Catalina Castaño
Encyclopedia
Catalina Castaño Alvarez (born July 7, 1979 in Pereira
, Risaralda
) is a professional female Colombian
tennis player. On July 10, 2006, Catalina reached her career-high singles ranking: World No. 35. Since November 2006, she is the highest ranked South American female tennis player. She is coached by Peru
vian-born British citizen Pablo Giacopelli, who has been her coach since 2004.
She has reached the second round in three of the four Tennis Grand Slams Tournaments (Roland Garros
, Australian Open and US Open
), but she is yet to claim her first WTA Tour title. She has won six ITF
titles in her career.
Castano has defeated top 20 players such as Nicole Vaidišová
, Anna-Lena Grönefeld
, Patty Schnyder
, Paola Suárez
and Li Na
since 2005.
title in Santiago
. The following year in 2000 she won two ITF titles in Midlothian
and Cali
. Finished the year with a win/loss record of 43–25. In 2001, Catalina reached the Quarterfinals in her home tournament of Bogotá
, Colombia (Tier III). Passed the first round of the French Open but fell to top seed Martina Hingis
in the second round 6–1 6–0. Lost in the first round of Wimbledon
and the US Open
. In 2002, Catalina advanced the Semifinals in Bogotá (Tier III). Lost in the first round of qualifying at the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. She next year she fell in the first round of qualifying at the Australian Open but the following week she once again made the Quarterfinals in Bogotá (Tier III). Played Federation Cup for Colombia for the first time, but lost to Amélie Mauresmo
5–1 ret. Qualified for the US Open
in September but fell to Nadia Petrova
in the first round. Reached four ITF finals but only won 2 of them- in Gorizia
and Campobasso
. Won 39 matches in the year and lost 18. In 2004, she secured the third Quarterfinal appearance in Bogotá (Tier III) of her career, before losing to top seeded and fellow Colombian Fabiola Zuluaga
. In April, qualified for Amelia Island
(Tier II) and Charleston
(Tier I) on clay
. Lost to Martina Navratilova 6–0 6–1 in the first round of Wimbledon. The following week, won her sixth ITF title in Orbetello
.
(Tier III). In April, she won five matches in Miami (Tier I) including back-to-back wins over world number 19 (at the time) Paola Suárez
and world number 13 Patty Schnyder
, before falling to world number 9 (at the time) Venus Williams
6–4 2–6 6–1 in the round of 16. The following week, she also qualified for Amelia Island
(Tier II). In May, she won four matches in Rome (Tier I) before losing to world number 10 (at the time) Vera Zvonareva
6–1 5–7 6–2 in the round of 16. In June, Catalina passed the first round of the French Open but lost to Daniela Hantuchová
in the second round. Two weeks later in Birmingham
, Catalina won her first match on grass in her career (and only win on grass to date) but still failed to qualify for the main draw. Lost in the first round of Wimbledon. In August, she reached the Semifinals in Stockholm
(Tier IV) but lost to the eventual champion Katarina Srebotnik
after having a match point. The following week, Catalina reached her first ever WTA Tour Final in Budapest
. She lost to the top seed Anna Smashnova
in the final, 6–2 6–2. At the US Open
in September, Catalina reached the second round for the first time but was defeated by world number 8 (at the time) Serena Williams
6–2 6–2. In October, she reached the Semifinals in Seoul
(Tier IV) but the eventual champion and second seed Nicole Vaidišová
defeated her 7–5 6–4, in what was Vaidišová's toughest match of the tournament.
(Tier IV) and passed the first round of the Australian Open for the first time. In February, Catalina recorded back-to-back Quarterfinal performances in Pattaya City (Tier IV) and Bogotá (Tier III) for the fifth time. However, from late February to mid April, Catalina only won one out of five matches. In Charleston
in mid April, Catalina reached her first Tier I Quarterfinal after she defeated Ashley Harkleroad
, Nicole Vaidišová
and Marion Bartoli
. Her 7–5 6–2 win over Vaidišová, who was ranked 14 at the time, was her best win of the year. Second seed Nadia Petrova
defeated her in the Quarterfinals. The following week in Berlin, Catalina beat Anna-Lena Grönefeld
, who was ranked 14 at the time, 6–3 2–6 6–3. It was Catalina's second win over a top 15 player in as many weeks. Li Na
however, defeated her in the third round. In May, she reached the Quarterfinals in Istanbul
(Tier III) for the first time. She was defeated by top seed Anastasia Myskina
6–4 7–6(3). In June, Catalina reached the second round of the French Open but lost to twenty first seed Nathalie Dechy
in three sets. In July, Catalina was the top seed for the first time in her career in Budapest
. She reached the Quarterfinals but ironically lost to the player who beat her in the final last year, Anna Smashnova
, 6–2 6–2 (the same scoreline of the 2005 final). She reached her highest ranking of No.35 on July 16. From August to October, Catalina won just five of fifteen matches. However, she finished the year ranked #55, and was the highest ranked South American female tennis player.
and Hobart
in January. At the Gold Coast, she defeated Li Na who was ranked 21 at the time, 6–4 1–6 6–2. She fell 6–3 6–1 to top seed Martina Hingis
in the Quarterfinals. In Hobert, she passed the first round and beat Mara Santangelo
who was ranked 30 at the time, before falling in an epic match in the Quarterfinals. At the Australian Open, she fell in the first round to a French wildcard. Catalina then suffered first round losses in Pattaya
, Doha
and Indian Wells
and failed to qualify in Dubai
. However, she found small success in Miami and Amelia Island
where she passed the first round. Despite another first round loss in Prague
, Catalina qualified and reached the second round of Rome and recorded her first quarterfinal appearance since Hobart (January 2007) in Istanbul
and her third quarterfinal appearance of 2007. In both tournaments she lost to Elena Dementieva
, 6–4 6–3 in Rome and 1–6 6–4 6–4 in Istanbul. At Roland Garros
, she passed the first round for the third consecutive occasion but fell in the next round to world number five Jelena Janković
6–3 6–3. She also lost in the first round of Wimbledon
for the fourth consecutive time.
in the 1st round 6–1 6–4. She then lost to Spaniard Virginia Ruano Pascual
2–6 4–6.
Pereira, Colombia
Pereira is the capital city of the Colombian department of Risaralda. It stands in the center of the western region of the country, located in a small valley that descends from a part of the western Andes mountain chain. Its strategic location in the coffee producing area makes the city an urban...
, Risaralda
Risaralda Department
Risaralda is a department of Colombia. It is located in the western central region of the country and part of the Paisa Region. Its capital is Pereira.It was divided from the department of Caldas in 1966...
) is a professional female Colombian
Colombian people
Colombian people are from a multiethnic Spanish speaking nation in South America called Colombia. Colombians are predominantly Roman Catholic and are a mixture of Europeans, Africans, and Amerindians.-Demography:...
tennis player. On July 10, 2006, Catalina reached her career-high singles ranking: World No. 35. Since November 2006, she is the highest ranked South American female tennis player. She is coached by Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
vian-born British citizen Pablo Giacopelli, who has been her coach since 2004.
She has reached the second round in three of the four Tennis Grand Slams Tournaments (Roland Garros
French Open (tennis)
The French Open |Roland Garros]]) is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks between late May and early June in Paris, France, at the Stade Roland Garros. It is the premier clay court tennis tournament in the world and the second of the four annual Grand Slam tournaments – the other three are...
, Australian Open and US Open
U.S. Open (tennis)
The US Open, formally the United States Open Tennis Championships, is a hardcourt tennis tournament which is the modern iteration of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, the U.S. National Championship, which for men's singles was first contested in 1881...
), but she is yet to claim her first WTA Tour title. She has won six ITF
International Tennis Federation
The International Tennis Federation is the governing body of world tennis, made up of 205 national tennis associations.It was established as the International Lawn Tennis Federation by 12 national associations meeting at a conference in Paris, France on 1 March 1913...
titles in her career.
Castano has defeated top 20 players such as Nicole Vaidišová
Nicole Vaidišová
Nicole Vaidišová is a retired Czech tennis player.Vaidišová was an Australian Open and French Open semifinalist and also reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. Vaidišová started playing tennis when she was six years old, enrolling to train at Nick Bollettieri's tennis academy in Bradenton,...
, Anna-Lena Grönefeld
Anna-Lena Grönefeld
Anna-Lena Grönefeld is a professional tennis player from Germany. She turned professional in April 2003.As of September 2011, Grönefeld is the No. 12 tennis player from Germany. She was coached and trained by Rafael Font de Mora in Scottsdale, Arizona until 2006...
, Patty Schnyder
Patty Schnyder
Patty Schnyder is a retired Swiss professional tennis player. She played on the WTA tour from 1993 to 2011 and is a former World No. 7. She defeated several World No...
, Paola Suárez
Paola Suárez
Paola Suárez was a top 10 tennis player in the early 2000s. She gained prominence in 2004 by reaching the finals of nine straight WTA doubles tournaments, and by reaching the singles semifinals of the French Open tournament, held in Paris."La Negra" Suárez began playing professional tennis at the...
and Li Na
Li Na (tennis)
Li Na , goes first before the equivalent of a first name in some other nations. Her name off court in China is Li Na. When listed on the , she is known as Na Li. However, in the match, the commentators call her Li Na, and when her full name is listed in text on court, it is also written as Li Na.;...
since 2005.
1999–2004
In 1999 she won her first ITFInternational Tennis Federation
The International Tennis Federation is the governing body of world tennis, made up of 205 national tennis associations.It was established as the International Lawn Tennis Federation by 12 national associations meeting at a conference in Paris, France on 1 March 1913...
title in Santiago
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
. The following year in 2000 she won two ITF titles in Midlothian
Midlothian
Midlothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy area. It borders the Scottish Borders, East Lothian and the City of Edinburgh council areas....
and Cali
Calì
Calì, also written in English as Cali, is an Italian surname, widespread mainly in the Ionian side of Sicily.For the surname Calì is assumed the origin of the Greek word kalos , or from its Sanskrit root kali, "time."The surname refers to:...
. Finished the year with a win/loss record of 43–25. In 2001, Catalina reached the Quarterfinals in her home tournament of Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
, Colombia (Tier III). Passed the first round of the French Open but fell to top seed Martina Hingis
Martina Hingis
Martina Hingis is a retired Swiss professional tennis player who spent a total of 209 weeks as World No. 1. She won five Grand Slam singles titles...
in the second round 6–1 6–0. Lost in the first round of Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
and the US Open
U.S. Open (tennis)
The US Open, formally the United States Open Tennis Championships, is a hardcourt tennis tournament which is the modern iteration of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, the U.S. National Championship, which for men's singles was first contested in 1881...
. In 2002, Catalina advanced the Semifinals in Bogotá (Tier III). Lost in the first round of qualifying at the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. She next year she fell in the first round of qualifying at the Australian Open but the following week she once again made the Quarterfinals in Bogotá (Tier III). Played Federation Cup for Colombia for the first time, but lost to Amélie Mauresmo
Amélie Mauresmo
Amélie Simone Mauresmo ; is a French former professional tennis player, and a former World No. 1. Mauresmo won two Grand Slam singles titles at the Australian Open and at Wimbledon....
5–1 ret. Qualified for the US Open
U.S. Open (tennis)
The US Open, formally the United States Open Tennis Championships, is a hardcourt tennis tournament which is the modern iteration of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, the U.S. National Championship, which for men's singles was first contested in 1881...
in September but fell to Nadia Petrova
Nadia Petrova
Nadezhda Viktorovna Petrova is a Russian professional tennis player.Overall, she has won 28 WTA Titles, ten in singles and eighteen in doubles. In singles, Petrova has reached a career high ranking of World No. 3 in May 2006 and has reached the semi-finals of the French Open in 2003 and 2005...
in the first round. Reached four ITF finals but only won 2 of them- in Gorizia
Gorizia
Gorizia is a town and comune in northeastern Italy, in the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia. It is located at the foot of the Julian Alps, bordering Slovenia. It is the capital of the Province of Gorizia, and it is a local center of tourism, industry, and commerce. Since 1947, a twin...
and Campobasso
Campobasso
-Main sights:The main attraction of Campobasso is the Castello Monforte, built in 1450 by the local ruler Nicola II Monforte, over Lombard or Norman ruins. The castle has Guelph merlons and stands on a commanding point, where traces of ancient settlements have been found...
. Won 39 matches in the year and lost 18. In 2004, she secured the third Quarterfinal appearance in Bogotá (Tier III) of her career, before losing to top seeded and fellow Colombian Fabiola Zuluaga
Fabiola Zuluaga
Fabiola Zuluaga was a professional tennis player from Colombia. She retired on 9 September 2005. She reached the Australian Open Semifinals in 2004 and became the first Colombian tennis player to reach a Grand Slam semifinal. She is one of the best tennis player that Colombia has had .- External...
. In April, qualified for Amelia Island
Amelia Island
Amelia Island is one of the southernmost of the Sea Islands, a chain of barrier islands that stretches along the east coast of the United States from South Carolina to Florida. It is long and approximately 4 miles wide at its widest point. Amelia Island is situated off the coast in Nassau County,...
(Tier II) and Charleston
Family Circle Cup
The Family Circle Cup is a WTA Tour affiliated professional tennis tournament for women, held every year since 1973. The tournament is currently played on the green clay courts at the Daniel Island Tennis Center in Charleston, South Carolina, USA...
(Tier I) on clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
. Lost to Martina Navratilova 6–0 6–1 in the first round of Wimbledon. The following week, won her sixth ITF title in Orbetello
Orbetello
Orbetello is a town and comune in the province of Grosseto , Italy. It is located c. 35 km south of Grosseto, on the eponymous lagoon, which is home to an important Natural Reserve.-History:...
.
2005
Catalina's breakthrough and most successful year of her career to date. In February, reached back-to-back Quarterfinals in Bogotá (Tier III) for the fourth time and AcapulcoAcapulco
Acapulco is a city, municipality and major sea port in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific coast of Mexico, southwest from Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semi-circular bay and has been a port since the early colonial period of Mexico’s history...
(Tier III). In April, she won five matches in Miami (Tier I) including back-to-back wins over world number 19 (at the time) Paola Suárez
Paola Suárez
Paola Suárez was a top 10 tennis player in the early 2000s. She gained prominence in 2004 by reaching the finals of nine straight WTA doubles tournaments, and by reaching the singles semifinals of the French Open tournament, held in Paris."La Negra" Suárez began playing professional tennis at the...
and world number 13 Patty Schnyder
Patty Schnyder
Patty Schnyder is a retired Swiss professional tennis player. She played on the WTA tour from 1993 to 2011 and is a former World No. 7. She defeated several World No...
, before falling to world number 9 (at the time) Venus Williams
Venus Williams
Venus Ebony Starr Williams is an American professional tennis player who is a former World No. 1 and is ranked World No. 101 as of 10 October 2011 in singles and World No. 20 in doubles as of 2011. She has been ranked World No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association on three separate...
6–4 2–6 6–1 in the round of 16. The following week, she also qualified for Amelia Island
Amelia Island
Amelia Island is one of the southernmost of the Sea Islands, a chain of barrier islands that stretches along the east coast of the United States from South Carolina to Florida. It is long and approximately 4 miles wide at its widest point. Amelia Island is situated off the coast in Nassau County,...
(Tier II). In May, she won four matches in Rome (Tier I) before losing to world number 10 (at the time) Vera Zvonareva
Vera Zvonareva
Vera Zvonareva is a professional tennis player from Russia. She was introduced to tennis at the age of six and turned professional in 2000. Her career high is World No. 2 by the WTA, and she is currently ranked as the World No. 7. Zvonarёva has won twelve WTA Tour singles titles and reached the...
6–1 5–7 6–2 in the round of 16. In June, Catalina passed the first round of the French Open but lost to Daniela Hantuchová
Daniela Hantuchová
Daniela Hantuchová is a Slovak professional tennis player. She turned professional in 1999 and had her breakthrough year in 2002, when she won her first Tier I tournament and ended the year in the top 10.She is currently coached by Larri Passos...
in the second round. Two weeks later in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, Catalina won her first match on grass in her career (and only win on grass to date) but still failed to qualify for the main draw. Lost in the first round of Wimbledon. In August, she reached the Semifinals in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
(Tier IV) but lost to the eventual champion Katarina Srebotnik
Katarina Srebotnik
Katarina Srebotnik is a Slovenian professional tennis player. Srebotnik is right-handed, 1.80 m, weighs 65 kg and lives in Dubai. She reached a career-high ranking of No. 20 on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour on August 7, 2006.Srebotnik won 4 singles titles on the WTA-tour and was a steady top 30...
after having a match point. The following week, Catalina reached her first ever WTA Tour Final in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
. She lost to the top seed Anna Smashnova
Anna Smashnova
Anna Smashnova is a former professional tennis player from Israel. She retired from professional tennis after Wimbledon 2007.Smashnova, who has been noted as having a great last name for a tennis player, reached her career-high singles ranking of World # 15 in 2003. She was in 13 finals, and won...
in the final, 6–2 6–2. At the US Open
U.S. Open (tennis)
The US Open, formally the United States Open Tennis Championships, is a hardcourt tennis tournament which is the modern iteration of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, the U.S. National Championship, which for men's singles was first contested in 1881...
in September, Catalina reached the second round for the first time but was defeated by world number 8 (at the time) Serena Williams
Serena Williams
Serena Jameka Williams is an American professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. The Women's Tennis Association has ranked her world no. 1 in singles on five separate occasions. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002 and regained this ranking for the fifth time on...
6–2 6–2. In October, she reached the Semifinals in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
(Tier IV) but the eventual champion and second seed Nicole Vaidišová
Nicole Vaidišová
Nicole Vaidišová is a retired Czech tennis player.Vaidišová was an Australian Open and French Open semifinalist and also reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. Vaidišová started playing tennis when she was six years old, enrolling to train at Nick Bollettieri's tennis academy in Bradenton,...
defeated her 7–5 6–4, in what was Vaidišová's toughest match of the tournament.
2006
Catalina's second most successful year on the WTA Tour to date. She commenced January with a Semifinal showing in CanberraCanberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
(Tier IV) and passed the first round of the Australian Open for the first time. In February, Catalina recorded back-to-back Quarterfinal performances in Pattaya City (Tier IV) and Bogotá (Tier III) for the fifth time. However, from late February to mid April, Catalina only won one out of five matches. In Charleston
Family Circle Cup
The Family Circle Cup is a WTA Tour affiliated professional tennis tournament for women, held every year since 1973. The tournament is currently played on the green clay courts at the Daniel Island Tennis Center in Charleston, South Carolina, USA...
in mid April, Catalina reached her first Tier I Quarterfinal after she defeated Ashley Harkleroad
Ashley Harkleroad
Ashley Harkleroad , is an American tennis player. Born in Rossville, Georgia, Harkleroad reached a career-high ranking of No. 39 on June 9, 2003. Her career prize money to date is $1,022,094...
, Nicole Vaidišová
Nicole Vaidišová
Nicole Vaidišová is a retired Czech tennis player.Vaidišová was an Australian Open and French Open semifinalist and also reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. Vaidišová started playing tennis when she was six years old, enrolling to train at Nick Bollettieri's tennis academy in Bradenton,...
and Marion Bartoli
Marion Bartoli
Marion Bartoli is a French professional tennis player and the current French no. 1. She has won seven Women's Tennis Association singles titles and three doubles titles. She was also a runner-up at the 2007 Wimbledon Championships....
. Her 7–5 6–2 win over Vaidišová, who was ranked 14 at the time, was her best win of the year. Second seed Nadia Petrova
Nadia Petrova
Nadezhda Viktorovna Petrova is a Russian professional tennis player.Overall, she has won 28 WTA Titles, ten in singles and eighteen in doubles. In singles, Petrova has reached a career high ranking of World No. 3 in May 2006 and has reached the semi-finals of the French Open in 2003 and 2005...
defeated her in the Quarterfinals. The following week in Berlin, Catalina beat Anna-Lena Grönefeld
Anna-Lena Grönefeld
Anna-Lena Grönefeld is a professional tennis player from Germany. She turned professional in April 2003.As of September 2011, Grönefeld is the No. 12 tennis player from Germany. She was coached and trained by Rafael Font de Mora in Scottsdale, Arizona until 2006...
, who was ranked 14 at the time, 6–3 2–6 6–3. It was Catalina's second win over a top 15 player in as many weeks. Li Na
Li Na (tennis)
Li Na , goes first before the equivalent of a first name in some other nations. Her name off court in China is Li Na. When listed on the , she is known as Na Li. However, in the match, the commentators call her Li Na, and when her full name is listed in text on court, it is also written as Li Na.;...
however, defeated her in the third round. In May, she reached the Quarterfinals in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
(Tier III) for the first time. She was defeated by top seed Anastasia Myskina
Anastasia Myskina
Anastasiya Andreyevna Myskina is a professional tennis player from Russia. She won the 2004 French Open singles title, becoming the first Russian female tennis player to win a Grand Slam main draw singles title. Subsequent to this victory she rose to number 3 on the WTA ranking, becoming the first...
6–4 7–6(3). In June, Catalina reached the second round of the French Open but lost to twenty first seed Nathalie Dechy
Nathalie Dechy
Nathalie Dechy is a French former professional tour tennis player.Dechy is a three-time doubles Grand Slam champion, winning the 2006 US Open women's doubles title with Vera Zvonareva, the 2007 French Open mixed doubles title with Andy Ram, and the 2007 US Open women's doubles title with Dinara...
in three sets. In July, Catalina was the top seed for the first time in her career in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
. She reached the Quarterfinals but ironically lost to the player who beat her in the final last year, Anna Smashnova
Anna Smashnova
Anna Smashnova is a former professional tennis player from Israel. She retired from professional tennis after Wimbledon 2007.Smashnova, who has been noted as having a great last name for a tennis player, reached her career-high singles ranking of World # 15 in 2003. She was in 13 finals, and won...
, 6–2 6–2 (the same scoreline of the 2005 final). She reached her highest ranking of No.35 on July 16. From August to October, Catalina won just five of fifteen matches. However, she finished the year ranked #55, and was the highest ranked South American female tennis player.
2007
Catalina commenced 2007 with a solid start, recording two Quarterfinal appearances at the Gold CoastGold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
and Hobart
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
in January. At the Gold Coast, she defeated Li Na who was ranked 21 at the time, 6–4 1–6 6–2. She fell 6–3 6–1 to top seed Martina Hingis
Martina Hingis
Martina Hingis is a retired Swiss professional tennis player who spent a total of 209 weeks as World No. 1. She won five Grand Slam singles titles...
in the Quarterfinals. In Hobert, she passed the first round and beat Mara Santangelo
Mara Santangelo
Mara Santangelo is a former professional female tennis player from Italy. She retired from the sport on 28 January 2011.-Tennis career:...
who was ranked 30 at the time, before falling in an epic match in the Quarterfinals. At the Australian Open, she fell in the first round to a French wildcard. Catalina then suffered first round losses in Pattaya
Pattaya
Pattaya is a city in Thailand, located on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, about 165 km southeast of Bangkok located within but not part of Amphoe Bang Lamung in the province of Chonburi....
, Doha
Doha
Doha is the capital city of the state of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 998,651 in 2008, and is also one of the municipalities of Qatar...
and Indian Wells
Indian Wells Masters
The Indian Wells Masters is an annual tennis tournament held in Indian Wells, California....
and failed to qualify in Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
. However, she found small success in Miami and Amelia Island
Amelia Island
Amelia Island is one of the southernmost of the Sea Islands, a chain of barrier islands that stretches along the east coast of the United States from South Carolina to Florida. It is long and approximately 4 miles wide at its widest point. Amelia Island is situated off the coast in Nassau County,...
where she passed the first round. Despite another first round loss in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, Catalina qualified and reached the second round of Rome and recorded her first quarterfinal appearance since Hobart (January 2007) in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
and her third quarterfinal appearance of 2007. In both tournaments she lost to Elena Dementieva
Elena Dementieva
Elena Viatcheslavovna Dementieva is a retired Russian professional tennis player. Dementieva is most notable for winning the singles gold medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. She won 16 WTA singles titles and reached the finals of the 2004 French Open and 2004 US Open. Dementieva achieved a...
, 6–4 6–3 in Rome and 1–6 6–4 6–4 in Istanbul. At Roland Garros
French Open (tennis)
The French Open |Roland Garros]]) is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks between late May and early June in Paris, France, at the Stade Roland Garros. It is the premier clay court tennis tournament in the world and the second of the four annual Grand Slam tournaments – the other three are...
, she passed the first round for the third consecutive occasion but fell in the next round to world number five Jelena Janković
Jelena Janković
Jelena Janković is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from Serbia. She reached the final of the 2008 US Open and won the 2007 Wimbledon Mixed Doubles title. Janković is ranked world no...
6–3 6–3. She also lost in the first round of Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
for the fourth consecutive time.
2008
In January, Castano entered the Australian Open and defeated the No.22 seed Lucie ŠafářováLucie Šafárová
Lucie Šafářová is a professional Czech tennis player. She was born in Brno.Šafářová has won four WTA tour singles titles and reached the quarterfinals of the 2007 Australian Open, upsetting defending champion Amélie Mauresmo en-route...
in the 1st round 6–1 6–4. She then lost to Spaniard Virginia Ruano Pascual
Virginia Ruano Pascual
Virginia Ruano Pascual is a Spanish professional female tennis player. She was born in Madrid, Spain.She has won three career singles titles but she has been more successful in doubles where she has won 43 titles, including 10 Grand Slam titles Between 2002...
2–6 4–6.
Grand Slam record
| 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | 2R | 1R | 2R | 1R | – | – | – | – | – |
| French Open | 1R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 1R | – | – | 2R | – |
| Wimbledon The Championships, Wimbledon The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors... |
1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | – | – | 1R | – |
| US Open U.S. Open (tennis) The US Open, formally the United States Open Tennis Championships, is a hardcourt tennis tournament which is the modern iteration of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, the U.S. National Championship, which for men's singles was first contested in 1881... |
– | 1R | 2R | 1R | 1R | – | 1R | – |
WTA Tour singles finals (1)
| Year | Championship | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
| 2005 | Budapest Budapest Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter... (Tier IV) |
 Anna SmashnovaAnna Smashnova Anna Smashnova is a former professional tennis player from Israel. She retired from professional tennis after Wimbledon 2007.Smashnova, who has been noted as having a great last name for a tennis player, reached her career-high singles ranking of World # 15 in 2003. She was in 13 finals, and won... |
2–6 2–6 |