Stephanie Vongsouthi
Encyclopedia
Stephanie Vongsouthi is a French tennis
player.
in France, at the age of 16. She lost a close match to compatriot Laurene Fayol, 5-7, 7-5, 6-4. She left Amiens with her first prize money of $98. Vongsouthi's first victory came four months later at Zwevegem
in Belgium. She defeated the Belgian Davinia Lobbinger 6-4, 6-3. She went on to lost a tight match in the second round to Gabriela Velasco Andreu the world #380, 7-6 (5) 5-7, 6-2. Vongsouthi played three more tournaments that year but did not advance past the second round in any of them. She ended the year ranked 1090 with a singles record of 3-6.
, France, where she lost in the qualifying rounds. Next she returned to Amiens
where she managed to win her first round match against Tessy Van de Ven, 6-3, 6-1. However she lost in the next round to 4th seed Gaelle Widmer of Switzerland. She then lost in the first round of three more tournaments, all in France, including Strasbourg
where she faced her highest ever ranked opponent, Virginie Pichet, ranked 203.
In June, Vongsouthi headed to Montpellier
, here she experienced a breakthrough, beating through seed including Emilie Bacquet
and Eva Fernández-Brugués
to reach her first ever ITF
final. However here Vongsouthi was unable to overcome Olivia Sanchez
ranked #469 and after an impressive first set Vongsouthi let the match run away from her, 6-7 (6) 6-0, 6-0. Her results improved from then on with a Quarter final appearance in Brussels
and a semi final in Rebecq
.
She entered Enschede
in the Netherlands as the no. 6 seed. Ranked at 646 this was the first time Vongsouthi had been seeded in a professional tournament. She struggled through her first round match against Olivia Scarfi, 6-3, 6-7 (4) 6-0. Before flying through the next three rounds to reach the final. Her second final of the year ended in the same way as the first, losing 6-2, 6-3 to Marlot Meddens.
Stephanie ended the year ranked 577 with a singles record of 21-15.
for the third time in her career. Ranked 501 in the world, she was seeded third and breezed through her first round. However the next two rounds proved considerably more difficult, each time pushing Vongsouthi to three setters, all the same she managed to pull through to reach the semi finals. Here she came against Audrey Bergot
a French player ranked far below her. However Bergot played some brilliant tennis to overcome Vongsouthi in a long three set match, 7-6 (6) 4-6, 6-3. Three more tournaments passed without Vongsouthi getting past the second round.
On April 29, 2007 Vongsouthi headed to Naples
. She blasted through her first three rounds without dropping a set. She struggled a litte bit more in the semi final against Patricia Mayr
but managed to pull through 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (4) to make it to her third ever ITF
final. However just as before nerves seemed to get to Vongsouthi as she faced seventh seed Michelle Gerards and she lost 6-2, 6-1. In Braga
, Portugal, Vongsouthi once more managed to make it to the final as the no. 2 seed. She didn't drop a set on the way to the final and looked set to take her first ever title. However she came up against the no. 1 seed and home favourite Neuza Silva
, Vongsouthi fell once more 6-1, 6-4.
She then went to the French Open where she received a wildcard into the qualifying draw. This was her first ever Grand Slam
match and she lost to 13th seed Su-Wei Hsieh who was ranked 300 places above her. She played six tournaments after this again not making it past the second round in any of them. She entered Rebecq
once again, this time as the no. 1 seed, the first time she had ever been seeded first in a tournament. Unfortunately she seemed to struggle through her first three matches against far less experienced players and lost in the semi final to Samantha Schoeffel 6-2, 6-1. She played nine more tournaments in the year but didn't manage to make it to any quarter finals.
She ended 2007 ranked 480 with a singles record of 39-30.
of Great Britain, ranked 296 and the no. 1 Seed in Bath, Vongsouthi looked visibly nervous. Vongsouthi's final curse seemed to play out once more as she lost 6-4, 7-6 (5) . Giving her a finals record of 0-5.
She headed to Torrent
, Spain, in April, where she managed to make it to the semifinals. After taking a few weeks out Vongsouthi returned to play in Bucharest
as the no. 3 Seed. She reached her 6th ever final and the second of 2008, where she was set to face, Simona Halep
of Romania
. Vongsouthi failed once more, even though she was ranked higher and lost the match 7-6 (4) 6-3. Her finals record was now set at 0-6.
She played as a wildcard
in the French Open qualifying draw and lost once again, this time to Margit Rüütel
of Estonia
. Vongsouthi mainly played tournaments in France for a few months, with quarter final appearances at Montpellier
and Périgueux
and a semi final appearance in Mont-de-Marsan
.
On October 19, 2008 Vongsouthi headed to Lisbon
as the no. 1 Seed. Ranked at 379 Vongsouthi had a huge advantage over her opponents. She defeated Nicola Geuer
in the final for her first ever title. She didn't drop a set during the whole tournament.
She ended 2008 ranked 353 with a singles record of 46-27.
and ranked at 330 she was the no. 1 seed. She raced through her first few rounds defeating, Jade Curtis, Irini Georgatou
and Stefania Boffa
. She reached the final without having dropped a set. She faced third seed Emma Laine
of Finland in the final. Despite taking the first set Vongsouthi couldn't close out the match, losing: 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (2) . Vongsouthi's final record dropped to 1-7. Vongsouthi's success of Great Britain continued when she returned to Bath, a finalist the year before Vongsouthi was ranked even higher at 314 and looked prepared to win. She didn't drop a set the whole tournament, knocking out Naomi Broady
in the semis and Verardi Verdiana in the final, 6-2, 6-4.
Since Vongsouthi has failed to past the second round of any of the seven tournaments she has played since then.
Stephanie Vongsouthi received a wildcard into the 2009 French Open
. She defeated fellow wildcard Aurélie Védy
in the first round of qualifying, before losing to British 15th seed Elena Baltacha
in the next round.
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
player.
2005
Vongsouthi played her first ever professional match on the clay at AmiensAmiens
Amiens is a city and commune in northern France, north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in Picardy...
in France, at the age of 16. She lost a close match to compatriot Laurene Fayol, 5-7, 7-5, 6-4. She left Amiens with her first prize money of $98. Vongsouthi's first victory came four months later at Zwevegem
Zwevegem
Zwevegem is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Heestert, Moen, Otegem, Sint-Denijs and Zwevegem proper. On January 1, 2006 Zwevegem had a total population of 23,674...
in Belgium. She defeated the Belgian Davinia Lobbinger 6-4, 6-3. She went on to lost a tight match in the second round to Gabriela Velasco Andreu the world #380, 7-6 (5) 5-7, 6-2. Vongsouthi played three more tournaments that year but did not advance past the second round in any of them. She ended the year ranked 1090 with a singles record of 3-6.
2006
Vongsouthi started her year in BelfortBelfort
Belfort is a commune in the Territoire de Belfort department in Franche-Comté in northeastern France and is the prefecture of the department. It is located on the Savoureuse, on the strategically important natural route between the Rhine and the Rhône – the Belfort Gap or Burgundian Gate .-...
, France, where she lost in the qualifying rounds. Next she returned to Amiens
Amiens
Amiens is a city and commune in northern France, north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in Picardy...
where she managed to win her first round match against Tessy Van de Ven, 6-3, 6-1. However she lost in the next round to 4th seed Gaelle Widmer of Switzerland. She then lost in the first round of three more tournaments, all in France, including Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
where she faced her highest ever ranked opponent, Virginie Pichet, ranked 203.
In June, Vongsouthi headed to Montpellier
Montpellier
-Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council....
, here she experienced a breakthrough, beating through seed including Emilie Bacquet
Emilie Bacquet
Emilie Bacquet , is a French professional tennis player. Her highest WTA singles ranking is 413, which she reached on July 10, 2006...
and Eva Fernández-Brugués
Eva Fernández-Brugués
Eva Fernández-Brugués is a professional Spanish tennis player. On October 19, 2009, she reached her highest WTA singles ranking of 185 whilst her best doubles ranking was 344 on December 8, 2008.-ITF Circuit finals:...
to reach her first ever ITF
International Tennis Federation
The International Tennis Federation is the governing body of world tennis, made up of 205 national tennis associations.It was established as the International Lawn Tennis Federation by 12 national associations meeting at a conference in Paris, France on 1 March 1913...
final. However here Vongsouthi was unable to overcome Olivia Sanchez
Olivia Sanchez
Olivia Sanchez is a professional tennis player from France. She received a wildcard into the main draw of the 2007 French Open, but lost in 6–3, 4–6, 3–6, to Shenay Perry in the first round. As of June 9, 2008, Sanchez reached her highest singles ranking of World Number 90 on June 9, 2008, and is...
ranked #469 and after an impressive first set Vongsouthi let the match run away from her, 6-7 (6) 6-0, 6-0. Her results improved from then on with a Quarter final appearance in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
and a semi final in Rebecq
Rebecq
Rebecq is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Walloon Brabant. On 1 January 2006 the municipality had 10,241 inhabitants. The total area is 39.08 km², giving a population density of 262 inhabitants per km².-Notable people:...
.
She entered Enschede
Enschede
Enschede , also known as Eanske in the local dialect of Twents, is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands in the province of Overijssel and in the Twente region...
in the Netherlands as the no. 6 seed. Ranked at 646 this was the first time Vongsouthi had been seeded in a professional tournament. She struggled through her first round match against Olivia Scarfi, 6-3, 6-7 (4) 6-0. Before flying through the next three rounds to reach the final. Her second final of the year ended in the same way as the first, losing 6-2, 6-3 to Marlot Meddens.
Stephanie ended the year ranked 577 with a singles record of 21-15.
2007
Vongsouthi began the year with a quarter final appearance in Sunderland. From here on however she failed to get past the second round in three consecutive tournaments. She headed to AmiensAmiens
Amiens is a city and commune in northern France, north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in Picardy...
for the third time in her career. Ranked 501 in the world, she was seeded third and breezed through her first round. However the next two rounds proved considerably more difficult, each time pushing Vongsouthi to three setters, all the same she managed to pull through to reach the semi finals. Here she came against Audrey Bergot
Audrey Bergot
Audrey Bergot is a professional French tennis player. On October 18, 2010, she reached her highest WTA singles ranking of 236 whilst her highest doubles ranking was 331 on October 25, 2010.-ITF Circuit finals:...
a French player ranked far below her. However Bergot played some brilliant tennis to overcome Vongsouthi in a long three set match, 7-6 (6) 4-6, 6-3. Three more tournaments passed without Vongsouthi getting past the second round.
On April 29, 2007 Vongsouthi headed to Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
. She blasted through her first three rounds without dropping a set. She struggled a litte bit more in the semi final against Patricia Mayr
Patricia Mayr
Patricia Mayr-Achleitner is a professional Austrian tennis player. Her highest WTA singles ranking is 70th, which she reached on May 4, 2009...
but managed to pull through 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (4) to make it to her third ever ITF
International Tennis Federation
The International Tennis Federation is the governing body of world tennis, made up of 205 national tennis associations.It was established as the International Lawn Tennis Federation by 12 national associations meeting at a conference in Paris, France on 1 March 1913...
final. However just as before nerves seemed to get to Vongsouthi as she faced seventh seed Michelle Gerards and she lost 6-2, 6-1. In Braga
Braga
Braga , a city in the Braga Municipality in northwestern Portugal, is the capital of the Braga District, the oldest archdiocese and the third major city of the country. Braga is the oldest Portuguese city and one of the oldest Christian cities in the World...
, Portugal, Vongsouthi once more managed to make it to the final as the no. 2 seed. She didn't drop a set on the way to the final and looked set to take her first ever title. However she came up against the no. 1 seed and home favourite Neuza Silva
Neuza Silva
Neuza Silva is a retired Portuguese professional tennis player. Her career high WTA singles ranking was 133, which she reached on July 6, 2009; her career high doubles ranking is 185, set at July 6, 2008...
, Vongsouthi fell once more 6-1, 6-4.
She then went to the French Open where she received a wildcard into the qualifying draw. This was her first ever 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...
match and she lost to 13th seed Su-Wei Hsieh who was ranked 300 places above her. She played six tournaments after this again not making it past the second round in any of them. She entered Rebecq
Rebecq
Rebecq is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Walloon Brabant. On 1 January 2006 the municipality had 10,241 inhabitants. The total area is 39.08 km², giving a population density of 262 inhabitants per km².-Notable people:...
once again, this time as the no. 1 seed, the first time she had ever been seeded first in a tournament. Unfortunately she seemed to struggle through her first three matches against far less experienced players and lost in the semi final to Samantha Schoeffel 6-2, 6-1. She played nine more tournaments in the year but didn't manage to make it to any quarter finals.
She ended 2007 ranked 480 with a singles record of 39-30.
2008
She began her year at Sunderland once more, she reached the quarter finals again before losing to Elena Kulikova of Russia, 6-3, 6-7 (6) 6-1. She didn't achieve any impressive results until she headed to Bath in March. Ranked 498 and the no. 7 Seed, Vongsouthi blasted through the first four rounds without dropping a set to reach her fifth final. Facing off against Sarah BorwellSarah Borwell
Sarah Leah Borwell is an English professional tennis player who specialises primarily in doubles. She is currently the British number 1 in doubles, ranked 67 in the world...
of Great Britain, ranked 296 and the no. 1 Seed in Bath, Vongsouthi looked visibly nervous. Vongsouthi's final curse seemed to play out once more as she lost 6-4, 7-6 (5) . Giving her a finals record of 0-5.
She headed to Torrent
Torrent, Valencia
Torrent is a city located within the metropolitan area of the city of Valencia, Spain. It is the largest municipality of the Horta Sud comarca, with 79,843 inhabitants . It is situated some 7 km from Valencia city proper, to which it is connected via the...
, Spain, in April, where she managed to make it to the semifinals. After taking a few weeks out Vongsouthi returned to play 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....
as the no. 3 Seed. She reached her 6th ever final and the second of 2008, where she was set to face, Simona Halep
Simona Halep
Simona Halep is a world top-50 tennis player playing on the ITF Women's Circuit and the WTA Tour, and is currently the number-two ranked women's tennis player in Romania.-Career:...
of Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. Vongsouthi failed once more, even though she was ranked higher and lost the match 7-6 (4) 6-3. Her finals record was now set at 0-6.
She played as a wildcard
Wild card (sports)
The term wild card refers broadly to a tournament or playoff berth awarded to an individual or team that has not qualified through normal play.-International sports:...
in the French Open qualifying draw and lost once again, this time to Margit Rüütel
Margit Rüütel
Margit Rüütel is an Estonian tennis player. On 21 April 2008, she achieved her career-high WTA singles ranking of World No. 162. She has ranked as high as 192 in doubles as well, achieving the rank on 9 April 2007.- External links :...
of Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
. Vongsouthi mainly played tournaments in France for a few months, with quarter final appearances at Montpellier
Montpellier
-Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council....
and Périgueux
Périgueux
Périgueux is a commune in the Dordogne department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.Périgueux is the prefecture of the department and the capital of the region...
and a semi final appearance in Mont-de-Marsan
Mont-de-Marsan
Mont-de-Marsan is a commune and capital of the Landes department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.Mont-de-Marsan airbase « Constantin Rozanoff » is a major installation of the French Air Force. The base includes CEAM , an air defense radar command reporting centre, and an air defence control...
.
On October 19, 2008 Vongsouthi headed to Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
as the no. 1 Seed. Ranked at 379 Vongsouthi had a huge advantage over her opponents. She defeated Nicola Geuer
Nicola Geuer
Nicola Geuer is a professional German tennis player who plays on the ITF Women's Circuit. She has won a total of 5 ITF titles and her best world singles ranking of 276 came on 10 May 2010. She also reached World No. 603 in the doubles rankings on 13 December 2010.- External links :...
in the final for her first ever title. She didn't drop a set during the whole tournament.
She ended 2008 ranked 353 with a singles record of 46-27.
2009
She began her year in GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
and ranked at 330 she was the no. 1 seed. She raced through her first few rounds defeating, Jade Curtis, Irini Georgatou
Irini Georgatou
Eirini Georgatou is a Greek tennis player. Her career high singles rank is 193, which she achieved on January 17, 2011. Her career high doubles rank is 171, which she achieved on January 31, 2011. As of October 18, 2010...
and Stefania Boffa
Stefania Boffa
Stefania Boffa is a tennis player from Switzerland. She has a career singles high of 307, and a doubles ranking of 194. She has played for the Swiss fed cup team once in 2006.-Singles titles :-Doubles titles :- External links :...
. She reached the final without having dropped a set. She faced third seed Emma Laine
Emma Laine
Emma Johanna Laine is a professional tennis player from Finland.The left-handed Laine turned professional in 2004. Her highest career singles ranking has been World No. 50 on August 7, 2006....
of Finland in the final. Despite taking the first set Vongsouthi couldn't close out the match, losing: 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (2) . Vongsouthi's final record dropped to 1-7. Vongsouthi's success of Great Britain continued when she returned to Bath, a finalist the year before Vongsouthi was ranked even higher at 314 and looked prepared to win. She didn't drop a set the whole tournament, knocking out Naomi Broady
Naomi Broady
Naomi Broady is an English tennis player who is coached by Suzi Riley. She began playing tennis at the age of 7 and was the 2007 British under 18 girls' champion. She is currently the British no. 5 with a career-high world ranking of no. 194 . So far in her career she has won four ITF titles in...
in the semis and Verardi Verdiana in the final, 6-2, 6-4.
Since Vongsouthi has failed to past the second round of any of the seven tournaments she has played since then.
Stephanie Vongsouthi received a wildcard into the 2009 French Open
2009 French Open
The 2009 French Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 108th edition of the French Open, and the second Grand Slam event of the year...
. She defeated fellow wildcard Aurélie Védy
Aurélie Védy
Aurélie Védy is a French professional tennis player. Her career high WTA doubles ranking is 85, set on May 4, 2009...
in the first round of qualifying, before losing to British 15th seed Elena Baltacha
Elena Baltacha
Elena Baltacha is a British professional tennis player of Ukrainian background. Being a four-time winner of the AEGON Award, she is also the long standing British number 1, a position she has held intermittently since 2002. As of 24 November 2011 she holds a current world ranking of No. 50. Her...
in the next round.
Singles Titles (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score |
| 1. | 28 October 2008 | Lisbon Lisbon Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban... $10,000 |
Hard |  Nicola Geuer |
6–3 6–4 |
| 2. | 28 March 2009 | Bath $10,000 | Hard |  Verardi Verdiana |
6-2, 6-4 |
Finalist (7)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score |
| 1. | 19 June 2006 | Montpellier Montpellier -Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council.... $10,000 |
Clay |  Olivia SanchezOlivia Sanchez Olivia Sanchez is a professional tennis player from France. She received a wildcard into the main draw of the 2007 French Open, but lost in 6–3, 4–6, 3–6, to Shenay Perry in the first round. As of June 9, 2008, Sanchez reached her highest singles ranking of World Number 90 on June 9, 2008, and is... |
6-7 (6) 6-0, 6-0 |
| 2. | 4 September 2006 | Enschede Enschede Enschede , also known as Eanske in the local dialect of Twents, is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands in the province of Overijssel and in the Twente region... $10,000 |
Clay |  Marlot Meddens |
6-2, 6-3 |
| 3. | 23 April 2007 | Naples Naples Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples... $10,000 |
Clay | Michelle Gerards |
6-2, 6-1 |
| 4. | 28 May 2007 | Braga Braga Braga , a city in the Braga Municipality in northwestern Portugal, is the capital of the Braga District, the oldest archdiocese and the third major city of the country. Braga is the oldest Portuguese city and one of the oldest Christian cities in the World... £10,000 |
Clay |  Neuza SilvaNeuza Silva Neuza Silva is a retired Portuguese professional tennis player. Her career high WTA singles ranking was 133, which she reached on July 6, 2009; her career high doubles ranking is 185, set at July 6, 2008... |
6-1, 6-4 |
| 5. | 17 March 2008 | Bath $10,000 | Hard |  United Kingdom Sarah BorwellSarah Borwell Sarah Leah Borwell is an English professional tennis player who specialises primarily in doubles. She is currently the British number 1 in doubles, ranked 67 in the world... |
6-4, 7-6 (5) |
| 6. | 12 May 2008 | 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.... £10,000 |
Clay |  Simona Halep |
7-6 (4) 6-3 |
| 7. | 12 January 2009 | Glasgow Glasgow Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands... $10,000 |
Hard |  Emma LaineEmma Laine Emma Johanna Laine is a professional tennis player from Finland.The left-handed Laine turned professional in 2004. Her highest career singles ranking has been World No. 50 on August 7, 2006.... |
4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (2) |