Katie O'Brien
Encyclopedia
Katie Jill O'Brien is an English former professional tennis player from Beverley
, Yorkshire
. She was briefly the British No. 1 tennis player. She reached her career-high singles ranking of World No.84 on 1 February 2010 and won four ITF
singles titles and two ITF doubles titles.
In 2007 she reached the second round of her home Grand Slam
, Wimbledon
, by beating Sandra Klösel
in round one. She lost to the No.31 seed, Michaëlla Krajicek
, in the second round. In 2010 she replicated this achievement by beating Patricia Mayr
to reach the second round of the Australian Open where she fell to 8th seeded Jelena Janković
.
, East Riding of Yorkshire
. Phil used to play professional football in the 1970s for Watford
. Her mother is a nursery school teacher. She has one brother, James, and a sister, Holly, who are both qualified DCA tennis coaches. Holly even represented Yorkshire as a junior.
O'Brien attended Hymers College
, Hull
from 1997 to 2002. She studied her A-levels at Woodhouse Grove School
in Leeds
from 2002 to 2004. She began studying with the Open University
in 2008.
, 1–6 5–7. Her career-high junior singles ranking was World No.101, reached on 15 September 2003 and her overall win-loss record in singles was 44–34.
In addition to her singles success as a junior, she also won one doubles title, lost in the final of another, reached four doubles semifinals and seven doubles quarterfinals (one of which was in the 2004 Wimbledon Championships partnering compatriot, Melanie South
). She reached her career–high doubles ranking of World No.201 on 3 February 2003 and ended her junior career with a win–loss record of 17–26.
tour in September 2001
when she attempted to qualify for the $10,000 event in Sunderland. She lost in the second round of qualifying for this tournament.
One year later, in September 2002
, she reached her first ITF quarterfinal as a qualifier in the $10,000 event in Sunderland and was beaten by countrywoman, Anne Keothavong
, 0–6 1–6. This was her only quarterfinal appearance in 2002 and she finished the year with a ranking of World No. 693.
In 2003
she again reached only one quarterfinal, this one in the $10,000 ITF tournament in Felixstowe
. In every other tournament she played she either lost in the first round or the qualifying stages. As a result, her year-end ranking fell from the previous year to World No. 742.
In May 2004
, O'Brien played her first ever semifinal on the ITF tour against Elke Clijsters
(the sister of former World No.1 Kim Clijsters
) and was beaten, 3–6 5–7. She was given a wild card
into the main draw of her home Grand Slam
, Wimbledon
for the first time in her career in June 2004. She was beaten in the first round, 4–6 4–6, by María Sánchez Lorenzo
. Following Wimbledon, she played twelve more tournaments on the ITF tour, reaching the final of one (Manchester
$10,000), the semifinals of three of them and the quarterfinals of two more. Her end-of-year ranking was World No. 401.
tournaments (in Tipton
and Hull
) and won the second of the two. In her third tournament, Sunderland $10,000, she reached the quarterfinals but was beaten by compatriot, Elena Baltacha
, 4–6 3–6. Her second quarterfinal of the year was in the $10,000 tournament in Oxford
.
In June, she received three wild cards
into three consecutive WTA tournaments; the DFS Classic
qualifying draw, the Hastings Direct International Championships qualifying draw and Wimbledon main draw. She failed to qualify in the first two tournaments and was beaten by Kim Clijsters
, 2–6 3–6, in the first round of Wimbledon.
Following Wimbledon she entered the $25,000 tournament in Felixstowe
and reached the semifinals before losing to Jarmila Gajdošová
, 4–6 4–6. She competed in twelve more ITF tournaments that year (reaching the quarterfinals in six of them) and the qualifying tournament for the BGL-BNP Paribas Open Luxembourg where she reached the second round of qualifying. She finished the 2005 season with a ranking of World No. 263.
quarterfinal, this one in the $10,000 tournament in Hull
, and the very next month she progressed to the semifinals of the $25,000 tournament in Sunderland before losing, 2–6 4–6, to Anne Keothavong
. She reached the semifinals of the ITF event in Fukuoka
, Japan ($50,000) where she was beaten by Ayumi Morita
.
She again spent June attempting to qualify for the DFS Classic
and the Hastings Direct International Championships without success. She also competed in the Wimbledon
main draw but again lost in round one, beaten by Tathiana Garbin
in three sets, 6–2 6–7(2) 2–6.
After this she lost to Monique Adamczak
in the quarterfinals of the $25,000 event in Valladolid
in July and she reached the final of the ITF tournament in Changsha ($25,000) in August. Two consecutive $25,000 ITF finals followed in September; the second of which she won. Her good form continued into October and November when she reached the quarterfinals, semifinals and quarterfinals of $25,000 ITF tournaments in Glasgow
, Istanbul
and Jakarta
respectively. Her final ranking of 2006 was World No. 193.
season was the qualifying event for the Australian Open
where she beat Chen Yanchong
in a marathon three-setter, 3–6 6–2 8–7 ret, to set up a second round clash with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
which she lost 6–7(5) 1–6. She then returned to the ITF
circuit until May. During this time she played in ten ITF tournaments, reaching the quarterfinal stages in four of them (two $50,000 events and two $25,000 events). She then attempted to qualify for the French Open but was beaten by Florence Haring
, 6–4 3–6 3–6.
O'Brien's grass court
season began with another ITF quarterfinal, this one in Surbiton
($25,000). She then tried to qualify for the tier III tournament, the DFS Classic
but was beaten in another tough three set match, 6–7(1) 7–5 6–7(5), by compatriot Sarah Borwell
. O'Brien had more success trying to qualify for the tier II Hastings Direct International where she beat Yuan Meng
, Tsvetana Pironkova
and Jill Craybas
to qualify. She faced Vasilisa Bardina
in the first round of the main tournament and had enough momentum carried over from the qualifying rounds to defeat her as well, 7–5 6–3. Her opponent in the round of 16 was No.4 seed, Elena Dementieva
who proved too much for the Brit. She beat O'Brien by a score of 3–6 4–6. The confidence and experience she gained helped her capitalise on a wild card
into the main draw of Wimbledon; she beat Sandra Klösel
in round one, 6–3 7–5, (by coming back from 3–5 down in the second set) before being demolished in the second round by 31st seed, Michaëlla Krajicek
, 0–6 1–6.
O'Brien spent August trying to qualify for the East West Bank Classic
(tier II), the Roger's Cup (tier I) and the final Grand Slam
of the year, the U.S. Open
. She failed to win a match in any of these qualifying tournaments. In September she managed to reach the final round of qualifying in a tier IV WTA tournament, the Banka Koper Slovenia Open
in Portorož
and just a few weeks later reached the quarterfinals of the main draw of a tier IV event, the Tashkent Open
, for the first time in her career before losing to Olga Govortsova
, 2–6 3–6. She played six more $25,000 ITF tournaments that year, reaching the semifinals in four of them and the final of another. She finished 2007 with a ranking of World No. 134.
where she entered qualifying as the No.15 seed. After being gifted an easy first round victory over Darya Kustova
when Kustova had to retire with the score at 6–3 1–0 in O'Brien's favour, O'Brien was forced to fight hard in her second qualifying match against Yanina Wickmayer
. She eventually won, 4–6 6–3 8–6, to set up a final round qualifying match against the No.11 seed in the qualifying tournament, Yuan Meng. O'Brien was defeated 4–6 2–6. In early February, she competed as part of the Great Britain Fed Cup team
in the Fed Cup
and was given tough opponents. She challenged Patty Schnyder
but eventually lost, 6–7(5) 5–7, and also lost to Ágnes Szávay
and Caroline Wozniacki
. However she and Anne Keothavong managed to save Britain from relegation from the Europe/Africa Group I by winning two singles matches against Portugal
. This was followed by O'Brien's first appearance on the ITF circuit
in 2008 which came at the $75,000 event in Midland
where she was the No.5 seed. She faced the No.2 seed, Laura Granville
, in the quarterfinals and was beaten, 6–1 3–6 1–6. O'Brien then attempted to qualify for four consecutive WTA events
, in Doha, Dubai, Bangalore and Indian Wells. She lost in round one of qualifying in each of them with the exception of Indian Wells where she lost in the round two of qualifying to Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová. Over March and April she reached the quarterfinals of two ITF tournaments: Jersey
($25,000) and Saint-Malo
($100,000). In May, O'Brien entered the French Open qualifying draw and beat fellow Brit, Melanie South in the opening round. She fell in round two to Kristina Barrois
, 4–6 2–6. After this she headed to the DFS Classic
where she beat Alla Kudryavtseva
, 6–0 3–6 7–6(2), in the first round before falling to Yaroslava Shvedova
in round two, 5–7 6–1 5–7. A wild card allowed O'Brien entry into the International Women's Open
(previously the Hastings Direct International) where she lost to Samantha Stosur
. Shahar Pe'er
beat O'Brien in the first round of Wimbledon
.
Following the third Grand Slam of the season, O'Brien participated in the Internazionali Femminili di Palermo
where Lourdes Domínguez Lino
beat O'Brien in round one. Two weeks later she reached the second round of the Banka Koper Slovenia Open
by beating No. 5 seed, Tsvetana Pironkova, in round one. She lost to Vera Dushevina
in the second round. In August, she reached the second round of qualifying for the US Open before being knocked out by home favourite, Alexa Glatch
. September saw O'Brien fall to Ioana Raluca Olaru
in round one of the Tashkent Open
and in October she reached the semifinals of the $50,000 ITF in Barnstaple
where she lost to Anne Keothavong. She reached two more ITF quarterfinals in 2008, in Phoenix and Saint-Denis
, both $25,000. Her year-end ranking was World No. 154.
season by attempting to qualify for the ASB Classic
in Auckland, New Zealand. She came up against the number 2 seed in the qualifying tournament, Ayumi Morita
, and lost in three sets, 6–3 2–6 7–5. Her next tournament was the qualifying event for the first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open
. She beat Sandra Záhlavová
, Julie Ditty
and Betina Jozami
to gain entry into the main draw for the first time in her career. She faced Monica Niculescu
in round one but lost, 4–6 4–6. Nevertheless, the 2009 Australian Open marked the first time since the 1992 US Open that four British women had competed in the main draw of a Grand Slam other than Wimbledon
. O'Brien's three compatriots were Anne Keothavong
, Melanie South
and fellow qualifier, Elena Baltacha
. Following the Australian Open, O'Brien returned to ITF
action as the No.3 seed at the $25,000 event in Sutton
. She won four matches in straight sets before defeating wild card Johanna Konta
, 3–6 6–2 6–4, in the final to win her first title since September 2006 and the third ITF singles title of her career. Between this and the French Open
she reached the semifinals of ITF tournaments in Midland
($75,000), Biberach
($50,000) and Johannesburg
($100,000) as well as reaching the quarterfinals of a $100,000+H ITF event in Torhout
. She also won a $25,000 ITF in Jersey
and was the runner-up in another $25,000 event, this one in Minsk
. In May she reached the final round of qualifying for the French Open before losing to Arantxa Rus
, 4–6 6–7(6), however she gained entry to the main draw as a Lucky loser
when No.6 seed Vera Zvonareva
withdrew from the tournament due to injury. O'Brien lost to Olga Govortsova
, 6–1 6–1, in the first round.
O'Brien began her grass court season as the No.5 seed in a $50,000 ITF in Nottingham
but she was beaten in the second round by Naomi Cavaday
, 2–6 3–6. She was then given a wild card into the main draw of the AEGON Classic
where she was drawn to face fellow British wild card, Melanie South
. O'Brien eventually lost in three sets, 6–4 1–6 7–6(5). Immediately following this she went on to fall in the second round of qualifying for the AEGON International
to the world No.46, Ekaterina Makarova
, 6–4 6–2. Another wild card then granted O'Brien entry to the main draw of Wimbledon where she lost, 2–6 7–5 4–6, in round one to world No. 35, Iveta Benešová
. After Wimbledon, a number of first and second round defeats followed before O'Brien reached the final of another $25,000 ITF in July. She was beaten in the final, 5–7 2–6, by fellow Britain Georgie Stoop
. In August O'Brien was the No.3 seed in the qualifying tournament for the US Open
but she was stopped in round two of qualifying by lower-ranked Anna Tatishvili
. In late September she reached the final of a $75,000 ITF in Shrewsbury
as the No.6 seed where she came up against fellow Brit and No.5 seed, Elena Baltacha
. O'Brien lost in three sets, 3–6 6–4 3–6, but this result was enough to move both finalists into the top 100 for the first time in their careers. Over the course of her final few tournaments of the year, O'Brien reached another $100,000 ITF semifinal as well as the second round of the HP Open
where she was swept aside, 0–6 1–6, by top seed, Caroline Wozniacki
. She finished the year inside the top 100 with a ranking of World No. 90.
. She moved onto the $600,000 Premier event in Sydney and lost 3–6 3–6 to Anastasia Rodionova in the first round of qualifying. On 11 January O'Brien achieved a new career high ranking of 87. Playing in the main draw of the Australian Open for the second successive year, O'Brien defeated Austrian Patricia Mayr
6–3 6–3 in the opening round for her second career victory in a Grand Slam. In the second round O'Brien faced the eighth seed and former world number one Jelena Janković
and put in a spirited performance but went down 2–6 2–6. O'Brien is expected to move to a new career high ranking after the Australian Open.
in Auckland, New Zealand. Her ranking was not high enough for her to be directly accepted into the main draw so she entered the qualifying tournament. In the first round she defeated Emily Fanning of New Zealand 6–2, 6–2 and in the second round defeated No.4 seed 7–5, 6–3, but lost to Noppawan Lertcheewakarn
and did not win a place in the main draw.
O'Brien then got a wildcard into the 2011 Wimbledon Championships
, where she faced Kimiko Date-Krumm in the first round. However, she lost in under an hour, and became the first player eliminated from the main draw in the tournament. On August 12, 2011 she announced her retirement at the age 25.
Beverley
Beverley is a market town, civil parish and the county town of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, located between the River Hull and the Westwood. The town is noted for Beverley Minster and architecturally-significant religious buildings along New Walk and other areas, as well as the Beverley...
, Yorkshire
East Riding of Yorkshire
The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Yorkshire, is a local government district with unitary authority status, and a ceremonial county of England. For ceremonial purposes the county also includes the city of Kingston upon Hull, which is a separate unitary authority...
. She was briefly the British No. 1 tennis player. She reached her career-high singles ranking of World No.84 on 1 February 2010 and won four 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...
singles titles and two ITF doubles titles.
In 2007 she reached the second round of her home Grand Slam
Grand Slam (tennis)
The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and...
, Wimbledon
2007 Wimbledon Championships - Women's Singles
Amélie Mauresmo was the defending champion but was knocked out in the fourth round by Nicole Vaidišová.23rd seed Venus Williams defeated Marion Bartoli in the final, 6–4, 6–1...
, by beating Sandra Klösel
Sandra Klösel
Sandra Klösel is a professional female tennis player from Germany. She turned pro in July 1995.On 19 March 2007, Klösel reached her career-high singles ranking: World No. 87.-Singles :...
in round one. She lost to the No.31 seed, Michaëlla Krajicek
Michaëlla Krajicek
Michaëlla Krajicek is a Dutch professional tennis player. Her highest WTA ranking was number 30 on 11 February 2008. She currently is the second best ranked player from the Netherlands behind Arantxa Rus.-Personal life:...
, in the second round. In 2010 she replicated this achievement by beating Patricia Mayr
Patricia Mayr
Patricia Mayr-Achleitner is a professional Austrian tennis player. Her highest WTA singles ranking is 70th, which she reached on May 4, 2009...
to reach the second round of the Australian Open where she fell to 8th seeded 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...
.
Personal life
O'Brien's parents are named Phil and Jill and live in HessleHessle
Hessle is a town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, situated west of Kingston upon Hull city centre. Geographically it is part of a larger urban area which consists of the city of Kingston upon Hull, the town of Hessle and a number of other villages but is not part of the...
, East Riding of Yorkshire
East Riding of Yorkshire
The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Yorkshire, is a local government district with unitary authority status, and a ceremonial county of England. For ceremonial purposes the county also includes the city of Kingston upon Hull, which is a separate unitary authority...
. Phil used to play professional football in the 1970s for Watford
Watford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
. Her mother is a nursery school teacher. She has one brother, James, and a sister, Holly, who are both qualified DCA tennis coaches. Holly even represented Yorkshire as a junior.
O'Brien attended Hymers College
Hymers College
Hymers College is a co-educational independent school located on the site of the old Botanic Gardens of Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was established in 1893 as a boys' school, but expanded to include girls from the 1970s onwards.-History:...
, Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
from 1997 to 2002. She studied her A-levels at Woodhouse Grove School
Woodhouse Grove School
Woodhouse Grove School is an independent, coeducational, day and boarding public school and Sixth Form college in Apperley Bridge, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England for children aged between 11 and 18...
in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
from 2002 to 2004. She began studying with the Open University
Open University
The Open University is a distance learning and research university founded by Royal Charter in the United Kingdom...
in 2008.
Junior (2000–2004)
O'Brien played her first match on the junior ITF tour in February 2000 and her last in June 2004. During her junior tennis career, she won two titles—the Team Leschly Danish Junior Cup in February 2002 and the Vierumaki Junior Cup in October the same year. She also reached a total of five semifinals and three quarterfinals overall. O'Brien's best result in a junior Grand Slam came in the 2003 junior Wimbledon Championships where she reached round three before losing to Emma LaineEmma Laine
Emma Johanna Laine is a professional tennis player from Finland.The left-handed Laine turned professional in 2004. Her highest career singles ranking has been World No. 50 on August 7, 2006....
, 1–6 5–7. Her career-high junior singles ranking was World No.101, reached on 15 September 2003 and her overall win-loss record in singles was 44–34.
In addition to her singles success as a junior, she also won one doubles title, lost in the final of another, reached four doubles semifinals and seven doubles quarterfinals (one of which was in the 2004 Wimbledon Championships partnering compatriot, Melanie South
Melanie South
Melanie Jayne South is an English tennis player. She is currently the British number 7 and ranked 310 in the world...
). She reached her career–high doubles ranking of World No.201 on 3 February 2003 and ended her junior career with a win–loss record of 17–26.
2001–2004
O'Brien played her first match on the 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...
tour in September 2001
2001 WTA Tour
The WTA Tour is the elite tour for professional women's tennis organised by the Women's Tennis Association . The WTA Tour includes the four Grand Slam tournaments, the WTA Tour Championships and the WTA Tier I, Tier II, Tier III, Tier IV and Tier V events...
when she attempted to qualify for the $10,000 event in Sunderland. She lost in the second round of qualifying for this tournament.
One year later, in September 2002
2002 WTA Tour
The 2002 Sanex WTA Tour was the 30th season since the founding of the Women's Tennis Association. It commenced on December 31, 2001, and concluded on November 11, 2002, after 64 events....
, she reached her first ITF quarterfinal as a qualifier in the $10,000 event in Sunderland and was beaten by countrywoman, Anne Keothavong
Anne Keothavong
Anne Viensouk Keothavong is a British professional tennis player. She is a former long-standing British number 1, however she is the current British number 2, behind Elena Baltacha and is ranked 71st in the world...
, 0–6 1–6. This was her only quarterfinal appearance in 2002 and she finished the year with a ranking of World No. 693.
In 2003
2003 WTA Tour
The WTA Tour is the elite tour for professional women's tennis organised by the Women's Tennis Association . The WTA Tour includes the four Grand Slam tournaments, the WTA Tour Championships and the WTA Tier I, Tier II, Tier III, Tier IV and Tier V events...
she again reached only one quarterfinal, this one in the $10,000 ITF tournament in Felixstowe
Felixstowe
Felixstowe is a seaside town on the North Sea coast of Suffolk, England. The town gives its name to the nearby Port of Felixstowe, which is the largest container port in the United Kingdom and is owned by Hutchinson Ports UK...
. In every other tournament she played she either lost in the first round or the qualifying stages. As a result, her year-end ranking fell from the previous year to World No. 742.
In May 2004
2004 WTA Tour
The 2004 WTA Tour was the 32nd season since the founding of the Women's Tennis Association. It commenced on January 5, 2004, and concluded on November 13, 2004, after 60 events....
, O'Brien played her first ever semifinal on the ITF tour against Elke Clijsters
Elke Clijsters
Elke Clijsters is a former professional female tennis player from Belgium.Born in Bilzen, Bree, the daughter of Belgian football player Leo Clijsters and sister of former World No. 1 Kim Clijsters . She won the girls' U.S. Open doubles title in 2002 and reached a highest ranking of 389 on 15...
(the sister of former World No.1 Kim Clijsters
Kim Clijsters
Kim Antonie Lode Clijsters is a Belgian professional tennis player. As of 7 November 2011, Clijsters is ranked No. 13 in singles. Clijsters is a former World No. 1 in both singles and doubles....
) and was beaten, 3–6 5–7. She was given a wild card
Wild card (sports)
The term wild card refers broadly to a tournament or playoff berth awarded to an individual or team that has not qualified through normal play.-International sports:...
into the main draw of her home Grand Slam
Grand Slam (tennis)
The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and...
, Wimbledon
2004 Wimbledon Championships - Women's Singles
Serena Williams was the two-time defending champion, but she was defeated by 17-year-old Maria Sharapova in the final, 6–1, 6–4. This victory was hailed by the media as "the most stunning upset in memory". With this win, Sharapova, who would later became a future World No. 1, entered the Top Ten...
for the first time in her career in June 2004. She was beaten in the first round, 4–6 4–6, by María Sánchez Lorenzo
María Sánchez Lorenzo
María Antonia Sánchez Lorenzo is a retired Spanish professional tennis player.Her highest WTA ranking has been World No...
. Following Wimbledon, she played twelve more tournaments on the ITF tour, reaching the final of one (Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
$10,000), the semifinals of three of them and the quarterfinals of two more. Her end-of-year ranking was World No. 401.
2005
The 2005 season started well for O'Brien; she reached the finals of her first two $10,000 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...
tournaments (in Tipton
Tipton
Tipton is a town in the Sandwell borough of the West Midlands, England, with a population of around 47,000. Tipton is located about halfway between Birmingham and Wolverhampton. It is a part of the West Midlands conurbation and is a part of the Black Country....
and Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
) and won the second of the two. In her third tournament, Sunderland $10,000, she reached the quarterfinals but was beaten by compatriot, Elena Baltacha
Elena Baltacha
Elena Baltacha 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. As of 24 November 2011 she holds a current world ranking of No. 50. Her...
, 4–6 3–6. Her second quarterfinal of the year was in the $10,000 tournament in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
.
In June, she received three wild cards
Wild card (sports)
The term wild card refers broadly to a tournament or playoff berth awarded to an individual or team that has not qualified through normal play.-International sports:...
into three consecutive WTA tournaments; the DFS Classic
DFS Classic
The AEGON Classic, formerly known as the DFS Classic, is an International series tennis tournament on the WTA Tour held at the Edgbaston Priory Club in Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom. Held at this location since 1982, the tournament is played on outdoor grass courts...
qualifying draw, the Hastings Direct International Championships qualifying draw and Wimbledon main draw. She failed to qualify in the first two tournaments and was beaten by Kim Clijsters
Kim Clijsters
Kim Antonie Lode Clijsters is a Belgian professional tennis player. As of 7 November 2011, Clijsters is ranked No. 13 in singles. Clijsters is a former World No. 1 in both singles and doubles....
, 2–6 3–6, in the first round of Wimbledon.
Following Wimbledon she entered the $25,000 tournament in Felixstowe
Felixstowe
Felixstowe is a seaside town on the North Sea coast of Suffolk, England. The town gives its name to the nearby Port of Felixstowe, which is the largest container port in the United Kingdom and is owned by Hutchinson Ports UK...
and reached the semifinals before losing to Jarmila Gajdošová
Jarmila Gajdošová
Jarmila Gajdošová , known as Jarmila Groth from 2009 to 2011, is an Australian tennis player...
, 4–6 4–6. She competed in twelve more ITF tournaments that year (reaching the quarterfinals in six of them) and the qualifying tournament for the BGL-BNP Paribas Open Luxembourg where she reached the second round of qualifying. She finished the 2005 season with a ranking of World No. 263.
2006
In January, O'Brien reached yet another ITF2006 ITF Women's Circuit
The ITF Women's Circuit is the second tier tour for women's professional tennis organised by the International Tennis Federation, and is the tier below the WTA Tour...
quarterfinal, this one in the $10,000 tournament in Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
, and the very next month she progressed to the semifinals of the $25,000 tournament in Sunderland before losing, 2–6 4–6, to Anne Keothavong
Anne Keothavong
Anne Viensouk Keothavong is a British professional tennis player. She is a former long-standing British number 1, however she is the current British number 2, behind Elena Baltacha and is ranked 71st in the world...
. She reached the semifinals of the ITF event in Fukuoka
Fukuoka
Fukuoka most often refers to the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture.It can also refer to:-Locations:* Fukuoka, Gifu, a town in Gifu Prefecture, Japan* Fukuoka, Toyama, a town in Toyama Prefecture, Japan...
, Japan ($50,000) where she was beaten by Ayumi Morita
Ayumi Morita
is a Japanese female tennis player. She reached her career-high ranking of 42nd in the world on June 6, 2011 and is currently the highest ranked Japanese player in the world at World No. 46, the seventh overall in Asia. At Junior level, she reached a career high ranking of No. 3.Morita is known for...
.
She again spent June attempting to qualify for the DFS Classic
DFS Classic
The AEGON Classic, formerly known as the DFS Classic, is an International series tennis tournament on the WTA Tour held at the Edgbaston Priory Club in Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom. Held at this location since 1982, the tournament is played on outdoor grass courts...
and the Hastings Direct International Championships without success. She also competed in the Wimbledon
2006 Wimbledon Championships - Women's Singles
Results of the Ladies' Singles at the 2006 Wimbledon Championships.-Schedule:-Seeds:# Amélie Mauresmo # Kim Clijsters # Justine Henin-Hardenne # Maria Sharapova ...
main draw but again lost in round one, beaten by Tathiana Garbin
Tathiana Garbin
Tathiana Garbin is an Italian tennis player. As of 17 May 2010, she is ranked World No. 56 in singles and No. 38 in doubles. Garbin is probably best known for her shocking defeat of the defending champion and the reigning World No. 1 Justine Henin in the second round of the 2004 French Open...
in three sets, 6–2 6–7(2) 2–6.
After this she lost to Monique Adamczak
Monique Adamczak
Monique Adamczak is an Australian professional tennis player. She is coached by Roger Federer's former coach, Tony Roche. Adamczak's favourite surface is grass....
in the quarterfinals of the $25,000 event in Valladolid
Valladolid
Valladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales...
in July and she reached the final of the ITF tournament in Changsha ($25,000) in August. Two consecutive $25,000 ITF finals followed in September; the second of which she won. Her good form continued into October and November when she reached the quarterfinals, semifinals and quarterfinals of $25,000 ITF tournaments in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, 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 Jakarta
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
respectively. Her final ranking of 2006 was World No. 193.
2007
O'Brien's first tournament of the 20072007 WTA Tour
The 2007 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour was the 35th season since the founding of the Women's Tennis Association. It commenced on January 1, 2007, and concluded on November 11, 2007 after 61 events. Two new events were added to the schedule for the 2007 season: the Barcelona KIA and Gastein Ladies. It also...
season was the qualifying event for the Australian Open
2007 Australian Open - Women's Singles
-Seeds:# Maria Sharapova # Amélie Mauresmo # Svetlana Kuznetsova # Kim Clijsters # Nadia Petrova # Martina Hingis # Elena Dementieva ...
where she beat Chen Yanchong
Chen Yanchong
Chen Yanchong , is a WTA professional women's tennis player from the People's Republic of China. She was born in Hengyang, Hunan province in China....
in a marathon three-setter, 3–6 6–2 8–7 ret, to set up a second round clash with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Anastasia Sergeyevna Pavlyuchenkova is a Russian professional tennis player and a multiple junior Grand Slam champion. Her career-high rank of World No. 13 was achieved on 4 July 2011. From July 2007 to September 2009 she was coached at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy in France...
which she lost 6–7(5) 1–6. She then returned to the ITF
2007 ITF Women's Circuit
The ITF Women's Circuit is the second tier tour for women's professional tennis organised by the International Tennis Federation, and is the tier below the WTA Tour...
circuit until May. During this time she played in ten ITF tournaments, reaching the quarterfinal stages in four of them (two $50,000 events and two $25,000 events). She then attempted to qualify for the French Open but was beaten by Florence Haring
Florence Haring
Florence Haring is a French professional tennis player. As of June 26, 2006, she reached her highest single rankings of World number 213....
, 6–4 3–6 3–6.
O'Brien's grass court
Grass court
A grass court is one of the four different types of tennis court. Grass courts are made of rye grass in different compositions depending on the tournament...
season began with another ITF quarterfinal, this one in Surbiton
Surbiton
Surbiton, a suburban area of London in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, is situated next to the River Thames, with a mixture of Art-Deco courts, more recent residential blocks and grand, spacious 19th century townhouses blending into a sea of semi-detached 20th century housing estates...
($25,000). She then tried to qualify for the tier III tournament, the DFS Classic
2007 DFS Classic
The 2007 DFS Classic was a tennis tournament played on grass courts at the Edgbaston Priory Club in Birmingham in the United Kingdom that was part of Tier III of the 2007 WTA Tour...
but was beaten in another tough three set match, 6–7(1) 7–5 6–7(5), by compatriot Sarah Borwell
Sarah Borwell
Sarah Leah Borwell is an English professional tennis player who specialises primarily in doubles. She is currently the British number 1 in doubles, ranked 67 in the world...
. O'Brien had more success trying to qualify for the tier II Hastings Direct International where she beat Yuan Meng
Yuan Meng
Yuan Meng is a Chinese female professional tennis player. She is China's fifth-highest ranked women's singles player after Zheng Jie, Li Na, Peng Shuai, and Yan Zi. Yuan has won four ITF singles titles and one ITF doubles title....
, Tsvetana Pironkova
Tsvetana Pironkova
Tsvetana Kirilova Pironkova is a female Bulgarian tennis player. She was born and lives in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Pironkova is right-handed and plays with a two-handed backhand....
and Jill Craybas
Jill Craybas
- Early years :Craybas was born in Providence, Rhode Island. She received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, where she played for coach Andy Brandi's Florida Gators women's tennis team in National Collegiate Athletics Association competition from 1993 to...
to qualify. She faced Vasilisa Bardina
Vasilisa Bardina
Vasilisa Alekseyevna Bardina is a Russian professional tennis player.As of August 10, 2007, her highest ranking was World Number 48, achieved in early 2007...
in the first round of the main tournament and had enough momentum carried over from the qualifying rounds to defeat her as well, 7–5 6–3. Her opponent in the round of 16 was No.4 seed, 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...
who proved too much for the Brit. She beat O'Brien by a score of 3–6 4–6. The confidence and experience she gained helped her capitalise on a wild card
Wild card (sports)
The term wild card refers broadly to a tournament or playoff berth awarded to an individual or team that has not qualified through normal play.-International sports:...
into the main draw of Wimbledon; she beat Sandra Klösel
Sandra Klösel
Sandra Klösel is a professional female tennis player from Germany. She turned pro in July 1995.On 19 March 2007, Klösel reached her career-high singles ranking: World No. 87.-Singles :...
in round one, 6–3 7–5, (by coming back from 3–5 down in the second set) before being demolished in the second round by 31st seed, Michaëlla Krajicek
Michaëlla Krajicek
Michaëlla Krajicek is a Dutch professional tennis player. Her highest WTA ranking was number 30 on 11 February 2008. She currently is the second best ranked player from the Netherlands behind Arantxa Rus.-Personal life:...
, 0–6 1–6.
O'Brien spent August trying to qualify for the East West Bank Classic
2007 East West Bank Classic
The 2007 East West Bank Classic was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 34th edition of the East West Bank Classic, and was part of the Tier II Series of the 2007 WTA Tour. It took place at the Home Depot Center in Carson, near Los Angeles, California, United States, from...
(tier II), the Roger's Cup (tier I) and the final Grand Slam
Grand Slam (tennis)
The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and...
of the year, the U.S. 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...
. She failed to win a match in any of these qualifying tournaments. In September she managed to reach the final round of qualifying in a tier IV WTA tournament, the Banka Koper Slovenia Open
Banka Koper Slovenia Open
The Banka Koper Slovenia Open is a tennis tournament held in Portorož, Slovenia. Held since 2005, this WTA Tour event is a WTA International Tournaments and is played on outdoor hardcourts....
in Portorož
Portorož
- External links :**...
and just a few weeks later reached the quarterfinals of the main draw of a tier IV event, the Tashkent Open
2007 Tashkent Open
The 2007 Tashkent Open was a tennis tournament on the 2007 WTA Tour. Pauline Parmentier won the singles title, defeating Victoria Azarenka in the final, while Anastasiya Yakimova and Ekaterina Dzehalevich won the doubles title over Tatiana Poutchek and Anastassia Rodionova.-New Faces:In the first...
, for the first time in her career before losing to Olga Govortsova
Olga Govortsova
Olga Govortsova is a professional Belarusian tennis player. As of May 10, 2010 her highest singles ranking on the WTA is World Number 35, which she achieved on June 23, 2008.-Career:...
, 2–6 3–6. She played six more $25,000 ITF tournaments that year, reaching the semifinals in four of them and the final of another. She finished 2007 with a ranking of World No. 134.
2008
O'Brien's first tournament of the season was the Australian Open2008 Australian Open - Women's Singles
Serena Williams was the defending champion, but lost in the quarterfinals to Jelena Janković.Maria Sharapova won in the final 7–5, 6–3, against Ana Ivanović to win her third Grand Slam title and her first at the Australian Open. She was also the first Russian woman to win this tournament...
where she entered qualifying as the No.15 seed. After being gifted an easy first round victory over Darya Kustova
Darya Kustova
Darya Kustova is a professional Belarusian tennis player. Her highest WTA singles ranking is 117, which she reached on January 18, 2010. Her career high in doubles was 66, set at July 7, 2008.-External links:...
when Kustova had to retire with the score at 6–3 1–0 in O'Brien's favour, O'Brien was forced to fight hard in her second qualifying match against Yanina Wickmayer
Yanina Wickmayer
Yanina Wickmayer is a Belgian professional tennis player who is currently ranked world no. 22 and is the second-highest ranked female Belgian tennis player. She reached her career-high ranking of world no. 12 on 19 April 2010...
. She eventually won, 4–6 6–3 8–6, to set up a final round qualifying match against the No.11 seed in the qualifying tournament, Yuan Meng. O'Brien was defeated 4–6 2–6. In early February, she competed as part of the Great Britain Fed Cup team
Great Britain Fed Cup team
The Great Britain Fed Cup team represents the United Kingdom in Fed Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Lawn Tennis Association. They currently compete in the Europe/Africa Zone of Group I.-History:...
in the Fed Cup
2008 Fed Cup
The 2008 Fed Cup was the 46th edition of the most important tournament between national teams in women's tennis. 8 teams contested the World Group, and 85 teams competed in total...
and was given tough opponents. She challenged 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...
but eventually lost, 6–7(5) 5–7, and also lost to Ágnes Szávay
Ágnes Szávay
Ágnes Szávay is a professional tennis player from Hungary. She is the country's highest ranked tennis player. She was the WTA Newcomer of the Year in 2007. She achieved her career high ranking of World No. 13 on April 14, 2008.- Background :...
and Caroline Wozniacki
Caroline Wozniacki
Caroline Wozniacki is a Danish professional tennis player. She is the current world no. 1 on the WTA Tour. As of 7 November 2011, she has held this position for 56 weeks...
. However she and Anne Keothavong managed to save Britain from relegation from the Europe/Africa Group I by winning two singles matches against Portugal
Portugal Fed Cup team
The Portugal Fed Cup team represents Portugal in Fed Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Federação Portuguesa de Tenis. They competed in the Europe/Africa Zone of Group I in 2010, but were relegated to Group II for 2011.-History:...
. This was followed by O'Brien's first appearance on the ITF circuit
2008 ITF Women's Circuit
The ITF Women's Circuit is the second tier tour for women's professional tennis organised by the International Tennis Federation, and is a tier below the WTA Tour...
in 2008 which came at the $75,000 event in Midland
Midland, Michigan
Midland is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan in the Tri-Cities region of the state. It is the county seat of Midland County. The city's population was 41,863 as of the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Midland Micropolitan Statistical Area....
where she was the No.5 seed. She faced the No.2 seed, Laura Granville
Laura Granville
Laura Granville is an American professional tennis player. During the two years she spent at Stanford University, she set the record for most consecutive singles victories with 58. As of November 17, 2008, she is ranked World No...
, in the quarterfinals and was beaten, 6–1 3–6 1–6. O'Brien then attempted to qualify for four consecutive WTA events
2008 WTA Tour
The 2008 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour was the 36th season since the founding of the Women's Tennis Association. It commenced on December 31, 2007, and concluded on November 9, 2008 after 59 events.The season was characterised by its frequent changes in the No...
, in Doha, Dubai, Bangalore and Indian Wells. She lost in round one of qualifying in each of them with the exception of Indian Wells where she lost in the round two of qualifying to Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová. Over March and April she reached the quarterfinals of two ITF tournaments: Jersey
Jersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
($25,000) and Saint-Malo
Saint-Malo
Saint-Malo is a walled port city in Brittany in northwestern France on the English Channel. It is a sub-prefecture of the Ille-et-Vilaine.-Demographics:The population can increase to up to 200,000 in the summer tourist season...
($100,000). In May, O'Brien entered the French Open qualifying draw and beat fellow Brit, Melanie South in the opening round. She fell in round two to Kristina Barrois
Kristina Barrois
Kristina Barrois is a professional German tennis player who has won two German Tennis Championships and reached the second round of all four Grand Slam events, as well as the final of two WTA tournaments. She lives in Urexweiler, Marpingen. Her career high rank is World No...
, 4–6 2–6. After this she headed to the DFS Classic
2008 DFS Classic - Singles
Jelena Janković was the defending champion, but chose not to participate that year.Kateryna Bondarenko won in the final 7–6, 3–6, 7–6, against Yanina Wickmayer.-Seeds:The top eight seeds receive a bye into the second round....
where she beat Alla Kudryavtseva
Alla Kudryavtseva
Alla Alexandrovna Kudryavtseva is a professional tennis player from Russia. She currently lives in Moscow, where she is coached by Nick Rybakov...
, 6–0 3–6 7–6(2), in the first round before falling to Yaroslava Shvedova
Yaroslava Shvedova
Yaroslava Vyacheslavovna Shvedova is a Kazakhstani professional tennis player of Russian descent. She has achieved a career high ranking of No. 29 as of 21 June 2010. She has won 1 WTA singles title, 3 ITF Women's Circuit singles titles and 3 doubles titles, including the 2010 Wimbledon and US...
in round two, 5–7 6–1 5–7. A wild card allowed O'Brien entry into the International Women's Open
2008 International Women's Open - Singles
Justine Henin was the defending champion, but retired from the sport on May 14, 2008.Agnieszka Radwańska won in the final 6–4, 6–7, 6–4, against Nadia Petrova.-Seeds:The top four seeds receive a bye into the second round....
(previously the Hastings Direct International) where she lost to Samantha Stosur
Samantha Stosur
Samantha "Sam" Jane Stosur is an Australian professional tennis player. She won the 2011 US Open singles title and was a finalist at the 2010 French Open. Stosur is ranked World No. 6 and her career high in singles is World No. 4, achieved on 21 February 2011. She is a former world No...
. Shahar Pe'er
Shahar Pe'er
Shahar Pe'er is an Israeli professional tennis player. Her career-high singles ranking is World No. 11, which she achieved on January 31, 2011 ....
beat O'Brien in the first round of Wimbledon
2008 Wimbledon Championships - Women's Singles
Venus Williams was the defending champion, and won in the final 7–5, 6–4, against her sister Serena Williams.-Seeds:# Ana Ivanović # Jelena Janković # Maria Sharapova ...
.
Following the third Grand Slam of the season, O'Brien participated in the Internazionali Femminili di Palermo
2008 Internazionali Femminili di Palermo - Singles
Ágnes Szávay was the defending champion, but chose not to participate that year.Sara Errani won in the final 6–2, 6–3, against Mariya Koryttseva.-Seeds:# Flavia Pennetta # Anabel Medina Garrigues ...
where Lourdes Domínguez Lino
Lourdes Dominguez Lino
Lourdes Domínguez Lino is a Spanish professional female tennis player. On 11 September 2006 Domínguez Lino reached her career-high singles ranking: World No...
beat O'Brien in round one. Two weeks later she reached the second round of the Banka Koper Slovenia Open
2008 Banka Koper Slovenia Open - Singles
Tatiana Golovin was the defending champion, but chose not to participate that year.Sara Errani won in the final 6–3, 6–3, against Anabel Medina Garrigues.-Seeds:# Maria Kirilenko # Katarina Srebotnik ...
by beating No. 5 seed, Tsvetana Pironkova, in round one. She lost to Vera Dushevina
Vera Dushevina
Vera Yevgenyevna Dushevina is a Russian professional female tennis player. She was born in Moscow but now resides in Khimki, Russia. In 2006, she privately amended the presentation of her surname so as to be more English language friendly, adopting Dushevina in place of Douchevina which is a...
in the second round. In August, she reached the second round of qualifying for the US Open before being knocked out by home favourite, Alexa Glatch
Alexa Glatch
-Junior career:She started playing tennis at the age of five. As a junior player, she won the prestigious Easter Bowl title in the Girls 14s and Girls 18s divisions and the Orange Bowl in the Girls 16s division in 2004. She achieved a World Junior Ranking of #5 in 2005, advancing to the 2005 US...
. September saw O'Brien fall to Ioana Raluca Olaru
Ioana Raluca Olaru
Ioana Raluca Olaru is a Romanian tennis player. As of 2 August 2010, she is ranked World No. 158 in singles and No. 104 in doubles. The winner of nine singles and six doubles ITF Circuit titles, Olaru reached one WTA Tour singles final, at the 2009 Gastein Ladies, losing to Andrea Petkovic 6–2, 6–3...
in round one of the Tashkent Open
2008 Tashkent Open - Singles
Pauline Parmentier was the defending champion, but chose not to participate that year.Sorana Cîrstea won in the final 2–6, 6–4, 7–6, against Sabine Lisicki.-Seeds:# Peng Shuai # Olga Govortsova ...
and in October she reached the semifinals of the $50,000 ITF in Barnstaple
Barnstaple
Barnstaple is a town and civil parish in the local government district of North Devon in the county of Devon, England, UK. It lies west southwest of Bristol, north of Plymouth and northwest of the county town of Exeter. The old spelling Barnstable is now obsolete.It is the main town of the...
where she lost to Anne Keothavong. She reached two more ITF quarterfinals in 2008, in Phoenix and Saint-Denis
Saint-Denis
Saint-Denis is a commune in the northern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Saint-Denis is a sous-préfecture of the Seine-Saint-Denis département, being the seat of the Arrondissement of Saint-Denis....
, both $25,000. Her year-end ranking was World No. 154.
2009
O'Brien started her 20092009 WTA Tour
The 2009 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour was the 37th season since the founding of the Women's Tennis Association. It commenced on January 5, 2009, and concluded on November 8, 2009 after 56 events....
season by attempting to qualify for the ASB Classic
2009 ASB Classic - Singles
Lindsay Davenport was the defending champion, but chose not to participate that year due to her pregnancy.Elena Dementieva won in the final 6–4, 6–1, against Elena Vesnina.-Seeds:# Elena Dementieva # Caroline Wozniacki ...
in Auckland, New Zealand. She came up against the number 2 seed in the qualifying tournament, Ayumi Morita
Ayumi Morita
is a Japanese female tennis player. She reached her career-high ranking of 42nd in the world on June 6, 2011 and is currently the highest ranked Japanese player in the world at World No. 46, the seventh overall in Asia. At Junior level, she reached a career high ranking of No. 3.Morita is known for...
, and lost in three sets, 6–3 2–6 7–5. Her next tournament was the qualifying event for the first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open
2009 Australian Open - Women's Singles
Maria Sharapova was the defending champion, but chose not to participate this year, due to a shoulder injury.Serena Williams won in the final 6–0, 6–3, against Dinara Safina.-Seeds:# Jelena Janković ...
. She beat Sandra Záhlavová
Sandra Záhlavová
Sandra Záhlavová is a Czech tennis player. On 21 June 2010, she achieved her career-high WTA Event singles ranking of No. 78. On June 12, 2006, she claimed her highest Doubles rank of No. 165...
, Julie Ditty
Julie Ditty
Julie Ditty is an American professional tennis player. Ditty did not have her true WTA breakthrough until 2007, when she reached the semifinals of the Bell Challenge, a result that took her into the top 100 for the first time in her career on November 5, 2007, at No. 91...
and Betina Jozami
Betina Jozami
Betina Jozami is a professional tennis player from Argentina. She has not won a Women's Tennis Association tennis title, but has won five singles titles and eleven doubles titles on the International Tennis Federation . Born to Beto and Andrea Jozami, the Argentine has two siblings...
to gain entry into the main draw for the first time in her career. She faced Monica Niculescu
Monica Niculescu
Monica Niculescu is a Romanian tennis player. As of October 24, 2011 she is ranked No. 29 at the WTA Tour Singles Ranking. Her highest WTA ranking is currently her present ranking in singles, reached on 24 Oct 2011, and No. 24 in doubles, reached on June 7, 2010.Niculescu was born in Slatina,...
in round one but lost, 4–6 4–6. Nevertheless, the 2009 Australian Open marked the first time since the 1992 US Open that four British women had competed in the main draw of a Grand Slam other than 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...
. O'Brien's three compatriots were Anne Keothavong
Anne Keothavong
Anne Viensouk Keothavong is a British professional tennis player. She is a former long-standing British number 1, however she is the current British number 2, behind Elena Baltacha and is ranked 71st in the world...
, Melanie South
Melanie South
Melanie Jayne South is an English tennis player. She is currently the British number 7 and ranked 310 in the world...
and fellow qualifier, Elena Baltacha
Elena Baltacha
Elena Baltacha 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. As of 24 November 2011 she holds a current world ranking of No. 50. Her...
. Following the Australian Open, O'Brien returned to ITF
2009 ITF Women's Circuit
The ITF Women's Circuit is the second tier tour for women's professional tennis organised by the International Tennis Federation, and is a tier below the WTA Tour. The ITF Women's Circuit includes tournaments with prize money ranging from $10,000 up to...
action as the No.3 seed at the $25,000 event in Sutton
Sutton, London
Sutton is a large suburban town in southwest London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Sutton. It is located south-southwest of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. The town was connected to central London by...
. She won four matches in straight sets before defeating wild card Johanna Konta
Johanna Konta
Johanna Konta is a professional Australian/British tennis player playing in the ITF Women's Circuit. On April 18, 2011, she reached her highest WTA singles ranking of 239. She is reportedly in the process of becoming a British citizen, but the ITF still mark her as Australian.-Career:The second...
, 3–6 6–2 6–4, in the final to win her first title since September 2006 and the third ITF singles title of her career. Between this and the French Open
2009 French Open
The 2009 French Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 108th edition of the French Open, and the second Grand Slam event of the year...
she reached the semifinals of ITF tournaments in Midland
Midland, Michigan
Midland is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan in the Tri-Cities region of the state. It is the county seat of Midland County. The city's population was 41,863 as of the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Midland Micropolitan Statistical Area....
($75,000), Biberach
Biberach
Biberach is the name of several locations in Germany.* Biberach an der Riss, a town in Upper Swabia* Biberach , which has Biberach an der Riss as its capital* Biberach, Baden, a municipality in the Ortenaukreis...
($50,000) and Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
($100,000) as well as reaching the quarterfinals of a $100,000+H ITF event in Torhout
Torhout
Torhout is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality only comprises the city of Torhout proper. On January 1, 2008 Torhout had a total population of 19,755...
. She also won a $25,000 ITF in Jersey
Jersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
and was the runner-up in another $25,000 event, this one in Minsk
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
. In May she reached the final round of qualifying for the French Open before losing to Arantxa Rus
Arantxa Rus
Arantxa Rus is a Dutch female tennis player. In 2008 she won the Australian Open for juniors, defeating Jessica Moore from Australia. Because of this win she went from 35th to 2nd place on the junior tennis list, but soon she became new junior No.1 player...
, 4–6 6–7(6), however she gained entry to the main draw as a Lucky loser
Lucky Loser
Lucky Loser is a 2006 Thai sports-comedy about a small, fictional Southeast Asian country's bid to play in the World Cup...
when No.6 seed 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...
withdrew from the tournament due to injury. O'Brien lost to Olga Govortsova
Olga Govortsova
Olga Govortsova is a professional Belarusian tennis player. As of May 10, 2010 her highest singles ranking on the WTA is World Number 35, which she achieved on June 23, 2008.-Career:...
, 6–1 6–1, in the first round.
O'Brien began her grass court season as the No.5 seed in a $50,000 ITF in Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
but she was beaten in the second round by Naomi Cavaday
Naomi Cavaday
Naomi Kathleen Cavaday is an English former tennis player from Sidcup, Kent. She retired in April 2011 to take up a coaching role with the Lawn Tennis Association. At the time of her retirement she was the British No.6, with a world ranking of No. 231. Her career high ranking was No. 174,...
, 2–6 3–6. She was then given a wild card into the main draw of the AEGON Classic
2009 AEGON Classic - Singles
Kateryna Bondarenko was the defending champion, but chose not to participate that year.-Seeds:The top eight seeds receive a bye into the second round.# Zheng Jie # Kaia Kanepi # Aleksandra Wozniak ...
where she was drawn to face fellow British wild card, Melanie South
Melanie South
Melanie Jayne South is an English tennis player. She is currently the British number 7 and ranked 310 in the world...
. O'Brien eventually lost in three sets, 6–4 1–6 7–6(5). Immediately following this she went on to fall in the second round of qualifying for the AEGON International
2009 AEGON International - Women's Singles
Agnieszka Radwańska was the defending champion, but lost in the quarterfinals to Virginie Razzano.-Seeds:# Elena Dementieva # Svetlana Kuznetsova # Jelena Janković # Vera Zvonareva ...
to the world No.46, Ekaterina Makarova
Ekaterina Makarova
Ekaterina Valeryevna Makarova is a professional Russian tennis player. She achieved her career high ranking of number 29 on June 6, 2011.-Career:...
, 6–4 6–2. Another wild card then granted O'Brien entry to the main draw of Wimbledon where she lost, 2–6 7–5 4–6, in round one to world No. 35, Iveta Benešová
Iveta Benešová
Iveta Benešová is a professional tennis player. She began playing tennis at age of 7 and turned professional in 1998 in Prague. She has won two WTA Tour events and one Grand Slam in mixed doubles partnering with Jürgen Melzer at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships.-2006–2008:In the 2006 Australian...
. After Wimbledon, a number of first and second round defeats followed before O'Brien reached the final of another $25,000 ITF in July. She was beaten in the final, 5–7 2–6, by fellow Britain Georgie Stoop
Georgie Stoop
Georgina "Georgie" Gent is an English, AEGON Award winning professional tennis player coached by Damien Roberts. She is currently the British no. 10 and ranked at no. 299 in the world . She has won two ITF singles titles, two ITF doubles titles and reached a career-high singles ranking of world no...
. In August O'Brien was the No.3 seed in the qualifying tournament for the US Open
2009 US Open - Women's Singles
Serena Williams was the defending champion, but lost in the semifinals to Kim Clijsters.Clijsters won in the final, defeating Caroline Wozniacki to win her 2nd US Open title...
but she was stopped in round two of qualifying by lower-ranked Anna Tatishvili
Anna Tatishvili
Anna Tatishvili is a professional Georgian tennis player. Her highest WTA singles ranking is No. 84, which she reached on 4 July, 2011. Her career high in doubles is 107, which she reached on April 12, 2010...
. In late September she reached the final of a $75,000 ITF in Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
as the No.6 seed where she came up against fellow Brit and No.5 seed, Elena Baltacha
Elena Baltacha
Elena Baltacha 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. As of 24 November 2011 she holds a current world ranking of No. 50. Her...
. O'Brien lost in three sets, 3–6 6–4 3–6, but this result was enough to move both finalists into the top 100 for the first time in their careers. Over the course of her final few tournaments of the year, O'Brien reached another $100,000 ITF semifinal as well as the second round of the HP Open
2009 HP Open - Singles
Samantha Stosur won in the final 7-5, 6-1 against Francesca Schiavone.-Seeds:# Caroline Wozniacki # Marion Bartoli # Samantha Stosur # Francesca Schiavone ...
where she was swept aside, 0–6 1–6, by top seed, Caroline Wozniacki
Caroline Wozniacki
Caroline Wozniacki is a Danish professional tennis player. She is the current world no. 1 on the WTA Tour. As of 7 November 2011, she has held this position for 56 weeks...
. She finished the year inside the top 100 with a ranking of World No. 90.
2010
O'Brien started 2010 by attempting to qualify for the $220,000 ASB Classic in Auckland but lost her opening match 1–6 5–7 to Canadian Valérie TétreaultValérie Tétreault
Valérie Tétreault is a Canadian former professional tennis player. She reached her highest WTA singles ranking of No. 112 on February 22, 2010 and of No...
. She moved onto the $600,000 Premier event in Sydney and lost 3–6 3–6 to Anastasia Rodionova in the first round of qualifying. On 11 January O'Brien achieved a new career high ranking of 87. Playing in the main draw of the Australian Open for the second successive year, O'Brien defeated Austrian Patricia Mayr
Patricia Mayr
Patricia Mayr-Achleitner is a professional Austrian tennis player. Her highest WTA singles ranking is 70th, which she reached on May 4, 2009...
6–3 6–3 in the opening round for her second career victory in a Grand Slam. In the second round O'Brien faced the eighth seed and former world number one 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...
and put in a spirited performance but went down 2–6 2–6. O'Brien is expected to move to a new career high ranking after the Australian Open.
2011
O'Brien kicked off her 2011 season at the ASB ClassicASB Classic
The ASB Classic is a tennis tournament held in Auckland, New Zealand. Held since 1986, this WTA Tour event is an International series tournament and is played on outdoor hardcourts during the first week of the year....
in Auckland, New Zealand. Her ranking was not high enough for her to be directly accepted into the main draw so she entered the qualifying tournament. In the first round she defeated Emily Fanning of New Zealand 6–2, 6–2 and in the second round defeated No.4 seed 7–5, 6–3, but lost to Noppawan Lertcheewakarn
Noppawan Lertcheewakarn
Noppawan Lertcheewakarn is a professional Thai tennis player. At the Wimbledon 2009, she won the junior singles title. As of 12 April 2010, Lertcheewakarn has a rank on the WTA singles tour of 150 and doubles tour of 97.-Playing style:...
and did not win a place in the main draw.
O'Brien then got a wildcard into the 2011 Wimbledon Championships
2011 Wimbledon Championships
The 2011 Wimbledon Championships took place at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, England, from 20 June to 3 July 2011. It was the 125th edition of the championships, and the third Grand Slam tournament of the year. It was played on grass courts and was part of the...
, where she faced Kimiko Date-Krumm in the first round. However, she lost in under an hour, and became the first player eliminated from the main draw in the tournament. On August 12, 2011 she announced her retirement at the age 25.
Singles: 15 (4–11)
|
|
| Outcome | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
| Runner-up | $10,000 Manchester, Great Britain | Hard (i) |  Andrea Sieveke |
4–6, 6–7(4–7) | |
| Runner-up | $10,000 Tipton, Great Britain | Hard (i) |  Irina Bulykina |
7–6(7–5), 2–6, 4–6 | |
| Winner | $10,000 Hull, Great Britain | Hard (i) |  Ivanna Israilova |
6–4, 6–4 | |
| Runner-up | $25,000 Changsha, China | Hard |  |
1–6, 1–6 | |
| Runner-up | $25,000 Madrid, Spain | Hard |  |
7–6(9–7), 4–6, 4–6 | |
| Winner | $25,000 Nottingham, Great Britain | Hard |  Amanda Keen |
5–7, 7–6(7–3), 6–4 | |
| Runner-up | $25,000 Glasgow, Great Britain | Hard (i) |  |
3–6, 1–6 | |
| Winner | $25,000 Sutton, Great Britain | Hard (i) |  |
3–6, 6–2, 6–4 | |
| Runner-up | $25,000 Minsk, Belarus | Carpet |  |
7–6(7–3), 1–6, 4–6 | |
| Winner | $25,000 Jersey, Great Britain | Hard (i) | |
7–5, 1–0 ret. | |
| Runner-up | $25,000 Vigo, Spain (1) | Hard | |
5–7, 2–6 | |
| Runner-up | $75,000 Shrewsbury, Great Britain | Hard | |
3–6, 6–4, 3–6 | |
| Runner-up | $25,000 Woking, Great Britain | Hard |  |
5–7, 4–6 | |
| Runner-up | $25,000 Vigo, Spain (2) | Hard |  |
2–6, 0–6 | |
| Runner-up | $25,000 Mildura, Australia | Grass |  |
1–6, 2–6 |
Doubles: 11 (2–9)
|
|
| Outcome | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partnering | Opponents in the final | Score in the final |
| Runner-up | $10,000 Tipton, Great Britain | Hard (i) | |
 Surina De Beer |
4–6, 2–6 | |
| Runner-up | $10,000 Hull, Great Britain | Hard (i) | |
Irina Bulykina Vasilisa Davydova |
6–4, 3–6, 5–7 | |
| Runner-up | $25,000 Jersey, Great Britain | Hard (i) | |
 |
3–6, 1–6 | |
| Winner | $25,000 Madrid, Spain | Hard |  |
Céline Cattaneo  Gaelle Widmer |
6–4, 6–4 | |
| Runner-up | $25,000 Nottingham, Great Britain | Hard |  |
|
2–6, 6–2, 6–7(1–7) | |
| Winner | $25,000 Jersey, Great Britain | Hard (i) | |
Veronika Chvojkova Claire Peterzan |
7–5, 6–4 | |
| Runner-up | $25,000 Glasgow, Great Britain | Hard (i) | |
Veronika Chvojkova  |
4–6, 3–6 | |
| Runner-up | $25,000 Istanbul, Turkey | Hard (i) | |
  |
W/O | |
| Runner-up | $25,000 Jersey, Great Britain | Hard (i) | |
|
0–6, 4–6 | |
| Runner-up | $25,000 Sutton, Great Britain | Hard (i) |  |
 |
3–6, 3–6 | |
| Runner-up | $50,000 Nottingham, Great Britain | Grass | |
|
3–6, 6–2, [7–10] |
Grand Slam performance timeline
| Tournament | 2004 2004 WTA Tour The 2004 WTA Tour was the 32nd season since the founding of the Women's Tennis Association. It commenced on January 5, 2004, and concluded on November 13, 2004, after 60 events.... | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 2007 WTA Tour The 2007 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour was the 35th season since the founding of the Women's Tennis Association. It commenced on January 1, 2007, and concluded on November 11, 2007 after 61 events. Two new events were added to the schedule for the 2007 season: the Barcelona KIA and Gastein Ladies. It also... | 2008 2008 WTA Tour The 2008 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour was the 36th season since the founding of the Women's Tennis Association. It commenced on December 31, 2007, and concluded on November 9, 2008 after 59 events.The season was characterised by its frequent changes in the No... | 2009 2009 WTA Tour The 2009 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour was the 37th season since the founding of the Women's Tennis Association. It commenced on January 5, 2009, and concluded on November 8, 2009 after 56 events.... | 2010 2010 WTA Tour The Women's Tennis Association Tour is the elite professional tennis circuit organized by the WTA. The 2010 WTA Tour calendar comprises the Grand Slam tournaments , the WTA Premier tournaments , the WTA International tournaments, the Fed Cup , and the year-end... | 2011 2011 WTA Tour The WTA Tour is the elite tour for women's professional tennis organized by the Women's Tennis Association . The 2011 WTA Tour includes the Grand Slam tournaments , the WTA Premier tournaments, the WTA International tournaments, the Fed Cup , the Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions, and the WTA... | W–L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open Australian Open The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court... |
A | A | A | Q2 | Q3 | 1R | 2R | Q1 | 1–2 |
| French Open | A | A | A | Q1 | Q2 | 1R | 1R | 0–2 | |
| Wimbledon | 1R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1–8 |
| US Open | A | A | Q1 | Q1 | Q2 | Q2 | Q3 | 0–0 |
- "–" stands for any tournament the player did not participate in.
- "Q" followed by a number 1–3 denotes which round of the qualifying tournament was reached.
- The career record is only for the player's main draw participation.