Liu Nan-Nan
Encyclopedia
Liu Nannan is a Chinese
female tennis
player.
contemporaries such as Peng Shuai
, Li Na
, Zheng Jie
, Sun Tiantian
and Yan Zi
, she has come close enough at times for future hope of stronger results to justifiably abide.
In March 2001, she came through qualifying to win a $25,000 tournament at Hangzhou
, defeating Akiko Morigami
, Zheng Jie
and Rika Fujiwara
in the last three rounds. In July, she won a $10,000 tournament at Tianjin
, defeating Peng Shuai
in the semi-final; and later the same month she was the losing finalist to Li Na
in the $25,000 tournament at Guangzhou
. She ended the year world-ranked 275.
In January 2002, she won back-to-back $10,000 tournaments in the UK, at Hull
and Tipton
, but suffered mixed results for the remainder of the year, losing in numerous quarter-finals and semi-finals, and finished it world-ranked slighter lower, at 297.
2003 was a relatively poor year for Liu as a singles player until December, when she reached the quarter-final of a $50,000 tournament at Shenzhen
with a clean run of five straight sets
wins in qualifying and the main draw, only to cede victory to Zheng Jie
by default. Not even this run could stop her year-end ranking from falling outside the Top 400, at 401.
2004 was Liu's most successful year to date as a singles player. She began it by winning a $10,000 tournament at Tampa
, Florida
, the fifth ITF singles title of her career. In June, she was the losing finalist to Li Na
at a $25,000 tournament at Wulanhaote, and losing semi-finalist to Li Na
at a $50,000 tournament at Beijing
. In July, she came through qualifying to reach the semi-final at another $50,000 tournament, at Lexington
, KY
, with wins over Shikha Uberoi
, Rika Fujiwara
and Aiko Nakamura
. In August, she defeated future star Jarmila Gajdošová
in the first round of another $50,000 tournament at Louisville
, then came through qualifying to the main draw of her first grand-slam tournament, the U.S. Open
, only to lose to Paola Suárez
. In September, she also qualified for the WTA tournament at Guangzhou
, but lost in the first round after a close contest with Kristina Brandi
. She ended the year world-ranked 170th, up 231 places year-on-year.
Early in 2005, Liu continued to play some of her best tennis, qualifying for Hobart
with wins over Sofia Arvidsson
and Maureen Drake
(only to lose in the first round to Gisela Dulko
) and for the Australian Open with a win over Yuka Yoshida
(only to be ousted from the main draw at the first hurdle by Vera Zvonareva
). In April, she reached the semi-final of a $75,000 tournament at Dothan, Alabama
, losing to Varvara Lepchenko
. This brought up her world-ranking to a high point of 145. She was destined to lose her opening match at four of the next five events she entered, the only exception being a $50,000 ITF tournament at Beijing
in June, where she reached the semi-final before conceding a walkover to Li Ting. Since losing to Lepchenko once more in the first round of qualifying for Los Angeles, early in August 2005, Liu has not played another singles match. Her world ranking has therefore plummeted to 344th at the time of writing (March 4, 2006).
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
female tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
player.
Career
Starting in 2001, Nannan has enjoyed considerable success on the ITF circuit, and occasionally qualified for WTA Tour events. Though her success at the WTA level of the game has so far fallen short of the stellar heights achieved by some of her ChineseSport in the People's Republic of China
Although China has long been associated with the martial arts, sport in China today consists of a small variety of competitive sports played in China, including mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau...
contemporaries such as Peng Shuai
Peng Shuai
Peng Shuai is a Chinese professional female tennis player. She won a gold medal at the 2010 Asian Games, defeating Akgul Amanmuradova in the final...
, 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.;...
, Zheng Jie
Zheng Jie
Zheng Jie is a Chinese professional tennis player. Her career high ranking is World No. 15 which she achieved on May 18, 2009. As of August 15, 2011, Zheng is ranked World No. 65 in singles and World No. 20 in doubles....
, Sun Tiantian
Sun Tiantian
Sun Tiantian is a Chinese female tennis player.- Career :In September 2000, Tiantian won two successive US$10,000 ITF singles titles, a feat she would repeat in June 2001, when she won another two back-to-back....
and Yan Zi
Yan Zi
Yan Zi is a Chinese women's tennis player.Yan Zi may also refer to:* Stefanie Sun , also known as Sun Yan Zi, Singaporean singer** Yan Zi , Sun's self-titled album...
, she has come close enough at times for future hope of stronger results to justifiably abide.
In March 2001, she came through qualifying to win a $25,000 tournament at Hangzhou
Hangzhou
Hangzhou , formerly transliterated as Hangchow, is the capital and largest city of Zhejiang Province in Eastern China. Governed as a sub-provincial city, and as of 2010, its entire administrative division or prefecture had a registered population of 8.7 million people...
, defeating Akiko Morigami
Akiko Morigami
Akiko Morigami is a Japanese female tennis player. She turned professional in 1998. On August 15, 2005, Morigami reached her career-high singles ranking: World No. 41....
, Zheng Jie
Zheng Jie
Zheng Jie is a Chinese professional tennis player. Her career high ranking is World No. 15 which she achieved on May 18, 2009. As of August 15, 2011, Zheng is ranked World No. 65 in singles and World No. 20 in doubles....
and Rika Fujiwara
Rika Fujiwara
Rika Fujiwara is a Japanese professional tennis player. Her best-ever ranking is, singles No. 84 , doubles No. 13...
in the last three rounds. In July, she won a $10,000 tournament at Tianjin
Tianjin
' is a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China. It is governed as a direct-controlled municipality, one of four such designations, and is, thus, under direct administration of the central government...
, defeating Peng Shuai
Peng Shuai
Peng Shuai is a Chinese professional female tennis player. She won a gold medal at the 2010 Asian Games, defeating Akgul Amanmuradova in the final...
in the semi-final; and later the same month she was the losing finalist to 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.;...
in the $25,000 tournament at Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
. She ended the year world-ranked 275.
In January 2002, she won back-to-back $10,000 tournaments in the UK, at 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 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....
, but suffered mixed results for the remainder of the year, losing in numerous quarter-finals and semi-finals, and finished it world-ranked slighter lower, at 297.
2003 was a relatively poor year for Liu as a singles player until December, when she reached the quarter-final of a $50,000 tournament at Shenzhen
Shenzhen
Shenzhen is a major city in the south of Southern China's Guangdong Province, situated immediately north of Hong Kong. The area became China's first—and one of the most successful—Special Economic Zones...
with a clean run of five straight sets
Tennis score
A tennis match is composed of points, games, and sets. A match is won when a player or a doubles team wins the majority of prescribed sets. Traditionally, matches are either a best of three sets or best of five sets format...
wins in qualifying and the main draw, only to cede victory to Zheng Jie
Zheng Jie
Zheng Jie is a Chinese professional tennis player. Her career high ranking is World No. 15 which she achieved on May 18, 2009. As of August 15, 2011, Zheng is ranked World No. 65 in singles and World No. 20 in doubles....
by default. Not even this run could stop her year-end ranking from falling outside the Top 400, at 401.
2004 was Liu's most successful year to date as a singles player. She began it by winning a $10,000 tournament at Tampa
Tâmpa
Tâmpa may refer to several villages in Romania:* Tâmpa, a village in Băcia Commune, Hunedoara County* Tâmpa, a village in Miercurea Nirajului, Mureş County* Tâmpa, a mountain in Braşov city...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, the fifth ITF singles title of her career. In June, she was the losing finalist to 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.;...
at a $25,000 tournament at Wulanhaote, and losing semi-finalist to 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.;...
at a $50,000 tournament at Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. In July, she came through qualifying to reach the semi-final at another $50,000 tournament, at Lexington
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
, KY
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, with wins over Shikha Uberoi
Shikha Uberoi
Shikha Uberoi is a professional tennis player from India, though an American citizen . She has been ranked as high as 122nd in the world in singles ....
, Rika Fujiwara
Rika Fujiwara
Rika Fujiwara is a Japanese professional tennis player. Her best-ever ranking is, singles No. 84 , doubles No. 13...
and Aiko Nakamura
Aiko Nakamura
, is a female Japanese tennis player. She was once the second highest WTA-ranked Japanese singles tennis player, at 107 , after Ai Sugiyama....
. In August, she defeated future star Jarmila Gajdošová
Jarmila Gajdošová
Jarmila Gajdošová , known as Jarmila Groth from 2009 to 2011, is an Australian tennis player...
in the first round of another $50,000 tournament at Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, then came through qualifying to the main draw of her first grand-slam tournament, 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...
, only to lose to 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...
. In September, she also qualified for the WTA tournament at Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
, but lost in the first round after a close contest with Kristina Brandi
Kristina Brandi
Kristina Brandi is a Puerto Rican tennis player.-Early years:Brandi was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where she became interested in the sport of tennis at an early age. She made her professional debut in 1995 when she was 17 years old.-USTA Circuit:In 2003, Brandi won the most titles...
. She ended the year world-ranked 170th, up 231 places year-on-year.
Early in 2005, Liu continued to play some of her best tennis, qualifying for 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...
with wins over Sofia Arvidsson
Sofia Arvidsson
Lena Sofia Alexandra Arvidsson is a Swedish tennis player. As of May 9, 2011, she is ranked World No. 77. Her highest career ranking is World No. 29.-Biography:...
and Maureen Drake
Maureen Drake
Maureen Drake is a Canadian former professional tennis player. Her career-high WTA singles ranking is No. 47, which she reached on September 13, 1999. Her career high doubles ranking is No...
(only to lose in the first round to Gisela Dulko
Gisela Dulko
Gisela Dulko is an Argentine female tennis player, who will, as of 4 July 2011, be ranked World No. 51 in singles and No. 4 in doubles. Although she enjoyed a modest success in singles, reaching No. 26 on November 21, 2005, and winning four WTA Tour titles, her speciality has been doubles, where...
) and for the Australian Open with a win over Yuka Yoshida
Yuka Yoshida
Yuka Yoshida is a tennis player from Japan who has one doubles win in Memphis, Tennessee. Her best grand slam result came in 1998 when she reached the Quarterfinals of the doubles at the US Open.-References:...
(only to be ousted from the main draw at the first hurdle by 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...
). In April, she reached the semi-final of a $75,000 tournament at Dothan, Alabama
Dothan, Alabama
Dothan is a city located in the southeastern corner of the US state of Alabama, situated approximately west of the Georgia state line and north of Florida. It is the seat of Houston County, with portions extending into nearby Dale County and Henry County...
, losing to Varvara Lepchenko
Varvara Lepchenko
Varvara Lepchenko is an American female professional tennis player. She reached her singles career high of no. 74 on November 15, 2010. She has won six ITF titles during her career.-Early life and junior career:...
. This brought up her world-ranking to a high point of 145. She was destined to lose her opening match at four of the next five events she entered, the only exception being a $50,000 ITF tournament at Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
in June, where she reached the semi-final before conceding a walkover to Li Ting. Since losing to Lepchenko once more in the first round of qualifying for Los Angeles, early in August 2005, Liu has not played another singles match. Her world ranking has therefore plummeted to 344th at the time of writing (March 4, 2006).