Anna Djambuliovna Chakvetadze (Анна Джамбулиевна Чакветадзеlistenⓘ; born 5 March 1987) is a Russian former professionaltennis player.
In her career, Chakvetadze won eightWTA Tour singles titles. She reached her highest singles ranking of world No. 5 in September 2007, after reaching theUS Open semifinals. She also made the quarterfinals of theAustralian Open andFrench Open that same year. She announced her retirement on 11 September 2013, due to a persisting back injury. She is currently a commentator on theEurosport channel.[1]
Chakvetadze began playing tennis at the age of eight after being introduced to the sport by her mother. She hit her peak of world No. 5 in 2007 after a semifinal appearance at theUS Open. Also in that year, she reached the quarterfinals at theAustralian Open and theFrench Open, both of which were career bests for those events. Four of her eight career singles titles also occurred in 2007.
In 2003, she made it to the final of the Junior Championships atWimbledon before falling toKirsten Flipkens in three sets. The same year, she won the International Bavarian Junior Challenge, defeatingMarta Domachowska in two sets. Her record as a junior was 67–19 in singles, and 22–14 in doubles; her highest world ranking was No. 22, achieved in December 2003.
Chakvetadze debuted on theITF Women's Circuit in November 2001, losing in the first round in Minsk. In July 2002, she won her first doubles title in Istanbul, teaming with fellow RussianIrina Kotkina.
At the2004 US Open, Chakvetadze won three qualifying matches to reach the main draw of her firstGrand Slam singles tournament. In the second round, she defeated world No. 3,Anastasia Myskina, before losing in the third round toEleni Daniilidou. With this result, she became tied for the second fastest player to defeat a top-ten player inWTA history, tyingSerena Williams.[2] She broke into the top 100 in theWTA rankings in September, reaching world No. 91. She reached the top 50 in June 2005, coming in at world No. 44.
On 25 September 2006, Chakvetadze won her first WTA Tour singles tournament at the Tier III event in Guangzhou, defeatingAnabel Medina Garrigues in the final. Two weeks later, she won her second WTA title at theTier IKremlin Cup in Moscow even though she was unseeded, beatingElena Dementieva andNadia Petrova en route to the title.[3] These wins helped boost her ranking to world No. 16.
In February, Chakvetadze reached the quarterfinals of theOpen Gaz de France in Paris where she lost toAmélie Mauresmo. She then competed inAntwerp where she lost in the semifinals to Mauresmo, in three sets. On February 19, she made her top-ten debut in theWTA rankings, at world No. 10. At the Tier IIndian Wells Open, she lost in the fourth round toShahar Pe'er. She then reached the semifinals of the Tier IMiami Open in Key Biscayne where she was defeated by world No. 1,Justine Henin, in straight sets.
Chakvetadze played four tournaments in Europe on redclay courts. She lost in the quarterfinals of the Tier IIWarsaw Open toJelena Janković, the second round of the Tier IGerman Open in Berlin, and the second round of the Tier IItalian Open in Rome. At theFrench Open, Chakvetadze lost to second seed Sharapova in the quarterfinals.
Chakvetadze then played five tournaments during the North American summer hardcourt season. At the Tier IIICincinnati Open, she was the top seed and won the title, defeatingAkiko Morigami in the final. She won her second consecutive tournament the following week at theBank of the West Classic in Palo Alto, the first tournament of theUS Open Series. She defeatedSania Mirza in the final. That was her ninth consecutive match-victory and resulted in her ranking rising to world No. 6. At theSan Diego Open, her 12-match winning streak ended when she lost in the semifinals to top-seeded Sharapova for the third time this year, after Chakvetadze had defeated reigning Wimbledon championVenus Williams in the quarterfinals, in three sets. Two weeks later, at the Tier ICanadian Open in Toronto, Chakvetadze retired from her second-round match, after losing the first set toVirginie Razzano. At theUS Open, she was the sixth seed and reached the semifinals of aGrand Slam tournament for the first time, losing toSvetlana Kuznetsova in three sets. This result caused her ranking to rise to a career high of world No. 5.
Chakvetadze was the defending champion at theKremlin Cup in Moscow, but lost her second-round match toDinara Safina.She became the sixth player in 2007 to qualify for the year-endingTour Championships. She reached the semifinals of that tournament by winning two of her three round-robin matches, defeating Serena Williams and Janković before losing to Henin. She then lost her semifinal match against Sharapova.
Chakvetadze began her season at theSydney International. Seeded fifth, she lost in the first round to Katarina Srebotnik.[5] Seeded sixth at theAustralian Open, Chakvetadze was defeated in the third round by 27th seed Maria Kirilenko.[6]
Chakvetadze helped Russia win its first-round tie against Israel during theFed Cup by defeatingTzipora Obziler. As the top seed at theOpen Gaz de France, Chakvetadze won the title by defeating seventh seedÁgnes Szávay in the final.[7] Seeded second at theProximus Diamond Games, Chakvetadze suffered a second-round upset at the hands of lucky loserSofia Arvidsson.[8] Seeded fifth at theQatar Ladies Open, Chakvetadze lost in the second round to Li Na.[9] Seeded sixth at theDubai Championships, she retired from her quarterfinal match against fourth seed Jelena Janković due to a left thigh injury.[10] After missingIndian Wells, Chakvetadze returned to action at theMiami Open.
Playing in theFed Cup tie versus China, Chakvetadze played one rubber and won overYan Zi. Russia easily won the tie over China 5–0.[13] Seeded 15th at theDubai Championships, Chakvetadze was defeated in the first round by Ayumi Morita.[14] Seeded 19th atIndian Wells, she beat Ekaterina Makarova in the second round and lost in the third round to Shahar Pe'er. Seeded 22nd at theMiami Open, Chakvetadze was defeated in the third round by 11th seed and eventual champion Victoria Azarenka.[15] During theFed Cup semifinal tie versus Italy, she played one rubber and lost to Flavia Pennetta. Italy ended up defeating Russia 4–1 to advance to the Fed Cup final.[16]
Chakvetadze kicked off her clay-court season at thePorsche Tennis Grand Prix. She was defeated in the first round by Flavia Pennetta.[17] In Rome at theItalian Open, Chakvetadze lost a close three-setter in the third round to fourth seed Venus Williams.[18] Competing at the first edition of theMadrid Open, she defeatedVirginia Ruano Pascual in the first round. She then beat Sam Stosur in the second round, coming back from 1–4 down in the third set. Chakvetadze fell to Alona Bondarenko in the third round. Chakvetadze, who was seeded 26th at theFrench Open, suffered a first-round loss to lucky loserMariana Duque Mariño in three sets, thus continuing her disastrous run.[19]
Playing only one grass-court tournament before Wimbledon at theEastbourne International, Chakvetadze was able to raise her game in the first round where she defeated third seed Jelena Janković.[20] She was defeated by Marion Bartoli in the second round. Seeded 32nd at theWimbledon Championships, Chakvetadze lost to Sabine Lisicki in the first round, meaning she was out of the top 50 for the first time in quite a while.
Chakvetadze at the 2009 US Open
Chakvetadze began her US Open Series campaign at theStanford Classic where she was unseeded. She was defeated in the first round by Maria Kirilenko in three sets.[21] The following week, at theL.A. Championships, she won her first two matches, against 11th seed Virginie Razzano and Alisa Kleybanova, but then lost convincingly to eighth seed Agnieszka Radwańska in the third round.[22] Having won the Cincinnati Open in 2007, Chakvetadze went into the2009 tournament unseeded; she was defeated in the second round by ninth seed Victoria Azarenka.[23] At theRogers Cup in Toronto, Chakvetadze lost in the first round to Sybille Bammer, after leading 6–3, 4–1.[24] Her final tournament before the US Open was thePilot Pen Tennis in New Haven, where she was the last year finalist. She reached her first quarterfinal of the year, defeating Nadia Petrova and Sybille Bammer, all in three sets. She then lost in her quarterfinal match to her good friend Elena Vesnina.[25] Chakvetadze entered theUS Open as an unseeded player for the first time since 2005. She defeatedYurika Sema in the first round but then fell in the second round to seventh seedVera Zvonareva.[citation needed]
Chakvetadze played her final tournament of the year at theKremlin Cup in Russia, her home country. She was defeated in the first round by Alona Bondarenko.[26]
Chakvetadze ended the year ranked 70, her lowest ranking in over five years.
At thePattaya Open, Chakvetadze was defeated in her quarterfinal match by eventual finalistTamarine Tanasugarn.[28] In March, she competed at theIndian Wells Open, where she retired with an ankle injury in the second round whilst trailing at 6–2, 5–3 to fifth seed Agnieszka Radwańska.[29] At theMiami Open, Chakvetadze had a first-round loss to Kimiko Date-Krumm.[30]
In May, she played at theWarsaw Open where she fell in the qualifying round toBojana Jovanovski. At theFrench Open, Chakvetadze was two points away from winning the match in straight sets, before losing in the first round to Angelique Kerber.[31]
Chakvetadze started her grass-court season at theBirmingham Classic. She advanced to the third round, where she lost to qualifierAlison Riske. At theEastbourne International, she was defeated in the second round of qualifying byJarmila Groth. At theWimbledon Championships, Chakvetadze won her first-round match over Andrea Petkovic.[32] She lost in the second round to top seed, defending champion, and eventual champion Serena Williams.[33]
In Hungary at theBudapest Grand Prix, Chakvetadze fell in the second round to second seedAlexandra Dulgheru. At thePrague Open, she was defeated in the first round by qualifier and compatriotKsenia Pervak. Playing at theSlovenia Open, she defeatedJohanna Larsson in her first final in two years and to win her eighth WTA Tour title.[citation needed] In the Portorož doubles final, she andMarina Erakovic lost toMaria Kondratieva/Vladimíra Uhlířová in a super tie-break. In the first edition of theDanish Open, Chakvetadze not only got through qualifying but she also advanced to the semifinal where she fell to top seed and eventual champion Caroline Wozniacki.
Chakvetadze entered theBronx Open to prepare for the US Open. She defeated Sofia Arvidsson in the final to win the second title of the year. At theUS Open, she suffered a first-round loss toUrszula Radwańska.
InDubai, Chakvetadze defeated Daniela Hantuchová in the first round.[39] In the second round, she faced top seed Caroline Wozniacki. She lost the first set 1–6; she was 5–3 up in the second set when she suddenly collapsed.[40] It was later confirmed that Chakvetadze collapsed due to agastrointestinal disease that she had been suffering from since before the tournament.[41] As a result, she did not play theQatar Open. AtIndian Wells, Chakvetadze retired during her second-round match against 24th seed Maria Kirilenko due to dizziness.[42] She then missed theSony Ericsson Open due to illness.
Chakvetadze started her clay-court season at theStuttgart Grand Prix. After qualifying for the main draw, she faced Zuzana Kučová in her first-round match. She retired during the third set due to dizziness.[43] Because of these problems, she did not play theFrench Open.
After a few weeks of hospital testing, Chakvetadze made her return at theRosmalen Open. She lost in the first round to Lourdes Domínguez Lino.[44] AtWimbledon, Chakvetadze was defeated in the first round by fifth seed Maria Sharapova.[45]
Chakvetadze announced that she will not participate at theUS Open because of an ankle injury.[citation needed]
Chakvetadze started the year at theHobart International. She made it to the quarterfinals after wins over third seed Monica Niculescu and Tsvetana Pironkova. She retired during her quarterfinal match against sixth seed Shahar Pe'er due to a left leg cramp.[46] At theAustralian Open, Chakvetadze lost in the first round to Jelena Dokic.[47]
Chakvetadze took a break from the sport for several months before returning to competition at theDanish Open. As a qualifier, she was defeated in round one by Pauline Parmentier.[48]
After qualifying for theStuttgart Grand Prix, she was beaten in the first round by fellow qualifier Alizé Cornet.[49] At theMadrid Open, Chakvetadze lost in the final round of qualifying to Johanna Larsson. Qualified for the main draw at theItalian Open, she was defeated in the first round by qualifierSloane Stephens.[50] At theBrussels Open, Chakvetadze lost in the first round toYanina Wickmayer.[51]
In September, Chakvetadze played at theTashkent Open in Uzbekistan. After qualifying for the main draw, she was defeated in the second round by eighth seedGalina Voskoboeva.[54]
Chakvetadze didn't play any more tournaments for the rest of the season. She ended the year ranked 222.
Chakvetadze announced her retirement from professional tennis on 11 September 2013 due to ongoing back problems.[55] Since retiring, she has been a tennis commentator for Eurosport.
Chakvetadze was a baseline player, whose game depended upon her excellent defensive skills. Her greatest assets were her speed, court coverage, shot selection, anticipation, and footwork. Her forehand and backhand were both hit flat and with depth, although she could hit her backhand with slice as and when the situation required. She was an excellent counterpuncher, with her exemplary fitness allowing her to extend rallies until she could create an opportunity to hit a winner. Her best groundstroke shots were her forehand and backhand, both down the line. Her first serve averaged 96 mph (154 km/h), and peaked at 109 mph (175 km/h), allowing her to serve aces and dictate service points. Her second serve was reliable, averaging 81 mph (130 km/h), meaning that double faults were uncommon; she was also excellent at defending her second serve with her powerful groundstrokes. Due to her doubles experience, she was a capable volleyer, and was adept at the net, but chose to play mostly from the baseline. Chakvetadze's major weaknesses were her lack of confidence and nerves. In difficult moments, she would commit many uncharacteristic unforced errors. Due to the careful nature of her game and her excellent point construction and shot selection, she was frequently compared toMartina Hingis.[56]
On 18 December 2007, Chakvetadze's home was robbed. She was tied by six invaders who also beat her father, Djambuli. The six men left with over $306,000 worth of goods and cash.[57] Chakvetadze was the target of the robbery, as the men demanded a Rolex watch she had recently won in an exhibition and told her as they left, "Keep playing, we'll come again."[58] Seven suspects were arrested three months later.[59]
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (P#) preliminary round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (Z#) Davis/Fed Cup Zonal Group (with number indication) or (PO) play-off; (G) gold, (S) silver or (B) bronze Olympic/Paralympic medal; (NMS) not a Masters tournament; (NTI) not a Tier I tournament; (P) postponed; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.
To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.
Notes:1 = switched fromKazakhstan;2 = juniors' circuit player awarded before the existence of theJuniors nomination,3 = wheelchair,4 = postponed to 2021 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic in Russia