Flavia Pennetta
Encyclopedia
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 World No. 5 in doubles.

Pennetta has won nine career WTA
Women's Tennis Association
The Women's Tennis Association , founded in 1973 by Billie Jean King, is the principal organizing body of Women's Professional Tennis. It governs the WTA Tour which is the worldwide professional tennis tour for women. Its counterpart organization in the men's professional game is the Association of...

 singles titles, including back-to-back titles in Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...

 and Acapulco
Acapulco
Acapulco is a city, municipality and major sea port in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific coast of Mexico, southwest from Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semi-circular bay and has been a port since the early colonial period of Mexico’s history...

 in 2005. She and her Italian teammates Mara Santangelo
Mara Santangelo
Mara Santangelo is a former professional female tennis player from Italy. She retired from the sport on 28 January 2011.-Tennis career:...

, 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...

, and Roberta Vinci
Roberta Vinci
Roberta Vinci is an Italian tennis player. As of 29 August 2011, Vinci is ranked World No. 20, on the WTA Tour Rankings. Vinci has won thirteen WTA Tour titles, six in singles and seven in doubles....

 beat the Belgium
Belgium Fed Cup team
The Belgian Fed Cup team has been competing in the International Tennis Federation sanctioned Fed Cup since the very beginning: 1963. It has won the competition once, in 2001...

 team 3–2 in the 2006 Fed Cup
2006 Fed Cup
The 2006 Fed Cup was the 44th edition of the most important competition between national teams in women's tennis. A total of 76 nations participated in the tournament...

 final. Justine Henin had to retire in the fifth and final match due to an injury in her right knee, which let Italy
Italy Fed Cup team
The Italy Fed Cup team represents Italy in Fed Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Federazione Italiana Tennis. They currently compete in the World Group.-Current Team:* Francesca Schiavone * Flavia Pennetta...

 win their first 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...

 trophy. She was also a member of their winning team in 2009
2009 Fed Cup
The 2009 Fed Cup was the 47th edition of the most important tournament between national teams in women's tennis...

 and 2010
2010 Fed Cup
The 2010 Fed Cup was the 48th edition of the tournament between national teams in women's tennis. The final took place on 6–7 November in San Diego, United States. Italy successfully defended their title, in a rematch of the 2009 final against the United States...

, when they beat the United States
United States Fed Cup team
The United States Fed Cup team is the most successful national team in Fed Cup competition. The team has won 17 titles and finished second a further 9 times, out of 44 participations.-History:...

 on both occasions.

Pennetta has defeated multiple 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 champions such as Justine Henin, Mary Pierce
Mary Pierce
Mary Pierce is a French-American tennis professional playing on the Women's Tennis Association tour. She is a citizen of France, Canada, and the United States but plays for France in team competitions and the Olympics.Pierce has won four Grand Slam titles, two in singles and two in doubles...

, Martina Hingis
Martina Hingis
Martina Hingis is a retired Swiss professional tennis player who spent a total of 209 weeks as World No. 1. She won five Grand Slam singles titles...

, 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...

, Amélie Mauresmo
Amélie Mauresmo
Amélie Simone Mauresmo ; is a French former professional tennis player, and a former World No. 1. Mauresmo won two Grand Slam singles titles at the Australian Open and at Wimbledon....

, 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...

, current World No. 1 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 former World No. 1 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...

. Pennetta is also one of only seven women to beat Williams three consecutive times. In doubles, Pennetta won her first Grand Slam title at the 2011 Australian Open
2011 Australian Open – Women's Doubles
Serena Williams and Venus Williams were the defending champions from 2010; however, they were unable to defend their title because of Serena's foot injury, sustained in the middle of the 2010 season...

 with partner 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...

, and also reached the 2005 US Open
2005 U.S. Open - Women's Doubles
Results of the 2005 US Open women's doubles tournament.-Quarterfinal:-Semifinal:-Final:- References :*...

 final partnered with 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...

. She has also reached the US Open quarterfinals three times in singles.

Pennetta was pronounced a Knight of Order of Merit of the Republic
Italian orders of merit
There are five orders of knighthood awarded in recognition of service to the Italian Republic. Below these sit a number of other decorations, associated and otherwise, that do not confer knighthoods...

 on 24 January 2007 by the President of Italy.

Early years

Pennetta was introduced to tennis at the age of five by her father. Aged seventeen, she won the 1999 French Open in girls' doubles with fellow Italian Roberta Vinci
Roberta Vinci
Roberta Vinci is an Italian tennis player. As of 29 August 2011, Vinci is ranked World No. 20, on the WTA Tour Rankings. Vinci has won thirteen WTA Tour titles, six in singles and seven in doubles....

.

Pennetta began to play on the International Tennis Federation
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...

 (ITF) circuit in 1997. The following year, she lost in the second round of her first qualifying tournament for a WTA Tour main draw, the Internazionali Femminili di Palermo
Internazionali Femminili di Palermo
The Internazionali Femminili di Palermo is a tennis tournament held in Palermo, Italy. Held since 1988, this WTA Tour event is a Tier IV-tournament and is played on outdoor clay courts. It was lowered to a Tier V event in 2001 but returned to Tier IV in 2005....

. In 1999, Pennetta won two singles titles and two doubles titles on the ITF circuit. She was unsuccessful in her several attempts to qualify for WTA Tour main draws in 2000. The following year, she limited her play to the ITF circuit.

She played her first main draw WTA Tour match at the 2002 Cellular South Cup in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....

, where she lost in the first round. She also lost in the first round in Palermo but reached the second round of the Idea Prokom Open
Orange Warsaw Open
The Orange Warsaw Open is an annual men's tennis tournament played in Poland as part of the ATP Tour. The tournament is played on clay courts. From 1992 to 2007, the tournament was held in Sopot, before moving to Warsaw for 2008...

 in Sopot
Sopot
Sopot is a seaside town in Eastern Pomerania on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea in northern Poland, with a population of approximately 40,000....

. Her ranking reached the Top 100 for the first time on 23 September 2002, when she reached World No. 100.

2003

In 2003, Pennetta lost in the semifinals of the Hyderabad Indian Open
Bangalore Open
The Bangalore Open was a tennis tournament held in Bangalore, India. The tournament began in Hyderabad in 2003, and moved to Bangalore in 2006. This WTA Tour event was played on outdoor hardcourts. It as a Premier Mandatory event with a prize Money of US$175,000...

 to eventual champion Tamarine Tanasugarn
Tamarine Tanasugarn
Tamarine Tanasugarn is a professional Thai tennis player. She was born in Los Angeles, United States, and turned professional in 1994. She has been in the top 20 in both singles and doubles....

. She also reached the quarterfinals at the Canberra Women's Classic, Copa Colsanitas, and Abierto Mexicano Telcel
Abierto Mexicano Telcel
The Abierto Mexicano Telcel is a tennis tournament held in Acapulco, Mexico. It is an event on both the ATP Tour and the WTA Tour...

. She also debuted in the main draws of all four Grand Slam
Grand Slam (tennis)
The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and...

 tournaments. Her best result was the third round of the French Open
2003 French Open
The 2003 French Open was the second Grand Slam event of 2003 and the 102nd edition of the French Open. It took place at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, from May 26 through June 8, 2003.-Men's singles:...

, where she defeated 21st-seeded Lisa Raymond
Lisa Raymond
Lisa Raymond is an American professional tennis player who has achieved notable success in doubles tennis. On June 12, 2000, she reached the world number one ranking in doubles...

 in the second round before losing to Petra Mandula
Petra Mandula
Petra Mandula is a Hungarian tennis player, who represented her native country at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. There she was eliminated in the first round by Amanda Coetzer of South Africa...

.

2004

Pennetta started the year at the Tier V Canberra Women's Classic, where she lost in the quarterfinals to Julia Vakulenko
Julia Vakulenko
Julia Olegovna Vakulenko is a professional Ukraine-born female tennis player. She achieved her career high ranking of No...

. At the Australian Open
2004 Australian Open
The 2004 Australian Open was a Grand Slam tournament held in Melbourne, Australia 19 January to 1 February, 2004.-Men's Singles: Roger Federer def. Marat Safin, 7–6, 6–4, 6–2...

, she lost in the first round to Italian player Antonella Serra Zanetti
Antonella Serra Zanetti
Antonella Serra Zanetti is a professional female tennis player from Italy.On January 30, 2006, Serra Zanetti achieved her career-high singles ranking: World No. 60.-Doubles :...

 7–5, 6–4.

Pennetta then lost in the first round of both the Cellular South Cup in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....

 and the Copa Colsanitas in Bogota, Colombia. These losses were followed by her first WTA Tour final at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel
Abierto Mexicano Telcel
The Abierto Mexicano Telcel is a tennis tournament held in Acapulco, Mexico. It is an event on both the ATP Tour and the WTA Tour...

 in Acapulco, when she was defeated by Iveta Benešová
Iveta Benešová
Iveta Benešová is a professional tennis player. She began playing tennis at age of 7 and turned professional in 1998 in Prague. She has won two WTA Tour events and one Grand Slam in mixed doubles partnering with Jürgen Melzer at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships.-2006–2008:In the 2006 Australian...

.

She played both of the Tier I spring time hard court tournaments in the United States. She beat Ľudmila Cervanová
Ludmila Cervanová
Ľudmila Cervanová is a professional female tennis player from Slovakia. She turned professional in 1997.Cervanová was born in Piešťany and currently still lives in her birthplace....

 in the first round of the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, California
Indian Wells, California
Indian Wells is a city in Riverside County, California, in the Coachella Valley , in between Palm Desert and La Quinta. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 4,958....

 before losing to Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova
Maria Yuryevna Sharapova ,. is a Russian professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. A US resident since 1994, Sharapova has won 24 WTA singles titles, including three Grand Slam singles titles at the 2004 Wimbledon, 2006 US Open and 2008 Australian Open...

. She then lost in the first round of qualifying for the NASDAQ-100 Open in Key Biscayne, Florida
Key Biscayne, Florida
Key Biscayne is a village in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States on the island of Key Biscayne. The population was 10,507 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 10,324....

.

Returning to clay courts, Pennetta lost in the second round of two consecutive WTA tour tournaments, the Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem
Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem
The Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem is a women's professional tennis tournament held in Fes, Morocco.  This WTA Tour event is classified as an International tournament and is played on outdoor clay courts. It is the only WTA tournament held in Africa....

 in Casablanca
Casablanca
Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...

 and the Estoril Open
Estoril Open
The Estoril Open is an ATP and WTA clay court tournament held in Jamor, Oeiras, Portugal . The men's tournament was created in 1990 and since its inception, every champion except 2004 champion Juan Ignacio Chela and 2009–2010 champion Albert Montañés has been in the Top 10 of the ATP rankings,...

 in Portugal. At the Budapest Grand Prix
Budapest Grand Prix
The Poli-Farbe Budapest Grand Prix, formerly Gaz de France Grand Prix, Budapest Grand Prix and GDF SUEZ Grand Prix, is a tennis tournament held in Budapest, Hungary. Held since 1993, this WTA Tour event is an International-level tournament and is played on outdoor clay...

, Pennetta lost in the semifinals to eventual champion 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...

 6–3, 6–4. She then defeated World No. 6 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 second round of the Tier I Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome before falling to World No. 21 Anna Smashnova-Pistolesi
Anna Smashnova
Anna Smashnova is a former professional tennis player from Israel. She retired from professional tennis after Wimbledon 2007.Smashnova, who has been noted as having a great last name for a tennis player, reached her career-high singles ranking of World # 15 in 2003. She was in 13 finals, and won...

 in the third round 6–2, 6–2. At the French Open
2004 French Open
The 2004 French Open was the 103rd edition of the tournament. Gastón Gaudio became the first men's Open Era Grand Slam title winner to save match points in the final; the last time that had happened was 70 years earlier. Gaudio also became the first Argentine man since Guillermo Vilas to win a...

, Pennetta lost in the first round, once more to Smashnova-Pistolesi, 6–1, 6–4.

In the first grass court tournament of her career, she defeated 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 DFS Classic
DFS Classic
The AEGON Classic, formerly known as the DFS Classic, is an International series tennis tournament on the WTA Tour held at the Edgbaston Priory Club in Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom. Held at this location since 1982, the tournament is played on outdoor grass courts...

 in Birmingham, United Kingdom, before losing to World No. 32 Alicia Molik
Alicia Molik
Alicia Molik is a Australian professional female tennis player. She reached a career high singles rank of number 8 and also won a bronze medal for Australia at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Molik also reached a career high doubles ranking of number 6, and won two grand slam doubles titles, at the...

 in the second round. Pennetta achieved the same result at the Ordina Open
Ordina Open
The Rosmalen Grass Court Championships, now sponsored by UNICEF and called the UNICEF Open, is a tennis tournament on the ATP Tour and WTA Tour held in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands.-Singles:-Doubles:-Singles:-Doubles:-External links:*...

, falling to World No. 85 Barbara Schett
Barbara Schett
Barbara Schett Eagle is a former Austrian tennis player, who reached her highest singles ranking, World No. 7, on 13 September 1999. She ended her career at the 2005 Australian Open. Between 1993 to 2004 she played in 48 games for the Austria Fed Cup team, winning 30...

. At Wimbledon
2004 Wimbledon Championships
List of the 2004 Wimbledon Champions:-Men's Singles: Roger Federer def. Andy Roddick, 4–6, 7–5, 7–6, 6–4*It was Federer's sixth title of the year, and his 17th overall. It was his third career Grand Slam title, and his 2nd at Wimbledon....

, she was beaten by Petrova in the first round 6–3, 2–6, 6–4.

In July, she played yet another clay court tournament, where she was beaten in the final of the Internazionali Femminili di Palermo
Internazionali Femminili di Palermo
The Internazionali Femminili di Palermo is a tennis tournament held in Palermo, Italy. Held since 1988, this WTA Tour event is a Tier IV-tournament and is played on outdoor clay courts. It was lowered to a Tier V event in 2001 but returned to Tier IV in 2005....

 by Anabel Medina Garrigues
Anabel Medina Garrigues
Ana Isabel Medina Garrigues , better known as Anabel Medina, is a Spanish female tennis player. She reached a career high WTA Tour ranking of No. 16 on 4 May 2009, and has won 11 singles titles and 14 doubles titles, including the 2008 French Open and 2009 French Open with Virginia Ruano Pascual...

. Returning to hard courts for the first time since April, she lost to Henrieta Nagyová
Henrieta Nagyová
Henrieta Nagyová is a Slovak female professional tennis player. She turned professional in 1994 and has been ranked as high as the 21st in the world . In recent years her ranking has fallen due to constant injury. In late 2005, she brought her ranking up to a year ending 145, after it fell below 200...

 in the first round of the Nordea Nordic Light Open
Nordea Nordic Light Open
The Nordea Nordic Light Open was a tennis tournament held in Stockholm, Sweden . Held from 2002 to 2008, this WTA Tour event was a Tier IV-tournament and was played on outdoor hardcourts.-Singles:-Doubles:...

 in Stockholm. The following week at the clay court Orange Prokom Open in Sopot
Sopot
Sopot is a seaside town in Eastern Pomerania on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea in northern Poland, with a population of approximately 40,000....

, Poland, Pennetta won her first WTA Tour title, defeating Klára Koukalová
Klára Koukalová
Klára Zakopalová is a Czech professional female tennis player. She was born and still lives in Prague, the capital.-Career:In her career, Zakopalová has reached eight singles finals and won two, both in 2005: on grass in Rosmalen and in September in Portorož on hard court.In January 2006, she...

 in the final. Pennetta then lost to former World No. 1 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...

 in the quarterfinals of the Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open in Cincinnati and to World No. 25 Magdalena Maleeva
Magdalena Maleeva
Magdalena Maleeva is a Bulgarian former tennis player. She played on the WTA tour competing in singles and doubles, from April 1989 to June 2007. Her best position in the WTA Tour was no. 4 between January 29 to February 4, 1996....

 in the first round of the US Open 2–6, 6–4, 6–4.

Pennetta played four tournaments the remainder of the year. At the Wismilak International
Wismilak International
The Commonwealth Bank Tennis Classic was a tennis tournament on the WTA Tour held in Bali, Indonesia from 2001 to 2008. The tournament was played on outdoor hardcourts. In 2009 the tournament was replaced with the Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions....

 in Bali
Bali
Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...

, Pennetta lost in the second round to eventual quarterfinalist 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...

. She then fell to María Vento-Kabchi
Maria Vento-Kabchi
María Alejandra Vento-Kabchi is a professional female tennis player from Venezuela. On July 19, 2004 she reached her career-high singles ranking: World No...

 in the first round of the China Open
China Open (tennis)
The China Open is an annual professional tennis tournament held in Beijing, China. The men's singles and doubles events were first held in 1993, the year in which the Qatar Open and Dubai Tennis Championships were also introduced to the men's tour, as the ATP opened a series of new tournaments in...

 in Beijing and to Tamarine Tanasugarn
Tamarine Tanasugarn
Tamarine Tanasugarn is a professional Thai tennis player. She was born in Los Angeles, United States, and turned professional in 1994. She has been in the top 20 in both singles and doubles....

 in the second round of the Guangzhou International Women's Open
Guangzhou International Women's Open
The Guangzhou International Women's Open is a tennis tournament held in Guangzhou, People's Republic of China. Held since 2004, the inaugural tournament had Li Na as the first ever Chinese singles title winner. -Singles:-Doubles:-External links:* *...

. In her final event of the year, she lost to World No. 14 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...

 in the second round of the Tier I Zürich Open
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...

 7–6(1), 6–1.

2005

In Pennetta's first event of the year, she reached the quarterfinals of the Uncle Tobys Hardcourts
Brisbane International
The Brisbane International is a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the Association of Tennis Professionals World Tour and of the WTA Premier tournaments of the Women's Tennis Association Tour...

 losing to 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....

 6–7(5), 6–2, 6–4. She then lost in the first rounds of the Australian Open
2005 Australian Open
The 2005 Australian Open was a Grand Slam tennis tournament held in Melbourne, Australia from 17 until 30 January 2005.-Men's Singles: Marat Safin def. Lleyton Hewitt, 1–6, 6–3, 6–4, 6–4...

 and the Open Gaz de France
2005 Open Gaz de France
The 2005 Open Gaz de France was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts at the Stade Pierre de Coubertin in Paris in France that was part of Tier II of the 2005 WTA Tour...

. In the next two weeks she bagged two titles in a row, the first one Copa Colsanitas defeating Lourdes Domínguez Lino
Lourdes Dominguez Lino
Lourdes Domínguez Lino is a Spanish professional female tennis player. On 11 September 2006 Domínguez Lino reached her career-high singles ranking: World No...

 in the finals 7–6(4), 6–4 and the second one in the Abierto Mexicano Telcel
2005 Abierto Mexicano Telcel
The 2005 Abierto Mexicano Telcel was both a men's and women's tennis tournament on the 2005 ATP and WTA Tours that was held in Acapulco, Mexico. The tournament was held from February 21 to February 28.-Men's Singles:...

 defeating Ľudmila Cervanová
Ludmila Cervanová
Ľudmila Cervanová is a professional female tennis player from Slovakia. She turned professional in 1997.Cervanová was born in Piešťany and currently still lives in her birthplace....

 3–6, 7–5, 6–3. She then lost early in her next tournaments. The second rounds of the Pacific Life Open
2005 Pacific Life Open
The 2005 Indian Wells Masters was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 29th edition of the Indian Wells Masters, and was part of the ATP Masters Series of the 2005 ATP Tour, and of the Tier I Series of the 2005 WTA Tour...

, the Qatar Total German Open and the Rome Masters. She also lost in the first round of the Estoril Open
2005 Estoril Open
The 2005 Estoril Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. This event was the 16th edition of the Estoril Open, included in the 2005 ATP Tour International Series and in the 2005 WTA Tour Tier IV Series...

 and the third rounds of the Miami Masters
2005 Miami Masters
The 2005 Miami Masters was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 21st edition of the this tournament, and was part of the ATP Masters Series of the 2005 ATP Tour, and of the Tier I Series of the 2005 WTA Tour...

 and the French Open
2005 French Open
The 2005 French Open was the 104th edition of the tournament. Rafael Nadal, seeded fourth in his first French Open, was a strong favorite after winning the Rome and Monte Carlo Masters, with Guillermo Coria, a 2004 finalist and runner-up in Monaco, calling Nadal the best clay-court player in the...

. She however bounced back in the Wimbledon Championships
2005 Wimbledon Championships
The 2005 Wimbledon Championships was the 119 edition. It was held at the All England Club between 20 June and 3 July.Roger Federer successfully defended the men's singles crown defeating Andy Roddick in straight sets. Whilst Venus Williams and Lindsay Davenport played the longest women's final in...

 by reaching the fourth Round losing to Mary Pierce
Mary Pierce
Mary Pierce is a French-American tennis professional playing on the Women's Tennis Association tour. She is a citizen of France, Canada, and the United States but plays for France in team competitions and the Olympics.Pierce has won four Grand Slam titles, two in singles and two in doubles...

 6–3, 6–1 and the semifinals of both the Internazionali di Modena
Internazionali di Modena
The Internazionali di Modena was a tennis tournament held in Modena, Italy. Held once, in 2005, this WTA Tour event was played on outdoor claycourts.-Singles:-Doubles:-References:*...

 and the Internazionali Femminili di Palermo
Internazionali Femminili di Palermo
The Internazionali Femminili di Palermo is a tennis tournament held in Palermo, Italy. Held since 1988, this WTA Tour event is a Tier IV-tournament and is played on outdoor clay courts. It was lowered to a Tier V event in 2001 but returned to Tier IV in 2005....

 which were held in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

. She followed it up with losses to Japanese players Akiko Morigami
Akiko Morigami
Akiko Morigami is a Japanese female tennis player. She turned professional in 1998. On August 15, 2005, Morigami reached her career-high singles ranking: World No. 41....

 in Acura Classic
2005 Acura Classic
The 2005 Acura Classic was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts in San Diego in the United States. It was part of Tier I of the 2005 WTA Tour. The tournament was held from August 26 through August 7, 2005.-Singles: Mary Pierce def...

 and Aiko Nakamura
Aiko Nakamura
, is a female Japanese tennis player. She was once the second highest WTA-ranked Japanese singles tennis player, at 107 , after Ai Sugiyama....

 in JPMorgan Chase Open
JPMorgan Chase Open
The LA Women's Tennis Championships presented by Herbalife is a Premier-level tennis tournament on the WTA Tour held in Carson, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. The tournament is played on outdoor hard courts and is a part of the US Open Series....

. In the Rogers Cup she was crushed by eventual champion Kim Clijsters
Kim Clijsters
Kim Antonie Lode Clijsters is a Belgian professional tennis player. As of 7 November 2011, Clijsters is ranked No. 13 in singles. Clijsters is a former World No. 1 in both singles and doubles....

 6–0, 6–1. In the US Open she was upset by German Julia Schruff
Julia Schruff
Julia Schruff is a professional German tennis player.Her career high WTA-ranking was attained on 17 April 2006, when she reached No. 52. Her highest doubles ranking was reached on 2 October 2006, when she reached No...

 6–4, 3–6, 7–5 in the first round. She also lost early in the China Open
China Open (tennis)
The China Open is an annual professional tennis tournament held in Beijing, China. The men's singles and doubles events were first held in 1993, the year in which the Qatar Open and Dubai Tennis Championships were also introduced to the men's tour, as the ATP opened a series of new tournaments in...

 in the first round and the Kremlin Cup
2005 Kremlin Cup
The 2006 Kremlin Cup was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 16th edition of the Kremlin Cup, and was part of the International Series of the 2005 ATP Tour, and of the Tier I Series of the 2005 WTA Tour. It took place at the Olympic Stadium in Moscow, Russia, from October...

 in the second round to eventual champion Mary Pierce
Mary Pierce
Mary Pierce is a French-American tennis professional playing on the Women's Tennis Association tour. She is a citizen of France, Canada, and the United States but plays for France in team competitions and the Olympics.Pierce has won four Grand Slam titles, two in singles and two in doubles...

. She ended the year with quarterfinal appearances in the Wismilak International
Wismilak International
The Commonwealth Bank Tennis Classic was a tennis tournament on the WTA Tour held in Bali, Indonesia from 2001 to 2008. The tournament was played on outdoor hardcourts. In 2009 the tournament was replaced with the Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions....

, the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix
Porsche Tennis Grand Prix
The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix is a tennis tournament held in Stuttgart, Germany . Held since 1978, the tournament is the oldest women's indoor tournament in Europe. Currently it is a Tier II tournament on the WTA Tour. The singles champion also receives a Porsche 911 Carrera sports car in addition...

, and the Zurich Open
2005 Zurich Open
2005 Zurich Open is a Tier I tennis event on the 2005 WTA Tour.-Women's Singles: Lindsay Davenport def. Patty Schnyder, 7–6, 6–3-----Women's Doubles:...

. She ended the year ranked no. 23 in the world

2008

Pennetta started the year by losing in the second round of the Mondial Australian Women's Hardcourts
2008 Mondial Australian Women's Hardcourts
The 2008 Mondial Australian Women's Hardcourts was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 12th and final edition of the Mondial Australian Women's Hardcourts, which was renamed and relocated to Brisbane, and was part of the Tier III Series of the 2008 WTA Tour...

 in Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...

 to 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....

 6–4, 2–6, 6–4. Pennetta then reached the semifinals of the Moorilla Hobart International
2008 Moorilla Hobart International
The 2008 Moorilla Hobart International was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 15th edition of the Moorilla Hobart International, and was part of the Tier IV Series of the 2008 WTA Tour. It took place at the Hobart International Tennis Centre in Hobart, Australia, from 6...

, where she lost to eventual champion Eleni Danilidou 6–4, 6–3. At the Australian Open
2008 Australian Open - Women's Singles
Serena Williams was the defending champion, but lost in the quarterfinals to Jelena Janković.Maria Sharapova won in the final 7–5, 6–3, against Ana Ivanović to win her third Grand Slam title and her first at the Australian Open. She was also the first Russian woman to win this tournament...

, she defeated 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...

 of Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...

 in the first round but fell to the 30th-seeded Virginie Razzano
Virginie Razzano
Virginie Razzano , is a French professional tennis player and the current French No. 4. Razzano, who was born in Dijon, has won two WTA singles titles, both in 2007 in Guangzhou and Tokyo. Razzano reached her career high ranking of World No. 16 on September 14, 2009. As of May 2011, she is ranked...

 in the second round 6–2, 5–7, 6–3. Pennetta then played for Italy's Fed Cup team
Italy Fed Cup team
The Italy Fed Cup team represents Italy in Fed Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Federazione Italiana Tennis. They currently compete in the World Group.-Current Team:* Francesca Schiavone * Flavia Pennetta...

 versus Spain
Spain Fed Cup team
The Spain Fed Cup team represents Spain in Fed Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Real Federación Española de Tenis. They currently compete in the World Group.-Current team:* María José Martínez Sánchez...

. She played one singles match versus Anabel Medina Garrigues
Anabel Medina Garrigues
Ana Isabel Medina Garrigues , better known as Anabel Medina, is a Spanish female tennis player. She reached a career high WTA Tour ranking of No. 16 on 4 May 2009, and has won 11 singles titles and 14 doubles titles, including the 2008 French Open and 2009 French Open with Virginia Ruano Pascual...

 and lost 6–2, 6–3.
Pennetta won her first title of the year at the Cachantún Cup
2008 Cachantún Cup
The 2008 Cachantún Cup was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 1st and only edition of the Cachantún Cup, and was part of the Tier III Series of the 2008 WTA Tour. It took place in Viña del Mar, Chile, from February 11 through February 17, 2008.-Singles: Flavia Pennetta def...

 in Viña del Mar
Viña del Mar
Viña del Mar , is a city and commune on central Chile's Pacific coast. Its long stretches of white sandy beaches are a major attraction for national and international tourists. The city is Chile's main tourist attraction. Known as "La Ciudad Jardín" , Viña del Mar is a Chilean Municipality located...

, Chile, defeating Klára Zakopalová in the final. However, she lost in the first round of the Copa Colsanitas
2008 Copa Colsanitas
The 2008 Copa Colsanitas was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 16th edition of the Copa Colsanitas, and was part of the Tier III Series of the 2008 WTA Tour. It took place at the Club Campestre El Rancho in Bogotá, Colombia, from February 18 through February 24,...

 to Betina Jozami
Betina Jozami
Betina Jozami is a professional tennis player from Argentina. She has not won a Women's Tennis Association tennis title, but has won five singles titles and eleven doubles titles on the International Tennis Federation . Born to Beto and Andrea Jozami, the Argentine has two siblings...

. Pennetta then won her second title of the year at the Acapulco Open
2008 Abierto Mexicano Telcel
The 2008 Abierto Mexicano Telcel was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 15th edition of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel, and was part of the International Series Gold of the 2008 ATP Tour, and of the Tier III Series of the 2008 WTA Tour...

, beating 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...

 in the final.

As the 30th seed, Pennetta received a bye in the first round of the Pacific Life Open
2008 Indian Wells Masters
The 2008 Indian Wells Masters was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 32nd edition of the Indian Wells Masters, and was part of the ATP Masters Series of the 2008 ATP Tour, and of the Tier I Series of the 2008 WTA Tour...

 in Indian Wells, California
Indian Wells, California
Indian Wells is a city in Riverside County, California, in the Coachella Valley , in between Palm Desert and La Quinta. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 4,958....

. She then defeated Kaia Kanepi in the second round, but was defeated by fellow Italian Francesca Schiavone
Francesca Schiavone
Francesca Schiavone is an Italian tennis player who turned professional in 1998. She won the 2010 French Open singles title, becoming the first Italian woman to win a Grand Slam event in singles. She was also runner-up at the 2011 French Open. As of 24 October 2011, Schiavone's ranking is World...

 in the third round 6–3, 6–4. She also fell to defending champion 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...

 at the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida
Key Biscayne, Florida
Key Biscayne is a village in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States on the island of Key Biscayne. The population was 10,507 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 10,324....

 in the third round 6–7(6), 6–3, 6–2. Pennetta then lost in the second round of the Estoril Open
2008 Estoril Open
The 2008 Estoril Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 19th edition of the Estoril Open, and was part of the International Series of the 2008 ATP Tour, and of the Tier IV Series of the 2008 WTA Tour...

 to Iveta Benešová
Iveta Benešová
Iveta Benešová is a professional tennis player. She began playing tennis at age of 7 and turned professional in 1998 in Prague. She has won two WTA Tour events and one Grand Slam in mixed doubles partnering with Jürgen Melzer at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships.-2006–2008:In the 2006 Australian...

. Pennetta defeated Olga Savchuk
Olga Savchuk
Olga Savchuk is a female tennis player. Her best accomplishment to date was reaching the third round of the 2006 Australian Open. Her career high ranking was #79, achieved on May 19, 2008....

 in the first round of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome before losing to defending champion 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 the second round 6–4, 6–1. She then withdrew from her quarterfinal match against Anabel Medina Garrigues at the Internationaux de Strasbourg
2008 Internationaux de Strasbourg
The 2008 Internationaux de Strasbourg was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 22nd edition of the Internationaux de Strasbourg, and was part of the Tier III Series of the 2008 WTA Tour. It took place at the Centre Sportif de Hautepierre in Strasbourg, France, from May 19...

. At the French Open
2008 French Open - Women's Singles
Justine Henin was the defending champion, but retired from the sport on May 14, 2008.Ana Ivanović won in the final 6–4, 6–3, against Dinara Safina. This is Ivanovic's Third Grand Slam Final, Second French Open Final, and her First Grand Slam Singles Title...

, Pennetta defeated eighth-seeded Venus Williams
Venus Williams
Venus Ebony Starr Williams is an American professional tennis player who is a former World No. 1 and is ranked World No. 101 as of 10 October 2011 in singles and World No. 20 in doubles as of 2011. She has been ranked World No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association on three separate...

 in the third round before losing to Carla Suárez Navarro
Carla Suarez Navarro
Carla Suárez Navarro is a Spanish tennis player. She began playing for Spain in the 2008 Fed Cup. On May 18, 2009, she reached her career high ranking at World No. 22.-2008:...

 in the fourth round.
Pennetta lost in the first round of her first tournament on grass
Grass court
A grass court is one of the four different types of tennis court. Grass courts are made of rye grass in different compositions depending on the tournament...

 at the Ordina Open
2008 Ordina Open
The 2008 Ordina Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor grass courts. It was the 19th edition of the Ordina Open, and was part of the International Series of the 2008 ATP Tour, and of the Tier III Series of the 2008 WTA Tour...

, to 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...

. She then defeated Julia Vakulenko
Julia Vakulenko
Julia Olegovna Vakulenko is a professional Ukraine-born female tennis player. She achieved her career high ranking of No...

 in the first round of Wimbledon
2008 Wimbledon Championships - Women's Singles
Venus Williams was the defending champion, and won in the final 7–5, 6–4, against her sister Serena Williams.-Seeds:# Ana Ivanović # Jelena Janković # Maria Sharapova ...

 before losing to 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...

 in the second round 7–6(5), 2–6, 6–2. She then played at the Internazionali Femminili di Palermo
2008 Internazionali Femminili di Palermo
The 2008 Internazionali Femminili di Palermo was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 21st edition of the Internazionali Femminili di Palermo, and was part of the Tier IV Series of the 2008 WTA Tour. It took place in Palermo, Italy, from July 7 through July 13,...

 and lost to eventual champion, fellow Italian 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...

, in the semifinals. Pennetta then lost in the final of the East West Bank Classic
2008 East West Bank Classic
The 2008 East West Bank Classic was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 35th edition of the East West Bank Classic, and was part of the Tier II Series of the 2008 WTA Tour. It took place at the Home Depot Center in Carson, near Los Angeles, California, United States, from...

 in Los Angeles to Dinara Safina. At the following tournament, the Rogers Cup
2008 Canada Masters
The 2008 Canada Masters was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 119th edition of the Canada Masters, and was part of the ATP Masters Series of the 2008 ATP Tour, and of the Tier I Series of the 2008 WTA Tour...

, Pennetta was defeated by a qualifier, 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...

, in the second round. She was then the part of the Italian Olympic team
Italy at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Italy competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics, held in Beijing, China.The country sent a delegation of 344 athletes to compete.-Medalists:- Archery:...

 at the Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...

 in Beijing; however lost to Kaia Kanepi in the first round. Pennetta also reached the second round of the Pilot Pen Tennis
2008 Pilot Pen Tennis
The 2008 Pilot Pen Tennis was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 40th edition of the Pilot Pen Tennis, and was part of the International Series of the 2008 ATP Tour, and of the Tier II Series of the 2008 WTA Tour...

 tournament in New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...

. At the US Open, she defeated Stefanie Vögele in the first round, Shuai Peng in the second round, former World No. 3 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, and former World No. 1 Amélie Mauresmo
Amélie Mauresmo
Amélie Simone Mauresmo ; is a French former professional tennis player, and a former World No. 1. Mauresmo won two Grand Slam singles titles at the Australian Open and at Wimbledon....

 in the fourth round before losing to Safina in the quarterfinals. That was Pennetta's best career performance at a 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...

 tournament.

Pennetta then reached the quarterfinals of Commonwealth Bank Tennis Classic
2008 Commonwealth Bank Tennis Classic
The 2008 Commonwealth Bank Tennis Classic was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 14th edition of the Commonwealth Bank Tennis Classic, and was part of the Tier III Series of the 2008 WTA Tour. It took place at the Grand Hyatt Bali in Bali, Indonesia, from September 8...

 in Bali, losing to eventual runner-up Tamira Paszek
Tamira Paszek
Tamira Shelah Paszek is a professional tennis player from Austria. As of July 4, 2011, she is the no.1 ranked tennis player from Austria in the WTA ranking, at No. 41....

. At the Toray Pan Pacific Open
2008 Toray Pan Pacific Open
The 2008 Toray Pan Pacific Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 25th edition of the Toray Pan Pacific Open, and was part of the Tier I Series of the 2008 WTA Tour. It took place at the Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo, Japan, from September 15 through September 21,...

 in Tokyo, she lost in the quarterfinals to former World No. 1 Jelena Janković. Pennetta then lost to Kateryna Bondarenko
Kateryna Bondarenko
Kateryna Volodymyrivna Bondarenko is a professional female tennis player from Ukraine and a doubles champion at Australian Open 2008.The younger sister of professional tennis players Valeria and Alona Bondarenko, she was born in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union. She was...

 in the first round of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix
2008 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix
The 2008 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 31st edition of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, and was part of the Tier II Series of the 2008 WTA Tour. It took place at the Porsche Arena in Stuttgart, Germany, from September 27 through October 5,...

; to World No. 1 Janković in the quarterfinals of the Kremlin Cup
2008 Kremlin Cup
The 2008 Kremlin Cup was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 19th edition of the Kremlin Cup, and was part of the International Series of the 2008 ATP Tour, and of the Tier I Series of the 2008 WTA Tour. It took place at the Olympic Stadium in Moscow, Russia, from October 6...

 in Moscow; and to Venus Williams in the final of the Zürich Open
2008 Zurich Open
The 2008 TENNIS.com Zurich Open was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 25th edition of the event known that year as the TENNIS.com Zurich Open, and was part of the Tier II Series of the 2008 WTA Tour. It took place at the Hallenstadion in Zürich, Switzerland, from October...

. At her last tournament of the year, the Generali Linz Open
2008 Generali Ladies Linz
The 2008 Generali Ladies Linz was a tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 22nd edition of the Generali Ladies Linz, and was part of the Tier II Series of the 2008 WTA Tour. It took place in Linz, Austria, from October 20 through October 26, 2008.-Singles: Ana Ivanović def...

, Pennetta defeated 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 :...

 in the first round and Dominika Cibulková in the second round before losing to former World No. 1 and eventual champion 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 quartefinals 6–4, 6–4.

2009

Pennetta played her first tournament of the year at the Moorilla Hobart International
2009 Moorilla Hobart International
The 2009 Moorilla Hobart International was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 16th edition of the event and part of the WTA International tournaments of the 2009 WTA Tour. It took place at the Hobart International Tennis Centre in Hobart, Australia from 12 through 18...

(actually it was at the Hyundai Hopman Cup), where she was the first seed. She defeated Shahar Pe'er
Shahar Pe'er
Shahar Pe'er is an Israeli professional tennis player. Her career-high singles ranking is World No. 11, which she achieved on January 31, 2011 ....

 in the first round and then fell to Magdaléna Rybáriková
Magdaléna Rybáriková
Magdaléna Rybáriková is a Slovak professional tennis player. On June 22, 2009, she achieved her career-high WTA singles ranking of 40th.-Biography:...

 in the second round. Pennetta was the thirteenth seed at the Australian Open
2009 Australian Open
The 2009 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 97th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year. It took place at the Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 19 January through 1 February 2009. The 2009 men's...

, where she lost in the third round to Anabel Medina Garrigues
Anabel Medina Garrigues
Ana Isabel Medina Garrigues , better known as Anabel Medina, is a Spanish female tennis player. She reached a career high WTA Tour ranking of No. 16 on 4 May 2009, and has won 11 singles titles and 14 doubles titles, including the 2008 French Open and 2009 French Open with Virginia Ruano Pascual...

 6–4, 6–1. Pennetta then played for Italy's Fed Cup team
Italy Fed Cup team
The Italy Fed Cup team represents Italy in Fed Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Federazione Italiana Tennis. They currently compete in the World Group.-Current Team:* Francesca Schiavone * Flavia Pennetta...

 in the Fed Cup
2009 Fed Cup
The 2009 Fed Cup was the 47th edition of the most important tournament between national teams in women's tennis...

 World Group stage
2009 Fed Cup World Group
The World Group is the highest level of Fed Cup competition in 2009.-Draw:-Russia vs. China:-France vs. Italy:-United States vs. Argentina:-Czech Republic vs. Spain:-Italy vs. Russia:-Czech Republic vs. United States:...

 versus France
France Fed Cup team
The France Fed Cup team represents France in Fed Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Fédération Française de Tennis. They currently compete in the World Group.-Current Team:* Alizé Cornet* Mathilde Johansson* Pauline Parmentier...

. Italy won 5–0. Pennetta won both her singles matches over Amélie Mauresmo
Amélie Mauresmo
Amélie Simone Mauresmo ; is a French former professional tennis player, and a former World No. 1. Mauresmo won two Grand Slam singles titles at the Australian Open and at Wimbledon....

 (2–6, 7–6(6), 6–4) and 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...

 (6–2, 6–2).
At her first tournament of the year on clay
Clay court
A clay court is one of the four different types of tennis court. Clay courts are made of crushed shale, stone or brick. The red clay is slower than the green, or Har-Tru "American" clay. The French Open uses clay courts, making it unique among the Grand Slam tournaments.Clay courts are more common...

, the Copa Sony Ericsson Colsanitas
2009 Copa Sony Ericsson Colsanitas
The 2009 Copa Sony Ericsson Colsanitas was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 17th edition of the Copa Sony Ericsson Colsanitas, and was on the International category of the 2009 WTA Tour. It took place at the Club Campestre El Rancho in Bogotá, Colombia, from February 14...

 in Bogotá, Colombia, Pennetta fell to Maša Zec Peškirič
Masa Zec Peskiric
Maša Zec Peškirič is a professional Slovenian tennis player. Her highest WTA singles ranking is No. 93, which she reached on June 15, 2009. Her career high in doubles is No...

 in the first round 6–3, 4–6, 7–6(4). She then reached the final of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel
2009 Abierto Mexicano Telcel
The 2009 Abierto Mexicano Telcel was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 16th edition of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel, and was part of the 500 series of the 2009 ATP World Tour, and was in the International category of tournaments on the 2009 WTA Tour...

 in Acapulco for the sixth straight year but lost to 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...

 6–1, 6–2.
Returning to hard courts at the Monterrey Open
2009 Monterrey Open
The 2009 Monterrey Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the first edition of the Monterrey Open and was categorized as an International tournament on the 2009 WTA Tour...

, Pennetta lost to Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová in the second round. She was the fifteenth seed at the BNP Paribas Open
2009 BNP Paribas Open
The 2009 BNP Paribas Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 33rd edition of the event, known that year as the BNP Paribas Open, and was classified as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the 2009 ATP World Tour and a Premier Mandatory event on the 2009 WTA Tour...

 in Indian Wells, California
Indian Wells, California
Indian Wells is a city in Riverside County, California, in the Coachella Valley , in between Palm Desert and La Quinta. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 4,958....

, the first Premier Mandatory
WTA Premier tournaments
Premier Tournaments is a category of tennis tournaments in the Women's Tennis Association tour.Premier events include:*Four "Premier Mandatory" events in Indian Wells, Key Biscayne, Madrid, and Beijing with prize money of $4.5 million....

 event of the year, and lost in the fourth round to eventual runner-up 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...

 6–4, 4–6, 6–4. Pennetta lost in the third round of the Sony Ericsson Open
2009 Sony Ericsson Open
The 2009 Sony Ericsson Open was a men's and women's tennis tournament held from March 23 to April 5, 2009. It was the 25th edition of the Miami Masters event and was played on outdoor hard courts at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park in Key Biscayne, Florida, located near Miami...

 in Key Biscayne, Florida
Key Biscayne, Florida
Key Biscayne is a village in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States on the island of Key Biscayne. The population was 10,507 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 10,324....

, another Premier Mandatory event, to Mauresmo 6–7(5), 6–2, 6–2.

Pennetta then played a series of clay court events in preparation for the French Open. She lost to fellow Italian Roberta Vinci
Roberta Vinci
Roberta Vinci is an Italian tennis player. As of 29 August 2011, Vinci is ranked World No. 20, on the WTA Tour Rankings. Vinci has won thirteen WTA Tour titles, six in singles and seven in doubles....

 in the second round of the Barcelona Ladies Open
2009 Barcelona Ladies Open
The 2009 Barcelona Ladies Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 3rd edition of the Barcelona Ladies Open, and it was an International-level tournament on the 2009 WTA Tour. It took place at the David Lloyd Club Turó in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, from April 13...

 6–1, 6–2. She then played two matches for Italy's Fed Cup team in the World Group semifinals versus reigning champion Russia
Russia Fed Cup team
The Russia Fed Cup team represents Russia in Fed Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Russian Tennis Federation. They currently compete in the World Group.- Current Team :* Maria Sharapova * Elena Vesnina...

. She defeated Anna Chakvetadze
Anna Chakvetadze
Anna Djambulilovna Chakvetadze is a Russian professional tennis player . On September 10, 2007, she reached her career-high professional singles ranking of World No. 5. She has won eight WTA Singles Titles and appeared in the 2007 US Open semifinals. As of July 4, 2011, Chakvetadze is ranked World...

 and lost to Svetlana Kuznetsova
Svetlana Kuznetsova
Svetlana Aleksandrovna Kuznetsova ; born June 27, 1985) is a Russian professional tennis player and as of October 10, 2011 ranked No. 21 in the WTA singles and No. 90 in the doubles ranking. Kuznetsova has appeared in four singles Grand Slam finals, winning two, and has also appeared in six doubles...

, but the final result was 4–1 in favor of Italy. This will be the second 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...

 final for Pennetta. The following week, she reached the semifinals of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix
2009 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix
The 2009 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix is a tennis tournament played on indoor clay courts. It is the 32nd edition of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, and is part of the Premier tournaments of the 2009 WTA Tour...

 in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....

 beating two top 10 players, 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...

 and 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...

, but fell to World No. 1 player 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, 7–5, 6–0. At the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome, a Premier 5 event
WTA Premier tournaments
Premier Tournaments is a category of tennis tournaments in the Women's Tennis Association tour.Premier events include:*Four "Premier Mandatory" events in Indian Wells, Key Biscayne, Madrid, and Beijing with prize money of $4.5 million....

, Pennetta lost in the third round to Kuznetsova, 6–0 in the third set. The following week, she was upset by 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 :...

 in the first round of the Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open, the third Premier Mandatory event of the year, 6–3, 6–7(2), 6–2.
Pennetta, as the 11th seed, lost in the first round of the 2009 French Open to Alexa Glatch
Alexa Glatch
-Junior career:She started playing tennis at the age of five. As a junior player, she won the prestigious Easter Bowl title in the Girls 14s and Girls 18s divisions and the Orange Bowl in the Girls 16s division in 2004. She achieved a World Junior Ranking of #5 in 2005, advancing to the 2005 US...

. At Wimbledon
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 advanced to the third round where she was ousted by the No. 17 Amélie Mauresmo
Amélie Mauresmo
Amélie Simone Mauresmo ; is a French former professional tennis player, and a former World No. 1. Mauresmo won two Grand Slam singles titles at the Australian Open and at Wimbledon....

 7–5, 6–3.
Pennetta then played on her home soil in Palermo
2009 Internazionali Femminili di Palermo - Singles
Sara Errani was the defending champion, but Flavia Pennetta defeated her in the final 6-1, 6-2.-Seeds:# Flavia Pennetta # Patty Schnyder # Alizé Cornet # Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova ...

, 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...

 in the final 6–1, 6–2. She and partner Vinci advanced to the semifinals in doubles. On the hard courts of Los Angeles
2009 LA Women's Tennis Championships - Singles
Dinara Safina was the defending champion, but she lost in the third round against Zheng Jie.Flavia Pennetta won in the final 6–4, 6–3 against Samantha Stosur.-Seeds:The top eight seeds receive a bye into the second round....

, Pennetta upset 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...

 en route to the semifinals where she would be extended to three sets 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 her second consecutive final at the event, she defeated Samantha Stosur
Samantha Stosur
Samantha "Sam" Jane Stosur is an Australian professional tennis player. She won the 2011 US Open singles title and was a finalist at the 2010 French Open. Stosur is ranked World No. 6 and her career high in singles is World No. 4, achieved on 21 February 2011. She is a former world No...

 6–4, 6–3. At Cincinnati, a premier 5 event, she extended her winning streak to 15 matches, maintaining an impressive record against 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...

, whom she beat 7–6(2), 6–4. By virtue of her defeat over Daniela Hantuchová
Daniela Hantuchová
Daniela Hantuchová is a Slovak professional tennis player. She turned professional in 1999 and had her breakthrough year in 2002, when she won her first Tier I tournament and ended the year in the top 10.She is currently coached by Larri Passos...

 in the quarterfinals, she will rise into the Top 10 for the first time in her career, the first Italian woman ever to do so. Her run ended against 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....

 in the semis 6–2, 6–0.

Pennetta seeded 12th at Toronto but lost to Virginie Razzano
Virginie Razzano
Virginie Razzano , is a French professional tennis player and the current French No. 4. Razzano, who was born in Dijon, has won two WTA singles titles, both in 2007 in Guangzhou and Tokyo. Razzano reached her career high ranking of World No. 16 on September 14, 2009. As of May 2011, she is ranked...

 in the second round. Her next tournament was New Haven
2009 Pilot Pen Tennis - Women's Singles
Caroline Wozniacki was the defending champion, and won in the final 6–2, 6–4 against Elena Vesnina.-Seeds:# Svetlana Kuznetsova # Caroline Wozniacki # Flavia Pennetta # Nadia Petrova ...

, where she lost in the semis to Caroline Wozniacki
Caroline Wozniacki
Caroline Wozniacki is a Danish professional tennis player. She is the current world no. 1 on the WTA Tour. As of 7 November 2011, she has held this position for 56 weeks...

.
Pennetta started the 2009 US Open
2009 US Open (tennis)
The 2009 US Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts, held from August 31 to September 14, 2009 in the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at Flushing Meadows, New York City, United States. Originally, it was scheduled to end with the mens' singles final match on Sunday,...

 with a comprehensive 6–0, 6–4 win over Edina Gallovits
Edina Gallovits
Klaudia Edina Gallovits-Hall is a Romanian female tennis player of Hungarian descent on her father's side. She is currently ranked 75th in the world and her career highest ranking of No. 54 was achieved on April 28, 2008...

. In the second round, she crushed 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...

 6–0, 6–0. She advanced to the fourth round by defeating Aleksandra Wozniak
Aleksandra Wozniak
Aleksandra Wozniak is a Canadian professional tennis player. She turned professional in November 2005. Wozniak achieved a career-best ranking of no. 21 on June 22, 2009, making her the fourth-highest ranked Canadian singles player of all time. She has won one WTA and eight ITF tournaments...

 6–1, 6–1. She played Vera Zvonareva
Vera Zvonareva
Vera Zvonareva is a professional tennis player from Russia. She was introduced to tennis at the age of six and turned professional in 2000. Her career high is World No. 2 by the WTA, and she is currently ranked as the World No. 7. Zvonarёva has won twelve WTA Tour singles titles and reached the...

 in the fourth round, and saved four match points at her serve at 5–6 in the second set; and then saved another two in the second set tie-break, before she won 3–6, 7–6, 6–0. She was defeated by 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...

 in the quarterfinals 6–4, 6–3.
After the US Open, Pennetta then lost again to Roberta Vinci
Roberta Vinci
Roberta Vinci is an Italian tennis player. As of 29 August 2011, Vinci is ranked World No. 20, on the WTA Tour Rankings. Vinci has won thirteen WTA Tour titles, six in singles and seven in doubles....

 6–1, 6–2 in the first round of the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. At the China Open, Pennetta made the quarter finals losing to Zvonareva 7–5 in the third set. Pennetta, as the top seed at Generali Ladies Linz tournament in Linz, lost in the semi finals to 3rd seed Yanina Wickmayer
Yanina Wickmayer
Yanina Wickmayer is a Belgian professional tennis player who is currently ranked world no. 22 and is the second-highest ranked female Belgian tennis player. She reached her career-high ranking of world no. 12 on 19 April 2010...

 in straight sets. In the following week, Pennetta was forced to retire at 4–6, 3–0 with a knee injury in the opening round.

2010

Pennetta started her season at the ASB Classic
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....

 in Auckland as the number one seed where defeating Jill Craybas
Jill Craybas
- Early years :Craybas was born in Providence, Rhode Island. She received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, where she played for coach Andy Brandi's Florida Gators women's tennis team in National Collegiate Athletics Association competition from 1993 to...

 6–2 6–4, Carla Suárez Navarro
Carla Suarez Navarro
Carla Suárez Navarro is a Spanish tennis player. She began playing for Spain in the 2008 Fed Cup. On May 18, 2009, she reached her career high ranking at World No. 22.-2008:...

 6–2 6–2, 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...

 6–1 6–2 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...

 6–3 6–0 in the semi finals. She lost to 3rd seed Yanina Wickmayer
Yanina Wickmayer
Yanina Wickmayer is a Belgian professional tennis player who is currently ranked world no. 22 and is the second-highest ranked female Belgian tennis player. She reached her career-high ranking of world no. 12 on 19 April 2010...

 3–6 2–6. In the Medibank International she notched up two top 20 wins over Samantha Stosur
Samantha Stosur
Samantha "Sam" Jane Stosur is an Australian professional tennis player. She won the 2011 US Open singles title and was a finalist at the 2010 French Open. Stosur is ranked World No. 6 and her career high in singles is World No. 4, achieved on 21 February 2011. She is a former world No...

 6–3 6–1 and 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.;...

 6–2, 7–6(7–5) before losing 6–3, 6–0 to unseeded Aravane Rezaï
Aravane Rezaï
Aravane Rezaï is an Iranian-French tennis player born in Saint-Étienne, France to Iranian parents. She is the current French No. 5 in women's tennis. Rezaï took up tennis after a childhood stint as her older brother's ball girl...

 in the quarter finals. At the first slam of the year, the Australian Open, Pennetta was the 12th seed. In the opening round she defeated former top 10 player Anna Chakvetadze
Anna Chakvetadze
Anna Djambulilovna Chakvetadze is a Russian professional tennis player . On September 10, 2007, she reached her career-high professional singles ranking of World No. 5. She has won eight WTA Singles Titles and appeared in the 2007 US Open semifinals. As of July 4, 2011, Chakvetadze is ranked World...

 6–3, 3–6, 6–2 before falling in the second round to qualifier and world number 16 Yanina Wickmayer
Yanina Wickmayer
Yanina Wickmayer is a Belgian professional tennis player who is currently ranked world no. 22 and is the second-highest ranked female Belgian tennis player. She reached her career-high ranking of world no. 12 on 19 April 2010...

 7–6(7–4), 6–1. The loss being her third consecutive straight set loss to Wickmayer. Pennetta was selected for Italy's first tie against Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...

. She won both her singles matches in straight sets against the Bondarenko sisters to set up a 4–1 away victory in the tie. Pennetta received a wild card into Open GDF Suez in Paris where was the second seed. After receiving a first round bye she defeated 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...

 7–6, 6–1 and Tathiana Garbin
Tathiana Garbin
Tathiana Garbin is an Italian tennis player. As of 17 May 2010, she is ranked World No. 56 in singles and No. 38 in doubles. Garbin is probably best known for her shocking defeat of the defending champion and the reigning World No. 1 Justine Henin in the second round of the 2004 French Open...

 to reach the semifinals where she fell in three sets to 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...

.

At the Dubai Tennis Championships
Dubai Tennis Championships
The Dubai Tennis Championships is a professional tennis tournament owned and organized by Dubai Duty Free and held annually in Dubai, United Arab...

, Pennetta advanced to the third round, losing to No.7 seed Agnieszka Radwańska
Agnieszka Radwanska
Agnieszka Radwańska is a WTA Tour Polish tennis player.Her career high singles ranking is World No. 8, which she achieved on 22 February 2010. As of 24 October 2011, she is ranked World No. 8. In 2007, Radwańska became the first Polish player in history to claim a WTA Tour singles title when she...

. Pennetta was forced to withdrew from the Abierto Mexicano Telcel
Abierto Mexicano Telcel
The Abierto Mexicano Telcel is a tennis tournament held in Acapulco, Mexico. It is an event on both the ATP Tour and the WTA Tour...

 due to a hip injury. Pennetta suffered two early upset defeats at the two premier events BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells
Indian Wells, California
Indian Wells is a city in Riverside County, California, in the Coachella Valley , in between Palm Desert and La Quinta. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 4,958....

 and Sony Ericsson Open in Miami. After receiving first round byes, Pennetta lost in the third round of Indian Wells to Shahar Pe'er
Shahar Pe'er
Shahar Pe'er is an Israeli professional tennis player. Her career-high singles ranking is World No. 11, which she achieved on January 31, 2011 ....

 and in the second round of Miami to Andrea Petkovic
Andrea Petkovic
Andrea Petkovic is a professional German tennis player of Serbian origin. She is the highest ranked German tennis player. She lives in Griesheim near Darmstadt, Germany....

. Despite her poor singles result in Miami, Pennetta was able to win the doubles title in Miami partnering 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...

 and defeating Samantha Stosur
Samantha Stosur
Samantha "Sam" Jane Stosur is an Australian professional tennis player. She won the 2011 US Open singles title and was a finalist at the 2010 French Open. Stosur is ranked World No. 6 and her career high in singles is World No. 4, achieved on 21 February 2011. She is a former world No...

 and 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 final. At the 2010 Andalucia Tennis Experience
2010 Andalucia Tennis Experience
The 2010 Andalucia Tennis Experience was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 2nd edition of the Andalucia Tennis Experience, and an International-level tournament of the 2010 WTA Tour...

 Pennetta won her first title of the year advancing to the finals without dropping a set and defeating Carla Suárez Navarro
Carla Suarez Navarro
Carla Suárez Navarro is a Spanish tennis player. She began playing for Spain in the 2008 Fed Cup. On May 18, 2009, she reached her career high ranking at World No. 22.-2008:...

 6–2, 4–6, 6–3.

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...

, Pennetta was seeded 14th. She defeated Anne Keothavong
Anne Keothavong
Anne Viensouk Keothavong is a British professional tennis player. She is a former long-standing British number 1, however she is the current British number 2, behind Elena Baltacha and is ranked 71st in the world...

, Roberta Vinci
Roberta Vinci
Roberta Vinci is an Italian tennis player. As of 29 August 2011, Vinci is ranked World No. 20, on the WTA Tour Rankings. Vinci has won thirteen WTA Tour titles, six in singles and seven in doubles....

, and Polona Hercog
Polona Hercog
Polona Hercog is a Slovenian tennis player. Her highest ranking is No. 35 in singles and No. 56 in doubles. Hercog has won two WTA Tour doubles title and one singles title. She also enjoyed success on the ITF Circuit, winning nine singles and five doubles titles...

 in the first three rounds. She was eliminated by No.3 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...

 in the round of 16. However, her performance moved her ranking back into the top ten, matching her career-high of world #10. This, in combination with countrywoman 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...

 winning the French Open, meant that on the week of 7 June 2010, two Italian woman were in the top 10 (Schiavone at world #6) at the same time, a feat never before accomplished. Pennetta was seeded 10th 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...

. She advanced to the third round where she fell to Klára Zakopalová. She was seeded 5th at the 2010 Mercury Insurance Open in San Diego. In the quarterfinals she defeated Sam Stosur to advance to the semifinals, where she fell to Svetlana Kuznetsova
Svetlana Kuznetsova
Svetlana Aleksandrovna Kuznetsova ; born June 27, 1985) is a Russian professional tennis player and as of October 10, 2011 ranked No. 21 in the WTA singles and No. 90 in the doubles ranking. Kuznetsova has appeared in four singles Grand Slam finals, winning two, and has also appeared in six doubles...

.

2011

Pennetta began her year at the 2011 Medibank International Sydney
2011 Medibank International Sydney
The 2011 Medibank International Sydney was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 119th edition of the Medibank International Sydney, and part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the 2011 ATP World Tour, and of the WTA Premier tournaments of the 2011 WTA Tour...

, where in her first match she defeated qualifier 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:...

 6–4 6–3. In the second round, Flavia went on to defeat world number 2 Vera Zvonareva
Vera Zvonareva
Vera Zvonareva is a professional tennis player from Russia. She was introduced to tennis at the age of six and turned professional in 2000. Her career high is World No. 2 by the WTA, and she is currently ranked as the World No. 7. Zvonarёva has won twelve WTA Tour singles titles and reached the...

 in a tough match 7–5 7–5. She went on to lose 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...

 in the quarterfinals.

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...

, Pennetta won her first round match against Anastasia Rodionova 6–2 6–1. In her second round match, she successfully defeated Lourdes Domínguez Lino
Lourdes Dominguez Lino
Lourdes Domínguez Lino is a Spanish professional female tennis player. On 11 September 2006 Domínguez Lino reached her career-high singles ranking: World No...

 6–2 6–2. In her third round match, Pennetta came up victorious against Shahar Pe'er
Shahar Pe'er
Shahar Pe'er is an Israeli professional tennis player. Her career-high singles ranking is World No. 11, which she achieved on January 31, 2011 ....

 in a three-set battle 3–6 7–6 6–4, in which she rallied from deficits several times throughout the match. She lost to Czech player Petra Kvitová
Petra Kvitová
Petra Kvitová is a Czech professional tennis player. She has won seven WTA singles titles. As of 31 October 2011, she is ranked World No. 2. Kvitová won the 2011 Wimbledon Championships and the 2011 WTA Tour Championships singles titles...

 6–3 3–6 3–6 in the fourth round. She did, however, capture her first career Grand Slam doubles title in the Doubles
2011 Australian Open – Women's Doubles
Serena Williams and Venus Williams were the defending champions from 2010; however, they were unable to defend their title because of Serena's foot injury, sustained in the middle of the 2010 season...

 competition, again partnering Dulko and beating 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....

 and 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...

 in the final. In 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...

, she helped two-time reigning champion Italy
Italy Fed Cup team
The Italy Fed Cup team represents Italy in Fed Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Federazione Italiana Tennis. They currently compete in the World Group.-Current Team:* Francesca Schiavone * Flavia Pennetta...

 defeat Australia
Australia Fed Cup team
The Australia Fed Cup team represents Australia in Fed Cup tennis competition and are governed by Tennis Australia. They currently compete in the World Group I.-History:...

 with wins in two singles rubbers over Samantha Stosur
Samantha Stosur
Samantha "Sam" Jane Stosur is an Australian professional tennis player. She won the 2011 US Open singles title and was a finalist at the 2010 French Open. Stosur is ranked World No. 6 and her career high in singles is World No. 4, achieved on 21 February 2011. She is a former world No...

 and Jarmila Groth. She is currently on a ten-match singles winning streak in 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...

, dropping only one set in that span and has clinched four of Italy
Italy Fed Cup team
The Italy Fed Cup team represents Italy in Fed Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Federazione Italiana Tennis. They currently compete in the World Group.-Current Team:* Francesca Schiavone * Flavia Pennetta...

's last five ties. She has not lost in 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...

 competition since 2009 against Svetlana Kuznetsova
Svetlana Kuznetsova
Svetlana Aleksandrovna Kuznetsova ; born June 27, 1985) is a Russian professional tennis player and as of October 10, 2011 ranked No. 21 in the WTA singles and No. 90 in the doubles ranking. Kuznetsova has appeared in four singles Grand Slam finals, winning two, and has also appeared in six doubles...

, and has compiled a stellar 20–4 overall singles record. At the Dubai Tennis Championships
2011 Dubai Tennis Championships
The 2011 Dubai Tennis Championships was a 500 Series event on the 2011 ATP World Tour and a Premier 5 event on the 2011 WTA Tour. The tournament was known as the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships for sponsorship reasons...

, Pennetta was 11th seeded. In the first round she defeated wildcard-receiver Jelena Dokić, 6–2, 6–2. She succeeded to the semifinal after defeating Klára Zakopalová, 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....

 and 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...

 respectively. However, there she was defeated by Svetlana Kuznetsova, 4–6, 4–6.

As the 21st seed at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships
2011 Wimbledon Championships
The 2011 Wimbledon Championships took place at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, England, from 20 June to 3 July 2011. It was the 125th edition of the championships, and the third Grand Slam tournament of the year. It was played on grass courts and was part of the...

, Pennetta eased past Chanelle Scheepers
Chanelle Scheepers
Chanelle Scheepers is a South African professional tennis player. Her career high WTA singles ranking is No. 37, which she reached on 10 October 2011. Her career high doubles ranking is 91, set at 30 August 2010....

 of South Africa 6–3 7–5 before seeing off 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...

 of Russia 6–4 6–2 to reach to the third round. She then fell to 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....

 of France, seeded 9th in a very close epic match with Bartoli edging the win 5–7 6–4 9–7.

On 28 February, Pennetta became the first-ever Italian tennis player (male or female) to be ranked World No. 1 in doubles.

Pennetta is the 26th seed at the 2011 US Open
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...

. she defeated Aravane Rezaï
Aravane Rezaï
Aravane Rezaï is an Iranian-French tennis player born in Saint-Étienne, France to Iranian parents. She is the current French No. 5 in women's tennis. Rezaï took up tennis after a childhood stint as her older brother's ball girl...

 6–1, 6–4, Romina Oprandi
Romina Oprandi
Romina Sarina Oprandi is an Italian female professional tennis player. She turned professional in 2005 and has been ranked as high as 46 in the world .-Tennis career:...

 6–0, 6–3, 3rd seed Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova
Maria Yuryevna Sharapova ,. is a Russian professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. A US resident since 1994, Sharapova has won 24 WTA singles titles, including three Grand Slam singles titles at the 2004 Wimbledon, 2006 US Open and 2008 Australian Open...

 6–3, 3–6, 6–4, and 13th seed 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...

 6–4, 7–6 (8), to reach the US Open quarterfinals for the third time, where she lost to 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...

.

Pennetta's next tournament was the Tokyo Japan Open where she faced Kaia Kanepi
Kaia Kanepi
Kaia Kanepi is an Estonian professional tennis player. Her career-high ranking is world no. 16 reached on 14 February 2011....

 in the first round. She was upset 3-6 6-4 6-4.

Personal life

Flavia Pennetta was born on 25 February 1982 in Brindisi
Brindisi
Brindisi is a city in the Apulia region of Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, off the coast of the Adriatic Sea.Historically, the city has played an important role in commerce and culture, due to its position on the Italian Peninsula and its natural port on the Adriatic Sea. The city...

, to Oronzo and Concetta Pennetta. She has an older sister, Giorgia. She was introduced to tennis at age five, and has cited Monica Seles
Monica Seles
Monica Seles is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player and a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. She was born in Novi Sad, Serbia, former Yugoslavia to Hungarian parents. She became a naturalized United States citizen in 1994 and also received Hungarian citizenship in June 2007...

 as her tennis idol.

Equipment

  • Coach: Gabriel Urpi
  • Racquet: Wilson BLX Blade 98 Pink
  • Clothing: Adidas
  • Shoes: Adidas

Honours

  • Knight of Order of Merit of the Republic
    Italian orders of merit
    There are five orders of knighthood awarded in recognition of service to the Italian Republic. Below these sit a number of other decorations, associated and otherwise, that do not confer knighthoods...

     (24 January 2007—present)

See also

  • Italy Fed Cup team
    Italy Fed Cup team
    The Italy Fed Cup team represents Italy in Fed Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Federazione Italiana Tennis. They currently compete in the World Group.-Current Team:* Francesca Schiavone * Flavia Pennetta...

  • Italy at the 2008 Summer Olympics
    Italy at the 2008 Summer Olympics
    Italy competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics, held in Beijing, China.The country sent a delegation of 344 athletes to compete.-Medalists:- Archery:...

  • Italian orders of merit
    Italian orders of merit
    There are five orders of knighthood awarded in recognition of service to the Italian Republic. Below these sit a number of other decorations, associated and otherwise, that do not confer knighthoods...


External links

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