Benešová at the2014 Nürnberger Versicherungscup | |
| ITF name | Iveta Melzer |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) | |
| Residence | Most, Czech Republic |
| Born | (1983-02-01)1 February 1983 (age 42) Most,Czechoslovakia |
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) |
| Turned pro | 1998 |
| Retired | 2014 |
| Plays | Left-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Prize money | US$ 3,329,488 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 411–341 |
| Career titles | 2 |
| Highest ranking | No. 25 (6 April 2009) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | 4R (2011,2012) |
| French Open | 3R (2008,2009) |
| Wimbledon | 2R (2007,2009,2011) |
| US Open | 2R (2004,2008,2010) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 290–230 |
| Career titles | 14 |
| Highest ranking | No. 17 (31 January 2011) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | 3R (2008,2011) |
| French Open | 3R (2005,2006,2010) |
| Wimbledon | 3R (2010) |
| US Open | QF (2011) |
| Mixed doubles | |
| Career titles | 1 |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| Australian Open | SF (2009) |
| French Open | QF (2011) |
| Wimbledon | W (2011) |
| US Open | 2R (2009) |
| Team competitions | |
| Fed Cup | 11–12 |
Iveta Benešová (Czech pronunciation:[ˈɪvɛtaˈbɛnɛʃovaː]) (formerlyMelzer,Czech:Melzerová; born 1 February 1983) is aCzech formertennis player. She began playing tennis aged seven and turned professional in 1998. She won twoWTA Tour singles and 14 doubles tournaments, and one Grand Slam title in mixed doubles, partnered withJürgen Melzer at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships. On 14 September 2012, she married Melzer and adopted his family name (until 2015 when their relationship ended). She announced her retirement from tennis on 13 August 2014.
Benešová was the first player to be beaten byAna Ivanovic in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament, at the2005 Australian Open.[1]
At the2006 Australian Open, for the first time, she reached the third round of a Grand Slam championship by beating fifth seedMary Pierce. She lost in the next round to former world No. 1Martina Hingis.[2]
Entering as a qualifier in the2008 French Open, she reached the third round, beating 15th seed and compatriateNicole Vaidišová in the first round, but lost toPetra Cetkovská.

Benešová started theyear by playing the first edition of theBrisbane International. She lost in the first round to qualifierSesil Karatantcheva. A week later, Benešová lost in the final of thetournament in Hobart to fellow-CzechPetra Kvitová. At theAustralian Open, she lost in the second round to eventual semifinalist and fourth-seededElena Dementieva.
Immediately after Australian, Benešová played in front of her home crowd in theFed Cup tie against Spain. Despite losing her singles rubber toNuria Llagostera Vives, the Czech team advanced to the semifinals after winning the tie 4–1.
At theOpen GdF Suez in Paris, she lost in the first round to world No. 1,Serena Williams. Benešová then reached the semifinals of thetournament in Acapulco, a clay-court event. In the quarterfinals, she beatMathilde Johansson, before losing to defending championFlavia Pennetta.
On 6 April 2009, Benešová achieved her career-high singles ranking of world No. 25.
Seeded 6th at the first edition of theMonterrey Open, she beat fellow CzechBarbora Záhlavová-Strýcová in the quarterfinals before losing in the semifinals to unseededLi Na.
Benešová fell toAna Ivanovic in the third round of theFrench Open.
AtWimbledon, she beatKatie O'Brien, before falling toJelena Janković in the second round.
In singles, she defeatedSimona Halep in the final of theMorocco Open to win her first WTA Tour trophy since 2004.
In doubles, she has won three titles. Along with Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová, she grabbed the titles inParis as their opponentsCara Black andLiezel Huber withdrew andMonterrey defeatingAnna-Lena Grönefeld andVania King. Partnering withAnabel Medina Garrigues, Benešová wonFes, making her winning both singles and doubles in the tournament.

Benešová reached the fourth round of theAustralian Open,[3] but was defeated by second seedVera Zvonareva.[4]
Along with Záhlavová-Strýcová she won four titles in doubles.
At theWimbledon Championships, she won themixed doubles title with partner and later husbandJürgen Melzer.[5][6]
Benešová once again reached the fourth round of theAustralian Open, being defeated by eventual championVictoria Azarenka in straight sets.On 29 April 2012 she won her last title at the Stuttgart doubles, again with Záhlavová-Strýcová.
She paused from playing tournaments until February 2014, mainly due to shoulder problems.
In her first tournament as Iveta Melzer, she and her partner Petra Cetkovská reached the final of the Acapulco doubles which they lost in the third set.
At theFrench Open, she played the mixed doubles with her then husband Jürgen, they lost in the first round against top seededAlexander Peya andAbigail Spears. It was their last Grand Slam mixed appearance together; atWimbledon, Jürgen Melzer partnered Anabel Medina Garrigues.
Iveta Melzer ended her career on 15 August 2014, as shoulder problems prevented her from playing her best tennis.
On 14 September 2012, Benešová married Austrian tennis playerJürgen Melzer atLaxenburg Castle in Austria. The relationship ended in 2015 and Iveta changed her name back to Benešová.[7][8][9]
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | P# | DNQ | A | Z# | PO | G | S | B | NMS | NTI | P | NH |
Only main-draw results in WTA Tour, Grand Slam tournaments, Fed Cup and Olympic Games are included in win–loss records.
| Tournament | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | SR | W–L | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam tournaments | ||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | Q2 | 1R | Q3 | 1R | 3R | 2R | Q2 | 2R | 2R | 4R | 4R | absent | 0 / 8 | 11–8 | 58% | |
| French Open | 2R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 2R | 1R | 3R | 3R | 1R | 1R | 1R | A | 1R | 0 / 12 | 7–12 | 37% |
| Wimbledon | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 1R | 2R | 1R | 2R | 1R | absent | 0 / 11 | 3–11 | 21% | |
| US Open | 1R | 1R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 1R | 2R | 1R | 1R | absent | 0 / 11 | 3–11 | 21% | |
| Win–loss | 1–3 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 1–4 | 3–4 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 4–4 | 2–4 | 4–4 | 3–4 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0 / 42 | 24–42 | 36% |
| National representation | ||||||||||||||||
| Summer Olympics | not held | 1R | not held | 2R | not held | A | NH | 0 / 2 | 1–2 | 33% | ||||||
| Premier Mandatory & 5 + former tournaments | ||||||||||||||||
| Dubai /Qatar Open[a] | not held / not master series | absent | 1R | 1R | 2R | absent | 0 / 3 | 1–3 | 25% | |||||||
| Indian Wells Open | A | 2R | 3R | 3R | 2R | 2R | 1R | 2R | 1R | 2R | 1R | A | 1R | 0 / 11 | 6–11 | 35% |
| Miami Open | A | 1R | A | 1R | 2R | 2R | A | QF | 1R | 3R | 3R | A | 1R | 0 / 9 | 9–9 | 50% |
| German /Madrid Open[b] | absent | 1R | 1R | absent | 1R | 1R | 2R | 1R | absent | 0 / 6 | 1–6 | 14% | ||||
| Italian Open | A | Q2 | Q2 | absent | Q1 | 2R | absent | 2R | 2R | absent | 0 / 3 | 3–3 | 50% | |||
| Canadian Open | absent | Q2 | A | 1R | 3R | 2R | Q3 | absent | 0 / 3 | 3–3 | 50% | |||||
| Cincinnati Open | not held / not master series | 1R | A | 1R | Q1 | absent | 0 / 2 | 0–2 | 0% | |||||||
| Pan Pacific Open | absent | QF | Q2 | absent | QF | 1R | 3R | absent | 0 / 4 | 7–4 | 64% | |||||
| China Open | not master series | 1R | A | 1R | absent | 0 / 2 | 0–2 | 0% | ||||||||
| Charleston Open(former) | absent | 3R | 1R | absent | not master series | 0 / 2 | 2–2 | 50% | ||||||||
| San Diego Open(former) | NMS | 2R | 2R | absent | not held | 0 / 2 | 2–2 | 50% | ||||||||
| Kremlin Cup(former) | Q2 | Q2 | Q2 | 1R | 2R | Q1 | A | not master series | 0 / 2 | 1–2 | 33% | |||||
| Zurich Open(former) | A | Q1 | Q2 | Q2 | absent | not held / not master series | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |||||||
| Win–loss | 0–0 | 1–2 | 3–2 | 6–7 | 2–5 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 6–7 | 2–6 | 8–9 | 4–5 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 0 / 49 | 35–49 | 42% |
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||
| 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | SR | W–L | Win% | |
| Tournaments | 9 | 19 | 22 | 27 | 21 | 15 | 18 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 17 | 0 | 5 | Career total: 227 | ||
| Titles | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Career total: 2 | ||
| Finals | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Career total: 8 | ||
| Hard win–loss | 4–2 | 4–7 | 11–13 | 13–16 | 11–12 | 4–7 | 9–8 | 16–15 | 10–14 | 12–15 | 10–9 | 0–0 | 0–3 | 0 / 118 | 104–121 | 46% |
| Clay win–loss | 3–6 | 4–10 | 14–6 | 6–7 | 4–7 | 1–9 | 13–8 | 11–8 | 8–8 | 2–7 | 1–5 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 2 / 81 | 67–83 | 45% |
| Grass win–loss | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 / 18 | 5–18 | 22% |
| Carpet win–loss | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 / 10 | 5–11 | 31% |
| Overall win–loss | 8–10 | 9–21 | 25–20 | 21–28 | 17–22 | 6–17 | 22–18 | 29–27 | 18–24 | 15–24 | 11–17 | 0–0 | 0–5 | 2 / 227 | 181–233 | 44% |
| Win % | 44% | 30% | 56% | 43% | 44% | 26% | 55% | 52% | 43% | 38% | 39% | – | 0% | Career total: 44% | ||
| Year-end ranking | 81 | 140 | 36 | 54 | 60 | 119 | 43 | 39 | 60 | 54 | 81 | $3,329,488 | ||||
| Tournament | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | SR | W–L | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam tournaments | ||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | absent | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 3R | 2R | 2R | 3R | 2R | absent | 0 / 9 | 7–9 | 44% | ||
| French Open | absent | 1R | 3R | 3R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 3R | 1R | 1R | A | 1R | 0 / 10 | 7–10 | 41% | |
| Wimbledon | absent | 1R | 1R | 2R | 1R | 2R | 3R | 3R | 3R | 2R | absent | 0 / 9 | 9–9 | 50% | ||
| US Open | absent | 2R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 3R | QF | 2R | absent | 0 / 9 | 10–9 | 53% | ||
| Win–loss | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–4 | 2–4 | 3–4 | 1–4 | 4–4 | 5–4 | 7–4 | 7–4 | 3–4 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0 / 37 | 33–37 | 47% |
| National representation | ||||||||||||||||
| Summer Olympics | not held | A | not held | 1R | not held | A | NH | 0 / 1 | 0–1 | 0% | ||||||
| WTA Premier Mandatory & 5 + former | ||||||||||||||||
| Dubai /Qatar Open[a] | not master series | absent | 1R | 1R | 2R | absent | 0 / 3 | 1–3 | 25% | |||||||
| Indian Wells Open | absent | 1R | 1R | SF | 2R | QF | QF | QF | 2R | SF | A | 1R | 0 / 10 | 13–10 | 57% | |
| Miami Open | absent | 1R | 2R | absent | 1R | 1R | 2R | 1R | A | 2R | 0 / 7 | 3–7 | 30% | |||
| Berlin /Madrid Open[b] | absent | 1R | 1R | QF | absent | 1R | 1R | 1R | absent | 0 / 6 | 2–6 | 25% | ||||
| Italian Open | absent | QF | F | absent | 2R | 2R | absent | 0 / 4 | 8–4 | 67% | ||||||
| Canadian Open | absent | 2R | A | QF | QF | 1R | 1R | absent | 0 / 5 | 5–5 | 50% | |||||
| Cincinnati Open | not master series | 1R | A | 1R | 1R | absent | 0 / 3 | 0–3 | 0% | |||||||
| Pan Pacific Open | absent | QF | absent | W | 1R | absent | 1 / 3 | 5–2 | 71% | |||||||
| China Open | not master series | 1R | A | 2R | absent | 0 / 2 | 1–2 | 33% | ||||||||
| Charleston Open(former) | absent | F | 1R | absent | not master series | 0 / 2 | 4–2 | 67% | ||||||||
| San Diego Open(former) | absent | 1R | 1R | absent | not master series | 0 / 2 | 0–2 | 0% | ||||||||
| Kremlin Cup(former) | A | 2R | 1R | 1R | F | SF | A | not master series | 0 / 5 | 6–5 | 55% | |||||
| Zurich Open(former) | absent | Q1 | 1R | A | not held / not master series | 0 / 1 | 0–1 | 0% | ||||||||
| Win–loss | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 4–7 | 10–6 | 6–4 | 5–2 | 4–5 | 8–5 | 4–9 | 5–7 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1 / 53 | 48–52 | 48% |
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||
| Tournaments | 5 | 8 | 20 | 26 | 17 | 17 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 18 | 0 | 4 | Career total: 198 | ||
| Titles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Career total: 14 | ||
| Finals | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | Career total: 26 | ||
| Overall win–loss | 2–6 | 5–8 | 14–20 | 22–25 | 18–18 | 20–16 | 24–18 | 29–19 | 32–17 | 32–17 | 18–17 | 0–0 | 4–4 | 14 / 198 | 220–185 | 54% |
| Year-end ranking | 190 | 130 | 63 | 38 | 35 | 34 | 35 | 34 | 21 | 29 | 36 | n/a | ||||
| Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 2011 | Wimbledon | Grass | 6–3, 6–2 |
| Legend |
|---|
| Tier III &IV &V /International (2–6) |
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | Oct 2002 | WTA Bratislava, Slovakia | Tier V | Hard (i) | 0–6, 1–6 | |
| Win | 1–1 | Mar 2004 | Mexican Open | Tier III | Clay | 7–6(7–5), 6–4 | |
| Loss | 1–2 | Apr 2004 | Portugal Open | Tier IV | Clay | 5–7, 6–7(1–7) | |
| Loss | 1–3 | Aug 2004 | Forest Hills Classic, U.S. | Tier V | Hard | 3–6, 2–6 | |
| Loss | 1–4 | Jan 2006 | Hobart International, Australia | Tier IV | Hard | 1–6, 2–6 | |
| Loss | 1–5 | May 2008 | Portugal Open | Tier IV | Clay | 4–6, 2–6 | |
| Loss | 1–6 | Jan 2009 | Hobart International, Australia | International | Hard | 5–7, 1–6 | |
| Win | 2–6 | May 2010 | Morocco Open | International | Clay | 6–4, 6–2 |
| Legend |
|---|
| Tier I /Premier Mandatory & 5 (1–3) |
| Tier II /Premier (5–2) |
| Tier III & IV / International (8–7) |
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | Jul 2004 | Bank of the West Classic, U.S. | Tier II | Hard | 2–6, 4–6 | ||
| Win | 1–1 | Feb 2005 | Open GDF Suez, France | Tier II | Carpet (i) | 6–2, 2–6, 6–2 | ||
| Loss | 1–2 | Apr 2005 | Family Circle Cup, U.S. | Tier I | Clay (green) | 1–6, 4–6 | ||
| Loss | 1–3 | Jun 2005 | Rosmalen Championships, Netherlands | Tier III | Grass | 6–4, 2–6, 7–6(11–9) | ||
| Loss | 1–4 | Oct 2006 | Kremlin Cup, Russia | Tier I | Carpet (i) | 4–6, 7–6(7–4), 1–6 | ||
| Loss | 1–5 | Jan 2007 | Australian Hardcourt Championships | Tier III | Hard | 3–6, 4–6 | ||
| Win | 2–5 | Sep 2007 | Luxembourg Open | Tier II | Hard (i) | 6–4, 6–2 | ||
| Win | 3–5 | Feb 2008 | Copa Colsanitas, Colombia | Tier III | Clay | 6–3, 6–3 | ||
| Loss | 3–6 | Mar 2008 | Mexican Open | Tier III | Clay | 2–6, 4–6 | ||
| Loss | 3–7 | May 2008 | Italian Open | Tier I | Clay | 6–7(5–7), 3–6 | ||
| Win | 4–7 | Aug 2008 | Nordic Light Open, Sweden | Tier IV | Hard | 7–5, 6–4 | ||
| Loss | 4–8 | Mar 2009 | Monterrey Open, Mexico | International | Hard | 3–6, 4–6 | ||
| Loss | 4–9 | Jul 2009 | Prague Open, Czech Republic | International | Clay | 1–6, 2–6 | ||
| Loss | 4–10 | Aug 2009 | Connecticut Open, U.S. | Premier | Hard | 2–6, 6–7 | ||
| Win | 5–10 | Oct 2009 | Luxembourg Open(2) | International | Hard (i) | 6–1, 0–6, [10–7] | ||
| Win | 6–10 | Feb 2010 | Open GDF Suez, France(2) | Premier | Hard (i) | walkover | ||
| Win | 7–10 | Mar 2010 | Monterrey Open, Mexico | International | Hard | 3–6, 6–4, [10–8] | ||
| Win | 8–10 | May 2010 | Morocco Open | International | Clay | 6–3, 6–1 | ||
| Win | 9–10 | Oct 2010 | Pan Pacific Open, Japan | Premier 5 | Hard | 6–4, 4–6, [10–8] | ||
| Loss | 9–11 | Oct 2010 | Luxembourg Open | International | Hard (i) | 4–6, 4–6 | ||
| Win | 10–11 | Jan 2011 | Sydney International, Australia | Premier | Hard | 4–6, 6–4, [10–7] | ||
| Win | 11–11 | Mar 2011 | Monterrey Open, Mexico(2) | International | Hard | 6–7(8–10), 6–2, [10–6] | ||
| Win | 12–11 | May 2011 | Barcelona Open, Spain | International | Clay | 5–7, 6–4, [11–9] | ||
| Win | 13–11 | Oct 2011 | Luxembourg Open(3) | International | Hard (i) | 7–5, 6–3 | ||
| Win | 14–11 | Apr 2012 | Stuttgart Open, Germany | Premier | Clay (i) | 6–4, 7–5 | ||
| Loss | 14–12 | Mar 2014 | Mexican Open | International | Hard | 3–6, 6–2, [5–10] |
| Legend |
|---|
| $75,000 tournaments |
| $50,000 tournaments |
| $25,000 tournaments |
| $10,000 tournaments |
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | May 2001 | ITF Prešov, Slovakia | 10,000 | Clay | 3–6, 6–2, 6–2 | |
| Win | 2–0 | Oct 2001 | ITF Opole, Poland | 25,000 | Carpet (i) | 6–1, 6–3 | |
| Win | 3–0 | Feb 2004 | ITF Ortisei, Italy | 75,000 | Carpet (i) | 6–3, 6–1 | |
| Win | 4–0 | Mar 2008 | ITF Latina, Italy | 50,000 | Clay | 6–0, 6–2 | |
| Loss | 4–1 | Apr 2008 | ITFTorhout, Belgium | 75,000 | Hard (i) | 7–6(5), 1–6, 4–6 |
| Legend |
|---|
| $75,000 tournaments |
| $50,000 tournaments |
| $25,000 tournaments |
| $10,000 tournaments |
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | Jul 2000 | Bella Cup, Poland | 10,000 | Clay | 6–1, 6–4 | ||
| Loss | 1–1 | Dec 2000 | ITF Mallorca, Spain | 10,000 | Clay | 3–5, 4–2, 4–0, 1–4, 2–4 | ||
| Win | 2–1 | Mar 2001 | ITF Rome, Italy | 10,000 | Clay | 4–6, 6–4, 6–4 | ||
| Win | 3–1 | May 2001 | ITF Szczecin, Poland | 10,000 | Clay | 6–4, 7–6(4) | ||
| Loss | 3–2 | Apr 2002 | Open de Cagnes-sur-Mer, France | 50,000 | Clay | 2–6, 4–6 | ||
| Loss | 3–3 | Sep 2003 | ITF Bordeaux, France | 75,000 | Clay | 3–6, 4–6 | ||
| Loss | 3–4 | Dec 2003 | ITF Ostrava, Czech Republic | 25,000 | Carpet (i) | 2–6, 4–6 | ||
| Win | 4–4 | Dec 2003 | ITF Valašské Meziříčí, Czech Republic | 25,000 | Hard (i) | walkover |
| No. | Player | Rk | Event | Surface | Rd | Score | Rk | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 10 | Charleston Open, United States | Clay (g) | 2R | 6–4, 4–6, 7–5 | No. 51 | 2005 | |
| 2. | 5 | Australian Open | Hard | 2R | 6–3, 7–5 | No. 42 | 2006 | |
| 3. | 3 | Canadian Open | Hard | 2R | 7–6(7–3), 6–3 | No. 75 | 2010 | |
| 4. | 6 | Brisbane International, Australia | Hard | 2R | 6–4, 6–2 | No. 54 | 2012 |