_(52144307329).jpg) Kanepi at the2022 French Open | |
| Country (sports) |  Estonia |
|---|---|
| Born | (1985-06-10)10 June 1985 (age 40) |
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) |
| Turned pro | 1999[2] |
| Retired | May 2024 (last match played) |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Prize money | US$ 8,489,403 |
| Official website | kaiakanepi.com |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 586–352 |
| Career titles | 4 WTA, 21 ITF |
| Highest ranking | No. 15 (20 August 2012) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | QF (2022) |
| French Open | QF (2008,2012) |
| Wimbledon | QF (2010,2013) |
| US Open | QF (2010,2017) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Olympic Games | 3R (2008) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 47–69 |
| Career titles | 2 ITF |
| Highest ranking | No. 106 (6 June 2011) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | 2R (2011,2012,2014) |
| French Open | 3R (2012,2014) |
| Wimbledon | 3R (2008,2009) |
| US Open | 1R (2006,2007,2008,2009,2010,2013,2018) |
| Other doubles tournaments | |
| Olympic Games | 1R (2004,2008) |
| Team competitions | |
| Fed Cup | 41–15 |
| Last updated on: 10 February 2025. | |
Kaia Kanepi (Estonian pronunciation:[ˈkɑi.ɑˈkɑnepi]; born 10 June 1985) is an Estonian inactive professionaltennis player. She achieved her career-high ranking of world No. 15 on 20 August 2012 and has won four singles titles on theWTA Tour.
Described as a 'resident Grand Slam upset specialist' byThe Guardian – with 19 wins over seeded players in the first week of Grand Slams; only two active players (Victoria Azarenka andVenus Williams) have more.[3] She has also reached seven Grand Slam quarterfinals in all four championships (French Open in 2008 and 2012, Wimbledon in 2010 and 2013, the US Open in 2010 and 2017, and Australian Open 2022), becoming the first Estonian to achieve this and was the first Estonian to be ranked inside the world's top 15. Kanepi's numerous achievements have made her one of Estonia's most famous and successful professional tennis players in history. Kanepi reached her first final in 2006, becoming the first Estonian female player to do so, at theGaz de France Stars where she lost toKim Clijsters. She then won her first singles title at thePalermo Ladies Open in 2010, also becoming the first Estonian female player to win a title.
Kaia Kanepi was born inHaapsalu. Her father, Jaak (areal estate broker) and mother Anne (ahomemaker) played tennis. They also have daughters Kadri, who won a tennis scholarship to study in the United States, and Karin, a dedicated horse rider. Kaia, who always watched her parents and sisters play, discovered her love for tennis at an early age. She started playing at the age of eight.Her family has always supported her desire to play professional tennis.
She reached world No. 1 in theInternational Tennis Federation (ITF) junior rankings before turning professional in 1999.[2]
Kanepi representedEstonia in both the women's singles and women's doubles, partneringMaret Ani, at the2004 Summer Olympics, losing in the first round of both events.
At the end of 2006, she reached her firstWTA Tour final during theGaz de France Stars tournament in Hasselt, Belgium. She came through three qualification rounds and beatAnne Kremer,Nathalie Dechy,Eleni Daniilidou,Francesca Schiavone, andMichaëlla Krajicek to eventually play the final againstKim Clijsters, to whom she lost in three sets.
At the2007 Australian Open, Kanepi struggled, but defeated 28th-seededFlavia Pennetta before losing toAlicia Molik in the second round. InIndian Wells, she defeated wildcardKristina Brandi in the first round, but lost in the second round to 14th seed and eventual champion,Daniela Hantuchová. At the2007 Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida, she stunnedPatty Schnyder in the second round, before losing to qualifierVera Dushevina in the next round.In late July 2007, Kanepi reached the semifinals of theGastein Ladies tournament in Austria, where she fell to Francesca Schiavone. This was her third career semifinal and first of the year. Afterwards, she made her top-40 debut at world No. 40.
After losing in the first round ofAustralian Open, Kanepi performed better in the next Grand Slam. At theFrench Open, Kanepi defeated sixth seedAnna Chakvetadze in the second round. She then defeated 29th-seededAnabel Medina Garrigues for a place in the fourth round. Outplaying unseededPetra Kvitová she reached the quarterfinals, where she was defeated by fourth seedSvetlana Kuznetsova in straight sets. Nonetheless, Kanepi made history by becoming the first Estonian female tennis player to reach a major quarterfinal.
Kanepi was granted direct entry atWimbledon, where she lost in the first round to sixth seedSerena Williams.
At the2008 Summer Olympics, Kanepi reached the third round, defeating Flavia Pennetta andVirginie Razzano, before losing toLi Na.
At the US Open, she defeatedMonica Niculescu in the first round, but lost toAmélie Mauresmo in the second round.
In September, Kanepi reached the quarterfinals as a qualifier of the Tier I Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, where she defeated Vera Dushevina, world No. 13, Chakvetadze, and Virginie Razzano, before losing to world No. 5,Dinara Safina. She then reached the semifinals of the Korea Open in Seoul where she was beaten by the eventual champion and first seed,Maria Kirilenko.
She then made only her second final at the WTA level at the Tier IIIJapan Open in Tokyo. She defeatedLucie Šafářová,Yanina Wickmayer,Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, and eighth seedAleksandra Wozniak, before losing in the final to Danish then world No. 16 and top seed,Caroline Wozniacki, in three sets.
She was named the 2008Best Female Athlete of Estonia by the Association of Estonian Sports Journalists.[4]
Kanepi reached her career-best third round at theAustralian Open, but lost miserably to then world No. 3,Dinara Safina, in straight sets. She had an epic match withKimiko Date, former world No. 4, in the first round.
She was a member of theEstonia Fed Cup team in rounds played in February. She was paired withMaret Ani, and the Estonian team beatBulgaria,Croatia, andBelarus. Kanepi won all the singles rubbers that she played (including a win over then world No. 15Victoria Azarenka). She set a new personal 196 kilometres per hour (122 mph) serve record in the tournament, among the fastest ever served by a woman.
She continued her season at theOpen GdF Suez, a Premier tournament, but lost in the second round toÉmilie Loit.
At the top-level Dubai Championships, she advanced to the third round to set up a match with former world number one,Jelena Janković whom she defeated in straight sets. She was the highest-seeded player Kanepi had by that time defeated. Kanepi then beatElena Vesnina in the quarterfinals, in straight sets. She was, however, denied a place in the finals by Virginie Razzano.
Kanepi then participated at theRome Masters. She defeated Patty Schnyder in the third round, but lost toVictoria Azarenka in the quarterfinals. Her next tournament was theMadrid Open, where she was seeded 16th. However, she retired in the first round against Lucie Šafářová. In theFrench Open opening round, Kanepi was defeated by Yaroslava Shvedova in the first surprise of the day. Her first round loss led to a drop in her ranking, as she fell to world No. 24.
She was then scheduled to play at theBirmingham Classic as the second seed. However, she then withdrew because of a knee injury. Kanepi was seeded 25th at theWimbledon Championships, but lost toCarla Suárez Navarro in the first round.
Kanepi lost her opening matches atBastad andPortoroz. Her bad form continued when she lost three straight first-round matches during theUS Open Series. She fell in the first round of theUS Open to qualifierChang Kai-chen in three sets.
Kanepi lost to Chang again in the first round atTokyo. She suffered a first-round loss at theChina Open in Beijing to Serena Williams in a match where she had more break points than Serena and lost 5–7, 4–6. This was her 12th straight loss. Kanepi ended her losing streak at an ITF tournament Dubai in December, where she defeatedYuliana Fedak in straight sets in the first round. She then lost toRegina Kulikova.
By the start of the new season, Kanepi seemed to be in better physical shape than in 2009. Kanepi reached the second round at theAuckland Open, defeating world No. 15, Li Na, in straight sets, before losing toMaria Kirilenko in the second round. She fell in the first round of theHobart International to seventh seedZheng Jie in a tight three-setter. At the first Grand Slam of the year at theAustralian Open, Kanepi defeatedChan Yung-jan in the first round, but fell to 19th seedNadia Petrova in the second round.
Kanepi was seeded fifth at theCellular South Cup in Memphis. She was in the same half of the draw as Maria Sharapova. She defeatedArantxa Rus in the first round, and former world No. 7, Nicole Vaidišová, in the second round. She fell in three sets to fifth seed Petra Kvitová in the quarterfinals. Despite this, Kanepi's ranking fell to world No. 96, due to the fact that she did not defend her points from Dubai from the previous year.
Kanepi reached the second round inAcapulco, but lost to top seed and defending championVenus Williams. Kanepi also fell in the second round of theMonterrey Open to second seed Daniela Hantuchová, in straight sets.
Kanepi then competed in two Premier Mandatory tournaments. At theIndian Wells Open and theMiami Open, she fell in the first rounds toSorana Cîrstea and Lucie Šafářová respectively. Kanepi's ranking fell out of the top 100 following these tournaments.
She then representedEstonia in the2010 Fed Cup World Group play-offs againstBelgium. She was defeated by world No. 12 Yanina Wickmayer in her first match, but defeated former world No. 1,Justine Henin, in her second match-up.
At the beginning of May, Kanepi won ten straight matches to claim her seventh and eighth career ITF tournaments. She qualified for theFrench Open, where she defeatedPauline Parmentier in the first round. She pushed world No. 4,Jelena Janković, to three sets before losing in round two.[5] This allowed her ranking to re-enter the top 100.
At theInternazionali di Palermo, Kanepi won her first WTA career singles title. She defeated top seed Flavia Pennetta for the title. At the start of the grass-court season, she reached the quarterfinals as a qualifier atAegon Classic in Birmingham, defeating 12th seedElena Baltacha,Jarmila Groth, andMichelle Larcher de Brito en route, before losing to top seed and eventual champion Li Na.
Kanepi then qualified for theWimbledon Championships, defeatingOlga Savchuk,Elena Bovina, andAjla Tomljanović in straight sets. In the first round, Kanepi caused a big upset when she defeated world No. 6 and French Open finalist,Samantha Stosur.[6] She then defeatedEdina Gallovits in the second round, and world No. 31Alexandra Dulgheru in round three. Kanepi then reached her second Grand Slam quarterfinal, when she defeatedKlára Zakopalová in the fourth round.[7] In the quarterfinals, Kanepi lost a tough three-set match to Petra Kvitová, despite having a total of five match points and being a double break up in the final set. With her success at Wimbledon, Kanepi's ranking rose to world No. 38.
Kanepi next played at theSwedish Open. She fell in the first round to fifth seedArantxa Parra Santonja. However, she continued her strong play at thePalermo Ladies Open where, as the fifth seed, she defeatedRossana de los Ríos,Raluca Olaru, third seedSara Errani andRomina Oprandi to reach her third WTA Tour final. In the final, Kanepi defeated top seed, world No. 12, and defending champion Flavia Pennetta, not dropping a set in the whole tournament to claim her first WTA career title.
Kanepi was seeded 31st at theUS Open where she defeated Alizé Cornet,Akgul Amanmuradova, fourth seed Jelena Janković and 15th seed Yanina Wickmayer to advance to her first US Open quarterfinal, where she lost to the seventh seed and eventual runner-up, Vera Zvonareva.
Kanepi then entered thePan Pacific Open and defeatedMelanie Oudin in the first round. She then upset 13th seedShahar Pe'er and third seed Jelena Janković in succession. Her run was ended in the quarterfinals by French Open championFrancesca Schiavone, who beat Kanepi in three sets. Her final tournament of the year was theChina Open. She defeated 16th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the first round but lost to Kvitová in the second.
Kanepi started her season with a loss toBojana Jovanovski, in the first round of theSydney International. Her next tournament was theAustralian Open, where she was the 20th seed. There, she defeatedMagdaléna Rybáriková in the first round, but fell toJulia Görges in round two. Kanepi, as the third seed, reached the semifinal inOpen GdF Suez, where she beatAnastasija Sevastova,Sofia Arvidsson and Dominika Cibulková. In the semifinal, she faced the first seedKim Clijsters, who was too strong for Kanepi this time, and Kanepi lost the match in straight sets.
Kanepi was the 14th seed at the Indian Wells Open, had a bye in the first round, and in the second defeatedGisela Dulko, before she lost to 23rd seed Yanina Wickmayer. At theMiami Open, she was the 14th seed but lost to Virginie Razzano in her opening match after having a first round bye.
She lost her opening matches at theMadrid Open andInternazionali d'Italia to Julia Görges andRomina Oprandi respectively. She qualified for theBrussels Open but was defeated by Yanina Wickmayer in the first round. At theFrench Open, seeded 16th, she beatSofia Arvidsson and Britain'sHeather Watson in straight sets, before being upset in the third round by unseededEkaterina Makarova.
Kanepi had a poor grass-court season. She lost all her opening round matches atBirmingham to qualifierArina Rodionova after having a first round bye, atEastbourne to fourth seed Francesca Schiavone and atWimbledon to Sara Errani. She consequently fell out of the top 30.
Kanepi lost in the second round at theUS Open to qualifierSílvia Soler Espinosa. She had good results during the Asian swing. At theToray Pan Pacific Open, Kanepi beat world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki in the third round to reach the quarterfinals, where she lost to Agnieszka Radwańska. At the China Open, she met Wozniacki in the third round again but lost this time. Kanepi reached the final at theMoscow, losing to Dominika Cibulkova in three sets. She also reached the semifinals of an ITF event inHelsinki.
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Kanepi began season at theBrisbane International where she advanced to the final defeating qualifierAlexandra Panova, seventh seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, second seed Andrea Petkovic, and third seed Francesca Schiavone. In the final, she beat Daniela Hantuchová to win her second WTA Tour title.[8] At theAustralian Open, she lost in second round to Ekaterina Makarova.[9]
She then passed a chance to represent her nation inFed Cup, wanting to dedicate herself to singles tournaments,[10] but her hopes were cut short when she had to pull out of theOpen GdF Suez tournament in Paris due to a sore shoulder.[11] The injury also forced her to skip theQatar Open and theDubai Championships.[12] Kanepi returned in March at theBNP Paribas Open. Seeded 29th, she was defeated in the second round byChanelle Scheepers.[13] Seeded 31st at theSony Ericsson Open, Kanepi lost in the second round to Sílvia Soler Espinosa.[14] At the end of the month, Kanepi and her coach for the last two years, Silver Karjus, split up over a psychologist, who supposedly influenced Kanepi's direction so much that it was impossible for him to continue working with her.[15] Entering thee-Boks Open tournament as the fifth seed, Kanepi was defeated in her quarterfinal match by third seed Jelena Janković.[16]
Seeded sixth at theEstoril Open, Kanepi won her third WTA title defeating Carla Suárez Navarro in the final.[17][18] At theMadrid Open, Kanepi was defeated in the first round by Lucie Šafářová. Before the French Open, Kanepi reached the semifinals at theBrussels Open where she lost to top seed and eventual champion, Agnieszka Radwańska.[19] At theFrench Open, Kanepi entered as the 23rd seed and played a very good tournament given her ranking, defeating Alexandra Panova,Irina-Camelia Begu, ninth seed Caroline Wozniacki, and Arantxa Rus. She was defeated in her quarterfinal match by second seed and eventual champion, Maria Sharapova.[20]
A bilateral achilles' heel injury caused Kanepi to withdraw from theBirmingham Classic,Eastbourne International,Wimbledon Championships,[21][22] and eventually also from theSummer Olympics in London.[23][24] Despite not having played since the French Open she reached a career high of No. 15 on 20 August.
Kanepi returned from injury in September and competed at theKorea Open. Seeded third, she reached her third final of the year; she lost in the final to top seed Caroline Wozniacki.[25] Seeded fifteenth at thePan Pacific Open, Kanepi was defeated in the second round by qualifierJamie Hampton. Following that loss, Kanepi withdrew from theChina Open due to ongoing heel problems.[26]
Kanepi didn't play anymore tournaments for the rest of the season. She ended the year ranked 19.
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Her continuing Achilles tendon bilateral injury caused Kanepi to withdraw from theAustralian Open,Open GDdF Suez,Indian Wells Open,Miami Open, and theFamily Circle Cup.
Kanepi returned to the tour in April, playing at the first edition of theKatowice Open. Seeded sixth, she lost in the second round to Karolína Plíšková.[27] Seeded fourth at theMorocco Open, Kanepi was defeated in the second round byMandy Minella.[28] Kanepi failed to defend her title at thePortugal Open; she lost in the semifinal to fourth seed Carla Suárez Navarro.[29] At theMadrid Open, Kanepi was defeated in the quarterfinal by second seed and eventual finalist Maria Sharapova.[30] Kanepi won her fourth WTA title at theBrussels Open beating eighth seedPeng Shuai in the final.[31] Ranked 26 at theFrench Open, Kanepi lost a tough three-set match in the second round to Stefanie Vögele.[32]
Kanepi played one grass-court tournament before Wimbledon which was theRosmalen Open. She was defeated in the first round by top seed Roberta Vinci.[33] At theWimbledon Championships, Kanepi advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2010 defeating British wildcardTara Moore, seventh seed Angelique Kerber,Alison Riske, and home crowd favoriteLaura Robson. She lost her quarterfinal match to 23rd seed and eventual finalist,Sabine Lisicki.[34]
Seeded 25th at theUS Open, Kanepi was defeated in the third round by eighth seed Angelique Kerber.[35]
In Beijing at theChina Open, Kanepi lost in the second round toLucie Šafářová.[36] At theKremlin Cup, she was defeated in the first round by seventh seed and eventual finalist Sam Stosur.[37] Kanepi played her final tournament of the season at theSoho Square Ladies Tournament. As the top seed, she lost in the second round toJovana Jakšić.
Kanepi ended the year ranked 30.
She started 2014 at theBrisbane International. She reached the quarterfinals after wins over qualifier Alexandra Panova and eighth seed Carla Suárez Navarro. She lost her quarterfinal match to third seed Maria Sharapova.[38] At theSydney International, Kanepi was defeated in the second round by fifth seed and eventual finalist, Angelique Kerber.[39] Seeded 24th at theAustralian Open, she lost in the first round toGarbiñe Muguruza.[40]
Kanepi defeated Varvara Lepchenko in the first round at theQatar Ladies Open but fell to seventh seed and eventual champion,Simona Halep, in the second round.[41] At theDubai Tennis Championships, Kanepi lost in the first round to qualifier Flavia Pennetta.[42] Seeded third at theAbierto Mexicano, Kanepi was defeated in her quarterfinal match by eventual finalistChristina McHale.[43] Seeded 24th atIndian Wells, Kanepi received a first-round bye; she lost to qualifier Yaroslava Shvedova in her second-round match.[44] Seeded 24th atMiami, Kanepi again received a first-round bye; she reached the third round where she was defeated by 15th seed Suárez Navarro.[45]
Starting her clay-court season at thePorsche Tennis Grand Prix, Kanepi lost in the second round to eighth seed Sara Errani.[46] Seeded fifth at thePortugal Open, Kanepi was defeated in the second round by qualifier Irina-Camelia Begu.[47] At theMadrid Open, she lost in the first round to Alison Riske. She fell out of the top 30 after this tournament. Seeded 25th at theFrench Open, Kanepi suffered a first-round loss at the hands of Monica Niculescu.[48]
She began her grass-court season at theRosmalen Open where she was defeated in the first round by Yvonne Meusburger. At theWimbledon Championships, Kanepi upset seventh seed Jelena Janković in the first round.[49] She lost in the second round to Yaroslava Shvedova.[50] After failing to defend quarterfinal points, she fell out of the top 50.
As the top seed at theLorraine Open 88, Kanepi advanced to the final where she was defeated by fifth seed Irina-Camelia Begu.[51] Kanepi, as the top seed, won her ninth ITF title at theOpen de Biarritz beating second seedTeliana Pereira in the final.[52] At theSwedish Open, Kanepi lost in her quarterfinal match to eventual championMona Barthel.[53]
Kanepi played one tournament before the US Open which was theConnecticut Open. She fell in the final round of qualifying to Sílvia Soler Espinosa. At theUS Open, Kanepi reached the fourth round after victories over Pauline Parmentier, 24th seed and 2011 champion Sam Stosur, and 15th seed Carla Suárez Navarro. She lost in the fourth round to top seed, two-time defending champion, and eventual champion Serena Williams.[54]
Seeded sixth at theKorea Open, Kanepi was defeated in her quarterfinal match by Maria Kirilenko.[55] In Beijing at theChina Open, Kanepi lost in the first round to fourth seed and eventual champion Maria Sharapova.[56] Kanepi's last tournament of the year was at theGenerali Ladies Linz. She was defeated in the first round by Magdaléna Rybáriková.
Kanepi ended the year ranked 52.
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Kanepi began her season at theBrisbane International. She reached the quarterfinal where she lost to second seed and eventual finalistAna Ivanovic.[57] At theHobart International, she defeatedMonica Puig in her first-round match.[58] She then withdrew from her second-round match againstCamila Giorgi due to a viral illness.[59] Ranked 48 at theAustralian Open, Kanepi was defeated in the first round by Irina Falconi.[60]
In February, Kanepi competed at theDubai Tennis Championships. In the first round, she faced Svetlana Kuznetsova. Kuznetsova led 4–1 in the first set before Kanepi retired due to a back injury.[61] At theIndian Wells Open, Kanepi lost in the first round to qualifierOns Jabeur.[62] Kanepi had a better result at theMiami Open. She had her first win since Hobart by defeatingFrançoise Abanda in the first round.[63] In the second round, she beat 28th seed Varvara Lepchenko.[64] In the third round, Kanepi took fourth seed Caroline Wozniacki to three sets, but she still lost the match.[65] After Miami, Kanepi played at theKatowice Open. Seeded fifth, she beat qualifier Shahar Pe'er in the first round.[66] She was defeated in the second round by lucky loser Elizaveta Kulichkova.[67]
Kanepi started her clay-court season at theMorocco Open where she lost in the first round to qualifier Teliana Pereira. In Spain at theMadrid Open, Kanepi was defeated in the second round by Sam Stosur.[68] At theFrench Open, Kanepi lost in the first round to second seed, former world No. 1 and defending champion, Maria Sharapova.[69] Due to her poor result at the French Open, Kanepi competed at theOpen Féminin de Marseille. As the top seed, she was defeated in the first round byAliaksandra Sasnovich.
AtWimbledon, Kanepi was defeated in the first round by qualifier Hsieh Su-wei.[70]
Kanepi played only one tournament during theUS Open Series which was theConnecticut Open. She lost in the second round of qualifying to Magdaléna Rybáriková. At theUS Open, Kanepi won her first Grand Slam match of the year by beatingAnna-Lena Friedsam in the first round.[71] She was defeated in the second round by 17th seedElina Svitolina.
Seeded third and the defending champion at theOpen de Biarritz, Kanepi lost in the first round to qualifierAmra Sadiković.[72] Seeded second at theOpen de Saint-Malo, Kanepi was defeated in her quarterfinal match by sixth seed and eventual champion,Daria Kasatkina. In Austria at theLinz Open, Kanepi lost in the final round of qualifying toAleksandra Krunić. At theKremlin Cup, Kanepi was defeated in the first round of qualifying byPaula Kania. Kanepi played her final tournament of the year at a $25k tournament in Bangkok, Thailand. She won the tournament as the top seed beating qualifier Patty Schnyder in the final.[73]
Kanepi ended the season ranked 126.
Kanepi began season at theBrisbane International where she retired during her match in the second round of qualifying against Kateryna Bondarenko.[74]
In April, at theStuttgart Grand Prix, she lost in the second round of qualifying to Camila Giorgi. Next, she played at theMorocco Open. After passing through the qualifying rounds, Kanepi lost in the first round toKateryna Kozlova. At theFrench Open, Kanepi was defeated in the second round of qualifying byVerónica Cepede Royg.
At theInternazionali di Brescia, Kanepi lost in the second round to fourth seedMaryna Zanevska. Seeded fifth at the $25k tournament inPadua, Italy, Kanepi was defeated in her quarterfinal match by third seedİpek Soylu.
She ended 2016 ranked 302.
Kanepi returned from a long injury break in June at theBredeney Ladies Open in Essen, Germany. She won the tournament when her opponent, seventh seed Patty Schnyder, retired from their championship match.
In London at theWimbledon Championships, Kanepi lost in the second round of qualifying to Arina Rodionova.
At theBucharest Open, Kanepi was defeated in the first round of qualifying by Arantxa Rus.[75] Kanepi won a $15k tournament in Pärnu, Estonia, defeating Polina Golubovskaya in the final.
Unable to obtain a wildcard or protected ranking for the main draw, Kanepi received a protected ranking to play in the qualifying for theUS Open. She qualified to her first Grand Slam main draw in two years with victories overNina Stojanović,Louisa Chirico and Hsieh Su-wei. Kanepi recorded victories in her first three main-draw matches, defeating Francesca Schiavone, Yanina Wickmayer andNaomi Osaka, reaching the second week at a major since the 2014 US Open. She then defeated Daria Kasatkina to advance to her second US Open quarterfinal, her sixth Grand Slam quarterfinal overall, and her first quarterfinal at a major since Wimbledon 2013. She lost her quarterfinal match to 15th seed and eventual finalist, Madison Keys.[76] Nonetheless, she made history by becoming only the second qualifier in US Open history to make the quarterfinals and the first to do so sinceBarbara Gerken in 1981.[77] Following the US Open, Kanepi's ranking skyrocketed from 418 to 110.
Getting past qualifying at theKremlin Cup, Kanepi was defeated in the first round byNatalia Vikhlyantseva.[78] As the top seed at the Open Nantes Atlantique, Kanepi won the tournament defeating Richèl Hogenkamp in the final.[79] Kanepi played her final tournament of the year at theOpen de Limoges. Seeded seventh, she lost in her quarterfinal match to third seed Pauline Parmentier.
Kanepi managed to finish the year ranked at 107, her best end-of-year ranking since 2014.
Kanepi began season at theBrisbane International. Qualifying for the main draw, she reached the quarterfinal round beating Daria Kasatkina andLesia Tsurenko. She lost her quarterfinal match to second seed and defending champion Karolína Plíšková.[80] This helped propel her back into the top 100 for the first time since August 2015. At theAustralian Open, Kanepi upset 24th seed Dominika Cibulková in the opening round.[81] She then defeated Monica Puig in the second round to advance to the third round of the Australian Open for the first time since 2009.[82] Her run ended as she was defeated in the third round by Carla Suárez Navarro.[83]
In March, Kanepi competed atIndian Wells; she lost in the second round to 17th seed CoCo Vandeweghe.[84] She then retired during her first-round match atMiami against Christina McHale.[85]
Kanepi began her clay-court season at thePorsche Tennis Grand Prix. She lost in the final round of qualifying to Zarina Diyas. Even though she qualified for theItalian Open, Kanepi was defeated in the second round by ninth seed Sloane Stephens.[86] Coming through the qualifying round atStrasbourg, Kanepi lost in the first round to eighth seed Hsieh Su-wei.[87] At theFrench Open, Kanepi was defeated in the first round by 14th seed Daria Kasatkina.[88] Despite the loss, she returned to the top 50 of the WTA rankings for the first time since May 2015.
As the top seed at theInternazionali di Brescia, Kanepi won the tournament beating sixth seedMartina Trevisan in the final.[89]
Kanepi kicked off her grass-court season at theIlkley Trophy. Despite being the top seed, she lost in her quarterfinal match to seventh seedEkaterina Alexandrova. At theEastbourne International, Kanepi was defeated in the second round by fifth seedJeļena Ostapenko.[90] At theWimbledon Championships, she lost in the first round to qualifierSara Sorribes Tormo.[91]
Seeded eighth at the first edition of theMoscow River Cup, Kanepi was defeated in the second round by lucky loser and eventual champion,Olga Danilović.[92]
Coming through qualifying at theWestern & Southern Open, Kanepi reached the second round where she lost to 16th seedAshleigh Barty.[93] At theUS Open, Kanepi upset top seed Simona Halep in the first round becoming the first player in US Open history and just sixth in Grand Slam history to beat the top-seeded player in the first round.[94][95] She then defeated qualifier Jil Teichmann andRebecca Peterson to advance to the fourth round and was defeated by 17th seed Serena Williams.[96]
Kanepi didn't play any more tournaments for the rest of the season. She ended the year ranked 58.
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Kanepi played her first tournament of 2019 at theAustralian Open. After taking the first set in a tiebreak, Kanepi was defeated in the first round by top seed Simona Halep.[97]
Seeded seventh at theIndian Wells Challenger, Kanepi lost in the third round to 11th seed Zarina Diyas.[98] At theIndian Wells Open, Kanepi was defeated in the second round by 15th seed Julia Görges. Entering theMiami Open draw as a qualifier, Kanepi lost in the first round to Alison Riske.[99]
Kanepi began her clay-court season at theCharleston Open. She reached the third round beatingVeronika Kudermetova and sixth seedElise Mertens. She was defeated in her third-round match by eleventh seedDanielle Collins.[100] At theMadrid Open, Kanepi lost in the final round of qualifying to Kristýna Plíšková. Ranked 88 at theFrench Open, Kanepi advanced to the fourth round for the first time since 2008 after wins over 18th seed Julia Görges, Zhang Shuai, and Veronika Kudermetova. She was defeated in her fourth-round match by 31st seedPetra Martić.[101]
At theWimbledon Championships, Kanepi lost in the second round to 13th seedBelinda Bencic.[102]
In Cincinnati at theWestern & Southern Open, Kanepi was defeated in the first round of qualifying byBarbora Strýcová. Even though Kanepi qualified for the first edition of theBronx Open, she lost in the first round to fellow qualifier and eventual championMagda Linette.[103] At theUS Open, Kanepi was defeated in the second round by 23rd seedDonna Vekić.[104]
As the top seed at the first edition of theOeste Ladies Open, Kanepi lost in her quarterfinal match to eventual championIsabella Shinikova. After getting through qualifying at theKremlin Cup, Kanepi won her first-round match over Tímea Babos. She was defeated in the second round by second seed Kiki Bertens.[105] As the top seed at a $15k tournament inMilovice, Kanepi won the tournament beatingAnastasia Kulikova in the final.[106] Her final tournament of the season was at theOpen de Limoges in France where she lost in the first round to fourth seedJennifer Brady.[107]
Kanepi ended the season ranked 101.
Kanepi started her 2020 season at theBrisbane International. She lost in the first round of qualifying toMarie Bouzková.[108] At theAustralian Open, she was defeated in the first round by qualifierBarbora Krejčíková.[109]
The WTA Tour was suspended from March through July due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[110][111] When the WTA resumed tournament play in August, she made her return at theUS Open. She fell in her second-round match to 27th seed Ons Jabeur.[112] A couple of weeks later, she competed at the rescheduledFrench Open and was beaten in the second round by 16th seedElise Mertens.[113]
Kanepi started her season at the first edition of theGippsland Trophy. She stunned fourth seedAryna Sabalenka in the second round.[114] She ended up reaching the final where she lost to seventh seed Elise Mertens.[115] The following week, at theAustralian Open, she upset fourth seed and defending champion,Sofia Kenin, in the second round.[116] This was her 13th top-ten victory, and eighth at a Grand Slam tournament. She was defeated in the third round by 28th seed Donna Vekić.[117]
Getting past qualifying inDubai, Kanepi was eliminated in the first round byShelby Rogers.[118] At theMiami Open, she was beaten in the second round by 21st seedElena Rybakina.[119]
Starting her clay-court season inIstanbul, Kanepi lost in the second round to third seedVeronika Kudermetova.[120] At theMadrid Open, she was defeated in the first round of qualifying by Kateryna Kozlova. Playing the first edition of theEmilia-Romagna Open in Parma, she fell in the first round to third seed and eventual champion,Coco Gauff.[121] At theFrench Open, she was eliminated in the first round by 20th seed and 2019 finalist,Markéta Vondroušová.[122]
AtWimbledon, Kanepi lost in the first round toLiudmila Samsonova.[123]
As the top seed at the $25k tournament in Pärnu, she won her 19th ITF title by beatingAnna Sisková in the final.[124] Playing at the first edition of theChicago Women's Open, she was defeated in the second round by eighth seedMarta Kostyuk.[125] Ranked 70 at theUS Open, she upset 31st seed,Yulia Putintseva, in the first round.[126] She fell in the second round to eventual finalist,Leylah Fernandez.[127]
As the top seed at the $25k tournament in Fort Worth, Texas, Kanepi won her 20th ITF tournament by beatingKayla Day in the final.[128] At the first edition of theChicago Fall Classic, she was eliminated in the first round by 16th seedJil Teichmann.[129] Competing at theIndian Wells Open, she was beaten in the first round byMadison Keys.[130]
Kanepi ended the season ranked 72.
Kanepi began season at the first edition of theMelbourne Summer Set 1 where she lost in the second round toAna Konjuh.[131] Ranked 115 at theAustralian Open, she stunned 16th seed, 2016 champion, and former world No. 1,Angelique Kerber, in the first round.[132] She reached the fourth round where she upset world No. 2,Aryna Sabalenka, in a close match with a third set super-tiebreak to reach her first quarterfinal at this major and the last one of all the majors, completing a career set of Grand Slam quarterfinals.[133] With the victory over Sabalenka, it was her 14th career top-10 win, and ninth at a major. She fell in her quarterfinal match to seventh seed and world No. 9,Iga Świątek.[134] After the Australian Open, her ranking improved from 115 to 63.
In March, Kanepi competed at theIndian Wells Open. She defeated 22nd seed and world No. 25, Belinda Bencic, in the second round.[135] She was eliminated from the tournament in the third round by qualifierHarriet Dart.[136] At theMiami Open, she beat 32nd seedSara Sorribes Tormo, in the second round.[137] She lost in the third round to eighth seed and world No. 10,Ons Jabeur.[138]
Kanepi started her clay-court season at theCharleston Open. She reached the third round where she lost toMagda Linette.[139] Getting past qualifying at theMadrid Open, she was defeated in the second round by 12th seed, world No. 14, and eventual finalist,Jessica Pegula.[140] As the top seed at the first edition of theTrophee Lagardère, she made it to the semifinals where she lost to seventh seed,Claire Liu, who would end up winning the tournament.[141] At theFrench Open, she upset world No. 10 and 2016 champion,Garbiñe Muguruza, in the first round.[142] After beatingBeatriz Haddad Maia in the second, she lost in the third round to 18th seed, world No. 23, and eventual finalist,Coco Gauff.[143]
Kanepi started her grass-court season at theGerman Open. She lost in the first round to fourth seed and world No. 7,Karolína Plíšková.[144] InEastbourne, she was defeated in the second round by 15th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia.[145] Seeded 31st atWimbledon, she lost toDiane Parry in the first round.[146]
Kanepi began her US Open Series in August by competing at theWashington Open. Seeded sixth, she reached her tenth WTA final where she lost toLiudmila Samsonova.[147] At theCanadian Open in Toronto, she won her first-round match when her opponent,Naomi Osaka, retired due to a back injury.[148] She lost in the second round to world No. 8, Garbiñe Muguruza.[149] InCincinnati, she was beaten in the first round by former world No. 1 and two-time champion,Victoria Azarenka.[150] At theUS Open, she lost in the second round to world No. 6, Aryna Sabalenka, in three sets, despite having a 6–2, 5–1 lead in the match.[151]
At the first edition of theTallinn Open, Kanepi beat fifth seed and world No. 17,Jeļena Ostapenko, in the first round.[152] She reached the semifinal where she lost to top seed, world No. 4, and compatriot,Anett Kontaveit.[153] At theSan Diego Open, she fell in the first round of qualifying to AmericanLauren Davis. InGuadalajara, she lost in the first round to Liudmila Samsonova.[154]
Kanepi started her 2023 season in2023 Adelaide. At thefirst tournament, she lost in the second round toMarkéta Vondroušová.[155] At thesecond tournament, she fell in the final round of qualifying toSorana Cîrstea. However, she earned a lucky loser spot into the main draw. She was defeated in the second round by ninth seed and world No. 11,Paula Badosa.[156] Seeded 31st and last year quarterfinalist at the2023 Australian Open, she lost in the first round to Australian wildcardKimberly Birrell in a three-set match lasting two hours and 32 minutes.[157] Due to her not defending her quarterfinalist points from last year, her ranking fell from No. 29 to No. 47.
In February, Kanepi played at the2023 Dubai Championships. She was eliminated from the tournament in the first round by qualifierViktoriya Tomova.[158] In March, she competed atIndian Wells where she lost in the first round toAliaksandra Sasnovich.[159] InMiami, she lost in the first round toCamila Giorgi in a match with three tiebreaks, lasting three hours and 32 minutes, tied for the longest match of the season so far.[160]
Kanepi started her clay-court season at the2023 Charleston Open, and lost in the first round toMadison Brengle.[161] InMadrid, she was defeated in the first round by Spanish qualifier,Irene Burillo Escorihuela, in three sets.[162] As the top seed at the2023 Wiesbaden Open, she lost in the second round toDalila Jakupović.[163] InRome, she lost her first-round match to Markéta Vondroušová.[164]
From 1994 to 2003 Kaia was trained by Tiit Kivistik. From 2003 until the autumn of 2007, Kaia was coached byAndrei Luzgin. After Luzgin,Fredrik Lovén from Sweden became her coach, but their partnership ended in February 2008. Kanepi's next coach (until September 2008) was Pablo Giacopelli. From November 2008, she was coached by Luca Appino. After November 2009, Kanepi was coached by fellow Estonia proMait Künnap. In February 2010, she broke up with her coach and agent. In April, she started to work with Silver Karjus, who was her coach until March 2012. From 2013–2015, she was coached by Märten Tamla. Since 2017, she has been coached by Dr. Dave Marshall. Also since 2017, Kaia has worked with her fitness coachIndrek Tustit.[165]
Kanepi builds up her game around her powerfulgroundstrokes. Her serve is considered to be one of the strongest on the WTA Tour. Kanepi frequently hits 170 km/h to 180 km/h serves. She generally serves away from her opponent but sometimes prefers to hit a powerful body first serve in order to push back and pin her opponent behind the baseline. But on occasions her serve can break down, which affects her game. In 2008, she began to improve her volleying skills and under her coach Luca Appino begun to use sliced backhand more often, thus making her playing more versatile.[citation needed]
She likes to return serves mainly with her backhand which she hits flat and tries to position herself to receive with backhand but is also capable of hitting good service returns with her forehand as well. She generally ends points early but she is capable of playing long rallies and reducing her unforced error count. Overall, she is anoffensive baseliner but depending on the game situation and scoreboard Kanepi can play a more defensive game.
For a long time Kanepi was sponsored by Infortar, the largest shareholder ofTallink, a majorferry company in theBaltic Sea. Their sponsorship ended in February 2010,[166] but later started again[167] and finally ended in 2017.[168]
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | P# | DNQ | A | Z# | PO | G | S | B | NMS | NTI | P | NH |
| Tournament | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | SR | W–L | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | Q2 | A | Q2 | A | Q1 | 2R | 1R | 3R | 2R | 2R | 2R | A | 1R | 1R | A | A | 3R | 1R | 1R | 3R | QF | 1R | Q1 | 0 / 14 | 14–14 | 50% |
| French Open | A | A | Q2 | A | 2R | 1R | QF | 1R | 2R | 3R | QF | 2R | 1R | 1R | Q2 | A | 1R | 4R | 2R | 1R | 3R | 1R | Q1 | 0 / 16 | 19–16 | 54% |
| Wimbledon | A | A | A | A | 1R | 2R | 1R | 1R | QF | 1R | A | QF | 2R | 1R | A | Q2 | 1R | 2R | NH | 1R | 1R | 1R | A | 0 / 14 | 11–14 | 44% |
| US Open | Q1 | Q2 | A | Q2 | 3R | 1R | 2R | 1R | QF | 2R | A | 3R | 4R | 2R | A | QF | 4R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 2R | A | 0 / 16 | 26–16 | 62% |
| Win–loss | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 3–3 | 2–4 | 5–4 | 2–4 | 10–4 | 4–4 | 5–2 | 7–3 | 4–4 | 1–4 | 0–0 | 4–1 | 5–4 | 5–4 | 2–3 | 3–4 | 7–4 | 1–4 | 0–0 | 0 / 60 | 70–60 | 54% |
| Tournament | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | ... | 2018 | ... | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | SR | W–L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | 1R | A | 1R | 1R | 2R | 2R | A | 2R | A | A | A | A | 0 / 6 | 3–6 | ||
| French Open | 1R | 1R | 1R | 2R | A | 2R | 3R | A | 3R | A | A | A | 1R | 0 / 8 | 6–8 | ||
| Wimbledon | 1R | 1R | 3R | 3R | 2R | A | A | A | 1R | 2R | 1R | 1R | A | 0 / 9 | 6–9 | ||
| US Open | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | A | A | 1R | A | 1R | A | A | A | 0 / 7 | 0–7 | ||
| Win–loss | 0–3 | 0–4 | 2–3 | 3–4 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 3–2 | 0–1 | 3–3 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0 / 30 | 15–30 |
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Estonian Sportswoman of the Year 2008 | Succeeded by |