Sesil Karatantcheva
Encyclopedia
Sesil Karatantcheva is a Bulgarian-born Kazakhstani tennis player. Karatantcheva played for Bulgaria until February 2, 2009, when she changed nationality. She will play for Kazakhstan until at least 2012.
Sesil career's highs included a quarterfinal at the 2005 French Open
, and No.35 on WTA
singles ranking on November 7, 2005. Karatantcheva was also known for testing positive on two drug tests for nandrolone
; and after serving a two-year ban of playing professional tennis, she returned in 2008. As of November 14, 2011 she is ranked No. 138 on the WTA Tour.
tournament in Volos, Greece. Karatantcheva went on to win two other ITF titles in 2003.
tournament Indian Wells, California
, where she defeated American Alexandra Stevenson
in the first round, and upset the 17th seed Magüi Serna
in the second round. In an interview prior to her match against 16th seed Maria Sharapova
, Karatantcheva claimed that Sharapova had skipped a hitting session with her a few weeks earlier in Florida, and began a war of words with the Russian. Sharapova then defeated Karatantcheva in three sets in the third round. On April 19, she played her first match for the Bulgaria Fed Cup team
. Because of her age, Karatantcheva was restricted in the number of tournaments she was able to play. In August, she reached the quarterfinals of a WTA tournament in Vancouver, British Columbia, and qualified for the US Open
, before losing to eventual champion Svetlana Kuznetsova
in the first round. Karatantcheva also reached the quarterfinals of a WTA tournament in Quebec City
, and captured another ITF tournament in December at Palm Beach Gardens.
before falling in the quarterfinals. She then qualified for the Australian Open
, before losing to the #4 seed Sharapova in the first round. Her most successful tournament to date was at Roland Garros
. Karatantcheva defeated the #19 seed Shinobu Asagoe
in the second round, and then stunned the world with her victory over the #11 seed and former world number one Venus Williams
in the third round. After defeating Emmanuelle Gagliardi
in the fourth round, she fell to Likhovtseva in the quarterfinals. Karatantcheva became the youngest female to reach the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament since Martina Hingis
in 1996. At Wimbledon
, she lost to Sharapova once again, being able to just win a game, losing 6–0, 6–1.
On December 20, 2005, the French sports newspaper L'Equipe
reported that Karatantcheva had failed a drug test earlier in the year at Roland Garros, and that she had appeared in front of a three-person panel of judges to explain the results. The newspaper claims that Karatantcheva said she was pregnant at the time of the test, which would explain the high levels of nandrolone
in her system. Karatantcheva has denied all allegations, saying "I am shocked. I have not appeared before judges of the international federation."
. While Karatantcheva has claimed she was pregnant at the time of one of the tests, another laboratory carried out a pregnancy test on her urine sample, and it tested negative. On July 3, 2006 the Court of Arbitration for Sport
denied her appeal to overturn the ban with the argument that said nandrolone was found in concentrations which were inconsistent with the normal levels for that stage of pregnancy.
Karatantcheva did not play any matches in 2006 or 2007 following her drug ban.
In the qualifying draw, Sesil beat Susanna Lingman 6–3 6–3, Maria Kondratieva 6–1 6–0, and Kristína Kučová
7–5 6–1, to enter the main draw. In the main draw, Karatantcheva beat the 5th seed Sunitha Rao
2–6 6–3 6–2 in the first round. In the second round, Sesil beat Robin Stephenson
6–0 6–2. In the quarterfinals, Karatantcheva beat Magdaléna Rybáriková
6–4 6–4 and in the semifinals she defeated the 2nd seed Viktoriya Kutuzova
7–6(4) 6–0. In the finals, Sesil played a tough three set match and overcame the 8th seed, American Angela Haynes
, 6–2 4–6 6–4.
In late January, still unranked, she entered another $25,000 tournament at La Quinta, and again battled through three rounds of qualifying into the main draw, despite a scare in her qualifying match against American player Stacia Fonseca, who took the first set from the Bulgarian before the match swung decisively the other way. Having fended off a spirited challenge from second-seeded Angelika Bachmann
7–5 6–4 in the first round of the main draw, she made light work of subsequent opponents en route to the semifinals, where for the second tournament in succession she was scheduled to play Viktoriya Kutuzova
. This time, the match ran to three sets, but Karatantcheva ultimately prevailed 6–1 3–6 6–4. In the final, Karatantcheva defeated the 3rd seed, Sandra Kloesel, 6–4 7–5.
Karatantcheva attracted criticism from the Bulgarian tennis federation for competing at La Quinta in preference to participating in Bulgaria's Federation Cup tie scheduled the same week. She was accused of breach of contract and threatened with a fine, but the Bulgarian teenager stood by her decision, which she had taken on the grounds that it was proving extremely difficult for her to gain entry even to low-level tournaments following the loss of all her ranking points and any right to protected ranking status after her ban, so she needed to work at re-establishing herself at least in the mid-hundreds of the WTA rankings as a matter of priority before tending to national team commitments.
In February, the Bulgarian was awarded a wildcard into the $75,000 Midland event, but her winning streak came to an abrupt end as she was defeated 6–1 6–2 in the first round by on-form qualifier Valérie Tétreault
of Canada, who had raced through the three qualifying rounds for the loss of just nine games, five of them against former Top 50 star Mirjana Lučić
. Sesil then attempted to qualify for a WTA Tier III event in Memphis but lost in the first round of qualifying to Hana Šromová
of the Czech Republic.
In early March, Sesil successfully qualified for the $50,000 Las Vegas event including victories over Amber Liu
and Elena Bovina
. However, she lost in the first round of the main draw to wildcarded American Madison Brengle
. She also received a wildcard into the qualifying event for the WTA Tier I event at Indian Wells but lost in the first round of qualifying to Evgeniya Rodina
. Her luck changed however, when, at the end of March, she managed to qualify and reach the final of the $50,000 event in Latina, losing to Iveta Benešová
in straight sets, 6–0 6–2.
In April, she reached the quarter-finals of the $25,000 event at Civitavecchia, losing to Betina Jozami
of Argentina in straight sets. She is currently through to the final of the $25,000 event in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Her route through to the final included a victory over seventh-seeded Lauren Albanese
. Argentinian Soledad Esperón beat her 6–4 6–1 in the final.
In May, she played her first WTA main draw match since her suspension in Fes, Morocco against Elena Baltacha
which she won 7–5 6–2.
In June, Sesil reached a QF of the $75,000 ITF tournament in Marseille. She was in the qualies of Wimbledon but managed to reach only the second match which she lost to Magdaléna Rybáriková
from Slovakia.
.
In tournament play in January she reached the second round (as a qualifier) at the Brisbane International defeating top 50 player Iveta Benešová
along the way and then backed it up by playing (and winning) her first main draw grand slam match (again as a qualifier) at the Australian Open. She then lost in the 2nd Round to China's Peng Shuai
4–6 0–6.
in straight sets in the second round, before losing to second seed Maria Sharapova
6–2, 6–4.
, Melbourne
, Pattaya
, and Monterrey
. She reached the final of a $25K ITF event in Clearwater
, losing to Ajla Tomljanović
. At the French Open
, she lost to Olga Govortsova
in the final round of qualifying 4-6 6-2 3-6. After barely missing out on qualifying for the AEGON Classic
, Karatantcheva fell to Arina Rodionova
in the first round of qualifying of Wimbledon
. She took a two-week break following Wimbledon.
She returned at the 2011 Internazionali Femminili di Palermo
, where she qualified for the main draw. She drew 2nd seed Roberta Vinci
in the first round. Although Karatantcheva played well she was beaten 2-6 5-7. She then competed in two ITF $100,000 events - in Bucharest
and Astana
, losing in the early round of both tournaments.
She then failed to qualify for the 2011 US Open
, marking the first year since 2009 that she has not competed in the main draw of a grand slam. Her poor form continued, losing in the 1st or 2nd rounds of 4 more ITF tournaments.
She began to improve her game by advancing to the semifinals of a $50K ITF event in Troy, Alabama
. She then competed in a $25K tournament in Rock Hill
, losing in the quarterfinals. Karatantcheva then played at the $50K event in Grapevine, Texas
, where she advanced to the final, losing to 8th seed Kurumi Nara
in three sets. Following her performance in Grapevine, Sesil achieved her best result of the year by winning a $75K ITF tournament, the 2011 Goldwater Women's Tennis Classic
, in Pheonix, Arizona, the biggest title of her career. She won the title dropping only 2 sets the entire tournament, defeating a seeded player along the way. Karatantcheva's recent change in form has propelled her well back inside the Top 200 and has instated herself as the new Kazakh No. 2.
Sesil career's highs included a quarterfinal at the 2005 French Open
2005 French Open
The 2005 French Open was the 104th edition of the tournament. Rafael Nadal, seeded fourth in his first French Open, was a strong favorite after winning the Rome and Monte Carlo Masters, with Guillermo Coria, a 2004 finalist and runner-up in Monaco, calling Nadal the best clay-court player in the...
, and No.35 on WTA
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...
singles ranking on November 7, 2005. Karatantcheva was also known for testing positive on two drug tests for nandrolone
Nandrolone
Nandrolone is an anabolic steroid that may be present naturally in the human body, albeit in minute quantities of less than 0.4 ng/ml. Nandrolone is most commonly sold commercially as its decanoate ester and less commonly as a phenylpropionate ester...
; and after serving a two-year ban of playing professional tennis, she returned in 2008. As of November 14, 2011 she is ranked No. 138 on the WTA Tour.
2003
Karatantcheva played her first professional tournament in September 2003 in Sofia, Bulgaria at the age of 14. As an unranked qualifier the next week, she defeated the #1, #2, and #3 seeds en route to her first professional tournament title at a small 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...
tournament in Volos, Greece. Karatantcheva went on to win two other ITF titles in 2003.
2004
In 2004, Karatantcheva began her season at a large WTAWomen'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...
tournament 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....
, where she defeated American Alexandra Stevenson
Alexandra Stevenson
Alexandra Winfield Stevenson is a professional tennis player. She made her professional debut in 1999 at Wimbledon, two weeks following graduation from La Jolla Country Day School. At the Wimbledon Championships, Stevenson became the first woman qualifier in the Tennis Open Era to reach the...
in the first round, and upset the 17th seed Magüi Serna
Magüi Serna
María Luisa Serna Barrera is a professional female tennis player from Spain. She started competing in ITF challengers as from 1993, and joined the WTA Tour in 1996. On her high point she was ranked World No...
in the second round. In an interview prior to her match against 16th 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...
, Karatantcheva claimed that Sharapova had skipped a hitting session with her a few weeks earlier in Florida, and began a war of words with the Russian. Sharapova then defeated Karatantcheva in three sets in the third round. On April 19, she played her first match for the Bulgaria Fed Cup team
Bulgaria Fed Cup team
The Bulgaria Fed Cup team represents Bulgaria in Fed Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Bulgarian Tennis Federation. They currently compete in the Group II of the Europe/Africa Zone after losing the relegation play-off against Bosnia and Herzegovina in February 2009.-History:Bulgaria...
. Because of her age, Karatantcheva was restricted in the number of tournaments she was able to play. In August, she reached the quarterfinals of a WTA tournament in Vancouver, British Columbia, and qualified for the US Open
U.S. Open (tennis)
The US Open, formally the United States Open Tennis Championships, is a hardcourt tennis tournament which is the modern iteration of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, the U.S. National Championship, which for men's singles was first contested in 1881...
, before losing to eventual champion 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...
in the first round. Karatantcheva also reached the quarterfinals of a WTA tournament in Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
, and captured another ITF tournament in December at Palm Beach Gardens.
2005
2005 was Karatantcheva's breakthrough year. She started off the year at a tournament in Gold Coast, Australia by qualifying, and then defeating the tournament's #7 seed Elena LikhovtsevaElena Likhovtseva
Elena Alexandrovna Likhovtseva is a Russian tennis player, currently inactive. She turned professional in January 1992 at the age of 16.Likhovtseva's career best appearance in a Grand Slam was when she reached the semi finals of the French Open 2005 before she was defeated by Mary Pierce, 6–1 6–1...
before falling in the quarterfinals. She then qualified for the 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...
, before losing to the #4 seed Sharapova in the first round. Her most successful tournament to date was at Roland Garros
French Open (tennis)
The French Open |Roland Garros]]) is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks between late May and early June in Paris, France, at the Stade Roland Garros. It is the premier clay court tennis tournament in the world and the second of the four annual Grand Slam tournaments – the other three are...
. Karatantcheva defeated the #19 seed Shinobu Asagoe
Shinobu Asagoe
Shinobu Asagoe is a Japanese former professional tennis player. She turned professional in 1997, and retired in 2006.-Career:2000 was the first year in which she finished in the WTA top 100 . In the US Open that year, she defeated Patty Schnyder, a top 50 player...
in the second round, and then stunned the world with her victory over the #11 seed and former world number one 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 the third round. After defeating Emmanuelle Gagliardi
Emmanuelle Gagliardi
Emmanuelle Gagliardi is a professional Swiss tennis player.Her coach is Marco Tarelli and she prefers to play on hardcourts.As of 2 March 2008, Gagliardi is still searching for her first WTA Tour singles title....
in the fourth round, she fell to Likhovtseva in the quarterfinals. Karatantcheva became the youngest female to reach the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament since Martina Hingis
Martina Hingis
Martina Hingis is a retired Swiss professional tennis player who spent a total of 209 weeks as World No. 1. She won five Grand Slam singles titles...
in 1996. At Wimbledon
2005 Wimbledon Championships
The 2005 Wimbledon Championships was the 119 edition. It was held at the All England Club between 20 June and 3 July.Roger Federer successfully defended the men's singles crown defeating Andy Roddick in straight sets. Whilst Venus Williams and Lindsay Davenport played the longest women's final in...
, she lost to Sharapova once again, being able to just win a game, losing 6–0, 6–1.
On December 20, 2005, the French sports newspaper L'Equipe
L'Équipe
L'Équipe is a French nationwide daily newspaper devoted to sports, owned by Éditions Philippe Amaury. The paper is noted for coverage of football , rugby, motorsports and cycling...
reported that Karatantcheva had failed a drug test earlier in the year at Roland Garros, and that she had appeared in front of a three-person panel of judges to explain the results. The newspaper claims that Karatantcheva said she was pregnant at the time of the test, which would explain the high levels of nandrolone
Nandrolone
Nandrolone is an anabolic steroid that may be present naturally in the human body, albeit in minute quantities of less than 0.4 ng/ml. Nandrolone is most commonly sold commercially as its decanoate ester and less commonly as a phenylpropionate ester...
in her system. Karatantcheva has denied all allegations, saying "I am shocked. I have not appeared before judges of the international federation."
2006
On January 11, 2006, the ITF issued a two-year ban after two positive drug tests for nandroloneNandrolone
Nandrolone is an anabolic steroid that may be present naturally in the human body, albeit in minute quantities of less than 0.4 ng/ml. Nandrolone is most commonly sold commercially as its decanoate ester and less commonly as a phenylpropionate ester...
. While Karatantcheva has claimed she was pregnant at the time of one of the tests, another laboratory carried out a pregnancy test on her urine sample, and it tested negative. On July 3, 2006 the Court of Arbitration for Sport
Court of Arbitration for Sport
The Court of Arbitration for Sport is an international arbitration body set up to settle disputes related to sport. Its headquarters are in Lausanne and its courts are located in New York, Sydney and Lausanne, Switzerland...
denied her appeal to overturn the ban with the argument that said nandrolone was found in concentrations which were inconsistent with the normal levels for that stage of pregnancy.
Karatantcheva did not play any matches in 2006 or 2007 following her drug ban.
2008
Karatantcheva's first match after the ban was in a pre-qualification tournament for a wild card into the 25,000 USD ITF tournament in Surprise, Arizona, USA. She won three matches in one day to win the event and thus won a wild card for the qualifying draw in Surprise, Arizona.In the qualifying draw, Sesil beat Susanna Lingman 6–3 6–3, Maria Kondratieva 6–1 6–0, and Kristína Kučová
Kristína Kucová
Kristína Kučová is a tennis player from Slovakia. Her highest juniors ranking was World Number 3. According to the International Tennis Federation, Kučová's favorite type of court is the clay court, she hits a two-handed forehand and backhand , and her father, Jozef Kuča, also coaches her...
7–5 6–1, to enter the main draw. In the main draw, Karatantcheva beat the 5th seed Sunitha Rao
Sunitha Rao
Sunitha Manohar Rao is a former American professional tennis player of Indian background. She was born in Jersey City, New Jersey. Rao has 8 career titles on the ITF Women's Circuit and has reached many finals in singles.-Early life:...
2–6 6–3 6–2 in the first round. In the second round, Sesil beat Robin Stephenson
Robin Stephenson
Robin Stephenson is an American professional tennis player. Her career high WTA singles ranking is 435, which she reached on February 11, 2008. Her career high doubles ranking is 157, set on December 8, 2008....
6–0 6–2. In the quarterfinals, Karatantcheva beat Magdaléna Rybáriková
Magdaléna Rybáriková
Magdaléna Rybáriková is a Slovak professional tennis player. On June 22, 2009, she achieved her career-high WTA singles ranking of 40th.-Biography:...
6–4 6–4 and in the semifinals she defeated the 2nd seed Viktoriya Kutuzova
Viktoriya Kutuzova
Viktoriya Kutuzova is a female tennis player from Ukraine.On November 28, 2005, Kutuzova reached her highest singles ranking, World No. 76.Kutuzova remains most notable for her results as a 14 year old...
7–6(4) 6–0. In the finals, Sesil played a tough three set match and overcame the 8th seed, American Angela Haynes
Angela Haynes
Angela Haynes is a professional tennis player from the United States. Haynes's top WTA singles ranking is World No. 95 which she attained in August, 2005. Angela is currently ranked World No. 158, race-singles World No. 260 and World No...
, 6–2 4–6 6–4.
In late January, still unranked, she entered another $25,000 tournament at La Quinta, and again battled through three rounds of qualifying into the main draw, despite a scare in her qualifying match against American player Stacia Fonseca, who took the first set from the Bulgarian before the match swung decisively the other way. Having fended off a spirited challenge from second-seeded Angelika Bachmann
Angelika Bachmann
Angelika Bachmann is a professional German tennis player. Her highest WTA singles ranking is 130th, which she reached on 17 April 2000. Her career high in doubles was at 90 set at 18 December 2000.-External links:...
7–5 6–4 in the first round of the main draw, she made light work of subsequent opponents en route to the semifinals, where for the second tournament in succession she was scheduled to play Viktoriya Kutuzova
Viktoriya Kutuzova
Viktoriya Kutuzova is a female tennis player from Ukraine.On November 28, 2005, Kutuzova reached her highest singles ranking, World No. 76.Kutuzova remains most notable for her results as a 14 year old...
. This time, the match ran to three sets, but Karatantcheva ultimately prevailed 6–1 3–6 6–4. In the final, Karatantcheva defeated the 3rd seed, Sandra Kloesel, 6–4 7–5.
Karatantcheva attracted criticism from the Bulgarian tennis federation for competing at La Quinta in preference to participating in Bulgaria's Federation Cup tie scheduled the same week. She was accused of breach of contract and threatened with a fine, but the Bulgarian teenager stood by her decision, which she had taken on the grounds that it was proving extremely difficult for her to gain entry even to low-level tournaments following the loss of all her ranking points and any right to protected ranking status after her ban, so she needed to work at re-establishing herself at least in the mid-hundreds of the WTA rankings as a matter of priority before tending to national team commitments.
In February, the Bulgarian was awarded a wildcard into the $75,000 Midland event, but her winning streak came to an abrupt end as she was defeated 6–1 6–2 in the first round by on-form qualifier Valérie Tétreault
Valérie 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...
of Canada, who had raced through the three qualifying rounds for the loss of just nine games, five of them against former Top 50 star Mirjana Lučić
Mirjana Lucic
Mirjana Lučić is a Croatian professional tennis player. She enjoyed a promising career on the WTA Tour in the late 1990s, during which she set several "youngest-ever" records, won one Grand Slam women's doubles title at the Australian Open in 1998 when she was only 15 years old, partnering Martina...
. Sesil then attempted to qualify for a WTA Tier III event in Memphis but lost in the first round of qualifying to Hana Šromová
Hana Šromová
Hana Šromová is a professional female tennis player from the Czech Republic. On Jun 19, 2006, Šromová achieved her career-high singles ranking: World No. 87.- External links :...
of the Czech Republic.
In early March, Sesil successfully qualified for the $50,000 Las Vegas event including victories over Amber Liu
Amber Liu
Amber Christine Liu Chang is a former American professional tennis player and the wife of fellow tennis pro Michael Chang. At Stanford University, she was a two-time NCAA singles champion in 2003 and 2004. Her highest ranking was No. 241 in singles and No...
and Elena Bovina
Elena Bovina
Elena Olegovna Bovina is a Russian professional female tennis player. On April 4, 2005 Bovina reached her career-high singles ranking: World No. 14....
. However, she lost in the first round of the main draw to wildcarded American Madison Brengle
Madison Brengle
Madison Brengle is an American professional tennis player.-Background:Brengle has won two ITF singles and three ITF doubles titles in her career, and has achieved a ranking on the women's WTA Tour of World Number 152 on April 18, 2011...
. She also received a wildcard into the qualifying event for the WTA Tier I event at Indian Wells but lost in the first round of qualifying to Evgeniya Rodina
Evgeniya Rodina
Evgeniya Sergeyevna Rodina is a Russian professional tennis player. She achieved her career-high ranking of #74 on February 28, 2011.-Career summary:Rodina has made strong progress up through the world rankings to reach a career high of World No...
. Her luck changed however, when, at the end of March, she managed to qualify and reach the final of the $50,000 event in Latina, losing to 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, 6–0 6–2.
In April, she reached the quarter-finals of the $25,000 event at Civitavecchia, losing to 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...
of Argentina in straight sets. She is currently through to the final of the $25,000 event in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Her route through to the final included a victory over seventh-seeded Lauren Albanese
Lauren Albanese
Lauren Albanese is an American tennis player. She began her professional career in 2006.-Singles Titles :-Doubles Titles :-External links:...
. Argentinian Soledad Esperón beat her 6–4 6–1 in the final.
In May, she played her first WTA main draw match since her suspension in Fes, Morocco against 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...
which she won 7–5 6–2.
In June, Sesil reached a QF of the $75,000 ITF tournament in Marseille. She was in the qualies of Wimbledon but managed to reach only the second match which she lost to Magdaléna Rybáriková
Magdaléna Rybáriková
Magdaléna Rybáriková is a Slovak professional tennis player. On June 22, 2009, she achieved her career-high WTA singles ranking of 40th.-Biography:...
from Slovakia.
2009
On 10 January 2009, it was announced that Karatantcheva would take Kazakh citizenship and compete for the Kazakhstan Fed Cup teamKazakhstan Fed Cup team
The Kazakhstan Fed Cup team represents Kazakhstan in Fed Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation. They currently compete in the Asia/Oceania Zone of Group I.-History:...
.
In tournament play in January she reached the second round (as a qualifier) at the Brisbane International defeating top 50 player 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...
along the way and then backed it up by playing (and winning) her first main draw grand slam match (again as a qualifier) at the Australian Open. She then lost in the 2nd Round to China's 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...
4–6 0–6.
2010
Karatantcheva qualified for the AEGON Classic tournament in Birmingham where she reached the quarterfinals winning five matches in a row, upsetting Yaroslava ShvedovaYaroslava 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 straight sets in the second round, before losing to second 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...
6–2, 6–4.
2011
Karatantcheva failed to qualify in Brisbane2011 Brisbane International
The 2011 Brisbane International was a joint ATP and WTA tennis tournament, played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 3rd edition of the tournament and took place at the Queensland Tennis Centre in Tennyson, Brisbane. It was held from 2 to 9 January...
, Melbourne
2011 Australian Open
The 2011 Australian Open was a tennis tournament featuring six different competitions, and part of the 2011 ATP World Tour, the 2011 WTA Tour, ITF Junior Tour and the NEC Tour, as tournaments for professional, junior and wheelchair players were held...
, Pattaya
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 Monterrey
2011 Monterrey Open
The 2011 Monterrey Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the third edition of the Monterrey Open and was categorized as an International tournament on the 2011 WTA Tour...
. She reached the final of a $25K ITF event in Clearwater
Clearwater
-Places:Canada* Clearwater, British Columbia* Clearwater, Manitoba* Clearwater County, Alberta* Clear Water Academy, a private Catholic school located in Calgary, Alberta...
, losing to Ajla Tomljanović
Ajla Tomljanović
Ajla Tomljanović is a Croatian professional tennis player. She is former junior World No. 4. Partnering with Christina McHale, she won the 2009 Australian Open in Girls' Doubles. Tomljanović won her first ITF singles event in January 2010....
. At the 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 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:...
in the final round of qualifying 4-6 6-2 3-6. After barely missing out on qualifying for the AEGON Classic
2011 AEGON Classic
The 2011 AEGON Classic was a tennis tournament played on outdoor grass courts. It was the 30th edition of the event. It took place at the Edgbaston Priory Club in Birmingham, England, United Kingdom, originally scheduled between 6 and 12 June 2011, but the final was rescheduled to 13 June 2011 due...
, Karatantcheva fell to Arina Rodionova
Arina Rodionova
Arina Rodionova is a Russian tennis player. The sister of Russian-born Australian tennis player Anastasia Rodionova, she won 2007 Australian Open in girls' doubles, partnering with Evgeniya Rodina. In 2010, Rodionova reached her first WTA Tour doubles final partnering with her sister, at 2010...
in the first round of qualifying of Wimbledon
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...
. She took a two-week break following Wimbledon.
She returned at the 2011 Internazionali Femminili di Palermo
2011 Internazionali Femminili di Palermo
The 2011 Internazionali Femminili di Palermo was a professional tennis tournament played on clay courts. It was the 24th edition of the tournament which was part of the 2011 WTA Tour...
, where she qualified for the main draw. She drew 2nd seed Roberta Vinci
Roberta Vinci
Roberta Vinci is an Italian tennis player. As of 29 August 2011, Vinci is ranked World No. 20, on the WTA Tour Rankings. Vinci has won thirteen WTA Tour titles, six in singles and seven in doubles....
in the first round. Although Karatantcheva played well she was beaten 2-6 5-7. She then competed in two ITF $100,000 events - in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
and Astana
Astana
Astana , formerly known as Akmola , Tselinograd and Akmolinsk , is the capital and second largest city of Kazakhstan, with an officially estimated population of 708,794 as of 1 August 2010...
, losing in the early round of both tournaments.
She then failed to qualify for 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...
, marking the first year since 2009 that she has not competed in the main draw of a grand slam. Her poor form continued, losing in the 1st or 2nd rounds of 4 more ITF tournaments.
She began to improve her game by advancing to the semifinals of a $50K ITF event in Troy, Alabama
Troy, Alabama
Troy is a city in Pike County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 18,003. Troy experienced a growth spurt of over 4,000+ people since 2000. The city is the county seat of Pike County....
. She then competed in a $25K tournament in Rock Hill
Rock Hill
Rock Hill is the name of some places in the United States of America:* Rock Hill, South Carolina, fourth largest city in South Carolina, population 70,000* Rock Hill, Missouri, small city in Missouri, population 5,000...
, losing in the quarterfinals. Karatantcheva then played at the $50K event in Grapevine, Texas
Grapevine, Texas
Grapevine is a city in northeast Tarrant County, Texas, United States located within the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census the city population was 46,334. The city's moniker is derived from the native grapes prevalent in the area. In recent years several wineries have...
, where she advanced to the final, losing to 8th seed Kurumi Nara
Kurumi Nara
Kurumi Nara is a tennis player. She reached the third round of the 2008 US Open Girls singles tournament, where she lost to Kristina Mladenovic 2–6, 6–4, 7–6. She advanced to the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time at the 2010 French Open with a 4–6, 7–6, 10–8 win over Monica...
in three sets. Following her performance in Grapevine, Sesil achieved her best result of the year by winning a $75K ITF tournament, the 2011 Goldwater Women's Tennis Classic
2011 Goldwater Women's Tennis Classic
The 2011 Goldwater Women's Tennis Classic was a professional tennis tournament played on hard courts. It was the third edition of the tournament which was part of the 2011 ITF Women's Circuit...
, in Pheonix, Arizona, the biggest title of her career. She won the title dropping only 2 sets the entire tournament, defeating a seeded player along the way. Karatantcheva's recent change in form has propelled her well back inside the Top 200 and has instated herself as the new Kazakh No. 2.
Doubles: 1 (1–0)
| Legend |
|---|
| 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... tournaments (0–0) |
| WTA Tour Championships (0–0) |
| Premier Mandatory & Premier 5 (0–0) |
| Premier (0–0) |
| International (0-1) |
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents in the final | Score in the final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | 20 July 2009 |  Bad GasteinGastein Ladies Nürnberger Gastein Ladies is a tennis tournament held in Bad Gastein, Austria since 2007. It is an International event on the WTA Tour with total prize money of $220,000 and is played on red clay.-Singles:-Doubles:- External links :* *... , Austria Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the... |
Clay |  Nataša ZorićNataša Zoric Nataša Zorić is a Serbian tennis player. Zorić has reached one Women's Tennis Association WTA final, in doubles, reaching the final of the 2008 Gastein Ladies with Sesil Karatantcheva, where they lost to Czechs Andrea Hlaváčková and Lucie Hradecká 6-3, 6-3... |
 Andrea HlaváčkováAndrea Hlavácková Andrea Hlaváčková is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic. Her highest singles ranking is World No.87, which she reached on 31 January 2011, and her highest doubles ranking is World No.17, reached on 15 August 2011... Lucie HradeckáLucie Hradecká Lucie Hradecká is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic. In her career, Hradecká has won ten WTA doubles titles. This total includes the 2011 French Open, in which she won her first Grand Slam title.-Career:... |
3-6, 3-6 |
ITF Circuit finals
| $100,000 tournaments |
| $75,000 tournaments |
| $50,000 tournaments |
| $25,000 tournaments |
| $10,000 tournaments |
Singles finals: 12 (7–5)
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
| Winner | 1. |  VolosVolos Volos is a coastal port city in Thessaly situated midway on the Greek mainland, about 326 km north of Athens and 215 km south of Thessaloniki... , Greece Greece Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe.... |
Carpet |  Tsvetana PironkovaTsvetana 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.... |
6–4, 2-6, 6-2 | |
| Runner-up | 2. | 6 October 2003 |  CarcavelosCarcavelos Carcavelos is a parish in the Portuguese municipality of Cascais, about 12 km west of Lisbon. The village used to be known for the Carcavelos wine, but since the wine production is nowadays reduced, Carcavelos is better known among surfers because of the good surfing condition of the... , Portugal Portugal Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the... |
Clay |  Barbara Pocza |
2-6, 0–6 |
| Winner | 3. | 13 October 2003 | Carcavelos Carcavelos Carcavelos is a parish in the Portuguese municipality of Cascais, about 12 km west of Lisbon. The village used to be known for the Carcavelos wine, but since the wine production is nowadays reduced, Carcavelos is better known among surfers because of the good surfing condition of the... , Portugal Portugal Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the... |
Clay |  Rosa Maria Andres |
7-5, 6-3 |
| Winner | 4. | 8 December 2003 |  ShenzhenShenzhen 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... , China People's Republic of China China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres... |
Hard | Jie Zheng |
7-5, 1-6, 6-3 |
| Winner | 5. |  Palm Beach GardensPalm Beach Gardens, Florida Palm Beach Gardens is a city in Palm Beach County in the U.S. state of Florida. The city is in the center of a rapidly-developing area north of West Palm Beach in the northern part of the county and the South Florida metropolitan area. , the population was 48,452... , USA |
Clay |  Sania MirzaSania Mirza Sania Mirza is a professional Indian tennis player. She began her tennis career in 2003 and is well known for her powerful forehand ground strokes. She is the first ever Indian to break into the top 30 WTA rankings... |
3-6, 6-2, 7-5 | |
| Winner | 6. | 15 January 2008 | Surprise Surprise, Arizona Surprise is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA. The population was 30,848 at the 2000 census; however, rapid growth has boosted the city's population to 117,517 at the 2010 census, an increase of 281%... , USA |
Hard | Angela Haynes Angela Haynes Angela Haynes is a professional tennis player from the United States. Haynes's top WTA singles ranking is World No. 95 which she attained in August, 2005. Angela is currently ranked World No. 158, race-singles World No. 260 and World No... |
6–2, 4–6, 6–4 |
| Winner | 7. | 29 January 2008 | La Quinta La Quinta, California La Quinta is a resort city in Riverside County, California, USA, specifically in the Coachella Valley between Indian Wells and Indio. The population was 37,467 at the 2010 census, up from 23,694 at the 2000 census. The Robb Report credits La Quinta as the nation's leading golf destination... , USA |
Hard |  Sandra KlöselSandra 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 :... |
6-4, 7-5 |
| Runner-up | 8. | 25 March 2008 |  Latina, ItalyItaly Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... |
Clay | 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... |
0-6, 2–6 |
| Runner-up | 9. | Palm Beach Gardens Palm Beach Gardens, Florida Palm Beach Gardens is a city in Palm Beach County in the U.S. state of Florida. The city is in the center of a rapidly-developing area north of West Palm Beach in the northern part of the county and the South Florida metropolitan area. , the population was 48,452... , USA |
Clay |  Soledad Esperon |
4-6, 1-6 | |
| Runner-up | 10. | 8 March 2011 | Clearwater Clearwater, Florida Clearwater is a city located in Pinellas County, Florida, US, nearly due west of Tampa and northwest of St. Petersburg. In the west of Clearwater lies the Gulf of Mexico and in the east lies Tampa Bay. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 108,787. It is the county seat of... , USA |
Hard |  Ajla TomljanovićAjla Tomljanović Ajla Tomljanović is a Croatian professional tennis player. She is former junior World No. 4. Partnering with Christina McHale, she won the 2009 Australian Open in Girls' Doubles. Tomljanović won her first ITF singles event in January 2010.... |
6-7(3), 3-6 |
| Runner-up | 11. | 6 November 2011 | Grapevine Grapevine, Texas Grapevine is a city in northeast Tarrant County, Texas, United States located within the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census the city population was 46,334. The city's moniker is derived from the native grapes prevalent in the area. In recent years several wineries have... , USA |
Hard |  Kurumi NaraKurumi Nara Kurumi Nara is a tennis player. She reached the third round of the 2008 US Open Girls singles tournament, where she lost to Kristina Mladenovic 2–6, 6–4, 7–6. She advanced to the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time at the 2010 French Open with a 4–6, 7–6, 10–8 win over Monica... |
6-1, 0-6, 3-6 |
| Winner | 12. | 13 November 2011 | Phoenix Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data... , USA |
Hard | Michelle Larcher de Brito Michelle Larcher de Brito Michelle Caroline Larcher de Brito, born Micaela Carolina Larcher de Brito, also known as Michelle Larcher de Brito or Michelle Brito is a Portuguese tennis player. Larcher de Brito's family moved to the United States when she was nine years old so she could attend the Nick Bollettieri Tennis... |
6-1, 7-5 |
Grand Slam performance timeline
| Tournament | 2002 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | Career SR | Career win-loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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... |
W | A | 1R | A | A | A | 2R | 1R | LQ | 0 / 3 | 1–3 |
| French Open | A | A | QF | A | A | A | LQ | LQ | 0 / 1 | 4–1 | |
| Wimbledon | A | A | 2R | A | A | LQ | 1R | LQ | LQ | 0 / 2 | 1–2 |
| 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... |
A | 1R | 2R | A | A | LQ | LQ | LQ | 0 / 2 | 1–2 | |
| Tournament Titles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 0 | ||
| Year End Ranking | 526 | 127 | 35 | None | None | 150 | N/A | N/A |
- A = did not participate in the tournament.
- SR = the ratio of the number of singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played.
- LQ = lost in the qualifying tournament.