Aravane Rezaï
Encyclopedia
Aravane Rezaï is an Iran
ian-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
. She has defeated many top players on the WTA circuit, such as Jelena Janković
, Justine Henin, Venus Williams
, Maria Sharapova
, Dinara Safina
, Francesca Schiavone
, Caroline Wozniacki
, Marion Bartoli
, Victoria Azarenka
, Flavia Pennetta
, and Ai Sugiyama
. Her career high rank was No. 15, achieved on 11 October 2010.
at the Women's Islamic Games
, winning gold in 2001 and 2005.
of Japan along the way. She fell to Nicole Vaidišová
, in a hard fought three-setter. Her Wimbledon
dreams were also put on hold as she fell in the first round of qualifying. At the 2006 U.S. Open, she reached the fourth round
, her career best Grand Slam
singles result.
She also competed on the ITF circuit throughout the year, reaching the final of two ITF tournaments, as well as winning one in the later part of the year on the hardcourts of France.
of Istanbul
(Turkey
) Rezaï reached the final by beating American World No. 29 Venus Williams
in the 2nd round (6–4, 6–4) and Russian World No. 2 Maria Sharapova
in the semi-final (6–2, 6–4). In the final she lost to Russian Elena Dementieva
due to retiring, trailing 6–7(5), 0–3.
In spite of her good performance in the international clay tournament
, she lost the week after 6–2, 6–4 to countrywoman Marion Bartoli
in the first round of the 2007 French Open
. In her first appearance in Wimbledon
she defeated Shenay Perry
from the U.S. in the first round 6–2, 7–6 and Francesca Schiavone
from Italy, the 29th seed, in the second round, 6–4, 2–6, 6–4. However, in the third round she was defeated by Ana Ivanović
from Serbia
6–3, 6–2. At the 2007 US Open she once again lost to Ana Ivanović
in the second round.
She ended an appalling year with yet another ITF
Circuit title in Deauville, France, losing only one set en route to her victory.
in Auckland, New Zealand despite being unseeded. She lost to American Lindsay Davenport
6–2, 6–2. Her year stagnated with early losses in the first and second rounds of tournaments, however, and her only other grand success of the year came on the clay of Morocco in mid-spring, where she reached the semi-finals before falling to Gisela Dulko
.
At the Australian Open, Rezaï reached the third round, beating thirteenth seed Tatiana Golovin
in the second round 6–3, 3–6, 6–3 before losing to Hsieh Su-Wei
6–2, 6–7, 6–4. Her Grand Slam results for the rest of the year were disappointing. At the French Open, she fell to Nadia Petrova
in the first round. At Wimbledon, she faced Gisela Dulko
of Argentina. She pushed Dulko to three sets, but eventually fell 6–1 0–6 2–6. The US Open started well as she defeated American Asia Muhammed
6–2 6–4. However, she fell in the second round to Sybille Bammer
1–6, 5–7.
, beating Lucie Hradecká
7–6(2), 6–1 in the final. Despite a first-round loss at the Australian Open, she flew to the 4th round of the French Open after defeating Michelle Larcher de Brito
7–6(3), 6–2, but lost to World No.1 Dinara Safina
6–1, 6–0, effectively putting an end to her participation in Roland-Garros. At the 2009 Wimbledon Championships
, she beat Ayumi Morita
6–2, 6–2 but then lost to fourth seed Elena Dementieva
6–1, 6–3 in the second round.
In the first round of Rogers Cup 2009, she defeated Alizé Cornet
6–4, 7–5. In the second round, she made the biggest upset of the tournament by defeating World No. 1 Dinara Safina
3–6, 6–2, 6–4. In the third round, she was defeated by Alisa Kleybanova
in two sets 3–6, 4–6. Aravane Rezaï then lost at the US Open to Sabine Lisicki
in the first round, her earliest loss ever at the US Open.
At the Toray Pan Pacific Open
in Tokyo
, Rezaï won her opening match in straight sets, defeating Sara Errani
6–2, 6–2. In the second round she lost to Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli
6–4, 6–2.
Seeded tenth at the 2009 Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions
Rezaï won her first round robin match against fourth seed Sabine Lisicki
6–1, 3–6, 4–6, then beat Melinda Czink
in her second match 6–3, 7–5 to make her the first player to advance to the semifinals of the inaugural event. She then went on to the semifinals, where she beat María José Martínez Sánchez
6–2 6–3. In the final she faced Marion Bartoli
and won the first set 7–5 before Bartoli retired. Because of her performance Rezaï reached a new career high of world number 26.
, where she was seeded #7. In the first round she beat fellow countrywoman Julie Coin
6–4, 6–3. At match point the lights in the stadium went out, but they were fixed shortly after and Rezaï closed out the match. In the second round she was defeated by Dominika Cibulková
6–3, 6–4.
Her next tournament was the Medibank International Sydney. Rezaï won her first round match against Anna-Lena Grönefeld
6–7, 6–2, 6–2, then faced Ágnes Szávay
, whom she defeated 6–3 7–6. In the quarterfinals she beat Flavia Pennetta
6–3, 6–0; in the semifinal she faced World No.1 Serena Williams
. She began strong, leading in the match by 6–3, 5–2, and was two points away from victory, but ended up losing 6–3, 5–7, 4–6.
Rezaï was seeded No. 26 for the Australian Open. She won her first-round match against Sania Mirza
6–4, 6–2, but was then defeated in the second round by Angelique Kerber
6–2, 6–3. In the doubles draw she partnered with Sabine Lisicki
, but they lost in the first round.
Her next tournament was the 2010 Open GDF Suez
, where she was seeded #5. She won her first round match against qualifier Evgeniya Rodina
6–4, 6–4. In the second round she faced Andrea Petkovic
, getting upset 6–3, 3–6, 6–3 and spoiling her chance to play Elena Dementieva
in the quarterfinals. She lost in the next round.
At the 2010 Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open
, Rezaï caused a huge upset in the first round, defeating the former World No. 1 and four-time French Open champion Justine Henin 4–6, 7–5, 6–0. In the second round, she won her match against Klára Zakopalová 6–3, 7–5, then defeated Andrea Petkovic
in two sets 6–4, 7–6 (10–8). Rezaï pulled off a major fourth-round upset by defeating Jelena Janković
in two straight sets 7–5, 6–4. In the semifinal she won against Lucie Šafářová
6–1, 0–0 (retired), reaching the most important final in her career. She defeated Venus Williams
in the final 6–2, 7–5, coming back from a 2–5 deficit and overcoming numerous set points to win. She then to the French Open with improved odds. Because of her performance at Mutua Madrilena, Rezaï reached a new high career ranking as number 16. Seeded 15th at the 2010 French Open
, Rezaï fell to No. 19 Nadia Petrova
in the third round in three sets.
On grass Rezaï played at the 2010 AEGON Classic
, cruising through the semifinals without dropping a set, but fell to eventual champion Li Na
6–1, 3–6, 6–3. She then played at the 2010 AEGON International
, where she upset top seed Caroline Wozniacki
6–4, 1–6, 6–3 in the first round before retiring against María José Martínez Sánchez
in the second round, down 6–2, 3–0. At the 2010 Wimbledon Championships
, as the 18th seed, she was upset by Klára Zakopalová 5–7, 6–3, 6–3 in the second round.
At the 2010 Swedish Open
Rezaï cruised through the finals with wins over Arantxa Parra Santonja
and Lucie Šafářová
, finally facing Gisela Dulko
. Rezaï won 6–3, 4–6, 6–4, despite giving up a 4–0 lead in the third set.
At the 2010 Cincinnati Open, Rezaï was upset by 98th seed Bojana Jovanovski
4–6, 6–3, 6–4; even though she had "breathtaking" strokes, her serve was erratic with a high number of unforced errors.
Rezaï's disappointing level of play continued right up until the end of her season, as she lost in the first round of the 2010 Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions
. She won the title in 2009 but lost to Alisa Kleybanova
in the first round 6–1, 6–2.
with Caroline Wozniacki
and Stefan Edberg
for Team Europe, but they lost to Team Russia (including Vera Zvonareva
, Maria Kirilenko
and former male player Yevgeny Kafelnikov
) in the final of Gold Group.
Rezaï started off the year with a win over World No.8 Jelena Janković
7–5, 2–6, 6–3. She lost in the second round to Bojana Jovanovski
6–7(4), 6–7(4).
Seeded 17th, Rezaï competed at the 2011 Australian Open
. She lost in the first round to Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová of the Czech Republic 0–6, 6–3, 5–7.
Rezaï lost in the first round of the 2011 Monterrey Open
to Alla Kudryavtseva
2–6, 1–6.
At the 2011 BNP Paribas Open
, Rezaï reached the third round before being defeated by Maria Sharapova
in straight sets, losing 2–6, 2–6.
She lost in the first round of the 2011 Sony Ericsson Open
in Miami to Peng Shuai
0–6, 4–6.
Her poor form continued onto the start of the clay court season. She lost in the first round of the 2011 Andalucia Tennis Experience
in Marbella to World No. 258 Estrella Cabeza Candela
3–6, 0–6.
She returned to form at Dallas WTA, where she reached the final.
that she supported Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. When the reporter asked her "Do you like Mr. Ahmadinejad?" and "why?", she responded that:
In this interview, she also affirmed having presented two of her tennis rackets as a gift to Ahmadinejad. The footage of Rezaï presenting her tennis rackets to Ahmadinejad was used in his official campaign advertisement video during his 2009 presidential election campaign
.
At one point, the French Tennis Federation was forced to employ bodyguards to prevent Arsalan from attacking other competitors' fathers. In one 2006 incident, Arsalan attacked Sergey Vesnina, the father of Elena Vesnina
, and then accidentally hit his own daughter with a racquet. Aravane was also denied training funds that are typically available to all French players; she was also banned at one point from training with other players at Roland Garros
, because of her father's dispute with the French Fed Cup
captain.
Just prior to her loss in the first round of the 2011 Australian Open, Arsalan was violent to his daughter and threatened her boyfriend. After losing the match, Aravane said, "I do not want to look for excuses but I had a lot of trouble on the morning of the match." The WTA banned Arsalan from the tour indefinitely, pending investigation. The incident was also investigated by the Victoria police.
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian-French tennis player born in Saint-Étienne
Saint-Étienne
Saint-Étienne is a city in eastern central France. It is located in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon in the Rhône-Alpes region, along the trunk road that connects Toulouse with Lyon...
, 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
Ball Boy
Ball Boy is a comic strip in the UK comic The Beano and also the name of the main character. It first appeared in issue 1735, dated 18 October 1975. It features a five-a-side football team that includes:* Ball Boy - the captain of the team, Ball Boy bears resemblances to The Dandy's Owen Goal...
. She has defeated many top players on the WTA circuit, such as Jelena Janković
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...
, Justine Henin, 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...
, 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...
, 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....
, 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...
, 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...
, 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....
, 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....
, 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...
, and 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...
. Her career high rank was No. 15, achieved on 11 October 2010.
2001 and 2005: Women's Islamic Games
She competed for IranIran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
at the Women's Islamic Games
Women's Islamic Games
The Women's Islamic Games is an international multi-sport event started in 1993. The event is organised by the Islamic Federation of Women's Sport ....
, winning gold in 2001 and 2005.
2006: U.S. Open & ITF Success
For the second year in a row, Rezaï lost in the qualifying rounds of the Australian Open. However, her French Open run was more successful. She struggled through to the third round of the tournament, defeating Ai SugiyamaAi 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...
of Japan along the way. She fell to Nicole Vaidišová
Nicole Vaidišová
Nicole Vaidišová is a retired Czech tennis player.Vaidišová was an Australian Open and French Open semifinalist and also reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. Vaidišová started playing tennis when she was six years old, enrolling to train at Nick Bollettieri's tennis academy in Bradenton,...
, in a hard fought three-setter. Her Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
dreams were also put on hold as she fell in the first round of qualifying. At the 2006 U.S. Open, she reached the fourth round
2006 U.S. Open - Women's Singles
Kim Clijsters was the defending champion, but chose not to participate that year due to injury.Maria Sharapova won her second Grand Slam title, defeating Justine Henin-Hardenne in the final...
, her career best 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...
singles result.
She also competed on the ITF circuit throughout the year, reaching the final of two ITF tournaments, as well as winning one in the later part of the year on the hardcourts of France.
2007
Her year started poorly, reaching the second round only twice in her first thirteen tournaments on tour, including a first-round loss at the Australian Open. At the international clay tournamentIstanbul Cup
The İstanbul Cup is a tennis tournament held in İstanbul, Turkey. Held since 2005, this WTA Tour event is a WTA International Tournaments and is played on outdoor clay courts. From 2009, it switched to outdoor hard courts...
of Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
(Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
) Rezaï reached the final by beating American World No. 29 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 2nd round (6–4, 6–4) and Russian World No. 2 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...
in the semi-final (6–2, 6–4). In the final she lost to 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...
due to retiring, trailing 6–7(5), 0–3.
In spite of her good performance in the international clay tournament
Istanbul Cup
The İstanbul Cup is a tennis tournament held in İstanbul, Turkey. Held since 2005, this WTA Tour event is a WTA International Tournaments and is played on outdoor clay courts. From 2009, it switched to outdoor hard courts...
, she lost the week after 6–2, 6–4 to countrywoman 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 the first round of the 2007 French Open
2007 French Open
The 2007 French Open was held in Paris, France from 27 May through to 10 June 2007. Followed two weeks later, as usual, by Wimbledon in London, United Kingdom. Rafael Nadal became the first man to win the tournament 3 times consecutively since Björn Borg, 1978–81; and maintained his unbeaten run...
. In her first appearance in Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
she defeated Shenay Perry
Shenay Perry
Shenay Perry is an American professional tennis player. Her career-high WTA singles ranking is 40, which she reached on August 28, 2006...
from the U.S. in the first round 6–2, 7–6 and 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...
from Italy, the 29th seed, in the second round, 6–4, 2–6, 6–4. However, in the third round she was defeated by 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...
from 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...
6–3, 6–2. At the 2007 US Open she once again lost to 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...
in the second round.
She ended an appalling year with yet another 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...
Circuit title in Deauville, France, losing only one set en route to her victory.
2008
Rezaï reached the final of the 2008 ASB Classic2008 ASB Classic
The 2008 ASB Classic was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 23rd edition of the ASB Classic, and was part of the Tier IV Series of the 2008 WTA Tour. It took place at the ASB Tennis Centre in Auckland, New Zealand, from December 31, 2007 through January 5, 2008.-Singles:...
in Auckland, New Zealand despite being unseeded. She lost to American Lindsay Davenport
Lindsay Davenport
Lindsay Ann Davenport is a former World No. 1 American professional tennis player. She has won three Grand Slam singles tournaments and an Olympic gold medal in singles. In 2005, TENNIS Magazine ranked her as the 29th-best player of the preceding forty years...
6–2, 6–2. Her year stagnated with early losses in the first and second rounds of tournaments, however, and her only other grand success of the year came on the clay of Morocco in mid-spring, where she reached the semi-finals before falling to Gisela Dulko
Gisela Dulko
Gisela Dulko is an Argentine female tennis player, who will, as of 4 July 2011, be ranked World No. 51 in singles and No. 4 in doubles. Although she enjoyed a modest success in singles, reaching No. 26 on November 21, 2005, and winning four WTA Tour titles, her speciality has been doubles, where...
.
At the Australian Open, Rezaï reached the third round, beating thirteenth seed 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 the second round 6–3, 3–6, 6–3 before losing to 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:...
6–2, 6–7, 6–4. Her Grand Slam results for the rest of the year were disappointing. At the French Open, she fell 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...
in the first round. At Wimbledon, she faced Gisela Dulko
Gisela Dulko
Gisela Dulko is an Argentine female tennis player, who will, as of 4 July 2011, be ranked World No. 51 in singles and No. 4 in doubles. Although she enjoyed a modest success in singles, reaching No. 26 on November 21, 2005, and winning four WTA Tour titles, her speciality has been doubles, where...
of Argentina. She pushed Dulko to three sets, but eventually fell 6–1 0–6 2–6. The US Open started well as she defeated American Asia Muhammed
Asia Muhammed
Asia Muhammed is a professional American tennis player. On October 5, 2009, she reached her highest WTA singles ranking of 348 whilst her best doubles ranking was 179 on August 15, 2011.-External links:...
6–2 6–4. However, she fell in the second round to Sybille Bammer
Sybille Bammer
Sybille Bammer is a former professional female tennis player from Austria. Her career high ranking is No. 19, achieved on 17 December 2007....
1–6, 5–7.
2009
Rezaï won the first WTA Tour title of her career in Strasbourg2009 Internationaux de Strasbourg
The 2009 Internationaux de Strasbourg is a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It is the 23nd edition of the Internationaux de Strasbourg, and is part of the International-level tournaments of the 2009 WTA Tour...
, beating Lucie Hradecká
Lucie 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:...
7–6(2), 6–1 in the final. Despite a first-round loss at the Australian Open, she flew to the 4th round of the French Open after defeating 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...
7–6(3), 6–2, but lost to 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....
6–1, 6–0, effectively putting an end to her participation in Roland-Garros. 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...
, she beat Ayumi Morita
Ayumi Morita
is a Japanese female tennis player. She reached her career-high ranking of 42nd in the world on June 6, 2011 and is currently the highest ranked Japanese player in the world at World No. 46, the seventh overall in Asia. At Junior level, she reached a career high ranking of No. 3.Morita is known for...
6–2, 6–2 but then lost to fourth seed 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...
6–1, 6–3 in the second round.
In the first round of Rogers Cup 2009, she defeated Alizé Cornet
Alizé Cornet
Alizé Cornet is a French professional tennis player and the current French number three . She was born in Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, and has a career-high ranking of No. 11, achieved on 16 February 2009; as of 4 July 2011 she is ranked World No. 69...
6–4, 7–5. In the second round, she made the biggest upset of the tournament by defeating 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....
3–6, 6–2, 6–4. In the third round, she was defeated by Alisa Kleybanova
Alisa Kleybanova
Alisa Mikhaelovna Kleybanova is a Russian professional tennis player. Her highest WTA world ranking to date is No. 20, achieved on February 21, 2010...
in two sets 3–6, 4–6. Aravane Rezaï then lost at the US Open to Sabine Lisicki
Sabine Lisicki
Sabine Lisicki is a German professional tennis player of Polish background.Lisicki has won three WTA singles tournaments in her career and one doubles tournament . She reached the semifinals of the 2011 Wimbledon Championships and also reached the quarterfinals of the 2009 Wimbledon Championships...
in the first round, her earliest loss ever at the US Open.
At the Toray Pan Pacific Open
Toray Pan Pacific Open
The is a WTA Tour affiliated professional tennis tournament for women, held every year since 1984 on in Tokyo, Japan. It is classified on the WTA Tour as a Tier I tournament since 1993. The event has traditionally been played on indoor carpet at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, but the 2008 event...
in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Rezaï won her opening match in straight sets, defeating 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...
6–2, 6–2. In the second round she lost to Frenchwoman 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....
6–4, 6–2.
Seeded tenth at the 2009 Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions
2009 Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions
The 2009 Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions was a singles-only tennis tournament that was played on indoor hard courts. It was the first edition of the Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions and was part of the 2009 WTA Tour...
Rezaï won her first round robin match against fourth seed Sabine Lisicki
Sabine Lisicki
Sabine Lisicki is a German professional tennis player of Polish background.Lisicki has won three WTA singles tournaments in her career and one doubles tournament . She reached the semifinals of the 2011 Wimbledon Championships and also reached the quarterfinals of the 2009 Wimbledon Championships...
6–1, 3–6, 4–6, then beat Melinda Czink
Melinda Czink
Melinda Czink is a Hungarian professional female tennis player. On September 21, 2009 Czink reached her career-high singles ranking of World No. 37....
in her second match 6–3, 7–5 to make her the first player to advance to the semifinals of the inaugural event. She then went on to the semifinals, where she beat María José Martínez Sánchez
María José Martínez Sánchez
María José Martínez Sánchez is a Spanish professional tennis player. In singles, she has won five WTA singles titles, the 2009 Copa Sony Ericsson Colsanitas, the 2009 Swedish Open, the Premier 5 event, 2010 Internazionali BNL d'Italia, the 2011 Gastein Ladies and the 2011 Hansol Korea Open. She...
6–2 6–3. In the final she faced 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....
and won the first set 7–5 before Bartoli retired. Because of her performance Rezaï reached a new career high of world number 26.
2010
Rezaï's first tournament of the year was 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 was seeded #7. In the first round she beat fellow countrywoman Julie Coin
Julie Coin
Julie Coin is a professional French tennis player. Coin recorded the largest victory of her career by defeating the world's #1 ranked female singles player, and #1 seed, Ana Ivanović at the 2008 US Open. Her career high singles ranking is World No. 60, achieved on 27 July 2009. Her career high...
6–4, 6–3. At match point the lights in the stadium went out, but they were fixed shortly after and Rezaï closed out the match. In the second round she was defeated by Dominika Cibulková
Dominika Cibulková
Dominika Cibulková is a Slovak professional tennis player. She is also a former World Junior No. 3, achieving that ranking in May 2005. Her career-high ranking of World No. 12 was achieved on 6 July 2009...
6–3, 6–4.
Her next tournament was the Medibank International Sydney. Rezaï won her first round match against 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...
6–7, 6–2, 6–2, then faced Ágnes Szávay
Ágnes Szávay
Ágnes Szávay is a professional tennis player from Hungary. She is the country's highest ranked tennis player. She was the WTA Newcomer of the Year in 2007. She achieved her career high ranking of World No. 13 on April 14, 2008.- Background :...
, whom she defeated 6–3 7–6. In the quarterfinals she beat 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...
6–3, 6–0; in the semifinal she faced 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...
. She began strong, leading in the match by 6–3, 5–2, and was two points away from victory, but ended up losing 6–3, 5–7, 4–6.
Rezaï was seeded No. 26 for the Australian Open. She won her first-round match against Sania Mirza
Sania 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...
6–4, 6–2, but was then defeated in the second round by Angelique Kerber
Angelique Kerber
Angelique Kerber is a professional German tennis player of Polish descent, who has considered representing Poland. She began playing tennis aged five. Kerber has a career high ranking of World No. 30 achieved on 3 October 2011...
6–2, 6–3. In the doubles draw she partnered with Sabine Lisicki
Sabine Lisicki
Sabine Lisicki is a German professional tennis player of Polish background.Lisicki has won three WTA singles tournaments in her career and one doubles tournament . She reached the semifinals of the 2011 Wimbledon Championships and also reached the quarterfinals of the 2009 Wimbledon Championships...
, but they lost in the first round.
Her next tournament was the 2010 Open GDF Suez
2010 Open GDF Suez
The 2010 Open GDF Suez was a women's professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 18th edition of the Open GDF Suez and was a Premier tournament on the 2010 WTA Tour...
, where she was seeded #5. She won her first round match against qualifier 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...
6–4, 6–4. In the second round she faced 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....
, getting upset 6–3, 3–6, 6–3 and spoiling her chance to play 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...
in the quarterfinals. She lost in the next round.
At the 2010 Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open
2010 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open
The 2010 Madrid Masters was played on outdoor clay courts at the Park Manzanares in Madrid, Spain from May 7 – May 16. It was the 9th edition of the event on the ATP and 2nd on the WTA...
, Rezaï caused a huge upset in the first round, defeating the former World No. 1 and four-time French Open champion Justine Henin 4–6, 7–5, 6–0. In the second round, she won her match against Klára Zakopalová 6–3, 7–5, then defeated 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....
in two sets 6–4, 7–6 (10–8). Rezaï pulled off a major fourth-round upset by defeating Jelena Janković
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...
in two straight sets 7–5, 6–4. In the semifinal she won against Lucie Šafářová
Lucie Šafárová
Lucie Šafářová is a professional Czech tennis player. She was born in Brno.Šafářová has won four WTA tour singles titles and reached the quarterfinals of the 2007 Australian Open, upsetting defending champion Amélie Mauresmo en-route...
6–1, 0–0 (retired), reaching the most important final in her career. She defeated 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 final 6–2, 7–5, coming back from a 2–5 deficit and overcoming numerous set points to win. She then to the French Open with improved odds. Because of her performance at Mutua Madrilena, Rezaï reached a new high career ranking as number 16. Seeded 15th at the 2010 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...
, Rezaï fell to No. 19 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...
in the third round in three sets.
On grass Rezaï played at the 2010 AEGON Classic
2010 AEGON Classic
The 2010 AEGON Classic was a tennis tournament played on outdoor grass courts. It was the 29th edition of the event. It took place at the Edgbaston Priory Club in Birmingham, England, United Kingdom, from June 7 through June 13, 2010.-Seeds:...
, cruising through the semifinals without dropping a set, but fell to eventual champion 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.;...
6–1, 3–6, 6–3. She then played at the 2010 AEGON International
2010 AEGON International
The 2010 AEGON International was a combined men's and women's tennis tournament played on outdoor grass courts. It was the 35th edition of the event for the women and the 2nd edition for the men. It was classified as a WTA Premier tournament on the 2010 WTA Tour and as an ATP World Tour 250 series...
, where she upset top seed 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...
6–4, 1–6, 6–3 in the first round before retiring against María José Martínez Sánchez
María José Martínez Sánchez
María José Martínez Sánchez is a Spanish professional tennis player. In singles, she has won five WTA singles titles, the 2009 Copa Sony Ericsson Colsanitas, the 2009 Swedish Open, the Premier 5 event, 2010 Internazionali BNL d'Italia, the 2011 Gastein Ladies and the 2011 Hansol Korea Open. She...
in the second round, down 6–2, 3–0. At the 2010 Wimbledon Championships
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...
, as the 18th seed, she was upset by Klára Zakopalová 5–7, 6–3, 6–3 in the second round.
At the 2010 Swedish Open
2010 Swedish Open
The 2010 Swedish Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts part of the ATP World Tour 250 Series of the 2010 ATP World Tour and 2010 WTA Tour. It took place in Båstad, Sweden, from July 5 through July 11, 2010 for Women's and from July 12 through July 18, 2010 for Men's...
Rezaï cruised through the finals with wins over Arantxa Parra Santonja
Arantxa Parra Santonja
Arantxa Parra Santonja is a professional female tennis player from Spain. She turned pro in 2000.On 12 July 2010, Parra Santonja reached her career-high singles ranking: World No...
and Lucie Šafářová
Lucie Šafárová
Lucie Šafářová is a professional Czech tennis player. She was born in Brno.Šafářová has won four WTA tour singles titles and reached the quarterfinals of the 2007 Australian Open, upsetting defending champion Amélie Mauresmo en-route...
, finally facing Gisela Dulko
Gisela Dulko
Gisela Dulko is an Argentine female tennis player, who will, as of 4 July 2011, be ranked World No. 51 in singles and No. 4 in doubles. Although she enjoyed a modest success in singles, reaching No. 26 on November 21, 2005, and winning four WTA Tour titles, her speciality has been doubles, where...
. Rezaï won 6–3, 4–6, 6–4, despite giving up a 4–0 lead in the third set.
At the 2010 Cincinnati Open, Rezaï was upset by 98th seed Bojana Jovanovski
Bojana Jovanovski
Bojana Jovanovski is a Serbian tennis player. As of 24 October 2011, Jovanovski is ranked World No. 56 and is the third highest ranked Serbian player, after World No. 14 Jelena Janković and No. 26 Ana Ivanović...
4–6, 6–3, 6–4; even though she had "breathtaking" strokes, her serve was erratic with a high number of unforced errors.
Rezaï's disappointing level of play continued right up until the end of her season, as she lost in the first round of the 2010 Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions
2010 Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions
The 2010 Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions was a singles-only tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the second edition of the tournament and was part of the 2010 WTA Tour...
. She won the title in 2009 but lost to Alisa Kleybanova
Alisa Kleybanova
Alisa Mikhaelovna Kleybanova is a Russian professional tennis player. Her highest WTA world ranking to date is No. 20, achieved on February 21, 2010...
in the first round 6–1, 6–2.
2011
Rezaï obtained an invite from the Hong Kong Tennis Patrons' Association to play in 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...
with 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...
and Stefan Edberg
Stefan Edberg
Stefan Bengt Edberg is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from Sweden. A major proponent of the serve-and-volley style of tennis, he won six Grand Slam singles titles and three Grand Slam men's doubles titles. He also won one season ending championship title the Masters Grand Prix...
for Team Europe, but they lost to Team Russia (including 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...
, Maria Kirilenko
Maria Kirilenko
Maria Yuryevna Kirilenko 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...
and former male player 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...
) in the final of Gold Group.
Rezaï started off the year with a win over World No.8 Jelena Janković
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...
7–5, 2–6, 6–3. She lost in the second round to Bojana Jovanovski
Bojana Jovanovski
Bojana Jovanovski is a Serbian tennis player. As of 24 October 2011, Jovanovski is ranked World No. 56 and is the third highest ranked Serbian player, after World No. 14 Jelena Janković and No. 26 Ana Ivanović...
6–7(4), 6–7(4).
Seeded 17th, Rezaï competed at the 2011 Australian Open
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...
. She lost in the first round to Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová of the Czech Republic 0–6, 6–3, 5–7.
Rezaï lost in the first round of the 2011 Monterrey Open
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...
to Alla Kudryavtseva
Alla Kudryavtseva
Alla Alexandrovna Kudryavtseva is a professional tennis player from Russia. She currently lives in Moscow, where she is coached by Nick Rybakov...
2–6, 1–6.
At the 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...
, Rezaï reached the third round before being defeated by 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...
in straight sets, losing 2–6, 2–6.
She lost in the first round of the 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...
in Miami to 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...
0–6, 4–6.
Her poor form continued onto the start of the clay court season. She lost in the first round of the 2011 Andalucia Tennis Experience
2011 Andalucia Tennis Experience
The 2011 Andalucia Tennis Experience was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 3rd edition of the Andalucia Tennis Experience, and an International-level tournament of the 2011 WTA Tour. The event took place at the Club de Tenis Puente Romano in Marbella, Spain, from April 2...
in Marbella to World No. 258 Estrella Cabeza Candela
Estrella Cabeza Candela
Estrella Cabeza Candela is a Spanish professional tennis player. On 6 April 2009 she reached her highest world single ranking, number 167. As of 21 March 2011 she is number 268.-External links:...
3–6, 0–6.
She returned to form at Dallas WTA, where she reached the final.
Singles: 7 (4 titles, 3 runner-ups)
|
|
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
| Runner-up | 1. | 26 May 2007 | Istanbul Istanbul Cup The İstanbul Cup is a tennis tournament held in İstanbul, Turkey. Held since 2005, this WTA Tour event is a WTA International Tournaments and is played on outdoor clay courts. From 2009, it switched to outdoor hard courts... , Turkey |
Clay |  Elena DementievaElena 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... |
7–6(5), 3–0, ret |
| Runner-up | 2. | 5 January 2008 | Auckland ASB Classic The ASB Classic is a tennis tournament held in Auckland, New Zealand. Held since 1986, this WTA Tour event is an International series tournament and is played on outdoor hardcourts during the first week of the year.... , New Zealand |
Hard |  Lindsay DavenportLindsay Davenport Lindsay Ann Davenport is a former World No. 1 American professional tennis player. She has won three Grand Slam singles tournaments and an Olympic gold medal in singles. In 2005, TENNIS Magazine ranked her as the 29th-best player of the preceding forty years... |
6–2, 6–2 |
| Winner | 1. | 18 May 2009 | Strasbourg Internationaux de Strasbourg The Internationaux de Strasbourg is a tennis tournament held in Strasbourg, France. Held since 1987, this WTA Tour event is an International-level tournament played on outdoor clay courts.... , France |
Clay |  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:... |
7–6(2), 6–1 |
| Winner | 2. | 8 November 2009 | Tournament of Champions Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions The Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions is a tennis tournament and it debuted at the Bali International Convention Centre on November 4–8 and was a part of the 2009 WTA Tour... , Indonesia |
Hard (i) |  Marion BartoliMarion 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.... |
7–5, retired |
| Winner | 3. | 16 May 2010 | Madrid 2010 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open – Women's Singles Dinara Safina was the defending champion, but she lost against Klára Zakopalová in the first round.Aravane Rezaï won in the final 6–2, 7–5 against Venus Williams.-Seeds:# Serena Williams # Caroline Wozniacki ... , Spain |
Clay | 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... |
6–2, 7–5 |
| Winner | 4. | 10 July 2010 | Båstad 2010 Swedish Open – Women's Singles María José Martínez Sánchez was the defender of title, but withdrew due to a knee injury.Aravane Rezaï became the new champion, after she won in the final 6–3, 4–6, 6–4, against Gisela Dulko.-Seeds:# Flavia Pennetta ... , Sweden |
Clay |  Gisela DulkoGisela Dulko Gisela Dulko is an Argentine female tennis player, who will, as of 4 July 2011, be ranked World No. 51 in singles and No. 4 in doubles. Although she enjoyed a modest success in singles, reaching No. 26 on November 21, 2005, and winning four WTA Tour titles, her speciality has been doubles, where... |
6–3, 4–6, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 3. | 27 August 2011 | Dallas 2011 Texas Tennis Open – Singles Sabine Lisicki won the first edition of this tournament, defeating Aravane Rezaï in the final 6–2, 6–1.-Seeds:# Peng Shuai # Dominika Cibulková # Julia Görges ... , United States |
Hard |  Sabine LisickiSabine Lisicki Sabine Lisicki is a German professional tennis player of Polish background.Lisicki has won three WTA singles tournaments in her career and one doubles tournament . She reached the semifinals of the 2011 Wimbledon Championships and also reached the quarterfinals of the 2009 Wimbledon Championships... |
6–2, 6–1 |
Performance timeline
To prevent confusion and double counting, information in this table is updated only once a tournament or the player's participation in the tournament has concluded.| Tournament | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | SR | W–L | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | 1R | 3R | 1R | 2R 2010 Australian Open – Women's Singles Serena Williams defended her title after winning 6–4, 3–6, 6–2 against Justine Henin in the final.-Seeds:# Serena Williams # Dinara Safina ... |
1R 2011 Australian Open – Women's Singles Serena Williams was the defending champion, but could not defend her title due to a foot injury sustained in the middle of the 2010 season.Kim Clijsters won her first Australian Open title and fourth Grand Slam overall by beating Li Na 3–6, 6–3, 6–3 in the final match... |
0 / 5 | 3–5 | |||||||
| French Open | 2R | 3R | 1R | 1R | 4R 2009 French Open – Women's Singles Ana Ivanović was the defending champion, but lost in the fourth round to Victoria Azarenka.Svetlana Kuznetsova won in the final 6–4, 6–2, against Dinara Safina in 74 minutes. It was the third all-Russian final in Grand Slam history, and the first since 2004... |
3R 2010 French Open – Women's Singles Svetlana Kuznetsova was the defending champion, but lost in the third round to Maria Kirilenko.Francesca Schiavone defeated Samantha Stosur 6–4, 7–6 in the final and became the first Italian woman to win a Grand Slam tournament.-Seeds:... |
1R 2011 French Open – Women's Singles Francesca Schiavone was the defending champion, but lost in the final to Li Na, 6–4, 7–6, making Li the first Asian and Chinese Grand Slam singles champion.-Seeds:# Caroline Wozniacki # Kim Clijsters ... |
0 / 7 | 8–7 | |||||
| Wimbledon | 3R | 1R | 2R | 2R 2010 Wimbledon Championships – Women's Singles The Women's Singles event at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships saw defending champion and top seed Serena Williams successfully defend her title with a 6–3, 6–2 win over Vera Zvonareva in the final, whilst failing to lose a set throughout the entire tournament... |
1R 2011 Wimbledon Championships – Women's Singles Serena Williams was the two-time defending champion, but lost to 2007 finalist Marion Bartoli in the fourth round.For the first time since 1913, all eight quarter-finalists were European.... |
0 / 4 | 4–5 | |||||||
| US Open | 4R | 2R | 2R | 1R | 2R 2010 US Open – Women's Singles Kim Clijsters was the defending champion, and successfully defended her 2009 title, after she won 6–2, 6–1, against Vera Zvonareva in the final. This match lasted only one hour.-Seeds:# Caroline Wozniacki # Kim Clijsters ... |
1R 2011 US Open – Women's Singles Kim Clijsters was the two-time defending champion, but withdrew due to an abdominal injury.Ninth seed Samantha Stosur won her first Grand Slam championship, defeating the favourite Serena Williams, a three-time US Open champion and the 28th seed, 6–2, 6–3 in the final... |
0 / 6 | 6–6 | ||||||
| Win–Loss | 1–1 | 5–2 | 3–4 | 3–4 | 4–4 | 5–4 | 0–4 | 0 / 22 | 21–23 | |||||
| Year-End Championships | ||||||||||||||
| WTA Tour Championships WTA Tour Championships The WTA Tour Championships is a tennis tournament played annually at the end of the season for the top-ranked players on the Women's Tennis Association tour. The month, city and number of players has changed since the first edition in 1972... |
0 / 0 | 0–0 | ||||||||||||
| Tournament of Champions Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions The Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions is a tennis tournament and it debuted at the Bali International Convention Centre on November 4–8 and was a part of the 2009 WTA Tour... |
Not Held | W | 1R | 1 / 2 | 4–1 | |||||||||
| WTA Premier Mandatory Tournaments | ||||||||||||||
| Indian Wells | 1R | 2R | LQ | 4R | 3R | 0 / 3 | 3–3 | |||||||
| Miami | 1R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 2R | 0 / 4 | 0–4 | |||||||
| Madrid Madrid Masters There are two sporting events named the Madrid Masters:*Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open — a men's and women's tennis tournament*Madrid Masters... |
Not Held | 2R | W | 1R | 1 / 2 | 7–1 | ||||||||
| Beijing 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... |
Not Tier I | 1R | 1R | 0 / 2 | 0–2 | |||||||||
| WTA Premier 5 Tournaments | ||||||||||||||
| Dubai 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... |
Not Tier I | 2R | 0 / 1 | 1–1 | ||||||||||
| Rome | 1R | 2R | 2R | 0 / 3 | 2–3 | |||||||||
| Cincinnati | Not Tier I | 1R | 1R | 0 / 2 | 0–2 | |||||||||
| Montreal / Toronto | 1R | 1R | 3R | 2R | 0 / 4 | 3–4 | ||||||||
| Tokyo Toray Pan Pacific Open The is a WTA Tour affiliated professional tennis tournament for women, held every year since 1984 on in Tokyo, Japan. It is classified on the WTA Tour as a Tier I tournament since 1993. The event has traditionally been played on indoor carpet at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, but the 2008 event... |
1R | 2R | 2R | 0 / 3 | 2–3 | |||||||||
| Former WTA Tier I Tournaments (currently neither Premier Mandatory nor Premier 5 events) | ||||||||||||||
| Charleston Family Circle Cup The Family Circle Cup is a WTA Tour affiliated professional tennis tournament for women, held every year since 1973. The tournament is currently played on the green clay courts at the Daniel Island Tennis Center in Charleston, South Carolina, USA... |
2R | 2R | NM5 | 0 / 2 | 2–2 | |||||||||
| Moscow Kremlin Cup The Kremlin Cup is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the ATP Tour and is a Premier Tournament on the WTA Tour... |
LQ | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | |||||||||||
| Berlin Qatar Telecom German Open The German Open, sponsored from 2006 through 2008 as the Qatar Telecom German Open, was a WTA Tour affiliated professional tennis tournament for women played in Berlin, Germany. Held since 1896, it was one of the oldest tournaments for women... |
1R | 1R | Not Held |
0 / 2 | 0–2 | |||||||||
| Zürich Zurich Open The Zurich Open was a WTA Tour affiliated professional tennis tournament for women, formerly held every winter in Zurich, Switzerland. It was classified on the WTA Tour as a Tier I tournament from 1993 until 2007. In its final year, 2008, it was downgraded to a Tier II event.The Open was held at... |
LQ | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | |||||||||||
| Career Statistics | ||||||||||||||
| Titles–Runner-ups | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | N/A | 4–2 | ||||||
| Year End Ranking | 189 | 49 | 80 | 74 | 26 | 19 | ||||||||
Political support
Rezaï told the Islamic Republic of Iran BroadcastingIslamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting
Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcaster, or IRIB, , formerly called the National Iranian Radio and Television until the Islamic revolution of 1979, is a giant Iranian corporation in control of radio and television which is among the largest media organizations in Asia and Pacific region, and a regular...
that she supported Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. When the reporter asked her "Do you like Mr. Ahmadinejad?" and "why?", she responded that:
"Yes, I do a lot. Because he has shown Iran's power to the whole world and I am really proud of him."
In this interview, she also affirmed having presented two of her tennis rackets as a gift to Ahmadinejad. The footage of Rezaï presenting her tennis rackets to Ahmadinejad was used in his official campaign advertisement video during his 2009 presidential election campaign
Iranian presidential election, 2009
Iran's tenth presidential election was held on 12 June 2009, with incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad running against three challengers. The next morning the Islamic Republic News Agency, Iran's official news agency, announced that with two-thirds of the votes counted, Ahmadinejad had won the election...
.
Father's controversies
Rezaï's father, Arsalan Rezaï, who was a member of her coaching team, has repeatedly been the focus of controversial allegations of violence and abuse. In one interview, Aravane said, "I had really difficult moments, lots of sacrifices. I remember playing outside in the rain and snow." Her father mentioned the concern neighbours had about his training methods: "I had lots of problems to train this girl: lack of money and lack of courts. There were neighbours who bothered us. They accused me, saying that this man was killing this child. But today she's not dead. She's happy."At one point, the French Tennis Federation was forced to employ bodyguards to prevent Arsalan from attacking other competitors' fathers. In one 2006 incident, Arsalan attacked Sergey Vesnina, the father of Elena Vesnina
Elena Vesnina
Elena Sergeevna Vesnina is a professional female tennis player from Russia. Her career high rank was #22, achieved on 12 October 2009...
, and then accidentally hit his own daughter with a racquet. Aravane was also denied training funds that are typically available to all French players; she was also banned at one point from training with other players at Roland Garros
Stade Roland Garros
Le Stade de Roland Garros is a tennis venue located in Paris, France. It hosts the French Open tennis tournament , a Grand Slam event played annually in May and June. The facility was constructed in 1928 to host France's first defense of the Davis Cup...
, because of her father's dispute with the French Fed Cup
Fed Cup
Fed Cup is the premier team competition in women's tennis, launched in 1963 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the International Tennis Federation...
captain.
Just prior to her loss in the first round of the 2011 Australian Open, Arsalan was violent to his daughter and threatened her boyfriend. After losing the match, Aravane said, "I do not want to look for excuses but I had a lot of trouble on the morning of the match." The WTA banned Arsalan from the tour indefinitely, pending investigation. The incident was also investigated by the Victoria police.