Maria Kirilenko
Encyclopedia
Maria Yuryevna Kirilenko (born 25 January 1987) is a Russian professional tennis player. Kirilenko won her first WTA Tour title in 2005, defeating Anna-Lena Grönefeld
in the China Open
. Kirilenko reached no. 18, her career-high singles ranking, on the WTA tour
in July 2008. She won the junior event at the 2002 Canadian Open, as well as the 2002 US Open junior tournament. She has reached one Grand Slam
quarterfinal at the 2010 Australian Open
. As of 26 September 2011, Kirilenko is ranked world no. 27.
heritage, Kirilenko is a good friend to fellow WTA players Maria Sharapova
, Daniela Hantuchová
, Victoria Azarenka
, Ana Ivanović
, Agnieszka Radwańska
, Nadia Petrova
, and Marta Domachowska
.
Kirilenko dated fellow Russian player, Igor Andreev
for several years. In November, 2011, another fellow Russian, Washington Capitals
hockey player Alexander Ovechkin
announced on his Twitter account that he and Kirilenko were dating and posted a photograph of the two.
When Kirilenko was 12 years old, an Honored Master of sports, Elena Brioukhovets, saw her while training. Brioukhovets watched Maria making progress and offered to work with her. A three-year program was set up, and a special team selected. In less than three years, Maria became no. 1 in her age group and no. 2 in the 18-and-under group. The well-known tennis-players who had created an organization supporting young tennis players included Yevgeny Kafelnikov
, Andrei Olhovskiy
, and Max Mirnyi
.
In 2002, Kirilenko became one of the youngest winners of the Canadian Open and US Open junior tournaments.
In 2002, Kirilenko started participating in WTA events. She began moving up the rankings, but was set back by an injury in 2004. At the end of 2005, she climbed back up the rankings and won her first title in Beijing. On 12 June 2006, she broke into the world's top 20 for the first time.
Kirilenko made her debut for Russia at the Fed Cup tournament in April 2006. In the World Group quarterfinal tie against Belgium, Kirilenko lost her singles match against 2005 US Open champion Kim Clijsters
, but partnering with Dinara Safina
, won her doubles match against Justine Henin and Clijsters. However, Russia ended up losing 3–2.
At the 2006 US Open, Kirilenko was seeded 20th and reached the third round, before losing to Aravane Rezaï
.
In January 2007, she advanced to the third round of the 2007 Australian Open
, before being defeated by third-seed Svetlana Kuznetsova
. She then competed in the 2007 Toray Pan Pacific Open
in Tokyo, where she advanced to the second round, upsetting world no. 15 Shahar Pe'er
of Israel, before being defeated by Ai Sugiyama
. She then competed in the Dubai Tennis Championships
, where she reached the second round, before losing in a close match to Daniela Hantuchová
.
At the Acura Classic in San Diego, California, Kirilenko upset second seeded Jelena Janković
of Serbia
to advance to the quarterfinals, before losing to fellow Russian Elena Dementieva
. At the East West Bank Classic
in Los Angeles, she also reached the quarterfinals, upsetting sixth seed Marion Bartoli
in straight sets.
Unseeded at the US Open, she defeated Martina Müller
of Germany, and then 22nd seed Katarina Srebotnik
of Slovenia. She then lost to unseeded Julia Vakulenko
of Ukraine. After the US Open, she appeared in the Sunfeast Open. There, Kirilenko won her second WTA Tour singles title, defeating unseeded Mariya Koryttseva
of Ukraine in straight sets. The next week at a tournament in Seoul
, Kirilenko, as the fourth seed also reached the finals, but lost to top seed Venus Williams
.
, Kirilenko reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in her career, beating sixth seed Anna Chakvetadze
. Her next opponent was Daniela Hantuchová, to whom she lost, 6-1, 4-6, 4-6, after leading 6–1, 3–1.
Kirilenko then reached the second round of a Tier I event in Doha, beating Ekaterina Makarova
, before losing to Anabel Medina Garrigues
in three sets. Kirilenko then lost four matches in a row at Dubai, Bangalore, Indian Wells, and Miami. However, as the second seed, she reached the final of a Tier IV event at Estoril, where she defeated Iveta Benešová
in straight sets. She also won the doubles title there, partnering with Flavia Pennetta
. Kirilenko also won in Barcelona, defeating Martinez-Sanchez for her fourth career WTA title and the second of the year.
Kirilenko played at the Tier III tournament in Cincinnati
in August, where she was third seed. She reached the semifinals, where she lost to eventual champion Nadia Petrova
. She partnered with Petrova as the second seed doubles team and beat the top seed pair of Hsieh Su-wei
and Yaroslava Shvedova
in the finals.
, but lost in the first round to unseeded Sara Errani
of Italy in the tournament's first upset.
In the Dubai
doubles tournament, Kirilenko partnered with Agnieszka Radwańska
, and even though they were unseeded, they reached the final, eventually losing to Liezel Huber
and Cara Black
, the world no. 1 doubles pairing at that time.
At the 2009 French Open, Kirilenko was unseeded in the singles tournament, and lost to Olivia Rogowska
of Australia in the first round. In the doubles tournament, Kirilenko and doubles partner Flavia Pennetta
of Italy were seeded eighth. They made it to the third round, before losing to 11th seeded Anna-Lena Grönefeld
of Germany and Patty Schnyder
of Switzerland.
Kirilenko was unseeded at the 2009 Wimbledon Championships
and made it to the second round, before losing to ninth seeded Caroline Wozniacki
.
At the US Open, she made it to the third round, before losing to Li Na
. She then competed in the 2009 Hansol Korea Open
in Seoul, where she was the defending champion, but lost in the semifinals to eventual champion Kimiko Date Krumm.
, where she reached the quarterfinals, before losing to Shahar Pe'er
. With a world ranking at that time of 58, Kirilenko was unseeded at the 2010 Australian Open
, where in the first round she upset her friend, and former doubles partner, 14th seed Maria Sharapova
, 7–6(4), 3–6, 6–4, in a 3-hour, 22-minute marathon. It was the second-longest women's match in Australian Open history. She advanced to the quarterfinals, before losing to Zheng Jie
, who was also unseeded for this tournament. In the doubles portion, she and her partner, Agnieszka Radwańska
, were seeded 15th and advanced to the semifinals, before losing to the world no. 1 pairing of Cara Black
and Liezel Huber
in three sets.
Kirilenko entered as 32nd seed at the 2010 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California
. She made it to the third round, before losing to second seeded Caroline Wozniacki
.
Kirilenko participated in the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Florida as 32nd seed. Like Indian Wells, she advanced to the third round, before again losing to Caroline Wozniacki
.
Kirilenko played in Rome in the 2010 Internazionali BNL d'Italia
, where she was unseeded. She advanced to the quarterfinals, before losing to world no. 1 Serena Williams
.
Kirilenko's entered the French Open
as 30th seed. She advanced to the round of 16 here for the first time in her career, before losing to 17th seed and eventual champion Francesca Schiavone
. In the doubles draw of the French Open
, Kirilenko and Agnieszka Radwańska
were seeded 11th. They reached the quarterfinals, before losing to the eventual champions Serena
and Venus Williams
in straight sets.
At Wimbledon
, she was 27th seed in the singles draw. She advanced to the third round, before losing to eighth seed Kim Clijsters
.
Kirilenko also paired up with Agnieszka Radwańska
in the doubles draw, where they were seeded tenth.
Kirilenko made the quarterfinals of the 2010 Bank of the West Classic
in Stanford, California. before losing to Agnieszka Radwańska
. She entered the doubles tournament with Victoria Azarenka
, but they lost in the semifinals.
She then reached the second rounds of 2010 Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open and the 2010 Rogers Cup
, losing to Vera Zvonareva
and Victoria Azarenka
, respectively. Then at the 2010 Pilot Pen Tennis
, she reached the semifinals, before losing to Nadia Petrova
.
She reached the third round of the 2010 US Open
, losing to 11th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova
.
She then reached the second rounds of 2010 Hansol Korea Open
, losing to former world no. 1 Dinara Safina
, and 2010 Toray Pan Pacific Open
, losing to Flavia Pennetta
. At the last Premier Mandatory event of the year, the 2010 China Open
, she lost in the third round to eventual finalist and compatriot Vera Zvonareva
. In the 2010 HP Open
, she retired in the second round due to a left hip injury against Chang Kai-chen after losing the first set 4-6. Kirilenko reached the final of the 2010 Kremlin Cup
, where she fell to Victoria Azarenka
.
Kirilenko ended the 2010 season ranked no. 20 in the world.
and won the Gold Group Championship with her compatriots Vera Zvonareva
and Yevgeny Kafelnikov
. At the Australian Open, she failed to defend her quarterfinal points by being knocked out in the second round. However, in the doubles competition, she reached the final, partnered with Victoria Azarenka
, but lost to Pennetta and Dulko. She then fell early in the 2011 PTT Pattaya Open
and 2011 Dubai Tennis Championships
. She then reached the third round of both 2011 BNP Paribas Open
and 2011 Sony Ericsson Open
losing to Agnieszka Radwańska
in both occasions. She then suffered three loses in a row in the second round of 2011 Family Circle Cup
, and the first rounds of 2011 Mutua Madrid Open
and 2011 Internazionali BNL d'Italia
. However, she won doubles at the Mutua Madrid Open with Victoria Azarenka
. At the 2011 French Open
, she reached the fourth round losing to Andrea Petkovic
6-2, 2-6, 6-4
She then fell in the first round of 2011 UNICEF Open
to Kimiko Date-Krumm, However she rebounded by reaching the third round of the 2011 Wimbledon, evenutally being stopped by the seventh seeded Serena Williams
. She then failed to win back-to-back matches falling in the second rounds of 2011 Bank of the West Classic
, 2011 Mercury Insurance Open
, first round of 2011 Rogers Cup
, and the second rounds of 2011 Western & Southern Open
and 2011 Bank of the West Classic
. She then rebounded at the 2011 US Open
falling to eventual champion Samantha Stosur
6-2, 6-7(15), 6-3 in the fourth round.
She then reached her first semifinal of the year at the 2011 Guangzhou International Women's Open
to Chanelle Scheepers
7-5, 5-7, 6-4.
She then played at the 2011 Toray Pan Pacific Open
and the 2011 China Open
, where she defeated Samantha Stosur
in three sets in both occasions in the second round, she also fell in the quarterfinals on both events losing to Vera Zvonareva
and Monica Niculescu
, respectively. She the played her last tournament of the year at the 2011 BGL Luxembourg Open
, where she had to withdrew in the second round due to a ankle injury.
Unlike many female players in recent years, Kirilenko is not afraid to come to the net. Her volleying skills are considered exceptional, as she utilizes a drop volley, angled volley, and half volley
all very well to quickly end the rally.
by Stella McCartney tennis range, designed by noted British fashion designer Stella McCartney
and has played exclusively in the gear since the 2006 Australian Open
. In 2009, she was replaced by Caroline Wozniacki
.
Like her good friend Maria Sharapova
, she likes connecting athletics and fashion, and when she spoke to Teen Vogue
in August 2006, she said of being dressed by McCartney for a banquet, "I felt so glamorous!" She appeared in the 2009 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition alongside Daniela Hantuchová
and Tatiana Golovin
in a pictoral entitled Volley of the Dolls.
RQiS 2 Tour racquet. The racquet is an extended length model measuring 27.5 inches long and currently has no replacement. She is using Yonex
Poly Tour Pro 1.25 typically strung around 57/53.
Anna-Lena Grönefeld
Anna-Lena Grönefeld is a professional tennis player from Germany. She turned professional in April 2003.As of September 2011, Grönefeld is the No. 12 tennis player from Germany. She was coached and trained by Rafael Font de Mora in Scottsdale, Arizona until 2006...
in the China Open
China Open (tennis)
The China Open is an annual professional tennis tournament held in Beijing, China. The men's singles and doubles events were first held in 1993, the year in which the Qatar Open and Dubai Tennis Championships were also introduced to the men's tour, as the ATP opened a series of new tournaments in...
. Kirilenko reached no. 18, her career-high singles ranking, on the WTA tour
Women's Tennis Association
The Women's Tennis Association , founded in 1973 by Billie Jean King, is the principal organizing body of Women's Professional Tennis. It governs the WTA Tour which is the worldwide professional tennis tour for women. Its counterpart organization in the men's professional game is the Association of...
in July 2008. She won the junior event at the 2002 Canadian Open, as well as the 2002 US Open junior tournament. She has reached one 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...
quarterfinal at the 2010 Australian Open
2010 Australian Open
The 2010 Australian Open was a tennis tournament that took place in Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 18 to 31 January. It was the 98th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year....
. As of 26 September 2011, Kirilenko is ranked world no. 27.
Personal life
Born in the Soviet Union of paternal UkrainianUkrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
heritage, Kirilenko is a good friend to fellow WTA players Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova
Maria Yuryevna Sharapova ,. is a Russian professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. A US resident since 1994, Sharapova has won 24 WTA singles titles, including three Grand Slam singles titles at the 2004 Wimbledon, 2006 US Open and 2008 Australian Open...
, Daniela Hantuchová
Daniela Hantuchová
Daniela Hantuchová is a Slovak professional tennis player. She turned professional in 1999 and had her breakthrough year in 2002, when she won her first Tier I tournament and ended the year in the top 10.She is currently coached by Larri Passos...
, Victoria Azarenka
Victoria Azarenka
Victoria Azarenka is a Belarusian professional tennis player. Her career high and current ranking is world no. 3, which she first achieved on 12 September 2011. She became the highest-ranked Belarusian player ever, surpassing Natasha Zvereva by two spots....
, Ana Ivanović
Ana Ivanovic
Ana Ivanović is a former world no. 1 Serbian tennis player. As of November 7, 2011, she is ranked 22th on the WTA rankings. She beat Dinara Safina to win the 2008 French Open and was the runner-up in singles at the 2007 French Open and the 2008 Australian Open...
, Agnieszka Radwańska
Agnieszka Radwanska
Agnieszka Radwańska is a WTA Tour Polish tennis player.Her career high singles ranking is World No. 8, which she achieved on 22 February 2010. As of 24 October 2011, she is ranked World No. 8. In 2007, Radwańska became the first Polish player in history to claim a WTA Tour singles title when she...
, Nadia Petrova
Nadia Petrova
Nadezhda Viktorovna Petrova is a Russian professional tennis player.Overall, she has won 28 WTA Titles, ten in singles and eighteen in doubles. In singles, Petrova has reached a career high ranking of World No. 3 in May 2006 and has reached the semi-finals of the French Open in 2003 and 2005...
, and Marta Domachowska
Marta Domachowska
Marta Domachowska is a Polish professional tennis player. She began playing at age 7. She reached the semi finals of Australian Open Junior Championships in 2003. Her racquet brand is Wilson. She speaks four languages: Polish, English, Spanish and Russian. Other than tennis, she enjoys sports such...
.
Kirilenko dated fellow Russian player, Igor Andreev
Igor Andreev
Igor Valerievich Andreev is a Russian professional tennis player, born in Moscow.-2003:Andreev made his ATP debut in September 2003 at Bucharest, Romania as a qualifier and defeated top seed Nikolay Davydenko 7–5, 6–7, 6–0 in the first round, before losing in the next round to José Acasuso.At the...
for several years. In November, 2011, another fellow Russian, Washington Capitals
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Since their founding in 1974, "The Caps" have won one conference championship to reach the 1998 Stanley Cup...
hockey player Alexander Ovechkin
Alexander Ovechkin
Alexander Mikhaylovich Ovechkin is a Russian professional ice hockey left winger and captain of the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League...
announced on his Twitter account that he and Kirilenko were dating and posted a photograph of the two.
Junior career
Maria Kirilenko started showing a passion for tennis at age 5, but it was difficult to get practice in while still attending school. Her father enrolled her in a tennis school, and hours of training started to pay off as she won several tournaments.When Kirilenko was 12 years old, an Honored Master of sports, Elena Brioukhovets, saw her while training. Brioukhovets watched Maria making progress and offered to work with her. A three-year program was set up, and a special team selected. In less than three years, Maria became no. 1 in her age group and no. 2 in the 18-and-under group. The well-known tennis-players who had created an organization supporting young tennis players included Yevgeny Kafelnikov
Yevgeny Kafelnikov
Yevgeny Aleksandrovich Kafelnikov is a former World No. 1 tennis player from Russia. He won two Grand Slam singles titles , four Grand Slam doubles titles, and the men's singles gold medal at the Sydney Olympic Games. He also helped Russia win the Davis Cup in 2002...
, Andrei Olhovskiy
Andrei Olhovskiy
Andrei Olhovskiy is a former tennis player from Russia, who turned professional in 1989....
, and Max Mirnyi
Max Mirnyi
Max Mirnyi is a professional tennis player from Belarus.Today Mirnyi is a doubles specialist, but he also enjoyed a good singles career, finishing in the top 50 in the world for seven straight years, as well as representing Belarus in Davis Cup competition since April 1994, where he holds a...
.
In 2002, Kirilenko became one of the youngest winners of the Canadian Open and US Open junior tournaments.
Professional career
Kirilenko made her debut for Russia at the Fed Cup tournament in April 2006. In the World Group quarterfinal tie against Belgium, Kirilenko lost her singles match against 2005 US Open champion 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....
, but partnering with Dinara Safina
Dinara Safina
Dinara Mikhailovna Safina , born April 27, 1986 in Moscow, is a Russian professional tennis player of Tatar background. Safina's career high ranking is World No. 1....
, won her doubles match against Justine Henin and Clijsters. However, Russia ended up losing 3–2.
At the 2006 US Open, Kirilenko was seeded 20th and reached the third round, before losing to Aravane Rezaï
Aravane Rezaï
Aravane Rezaï is an Iranian-French tennis player born in Saint-Étienne, France to Iranian parents. She is the current French No. 5 in women's tennis. Rezaï took up tennis after a childhood stint as her older brother's ball girl...
.
2007
2007 Australian Open
The 2007 Australian Open was a Grand Slam tennis tournament held in Melbourne, Australia from 15 January until 28 January 2007.The total prize pool was set at exactly A$20 million, with the winners of both the men's and women's singles competition each receiving A$1,281,000. Over 500 players...
, before being defeated by third-seed Svetlana Kuznetsova
Svetlana Kuznetsova
Svetlana Aleksandrovna Kuznetsova ; born June 27, 1985) is a Russian professional tennis player and as of October 10, 2011 ranked No. 21 in the WTA singles and No. 90 in the doubles ranking. Kuznetsova has appeared in four singles Grand Slam finals, winning two, and has also appeared in six doubles...
. She then competed in the 2007 Toray Pan Pacific Open
2007 Toray Pan Pacific Open
The 2007 Toray Pan Pacific Open was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 24th edition of the Toray Pan Pacific Open, and was part of the Tier I Series of the 2007 WTA Tour. It took place at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan, from January 27 through February 4,...
in Tokyo, where she advanced to the second round, upsetting world no. 15 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 ....
of Israel, before being defeated by Ai Sugiyama
Ai Sugiyama
is a retired Japanese professional tennis player. She reached No. 1 in women's doubles on the WTA Tour. Her career-high singles ranking was No. 8, achieved on February 9, 2004. She turned professional in 1992...
. She then competed in the Dubai Tennis Championships
Dubai Tennis Championships
The Dubai Tennis Championships is a professional tennis tournament owned and organized by Dubai Duty Free and held annually in Dubai, United Arab...
, where she reached the second round, before losing in a close match to Daniela Hantuchová
Daniela Hantuchová
Daniela Hantuchová is a Slovak professional tennis player. She turned professional in 1999 and had her breakthrough year in 2002, when she won her first Tier I tournament and ended the year in the top 10.She is currently coached by Larri Passos...
.
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...
of Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
to advance to the quarterfinals, before losing to fellow Russian 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...
. At the East West Bank Classic
JPMorgan Chase Open
The LA Women's Tennis Championships presented by Herbalife is a Premier-level tennis tournament on the WTA Tour held in Carson, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. The tournament is played on outdoor hard courts and is a part of the US Open Series....
in Los Angeles, she also reached the quarterfinals, upsetting sixth seed Marion Bartoli
Marion Bartoli
Marion Bartoli is a French professional tennis player and the current French no. 1. She has won seven Women's Tennis Association singles titles and three doubles titles. She was also a runner-up at the 2007 Wimbledon Championships....
in straight sets.
Unseeded at the US Open, she defeated Martina Müller
Martina Müller
Martina Müller is a former professional tennis player from Germany. On April 2, 2007 she reached a career high WTA-ranking of No. 33....
of Germany, and then 22nd seed Katarina Srebotnik
Katarina Srebotnik
Katarina Srebotnik is a Slovenian professional tennis player. Srebotnik is right-handed, 1.80 m, weighs 65 kg and lives in Dubai. She reached a career-high ranking of No. 20 on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour on August 7, 2006.Srebotnik won 4 singles titles on the WTA-tour and was a steady top 30...
of Slovenia. She then lost to unseeded Julia Vakulenko
Julia Vakulenko
Julia Olegovna Vakulenko is a professional Ukraine-born female tennis player. She achieved her career high ranking of No...
of Ukraine. After the US Open, she appeared in the Sunfeast Open. There, Kirilenko won her second WTA Tour singles title, defeating unseeded Mariya Koryttseva
Mariya Koryttseva
Mariya Koryttseva is a Ukrainian female tennis player. Her career high ranking is No. 50 in the world, which she achieved on August 18, 2008....
of Ukraine in straight sets. The next week at a tournament in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, Kirilenko, as the fourth seed also reached the finals, but lost to top seed Venus Williams
Venus Williams
Venus Ebony Starr Williams is an American professional tennis player who is a former World No. 1 and is ranked World No. 101 as of 10 October 2011 in singles and World No. 20 in doubles as of 2011. She has been ranked World No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association on three separate...
.
2008
At the Australian Open2008 Australian Open
The 2008 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 96th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year. It took place at the Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 14 through 27 January 2008.After twenty years of playing on...
, Kirilenko reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in her career, beating sixth seed Anna Chakvetadze
Anna Chakvetadze
Anna Djambulilovna Chakvetadze is a Russian professional tennis player . On September 10, 2007, she reached her career-high professional singles ranking of World No. 5. She has won eight WTA Singles Titles and appeared in the 2007 US Open semifinals. As of July 4, 2011, Chakvetadze is ranked World...
. Her next opponent was Daniela Hantuchová, to whom she lost, 6-1, 4-6, 4-6, after leading 6–1, 3–1.
Kirilenko then reached the second round of a Tier I event in Doha, beating 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:...
, before losing to Anabel Medina Garrigues
Anabel Medina Garrigues
Ana Isabel Medina Garrigues , better known as Anabel Medina, is a Spanish female tennis player. She reached a career high WTA Tour ranking of No. 16 on 4 May 2009, and has won 11 singles titles and 14 doubles titles, including the 2008 French Open and 2009 French Open with Virginia Ruano Pascual...
in three sets. Kirilenko then lost four matches in a row at Dubai, Bangalore, Indian Wells, and Miami. However, as the second seed, she reached the final of a Tier IV event at Estoril, where she defeated 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...
in straight sets. She also won the doubles title there, partnering with Flavia Pennetta
Flavia Pennetta
Flavia Pennetta is an Italian professional tennis player. She became Italy's first top 10 female singles player on 17 August 2009 and also the first ever Italian Tennis player to be ranked No.1 in Doubles on 28 February 2011. As of 10 October 2011, Pennetta is ranked World No. 18 in singles and...
. Kirilenko also won in Barcelona, defeating Martinez-Sanchez for her fourth career WTA title and the second of the year.
Kirilenko played at the Tier III tournament in Cincinnati
2008 Cincinnati Masters
The 2008 Cincinnati Masters was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts...
in August, where she was third seed. She reached the semifinals, where she lost to eventual champion Nadia Petrova
Nadia Petrova
Nadezhda Viktorovna Petrova is a Russian professional tennis player.Overall, she has won 28 WTA Titles, ten in singles and eighteen in doubles. In singles, Petrova has reached a career high ranking of World No. 3 in May 2006 and has reached the semi-finals of the French Open in 2003 and 2005...
. She partnered with Petrova as the second seed doubles team and beat the top seed pair of Hsieh Su-wei
Hsieh Su-wei
Hsieh Su-wei is a Taiwanese professional female tennis player. As of July 12, 2010 she is ranked 322nd in the WTA Tour singles rankings and is the fourth-highest ranked Taiwanese women's singles player. -2006–2007:...
and 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 the finals.
2009
Kirilenko was seeded 27th at the Australian Open2009 Australian Open
The 2009 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 97th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year. It took place at the Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 19 January through 1 February 2009. The 2009 men's...
, but lost in the first round to unseeded Sara Errani
Sara Errani
Sara Errani , nicknamed "Poco Gigante", is a professional female tennis player from Italy. On February 23, 2009, she reached a new career high of No. 31 on the Tour rankings...
of Italy in the tournament's first upset.
In the Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
doubles tournament, Kirilenko partnered with Agnieszka Radwańska
Agnieszka Radwanska
Agnieszka Radwańska is a WTA Tour Polish tennis player.Her career high singles ranking is World No. 8, which she achieved on 22 February 2010. As of 24 October 2011, she is ranked World No. 8. In 2007, Radwańska became the first Polish player in history to claim a WTA Tour singles title when she...
, and even though they were unseeded, they reached the final, eventually losing to Liezel Huber
Liezel Huber
Liezel Huber is a professional tennis player who competes for, resides in, and is a naturalized citizen of the United States. Huber has won four Grand Slam titles in women's doubles with partner Cara Black, one with Lisa Raymond, and two mixed doubles titles with Bob Bryan. On November 12, 2007,...
and Cara Black
Cara Black
Cara Black is a professional female tennis player from Zimbabwe. She has won 7 singles titles and 63 women's doubles titles. She has won all four Grand Slam mixed doubles titles and three of the four Grand Slam titles in women's doubles. She is currently ranked World No. 28 in women's doubles...
, the world no. 1 doubles pairing at that time.
At the 2009 French Open, Kirilenko was unseeded in the singles tournament, and lost to Olivia Rogowska
Olivia Rogowska
Olivia Rogowska is an Australian tennis player. The right-hander was born in and lives in Melbourne, Australia. Her highest WTA singles ranking is 138, which she reached on 7 December 2009. Her career high in doubles is 170, which she reached on 20 September 2010...
of Australia in the first round. In the doubles tournament, Kirilenko and doubles partner Flavia Pennetta
Flavia Pennetta
Flavia Pennetta is an Italian professional tennis player. She became Italy's first top 10 female singles player on 17 August 2009 and also the first ever Italian Tennis player to be ranked No.1 in Doubles on 28 February 2011. As of 10 October 2011, Pennetta is ranked World No. 18 in singles and...
of Italy were seeded eighth. They made it to the third round, before losing to 11th seeded Anna-Lena Grönefeld
Anna-Lena Grönefeld
Anna-Lena Grönefeld is a professional tennis player from Germany. She turned professional in April 2003.As of September 2011, Grönefeld is the No. 12 tennis player from Germany. She was coached and trained by Rafael Font de Mora in Scottsdale, Arizona until 2006...
of Germany and 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...
of Switzerland.
Kirilenko was unseeded at the 2009 Wimbledon Championships
2009 Wimbledon Championships
The 2009 Wimbledon Championships took place on the outdoor grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, from Monday 22 June through to Sunday 5 July 2009...
and made it to the second round, before losing to ninth seeded 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...
.
At the US Open, she made it to the third round, before losing 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.;...
. She then competed in the 2009 Hansol Korea Open
2009 Hansol Korea Open
The 2009 Hansol Korea Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 6th edition of the event known that year as the Hansol Korea Open, and was part of the WTA International tournaments of the 2009 WTA Tour...
in Seoul, where she was the defending champion, but lost in the semifinals to eventual champion Kimiko Date Krumm.
2010
Kirilenko began the year by competing in the 2010 ASB Classic2010 ASB Classic
The 2010 ASB Classic was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 25th edition of the ASB Classic, and was part of the WTA International tournaments of the 2010 WTA Tour...
, where she reached the quarterfinals, before losing to 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 ....
. With a world ranking at that time of 58, Kirilenko was unseeded at the 2010 Australian Open
2010 Australian Open
The 2010 Australian Open was a tennis tournament that took place in Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 18 to 31 January. It was the 98th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year....
, where in the first round she upset her friend, and former doubles partner, 14th seed Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova
Maria Yuryevna Sharapova ,. is a Russian professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. A US resident since 1994, Sharapova has won 24 WTA singles titles, including three Grand Slam singles titles at the 2004 Wimbledon, 2006 US Open and 2008 Australian Open...
, 7–6(4), 3–6, 6–4, in a 3-hour, 22-minute marathon. It was the second-longest women's match in Australian Open history. She advanced to the quarterfinals, before losing 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....
, who was also unseeded for this tournament. In the doubles portion, she and her partner, Agnieszka Radwańska
Agnieszka Radwanska
Agnieszka Radwańska is a WTA Tour Polish tennis player.Her career high singles ranking is World No. 8, which she achieved on 22 February 2010. As of 24 October 2011, she is ranked World No. 8. In 2007, Radwańska became the first Polish player in history to claim a WTA Tour singles title when she...
, were seeded 15th and advanced to the semifinals, before losing to the world no. 1 pairing of Cara Black
Cara Black
Cara Black is a professional female tennis player from Zimbabwe. She has won 7 singles titles and 63 women's doubles titles. She has won all four Grand Slam mixed doubles titles and three of the four Grand Slam titles in women's doubles. She is currently ranked World No. 28 in women's doubles...
and Liezel Huber
Liezel Huber
Liezel Huber is a professional tennis player who competes for, resides in, and is a naturalized citizen of the United States. Huber has won four Grand Slam titles in women's doubles with partner Cara Black, one with Lisa Raymond, and two mixed doubles titles with Bob Bryan. On November 12, 2007,...
in three sets.
Kirilenko entered as 32nd seed at the 2010 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California
Indian Wells, California
Indian Wells is a city in Riverside County, California, in the Coachella Valley , in between Palm Desert and La Quinta. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 4,958....
. She made it to the third round, before losing to second seeded 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...
.
Kirilenko participated in the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Florida as 32nd seed. Like Indian Wells, she advanced to the third round, before again losing to 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...
.
Kirilenko played in Rome in the 2010 Internazionali BNL d'Italia
2010 Internazionali BNL d'Italia
The 2010 Internazionali BNL d'Italia was a tennis tournament, being played on outdoor clay courts at the Foro Italico in Rome, Italy. It was the 67th edition of the event and was classified as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the 2010 ATP World Tour and a Premier 5 event on the 2010 WTA Tour...
, where she was unseeded. She advanced to the quarterfinals, before losing to world no. 1 Serena Williams
Serena Williams
Serena Jameka Williams is an American professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. The Women's Tennis Association has ranked her world no. 1 in singles on five separate occasions. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002 and regained this ranking for the fifth time on...
.
Kirilenko's entered the French Open
2010 French Open
The 2010 French Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 109th edition of the French Open, and the second Grand Slam event of the year...
as 30th seed. She advanced to the round of 16 here for the first time in her career, before losing to 17th seed and eventual champion Francesca Schiavone
Francesca Schiavone
Francesca Schiavone is an Italian tennis player who turned professional in 1998. She won the 2010 French Open singles title, becoming the first Italian woman to win a Grand Slam event in singles. She was also runner-up at the 2011 French Open. As of 24 October 2011, Schiavone's ranking is World...
. In the doubles draw of the French Open
2010 French Open – Women's Doubles
Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual were the defending champions, but they decided not to compete together. Ruano Pascual partnered up with Meghann Shaughnessy, but they lost in the first round against Cara Black and Elena Vesnina...
, Kirilenko and Agnieszka Radwańska
Agnieszka Radwanska
Agnieszka Radwańska is a WTA Tour Polish tennis player.Her career high singles ranking is World No. 8, which she achieved on 22 February 2010. As of 24 October 2011, she is ranked World No. 8. In 2007, Radwańska became the first Polish player in history to claim a WTA Tour singles title when she...
were seeded 11th. They reached the quarterfinals, before losing to the eventual champions Serena
Serena Williams
Serena Jameka Williams is an American professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. The Women's Tennis Association has ranked her world no. 1 in singles on five separate occasions. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002 and regained this ranking for the fifth time on...
and Venus Williams
Venus Williams
Venus Ebony Starr Williams is an American professional tennis player who is a former World No. 1 and is ranked World No. 101 as of 10 October 2011 in singles and World No. 20 in doubles as of 2011. She has been ranked World No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association on three separate...
in straight sets.
At Wimbledon
2010 Wimbledon Championships
The 2010 Wimbledon Championships took place on the outdoor grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom. The tournament ran from Monday 21 June until Sunday 4 July 2010. It was the 124th staging of the Wimbledon Championships, and the third Grand...
, she was 27th seed in the singles draw. She advanced to the third round, before losing to eighth seed 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....
.
Kirilenko also paired up with Agnieszka Radwańska
Agnieszka Radwanska
Agnieszka Radwańska is a WTA Tour Polish tennis player.Her career high singles ranking is World No. 8, which she achieved on 22 February 2010. As of 24 October 2011, she is ranked World No. 8. In 2007, Radwańska became the first Polish player in history to claim a WTA Tour singles title when she...
in the doubles draw, where they were seeded tenth.
Kirilenko made the quarterfinals of the 2010 Bank of the West Classic
2010 Bank of the West Classic
The 2010 Bank of the West Classic was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 39th edition of the Bank of the West Classic, and is a part of the WTA Premier tournaments of the 2010 WTA Tour. It took place at the Taube Tennis Center in Stanford, California, United States, from...
in Stanford, California. before losing to Agnieszka Radwańska
Agnieszka Radwanska
Agnieszka Radwańska is a WTA Tour Polish tennis player.Her career high singles ranking is World No. 8, which she achieved on 22 February 2010. As of 24 October 2011, she is ranked World No. 8. In 2007, Radwańska became the first Polish player in history to claim a WTA Tour singles title when she...
. She entered the doubles tournament with Victoria Azarenka
Victoria Azarenka
Victoria Azarenka is a Belarusian professional tennis player. Her career high and current ranking is world no. 3, which she first achieved on 12 September 2011. She became the highest-ranked Belarusian player ever, surpassing Natasha Zvereva by two spots....
, but they lost in the semifinals.
She then reached the second rounds of 2010 Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open and the 2010 Rogers Cup
2010 Rogers Cup
The 2010 Canada Masters was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts in Canada. It was the 121st edition of the Canada Masters, and was part of the ATP Masters Series of the 2010 ATP World Tour, and of the Premier Series of the 2010 WTA Tour...
, losing to 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...
and Victoria Azarenka
Victoria Azarenka
Victoria Azarenka is a Belarusian professional tennis player. Her career high and current ranking is world no. 3, which she first achieved on 12 September 2011. She became the highest-ranked Belarusian player ever, surpassing Natasha Zvereva by two spots....
, respectively. Then at the 2010 Pilot Pen Tennis
2010 Pilot Pen Tennis
The 2010 Pilot Pen Tennis was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 42nd edition of the Pilot Pen Tennis, and was part of the ATP World Tour 250 Series of the 2010 ATP World Tour, and of the Premier Series of the 2010 WTA Tour. It took place at the Cullman-Heyman Tennis...
, she reached the semifinals, before losing to Nadia Petrova
Nadia Petrova
Nadezhda Viktorovna Petrova is a Russian professional tennis player.Overall, she has won 28 WTA Titles, ten in singles and eighteen in doubles. In singles, Petrova has reached a career high ranking of World No. 3 in May 2006 and has reached the semi-finals of the French Open in 2003 and 2005...
.
She reached the third round of the 2010 US Open
2010 US Open (tennis)
The 2010 US Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts, held from August 30 to September 13, 2010 in the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at Flushing Meadows, Queens, New York City, United States....
, losing to 11th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova
Svetlana Kuznetsova
Svetlana Aleksandrovna Kuznetsova ; born June 27, 1985) is a Russian professional tennis player and as of October 10, 2011 ranked No. 21 in the WTA singles and No. 90 in the doubles ranking. Kuznetsova has appeared in four singles Grand Slam finals, winning two, and has also appeared in six doubles...
.
She then reached the second rounds of 2010 Hansol Korea Open
2010 Hansol Korea Open
The 2010 Hansol Korea Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 7th edition of the Hansol Korea Open, and was part of the WTA International tournaments of the 2010 WTA Tour...
, losing to former world no. 1 Dinara Safina
Dinara Safina
Dinara Mikhailovna Safina , born April 27, 1986 in Moscow, is a Russian professional tennis player of Tatar background. Safina's career high ranking is World No. 1....
, and 2010 Toray Pan Pacific Open
2010 Toray Pan Pacific Open
The 2010 Toray Pan Pacific Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 27th edition of the Toray Pan Pacific Open, and was part of the Premier Series of the 2010 WTA Tour...
, losing to Flavia Pennetta
Flavia Pennetta
Flavia Pennetta is an Italian professional tennis player. She became Italy's first top 10 female singles player on 17 August 2009 and also the first ever Italian Tennis player to be ranked No.1 in Doubles on 28 February 2011. As of 10 October 2011, Pennetta is ranked World No. 18 in singles and...
. At the last Premier Mandatory event of the year, the 2010 China Open
2010 China Open (tennis)
The 2010 China Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 12th edition of the China Open, and is part of the ATP 500 Series of the 2010 ATP World Tour, and of the Premier Series of the 2010 WTA Tour...
, she lost in the third round to eventual finalist and compatriot 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 the 2010 HP Open
2010 HP Open
The 2010 HP Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 2nd edition of the HP Open, and was classified as one of the WTA International tournaments of the 2010 WTA Tour...
, she retired in the second round due to a left hip injury against Chang Kai-chen after losing the first set 4-6. Kirilenko reached the final of the 2010 Kremlin Cup
2010 Kremlin Cup
The 2010 Kremlin Cup was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 21st edition of the Kremlin Cup, and was part of the ATP World Tour 250 Series of the 2010 ATP World Tour, and of the Premier Series of the 2010 WTA Tour...
, where she fell to Victoria Azarenka
Victoria Azarenka
Victoria Azarenka is a Belarusian professional tennis player. Her career high and current ranking is world no. 3, which she first achieved on 12 September 2011. She became the highest-ranked Belarusian player ever, surpassing Natasha Zvereva by two spots....
.
Kirilenko ended the 2010 season ranked no. 20 in the world.
2011
She competed at the Hong Kong Tennis ClassicHong Kong Tennis Classic
The Hong Kong Tennis Classic is a women's exhibition tennis tournament held in Victoria Park, Hong Kong, in the first week of January...
and won the Gold Group Championship with her compatriots 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...
and Yevgeny Kafelnikov
Yevgeny Kafelnikov
Yevgeny Aleksandrovich Kafelnikov is a former World No. 1 tennis player from Russia. He won two Grand Slam singles titles , four Grand Slam doubles titles, and the men's singles gold medal at the Sydney Olympic Games. He also helped Russia win the Davis Cup in 2002...
. At the Australian Open, she failed to defend her quarterfinal points by being knocked out in the second round. However, in the doubles competition, she reached the final, partnered with Victoria Azarenka
Victoria Azarenka
Victoria Azarenka is a Belarusian professional tennis player. Her career high and current ranking is world no. 3, which she first achieved on 12 September 2011. She became the highest-ranked Belarusian player ever, surpassing Natasha Zvereva by two spots....
, but lost to Pennetta and Dulko. She then fell early in the 2011 PTT Pattaya Open
2011 PTT Pattaya Open
The 2011 PTT Pattaya Open was a women's professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 21st edition of the PTT Pattaya Open and was part of the International category on the 2011 WTA Tour...
and 2011 Dubai Tennis Championships
2011 Dubai Tennis Championships
The 2011 Dubai Tennis Championships was a 500 Series event on the 2011 ATP World Tour and a Premier 5 event on the 2011 WTA Tour. The tournament was known as the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships for sponsorship reasons...
. She then reached the third round of both 2011 BNP Paribas Open
2011 BNP Paribas Open
The 2011 BNP Paribas Open was a tennis tournament played at Indian Wells, California in March 2011. It was the 36th edition of the event, known as the BNP Paribas Open, and was classified as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the 2011 ATP World Tour and a Premier Mandatory event on the 2011...
and 2011 Sony Ericsson Open
2011 Sony Ericsson Open
The 2011 Sony Ericsson Open , a men's and women's tennis tournament, was held from March 21 to April 3, 2011. It was the 27th edition of the Miami Masters event and played on outdoor hard courts at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park in Miami...
losing to Agnieszka Radwańska
Agnieszka Radwanska
Agnieszka Radwańska is a WTA Tour Polish tennis player.Her career high singles ranking is World No. 8, which she achieved on 22 February 2010. As of 24 October 2011, she is ranked World No. 8. In 2007, Radwańska became the first Polish player in history to claim a WTA Tour singles title when she...
in both occasions. She then suffered three loses in a row in the second round of 2011 Family Circle Cup
2011 Family Circle Cup
The 2011 Family Circle Cup was a women's tennis event on the 2011 WTA Tour. It took place from April 4 to April 10, 2011. It was the 39th edition of the tournament and one of the Premier level tournaments. The event was hosted at the Family Circle Tennis Center, in Charleston, South Carolina,...
, and the first rounds of 2011 Mutua Madrid Open
2011 Mutua Madrid Open
The 2011 Madrid Masters was played on outdoor clay courts at the Park Manzanares in Madrid, Spain from April 30 – May 8. It was the 10th edition of the event on the ATP and 3rd on the WTA...
and 2011 Internazionali BNL d'Italia
2011 Internazionali BNL d'Italia
The 2011 Internazionali BNL d'Italia was a tennis tournament, being played on outdoor clay courts at the Foro Italico in Rome, Italy. It was the 68th edition of the event and was classified as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the 2011 ATP World Tour and a Premier 5 event on the 2011 WTA Tour...
. However, she won doubles at the Mutua Madrid Open with Victoria Azarenka
Victoria Azarenka
Victoria Azarenka is a Belarusian professional tennis player. Her career high and current ranking is world no. 3, which she first achieved on 12 September 2011. She became the highest-ranked Belarusian player ever, surpassing Natasha Zvereva by two spots....
. At the 2011 French Open
2011 French Open
The 2011 French Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 110th edition of the French Open, and the second Grand Slam event of the year...
, she reached the fourth round losing to Andrea Petkovic
Andrea Petkovic
Andrea Petkovic is a professional German tennis player of Serbian origin. She is the highest ranked German tennis player. She lives in Griesheim near Darmstadt, Germany....
6-2, 2-6, 6-4
She then fell in the first round of 2011 UNICEF Open
2011 UNICEF Open
The 2011 UNICEF Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor grass courts. It was the 22nd edition of the UNICEF Open, and was part of the 250 Series of the 2011 ATP World Tour, and of the WTA International tournaments of the 2011 WTA Tour...
to Kimiko Date-Krumm, However she rebounded by reaching the third round of the 2011 Wimbledon, evenutally being stopped by the seventh seeded Serena Williams
Serena Williams
Serena Jameka Williams is an American professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. The Women's Tennis Association has ranked her world no. 1 in singles on five separate occasions. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002 and regained this ranking for the fifth time on...
. She then failed to win back-to-back matches falling in the second rounds of 2011 Bank of the West Classic
2011 Bank of the West Classic
The 2011 Bank of the West Classic was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 40th edition of the Bank of the West Classic, and was a part of the WTA Premier tournaments of the 2011 WTA Tour. It took place at the Taube Tennis Center in Stanford, California, United States, from...
, 2011 Mercury Insurance Open
2011 Mercury Insurance Open
The 2011 Mercury Insurance Open is a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It is the 2nd edition of the Southern California Open since the tournament left the tour in 2007. It is classified as one of the WTA Premier tournaments of the 2011 WTA Tour...
, first round of 2011 Rogers Cup
2011 Rogers Cup
The 2011 Canada Masters was a tennis tournament to be played on outdoor hard courts in Canada. It was the 122nd edition of the Canada Masters, and was part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 of the 2011 ATP World Tour, and of the Premier Series of the 2011 WTA Tour...
, and the second rounds of 2011 Western & Southern Open
2011 Western & Southern Open
The 2011 Cincinnati Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio, near Cincinnati, United States. The tournament was a joint men's and women's event, with six new courts being built for the tournament...
and 2011 Bank of the West Classic
2011 Bank of the West Classic
The 2011 Bank of the West Classic was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 40th edition of the Bank of the West Classic, and was a part of the WTA Premier tournaments of the 2011 WTA Tour. It took place at the Taube Tennis Center in Stanford, California, United States, from...
. She then rebounded at the 2011 US Open
2011 US Open (tennis)
The 2011 US Open was a tennis tournament played on the outdoor hard courts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows Park, of Queens, New York City, United States...
falling to eventual champion 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...
6-2, 6-7(15), 6-3 in the fourth round.
She then reached her first semifinal of the year at the 2011 Guangzhou International Women's Open
2011 Guangzhou International Women's Open
The 2011 Guangzhou International Women's Open was a tennis tournament on outdoor hard courts. It was the 9th edition of the Guangzhou International Women's Open, and part of the WTA International tournaments of the 2011 WTA Tour...
to Chanelle Scheepers
Chanelle Scheepers
Chanelle Scheepers is a South African professional tennis player. Her career high WTA singles ranking is No. 37, which she reached on 10 October 2011. Her career high doubles ranking is 91, set at 30 August 2010....
7-5, 5-7, 6-4.
She then played at the 2011 Toray Pan Pacific Open
2011 Toray Pan Pacific Open
The 2011 Toray Pan Pacific Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 28th edition of the Toray Pan Pacific Open, and was part of the Premier Series of the 2011 WTA Tour...
and the 2011 China Open
2011 China Open (tennis)
The 2011 China Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 13th edition of the China Open, and was part of the ATP 500 Series of the 2011 ATP World Tour, and of the Premier Series of the 2011 WTA Tour...
, where she defeated 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...
in three sets in both occasions in the second round, she also fell in the quarterfinals on both events losing to 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...
and 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,...
, respectively. She the played her last tournament of the year at the 2011 BGL Luxembourg Open
2011 BGL Luxembourg Open
The 2011 BGL Luxembourg Open was a professional tennis tournament played on hard courts. It was the 21st edition of the tournament, which was part of the 2011 WTA Tour...
, where she had to withdrew in the second round due to a ankle injury.
Playing style
Kirilenko is an aggressive baseliner, with both power and angle in her shots. She also has good speed around the court and can switch quickly between offensive and defensive play. Her forehand is her preferred shot, often setting up points and a great asset towards her game.Unlike many female players in recent years, Kirilenko is not afraid to come to the net. Her volleying skills are considered exceptional, as she utilizes a drop volley, angled volley, and half volley
Half volley
A half volley in tennis is a shot that is hit immediately after the ball bounces before it reaches the apex of its flight. It is sometimes called an "on the rise shot".-Technique:...
all very well to quickly end the rally.
Fashion
In 2006, Kirilenko was selected to be the face of AdidasAdidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
by Stella McCartney tennis range, designed by noted British fashion designer Stella McCartney
Stella McCartney
Stella Nina McCartney is an English fashion designer. She is the daughter of former Beatles member Sir Paul McCartney and the late photographer and animal rights activist, Linda McCartney.-Early life:...
and has played exclusively in the gear since the 2006 Australian Open
2006 Australian Open
The 2006 Australian Open was played between 16 and 29 January 2006.- Leadup :Several leading men's players declined to attend the Open due to injury, including Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal and defending champion Marat Safin....
. In 2009, she was replaced by 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...
.
Like her good friend Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova
Maria Yuryevna Sharapova ,. is a Russian professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. A US resident since 1994, Sharapova has won 24 WTA singles titles, including three Grand Slam singles titles at the 2004 Wimbledon, 2006 US Open and 2008 Australian Open...
, she likes connecting athletics and fashion, and when she spoke to Teen Vogue
Teen Vogue
Teen Vogue magazine began as a version of Vogue magazine for teenage girls. This US magazine focuses on fashion and celebrities and offers information about the latest entertainment and feature stories on current issues and events.- Description :...
in August 2006, she said of being dressed by McCartney for a banquet, "I felt so glamorous!" She appeared in the 2009 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition alongside Daniela Hantuchová
Daniela Hantuchová
Daniela Hantuchová is a Slovak professional tennis player. She turned professional in 1999 and had her breakthrough year in 2002, when she won her first Tier I tournament and ended the year in the top 10.She is currently coached by Larri Passos...
and Tatiana Golovin
Tatiana Golovin
Tatiana Golovin is an inactive French professional tennis player. She is best known for her explosive forehand, which was said to be one of the best at the time. She notably won the 2004 French Open mixed doubles event with Richard Gasquet, and reached the singles quarterfinal at the 2006 U.S....
in a pictoral entitled Volley of the Dolls.
Equipment
Currently Kirilenko is using the discontinued YonexYonex
is a Japanese manufacturer of sporting equipment for badminton, golf and tennis, producing racquets, clubs, shoes, shuttlecocks, and other equipment for those sports.-History:...
RQiS 2 Tour racquet. The racquet is an extended length model measuring 27.5 inches long and currently has no replacement. She is using Yonex
Yonex
is a Japanese manufacturer of sporting equipment for badminton, golf and tennis, producing racquets, clubs, shoes, shuttlecocks, and other equipment for those sports.-History:...
Poly Tour Pro 1.25 typically strung around 57/53.