshaAhsha Rolle	7–5, 5–7, 4–6
Runner-up	02007-06-04 4 June 2007	$25,000 Surbiton, Great Britain	Grass	Cavaday, NaomiNaomi Cavaday	Paterson, KarenKaren Paterson South, MelanieMelanie South	1–6, 4–6
Runner-up	02009-04-21 21 April 2009	$25,000 Changwon, Korea	Hard	Amanda Elliott	Kai-Chen, ChangChang Kai-Chen Chen Yi	4–6, 1–6

Singles performance timeline

To help interpret the performance table, the legend below explains what each abbreviation and color coded box represents in the performance timeline.

Terms to know
SR	tournaments won/played	W-L	Win-Loss
Performance Table Legend
NH	not held	A	absent
LQ	lost in qualifying draw	#R	lost in the early rounds
QF	quarterfinalist	SF	semifinalist
F	runner-up	W	winner

NM5				means an event that is neither a Premier Mandatory nor a Premier 5 tournament.

To prevent confusion and double counting, information in this table is updated only once a tournament or the player's participation in the tournament has concluded. Qualifying matches and Walkovers are neither official match wins nor losses. This table is current through the start of the 2011 US Open, which begins 29 August 2011.

Tournament	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	Career SR	Career W-L	Win %
Grand Slam Tournaments
Australian Open	A	A	A	1R	A	3R	LQ	A	LQ	2R	3R	2R	0 / 5	6–5	55%
French Open	A	A	A	LQ	A	LQ	LQ	A	LQ	LQ	1R	2R	0 / 2	1–2	33%
Wimbledon	LQ	1R	3R	1R	2R	1R	A	1R	2R	2R	1R	2R	0 / 10	6–10	38%
US Open	A	LQ	LQ	A	LQ	LQ	A	LQ	LQ	LQ	2R	2R	0 / 2	2–2	50%
Win–Loss	0–0	0–1	2–1	0–2	1–1	2–2	0–0	0–1	1–1	2–2	3–4	4–4	0 / 19	15–19	44%
Olympic Games
Summer Olympics	A	Not Held			A	Not Held			A	Not Held			0 / 0	0–0	0%
Year-End Championship
WTA Tour Championships	A												0 / 0	0–0	0%
WTA Premier Mandatory Tournaments
Indian Wells	A										3R	2R	0 / 2	3–2	60%
Key Biscayne	A					LQ	A			LQ	2R	2R	0 / 2	2–2	50%
Madrid	Not Held									A			0 / 0	0–0	0%
Beijing	Not Tier I									A			0 / 0	0–0	0%
WTA Premier 5 Tournaments
Dubai	Not Tier I									A		1R	0 / 1	0–1	0%
Rome	A					LQ	A				LQ	A	0 / 0	0–0	0%
Cincinnati	Not Tier I									LQ			0 / 0	0–0	0%
Montréal / Toronto	A									1R	LQ		0 / 1	0–1	0%
Tokyo	A												0 / 0	0–0	0%
Former WTA Tier I Tournaments (currently neither Premier Mandatory nor Premier 5 events)
Doha	Not Tier I								LQ	Not Held		NM5	0 / 0	0–0	0%
Charleston	A									NM5			0 / 0	0–0	0%
Berlin	A					LQ	A						0 / 0	0–0	0%
Moscow	A												0 / 0	0–0	0%
Zurich	LQ	A							NT1	Not Held			0 / 0	0–0	0%
San Diego	Not Tier I				A				Not Held		NM5		0 / 0	0–0	0%
Career Statistics
Tournaments played	0	1	1	2	1	2	0	1	1	3	6	7	Career total: 25
Titles	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Career total: 0
Finals Reached	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Career total: 0
Year End Ranking	397	248	157	373	202	122	347	187	136	87	54		Career money: $866,584

References

1. ^ Jago, Richard (2 October 2002). "Mystery bug half Baltacha's march". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2002/oct/02/tennis?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487. Retrieved 2011-06-06. 
2. ^ "Baltacha breaks into the top 50". BBC Sport. 14 September 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/8997002.stm. Retrieved 16 September 2010. 
3. ^ ^{a b} "Elena Baltacha: Beating ill health is Baltacha's first target". London: www.independent.co.uk. 21 June 2003. http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/elena-baltacha-beating-ill-health-is-baltachas-first-target-541391.html. Retrieved 1 May 2010. 
4. ^ LTA player profile
5. ^ Lee, Adrian (22 June 2010). "Elena Baltacha on her incurable liver disease". Express.co.uk. http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/182266/Elena-Baltacha-on-her-incurable-liver-disease. Retrieved 3 July 2011. 
6. ^ Halle, Martyn (2 July 2011). "British tennis star whose liver was in worse shape than George Best's". Dailymail.co.uk. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2010591/British-tennis-star-liver-worse-shape-George-Bests.html. Retrieved 3 July 2011. 
7. ^ http://www.lta.org.uk/Articles/Coach-Nino/Coach-Nino/
8. ^ Hodges, Vicki (2010-05-20). "British No 1 Elena Baltacha Q&A". The Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/wtatour/7729057/British-No-1-Elena-Baltacha-QandA.html. Retrieved 2010-05-20. 
9. ^ ^{a b} Elena Baltacha profile at www.itftennis.com/juniors
10. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n} "Activity: BALTACHA, Elena (GBR)". www.itftennis.com. http://www.itftennis.com/womens/players/activity.asp?player=20010987. 
11. ^ Harris, Nick (26 June 2002). "Baltacha saves day as home players fall". London: www.independent.co.uk. http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/baltacha-saves-day-as-home-players-fall-646441.html. Retrieved 1 May 2010. 
12. ^ Harris, Nick (28 June 2002). "Baltacha pulls off hair-raising triumph". London: www.independent.co.uk. http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/baltacha-pulls-off-hairraising-triumph-646647.html. Retrieved 1 May 2010. 
13. ^ Atkin, Ronald (30 June 2002). "From Russia with regret for Baltacha". London: www.independent.co.uk. http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/from-russia-with-regret-for-baltacha-646821.html. Retrieved 1 May 2010. 
14. ^ Whyte, Derrick (15 July 2002). "'Exhausted' Baltacha takes first title". London: www.independent.co.uk. http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/exhausted-baltacha-takes-first-title-648308.html. Retrieved 1 May 2010. 
15. ^ Shaw, Phil (10 June 2003). "Wimbledon doubt for tearful Kournikova". London: www.independent.co.uk. http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/wimbledon-doubt-for-tearful-kournikova-540284.html. Retrieved 1 May 2010. 
16. ^ Harris, Nick (25 June 2003). "Brave Baltacha takes fight to Dokic as British challenge crumbles". London: www.independent.co.uk. http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/brave-baltacha-takes-fight-to-dokic-as-british-challenge-crumbles-541809.html. Retrieved 1 May 2010. 
17. ^ "Encouraging display fuels Baltacha on voyage back to form". London: www.independent.co.uk. 15 June 2004. http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/encouraging-display-fuels-baltacha-on-voyage-back-to-form-732283.html. Retrieved 1 May 2010. 
18. ^ Harris, Nick (23 June 2004). "Baltacha win breathes life into British game". London: www.independent.co.uk. http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/baltacha-win-breathes-life-into-british-game-733190.html. Retrieved 1 May 2010. 
19. ^ Edmondson, Richard (26 June 2004). "Capriati, the seasoned sage of the circuit, offers determined Baltacha encouragement". London: www.independent.co.uk. http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/capriati-the-seasoned-sage-of-the-circuit-offers-determined-baltacha-encouragement-733537.html. Retrieved 1 May 2010. 
20. ^ Marks, Kathy (18 January 2005). "Baltacha's shock victory brings cheer for Britain". London: www.independent.co.uk. http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/baltachas-shock-victory-brings-cheer-for-britain-487118.html. Retrieved 1 May 2010. 
21. ^ Casey, Phil (19 January 2005). "True grit as Baltacha fights back in Melbourne". London: www.independent.co.uk. http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/true-grit-as-baltacha-fights-back-in-melbourne-487306.html. Retrieved 1 May 2010. 
22. ^ Marks, Kathy (22 January 2005). "Baltacha bows out to build on big break". London: www.independent.co.uk. http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/baltacha-bows-out-to-build-on-big-break-487626.html. Retrieved 1 May 2010. 
23. ^ Roberts, John (15 June 2005). "'Naff games' cost Baltacha £50,000". London: www.independent.co.uk. http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/naff-games-cost-baltacha-acircpound50000-494181.html. Retrieved 1 May 2010. 
24. ^ Newman, Paul (20 February 2006). "Baltacha back in the groove to stand on the brink of Dubai Open". London: www.independent.co.uk. http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/baltacha-back-in-the-groove-to-stand-on-the-brink-of-dubai-open-467198.html. Retrieved 1 May 2010. 
25. ^ Newman, Paul (21 February 2006). "Baltacha battles in vain". London: www.independent.co.uk. http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/baltacha-battles-in-vain-467255.html. Retrieved 1 May 2010. 
26. ^ "Injury to Djokovic eases path for Nadal". London: www.independent.co.uk. 8 June 2006. http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/injury-to-djokovic-eases-path-for-nadal-481441.html. Retrieved 1 May 2010. 
27. ^ Laybourn, Ian (13 June 2007). "Cavaday's shock victory lifts the gloom for Britain". London: www.independent.co.uk. http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/cavadays-shock-victory-lifts-the-gloom-for-britain-452862.html. Retrieved 1 May 2010. 
28. ^ Pierce, Bill (20 June 2007). "Baltacha survives British roller-coaster to earn rapid rise". London: www.independent.co.uk. http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/baltacha-survives-british-rollercoaster-to-earn-rapid-rise-453824.html. Retrieved 1 May 2010. 
29. ^ McLoughlin, Brendan; Pierce, Bill (21 June 2007). "Henman rues lapses in loss to Tursunov". London: www.independent.co.uk. http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/henman-rues-lapses-in-loss-to-tursunov-453973.html. Retrieved 1 May 2010. 
30. ^ Rowbottom, Mike (27 June 2007). "O'Brien win hints at new dawn for British women". London: www.independent.co.uk. http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/obrien-win-hints-at-new-dawn-for-british-women-454783.html. Retrieved 1 May 2010. 
31. ^ Newman, Paul (11 January 2008). "Four British players rise above heat to win qualifying matches". London: www.independent.co.uk. http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/four-british-players-rise-above-heat-to-win-qualifying-matches-769486.html. Retrieved 1 May 2010. 
32. ^ Newman, Paul (12 January 2008). "Henman's conqueror Tsonga provides first obstacle for Murray". London: www.independent.co.uk. http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/henmans-conqueror-tsonga-provides-first-obstacle-for-murray-769791.html. Retrieved 1 May 2010. 
33. ^ Herbert, Ian (24 June 2008). "Baltacha draws on fighting spirit for emotional success". London: www.independent.co.uk. http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/baltacha-draws-on-fighting-spirit-for-emotional-success-852909.html. Retrieved 1 May 2010. 
34. ^ Herbert, Ian (26 June 2008). "Baltacha bows out to face uncertain future once again". London: www.independent.co.uk. http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/baltacha-bows-out-to-face-uncertain-future-once-again-854210.html. Retrieved 1 May 2010. 
35. ^ "Baltacha & O'Brien into Open draw". www.news.bbc.co.uk. 17 January 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7834952.stm. Retrieved 3 January 2010. 
36. ^ "British pair Elena Baltacha and Katie O'Brien qualify for Australian Open". London: www.telegraph.co.uk. 17 January 2009. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/australianopen/4276980/British-pair-Elena-Baltacha-and-Katie-OBrien-qualify-for-Australian-Open.html. Retrieved 1 May 2010. 
37. ^ Dickson, Mike (22 January 2009). "Heartache for beaten Baltacha as she fails to take her chances against Mauresmo". London: www.dailymail.co.uk. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/othersports/article-1126476/Heartache-Baltacha-fails-chances-Mauresmo.html. 
38. ^ "Baltacha wins title in Korea". www.lta.org.uk. http://www.lta.org.uk/News/All-news-items/2009-04-20/Baltacha-wins-title-in-Korea/. 
39. ^ White, Jim (25 June 2009). "Wimbledon 2009: Elena Baltacha loses in straight sets to Kirsten Flipkens". London: www.telegraph.co.uk. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/wimbledon/5637782/Wimbledon-2009-Elena-Baltacha-loses-in-straight-sets-to-Kirsten-Flipkens.html. Retrieved 1 May 2010. 
40. ^ Harman, Neil (27 September 2009). "Elena Baltacha helps lift British gloom". London: www.timesonline.co.uk. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/tennis/article6851368.ece. Retrieved 1 May 2010. 

External links

• Elena Baltacha at the Women's Tennis Association
• Elena Baltacha at the Fed Cup
• Elena Baltacha at the International Tennis Federation
• Elena Baltacha at the International Tennis Federation Junior Profile
• www.elena-baltacha.com official website
• Elena Baltacha Official You Tube Channel
• Elena Baltacha Facebook Fanpage

Persondata
Name	Baltacha, Elena
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	14 August 1983
Place of birth	Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Date of death
Place of death