Svetlana Kuznetsova life and biography

Svetlana Kuznetsova is a Russian professional tennis player and as of April 4, 2011, ranked No. 14 in the WTA singles and doubles ranking. Kuznetsova has appeared in four singles Grand Slam finals, winning two, and has also appeared in six doubles finals, winning once. She has qualified five times for the round-robin stage of the WTA Tour Championships but has never qualified for the semifinals.

CAREER:

Two-time major champion Svetlana Kuznetsova had never made it past the quarters of a Grand Slam before the 2004 U.S. Open, when she defeated Lindsay Davenport in the semifinals and Elena Dementieva in the all-Russian final to win the title at age 19. Kuznetsova was at the time the lowest-seeded woman (No. 9) in Open Era history to win the U.S. Open (that record was surpassed in 2009 by Kim Clijsters, who won the title as a wild card). Kuznetsova lost to Justine Henin in the finals of the 2006 French Open and 2007 U.S. Open. At the 2009 French Open, Kuznetsova defeated Serena Williams in the quarterfinals and Dinara Safina in the final to win her second career Grand Slam singles title and improve her record in major finals to 2-2. She has reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open twice and the quarters of Wimbledon three times. She achieved a career-high ranking of No. 2 in 2007. Kuznetsova has an elite athletic pedigree: her mother is a former champion cyclist, her father is an elite cycling coach, and her brother is an Olympic silver medalist in cycling.

Singles Titles:

2010: San Diego
2009: Stuttgart, Roland Garros, Beijing
2007: New Haven
2006: Miami, Bali, Beijing
2004: Eastbourne, US Open, Bali
2002: Helsinki, Bali;

Doubles Titles:

2009: Miami
2006: Eastbourne
2005: Australian Open, Miami
2004: Gold Coast, Doha
2003: Gold Coast, Dubai, Rome, Toronto, Leipzig
2002: Sopot, Helsinki, Tokyo

PERSONAL:

Coached by Olga Morozova
Father is Alexandr Kuznetsov, cycling coach of six Olympic champions and world champions and now coach of Lokomotiv (best cycling club in Russia); also coached Svetlana's mother, Galina Tsareva (six-time world champion and holder of 20 world records) and Svetlana's brother, Nikolai Kuznetsov (silver medalist at 1996 Atlanta Olympics)
Began playing at age 7
Favorite movies are "Love Actually" and "Save the Last Dance"
Never leaves home without her iPod; likes listening to all types of chart music
Inspired by players who fight a lot on the court
Greatest moment of career was winning 2004 US Open final against Dementieva.

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