_(29827525856).jpg) Vinci at the2016 US Open | |
| Country (sports) |  Italy |
|---|---|
| Residence | Palermo, Italy |
| Born | (1983-02-18)18 February 1983 (age 42) Taranto, Italy |
| Height | 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in) |
| Turned pro | 1999 |
| Retired | 14 May 2018 |
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Prize money | $11,808,215 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 565–412 |
| Career titles | 10 |
| Highest ranking | No. 7 (9 May 2016) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | 3R (2006,2010,2013,2016) |
| French Open | 4R (2013) |
| Wimbledon | 4R (2012,2013) |
| US Open | F (2015) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 415–205 |
| Career titles | 25 |
| Highest ranking | No.1 (15 October 2012) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | W (2013,2014) |
| French Open | W (2012) |
| Wimbledon | W (2014) |
| US Open | W (2012) |
| Other doubles tournaments | |
| Tour Finals | SF (2012,2013) |
| Team competitions | |
| Fed Cup | W (2006,2009,2010,2013) record 23–8 |
Roberta Vinci (Italian pronunciation:[roˈbɛrtaˈvintʃi]; born 18 February 1983) is an Italian formertennis player.[1] In doubles tennis, she is aCareer Grand Slam champion having won allmajor tournaments and reached theworld No. 1 position. She also reached a career-high singlesranking of world No. 7, in May 2016. At 33 years and 4 days old, she became the oldest women's player ever to debut in the top 10.
Vinci rose to global prominence at the2015 US Open, where she defeated world No. 1Serena Williams in the semifinals to end her hopes of achieving theGrand Slam, in what has been described by commentators as one of the greatest upsets in tennis history.[2] She went on to lose to her childhood friendFlavia Pennetta in the first all-Italian major final.[3]
Vinci won 35 career titles, ten in singles and 25 in doubles, the latter including the2012 French Open, the2012 US Open,[4] the2013 and2014 Australian Opens, and2014 Wimbledon titles with regular partner Errani. In doing so, they became the fifth pair in tennis history to complete acareer Grand Slam.
She and her Italian teammatesMara Santangelo, Pennetta, and Schiavone beat theBelgian team 3–2 in the2006 Fed Cup final, granting Italy its firstFed Cup trophy.[5] With the Italian team, Vinci won the Fed Cup again in2009 and2010, defeating theU.S. team in the final both times.
At the2012 US Open, Vinci reached her first major singles quarterfinal, at 29 years of age, by defeating then-world No. 2Agnieszka Radwańska.[6] She lost to her doubles partner, world No. 10, Errani, in the quarterfinals.[7] Vinci achieved the same feat thefollowing year when she defeatedCamila Giorgi in the fourth round, but subsequently lost to Pennetta. At one point, Vinci was one of only three players in the top 100 using aone-handed backhand.[8]
In 2018, Vinci retired from professional tennis. In 2022, she began competing on the professionalpadel tour, reaching a ranking of world No. 66 in her debut season.
Roberta Vinci was born inTaranto, the daughter of Angelo Vinci, an accountant, and his wife Luisa, a homemaker;[9] she has an elder brother, Francesco.[9] Vinci was introduced to tennis at the age of six.[9] She now resides inPalermo.[9]
Vinci made her professional debut at an ITF tournament in Italy in 1999. Vinci also won theFrench Open in girls' doubles with fellow ItalianFlavia Pennetta that same year.[9][10] She qualified for her first Grand Slam at the2001 US Open, but lost toMartina Suchá in the first round.
One of the biggest victories of her career came in 2005 was when she beat former world No. 2 and2004 French Open champion,Anastasia Myskina, in the quarterfinals at theHastings Direct International Championships in Eastbourne. AlongsideSandrine Testud, Vinci reached the semifinals in women's doubles of the2004 French Open. In 2007 at Bogotá, Vinci won her first WTA title against the top seedTathiana Garbin, also of Italy, in three sets, after falling behind 0–3 in the final set. She won the title for Garbin had to retire.[11]
Vinci qualified for theBrisbane International and defeatedAnna-Lena Grönefeld in the first round, before losing to top seedAna Ivanovic in the second. She then fell to fellow ItalianCorinna Dentoni in the qualifications forHobart International. Vinci lost to eventual quarterfinalistCarla Suárez Navarro in the first round of theAustralian Open. Vinci also played forItaly in theFed CupWorld Group stage versusFrance. Italy won 5–0.
At her first clay-court event,Mexican Open in Acapulco, Vinci defeated sixth seedLucie Šafářová in the first round, and then fell toÁgnes Szávay of Hungary. Vinci then lost in the second rounds of both theMonterrey Open (defeated byIveta Benešová) and theIndian Wells Open (defeated bySybille Bammer), and fell in the qualifications forMiamiMiami Open toAnastasia Rodionova.[12] Vinci then fell to eventual champion and formerworld No. 1, Jelena Janković, in the quarterfinals of theAndalucía Tennis Experience in Marbella. At theBarcelona Open, Vinci earned her second career title, defeatingPauline Parmentier in the first round, Flavia Pennetta in the second,Anastasiya Yakimova in the quarterfinals, Francesca Schiavone in the semifinals, and defending champion Maria Kirilenko in the final.[13]
Vinci reached the second round of theMorocco Open held inFes. After she defeatedMariana Duque Marino in the first round, she lost to qualifierPolona Hercog in the second. At theItalian Open, Vinci lost in the first round toKateryna Bondarenko. She then beatMaría José Martínez Sánchez in the first round of theMadrid Open, and then was beaten byVera Dushevina in the second. She lost to ninth seedVictoria Azarenka in the first round atRoland Garros.
During the grass court season, Vinci reached the third round atBirmingham. She lost toYanina Wickmayer in straight sets. The following week ats'Hertogenbosch, she lost her opening match toDaniela Hantuchová. AtWimbledon, Vinci beat No. 31,Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, in the second round to set up a third-round matchup with No. 2, Serena Williams, and lost. At theUS Open, Vinci lost in the first round to Jelena Janković.
Vinci lost in the third round of theAustralian Open to Maria Kirilenko. She reached the third round of bothIndian Wells andMiami, losing to Yanina Wickmayer andVenus Williams respectively. She reached the final atBarcelona but failed to defend her title, losing to fellow Italian Francesca Schiavone.
At theRoland Garros, Vinci lost in the second round to Flavia Pennetta. She fell to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the second round ofWimbledon.
She lost her opening match at theUS Open to Venus Williams. She qualified for thePan Pacific Open but lost toVera Zvonareva in the third round. Vinci also qualified for theChina Open but lost to Vera Dushevina in the second round. Vinci lost to eventual championAna Ivanovic in theLadies Linz semifinals, 3–6, 5–7. She won her third WTA title inLuxembourg againstJulia Görges, 6–3, 6–4 in the final.
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Vinci reached the quarterfinals ofHobart losing to sixth seedJarmila Gajdošová. She lost in the first round of theAustralian Open toAlicia Molik. She reached the semifinals of thePattaya Open, after defeating second seed Ana Ivanovic in the quarterfinals but then lost to Sara Errani. The rest of her year continued with dismal results with only one win and six losses over the course of six events fromDubai toStuttgart.
She then entered theBarcelona Open, where she was the sixth seed. She ended up winning the tournament without having to beat a seed, or a player inside the top 50. She beatLucie Hradecká in the a three-set final. This was her second time winning this tournament and her third clay-court title. She then entered theMadrid tournament, where she reached the third round before losing toLi Na, the first time she had ever won a set against her. She lost in the third round of theFrench Open to Victoria Azarenka.
Her next major success came at theUNICEF Open where she was the seventh seed. After wins over third seed Yanina Wickmayer and fifth seedDominika Cibulková in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively, she beatJelena Dokić in the final. This was her second title of 2011 and her first title on grass. As the 29th seed at theWimbledon Championships she reached the third round where she lost to eighth seed and eventual championPetra Kvitová.
Her first post Wimbledon event was atBudapest where she was the top seed. She beat third seedKlára Zakopalová and then seventh seed Irina-Cameilia Begu in the final. This was her third tour title of the season.
Vinci began the American hardcourt swing inCarlsbad as the ninth seed. She was upset in the second round byZheng Jie. In Toronto, she scored the biggest win of her career, beating defending champion and world No. 1,Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets, in the second round of theCanadian Open. In the second set, Vinci rallied from 1–5 down and saved multiple set points, before going on to win the match. In the third round, she defeated former world No. 1, Ana Ivanovic. She lost in the quarterfinals to tenth seedSam Stosur in two sets.
As the 18th seed at theUS Open, Vinci made it to the third round. In the first round, she defeatedIrina-Camelia Begu. She then defeatedAlizé Cornet in the second round but was sent home by Andrea Petkovic in the third round. Despite losing in the third round, this was Vinci's best performance so far in the US Open.
She qualified for theTournament of Champions and was seeded fourth, but lost to eventual champion Ana Ivanovic in the quarterfinals.
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Starting the year atAuckland, she was seeded sixth and defeatedRebecca Marino in the first round before falling 3–6, 4–6 to unseededElena Vesnina in the second round. Roberta then suffered early round losses at theApia International Sydney and theAustralian Open to Daniela Hantuchová and Zheng Jie, respectively.
Her next tournament came at theParis Indoors where she was seeded seventh. She defeatedSimona Halep 6–4, 6–4, thenBethanie Mattek-Sands 6–3, 1–6, 6–3, before falling to eventual finalistMarion Bartoli in a third-set tiebreaker in the quarterfinals. Vinci then traveled to Mexico where she participated in her next two tournaments, theMonterrey Open and theMexican Open. Seeded first in both events, she was upset byNina Bratchikova in the second round of Monterrey, before bowing out to eventual champion Sara Errani in the semifinals at Acapulco.
Roberta then travelled to theIndian Wells Open. Seeded 23rd, she beatSílvia Soler Espinosa and 20th-seededDominika Cibulková before falling to second-seeded Maria Sharapova, 3–6, 6–4, 3–6. She returned to the top 20 following her fourth round appearance. She then bowed out to tenth seeded Serena Williams in the third round of theMiami Open. She next participated at theBarcelona Open where she was the defending champ but lost in the second round to Simona Halep. Ironically, the tournament champion was Sara Errani, her doubles partner. Vinci and Errani managed to win the doubles title of the Barcelona Open by beating Francesca Schiavone and Flavia Pennetta in an all-Italian final, with the score of 6–2, 6–0.
She then entered theEstoril Open as the No. 1 seed. She made it to the semifinals before losing to eventual championKaia Kanepi. Her next tournament was Madrid, where she was unseeded and defeated the 14th seed Dominika Cibulková in the first round and lost in the round of 16 to Agniezska Radwańska. She then entered theFrench Open as the 17th seed and lost in the first round toSofia Arvidsson.
Her first event after the French Open was theBirmingham Classic, where she was the No. 4 seed. She reached the quarterfinals before losing to Zheng Jie. She then was the No. 6 seed at theUNICEF Open, where she was the defending champion. She lost in the quarterfinals toKirsten Flipkens 4–6, 6–7. She then competed in theWimbledon Championships as the 21st seed. She defeatedAshleigh Barty,Marina Erakovic andMirjana Lučić to reach the round of 16. This was the first time she had ever reached the second week of a major. She ended up losing her fourth round match toTamira Paszek 2–6, 2–6.
Vinci also won six doubles titles with the fellow Italian Sara Errani including theMadrid Open, theItalian Open and theFrench Open in 2012. She and Errani also made the finals ofMiami andMelbourne in that year.
Vinci lost her opening match at theLondon Olympics toKim Clijsters, 1–6, 4–6.[14]
At theCanadian Open in Montreal, Vinci defeated Yanina Wickmayer 6–2, 3–6, 7–5, after coming back from a 1–5 and match point deficit in the third set. In the second round she crushed 11th seed, Ana Ivanovic, 6–0, 6–0 in 45 minutes. After she defeated the 6th seedAngelique Kerber with the result of 6–2, 7–6, but she was beaten in the quarterfinals by the Czech Lucie Šafářová in straight sets. Two weeks later Vinci defeated Jelena Janković 7–5, 6–3 to win her seventh WTA title at theTexas Tennis Open without losing a set in the entire tournament.
At theUS Open, Vinci started her journey by defeatingUrszula Radwańska, 6–1, 6–1, and followed that victory up with a second round victory overYaroslava Shvedova. In the third round, she defeated the 13th seed, Dominika Cibulková. In the fourth round, she defeatedAgnieszka Radwańska in straight sets to advance to her first Grand Slam quarterfinal.[15] She lost in the quarterfinals to her doubles partner Errani, 6–2, 6–4.
Vinci partnered Errani for the US Open. They were seeded No. 2, behind the defending championsLiezel Huber andLisa Raymond. Errani and Vinci reached the final, defeating CzechsAndrea Hlaváčková and Lucie Hradecká for the title.[16]
Following the US Open, Vinci travelled to Asia for thePan Pacific Open. She made it to the third round where she lost to top seed Victoria Azarenka. AtBeijing, she lost her opener to qualifier Lourdes Domínguez Lino. As a result of her doubles success alongside Sara Errani, they qualified for theWTA Championships for the first time. However, they lost to Russians Nadia Petrova and Maria Kirilenko in the semifinals. Vinci once again qualified for theTournament of Champions. In the round robin stage, she recorded wins overHsieh Su-wei and Daniela Hantuchová and had a loss to Caroline Wozniacki. She advanced to the semifinals where she lost to second seed and eventual champion Petrova. Vinci ended 2012 in top 20 for the first time at No. 16 and No. 1 in for the first time also doubles ahead of her partner Errani.
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Vinci began 2013 by losing her opening match toJarmila Gajdošová atBrisbane. She reached the quarterfinals atSydney where she lost to eventual champion Agnieszka Radwańska. At theAustralian Open where she was seeded 16th, she lost to Elena Vesnina in the third round. She partnered Sara Errani and won the doubles event.
She was seeded fifth at theOpen GdF Suez but lost to GermanMona Barthel in the second round. Vinci lost to Urszula Radwańska in the second round atQatar Open. Then, atDubai she defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova, Samantha Stosur and Angelique Kerber en route to the semifinals. She eventually succumbed to doubles partner Errani in straight sets.
Vinci lost in the third round atIndian Wells toLara Arruabarrena. She improved her performance atMiami, reaching the quarterfinals. There, she lost to 22nd seed Jelena Janković. Vinci won her eighth WTA title when defeated top-seeded Petra Kvitová, 7–6, 6–1, to win theKatowice Open in Poland.[17]
Roberta began her clay court season by losing her opening matches atStuttgart andMadrid. She reached the third round atRome, but lost to Simona Halep. Vinci lost to Serena Williams in the fourth round at theFrench Open.
She was the top seed atRosmalen but lost to Halep again in the second round. She reached the fourth round atWimbledon but lost to Li Na. After that, Vinci competed atInternazionali di Palermo and won her 9th title by defeating doubles partner Sara Errani in the final. Vinci lost to Ana Ivanovic in the quarterfinals at theSouthern California Open at Carlsbad.
At theCanadian Open, she lost to Dominika Cibulková in the third round. Then, Vinci lost to Jelena Janković in the quarterfinals of theCincinnati Open. Had she won this match, she would've entered the top 10 singles rankings for the first time in her career. At theUS Open, Vinci reached her second Grand Slam quarterfinal, this time she lost to Flavia Pennetta.
During the Asian swing, she lost to Lucie Šafářová in the second round at thePan Pacific Open after receiving a first round bye. AtBeijing, she lost in the third round to Angelique Kerber. Her next tournament was at theKremlin Cup. She lost to Svetlana Kuznetsova in the quarterfinals. Vinci and Errani once again qualified for theTour Championships but lost in the semifinals again to a Russian pair, Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina. Vinci ended the year at No. 14 in singles, her highest ever and No. 1 in doubles for the third straight season.
| This section of abiography of a living persondoes notinclude anyreferences or sources. Please help by addingreliable sources. Contentious material about living people that is unsourced or poorly sourcedmust be removed immediately. Find sources: "Roberta Vinci" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(January 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
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Vinci began the season at theAuckland Open as the top seed. She fell in the first round to rising starAna Konjuh in three sets. Then at theSydney International, she lost to doubles partner Sara Errani in the first round. At theAustralian Open, Vinci was the 12th seed but fell in the first round to Zheng Jie. In the doubles event, she partnered Errani and won the title, defeating Russian pair Makarova and Vesnina.
Then, she competed at theOpen GdF Suez but lost in the first round again toElina Svitolina. Her bad form continued with first round losses atDoha andDubai toTsvetana Pironkova andSorana Cîrstea, respectively. Vinci received a first bye atIndian Wells and defeatedMadison Keys in her opening match for her first victory of 2014. However, she lost toCasey Dellacqua in the following round. She once again lost her opening match atMiami to Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová, in straight sets, after having a first-round bye.
Vinci failed to defend her title at theKatowice Open. She beat qualifierKsenia Pervak in round one but lost to Camila Giorgi the following round. Vinci faced Petra Kvitová during Italy's semifinalFed Cup tie against Czech team but lost in straight sets.
She began her clay court season atStuttgart. She beatAnnika Beck in the first round, but lost to Agnieszka Radwańska in straight sets. In the doubles event, Vinci and Errani were the champions, overcomingCara Black andSania Mirza in the final. Vinci reached her first quarterfinal of the year at thePortugal Open. She defeatedAlexandra Cadanțu and Yanina Wickmayer en route. She then lost to Elena Vesnina. At theMadrid Open, she won her opening match against Daniela Hantuchová and went on to defeat Caroline Wozniacki in the second round. She lost to Radwańska again in the third round. Playing on home soil at theItalian Open, Vinci lost in the first round to Ekaterina Makarova. She was seeded 20th at theFrench Open but lost to Pauline Parmentier in the first round. Vinci and Errani lost in the doubles final to world number ones Peng Shuai and Hsieh Su-wei.
She then competed atEastbourne, but lost to Daniela Hantuchová this time in the first round. Her disastrous run continued atWimbledon when she lost toDonna Vekić in the first round. However, she made history in the doubles event when she and Errani won defeating Hungarian/French pair Tímea Babos andKristina Mladenovic in the final, completing a career Grand Slam in doubles.
Vinci posted good results the following month. She was the second seed at theBucharest Open. She defeatedAlexandra Dulgheru and Sílvia Soler Espinosa for a place in the quarterfinals. She then reached her first semifinal of 2014 with a victory over seventh seedPetra Cetkovská. She then easily defeated Kristína Kučová and reached the final where she was defeated in straight sets by top seed and home favourite Simona Halep. Vinci is next competed atIstanbul where she was the second seed, she defeatedAnna Tatishvili in the first round. In the second round, she faced Dulgheru again and advanced to the quarterfinals when Dulgheru retired because of a shoulder injury. Vinci facedKurumi Nara in the quarterfinals and won in straight sets. In the semifinals, she faced rising star Ana Konjuh, setting up a rematch of their opener in Auckland, Vinci won this time, defeating her in straight sets. In her second consecutive final, Vinci lost to the top seed again, Caroline Wozniacki.
In August, Vinci lost in the first round atMontreal andCincinnati to Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová and Sabine Lisicki respectively. Vinci and Errani won their fifth doubles title of the year together in the doubles event at Montreal. They defeated Cara Black and Sania Mirza in the final. At theUS Open, Vinci won her first Grand Slam singles match of 2014 by defeatingPaula Ormaechea in the first round followed by a three-set win over Irina-Camelia Begu. She then lost to eventual semifinalist Peng Shuai in the third round. Vinci fell out of the top 40 as a result.
During the Asian swing, Vinci suffered another upset at theGuangzhou International Open where she was seeded sixth. She lost toZhu Lin in the first round. Then atWuhan, she fell to Casey Dellacqua in the first round. Vinci found her good form at theChina Open, defeating Yaroslava Shvedova and upsetting world No. 6, Agnieszka Radwańska, in the early rounds. Her run continued with another upset of Ekaterina Makarova in the third round. She booked her place in the quarterfinals where she faced Petra Kvitová. She lost to the Czech in straight sets. At theLuxembourg Open, Vinci the sixth seed easily defeatedTereza Smitková in the first round but then lost to Beck in straight sets. Vinci and Errani once again qualified for theWTA Finals as the top seeds. They were forced to retire in their first hurdle toKvěta Peschke andKatarina Srebotnik due to an injury suffered by Errani. Vinci ended the season outside the top 40 for the first time since 2010 at No. 49.
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Vinci kicked off her 2015 season by playing at theAuckland Open. She lost in the first round to seventh seedCoCo Vandeweghe.[18] The following week, she played at theHobart International. Seeded ninth, Vinci made it to her first quarterfinals of the year defeating wildcardOlivia Rogowska and Annika Beck. In the quarterfinals, she fell to eventual championHeather Watson in two sets.[19] At theAustralian Open, Vinci overcameBojana Jovanovski to reach round two but lost to tenth seed Ekaterina Makarova.[20]
Seeded third at theRio Open, Vinci was upset in the second round by qualifierVerónica Cepede Royg.[21] She then retired in her first-round match againstKiki Bertens at theMexican Open with a shoulder injury.[22] Vinci exited the second round at theIndian Wells Open to 24th seed Sabine Lisicki. The following week at theMiami Open, she dropped her opening match against qualifierTatjana Maria.[23] During the week, it was also announced that Vinci and her long-term doubles partner Sara Errani decided to discontinue playing doubles together. They issued a joint statement stating that they had decided to pursue more in their singles career.[24]
Beginning her clay-court season seeded sixth at theMorocco Open, Vinci lost to fellow ItalianKarin Knapp in the second round.[25] She then posted good results at theMadrid Open. She reached the fourth round for the second year in a row beatingMonica Puig and Alizé Cornet. She ended up losing in the fourth round to 13th seed Lucie Šafářová.[26] Ranked 44 at theItalian Open, Vinci was defeated in the first round by world No. 41, Heather Watson.[27] Seeded fourth at theNürnberger Versicherungscup, she reached her first final of the season but came up short in the final losing to sixth seed and compatriot Karin Knapp, in three sets.[28] Ranked 38 at theFrench Open, Vinci lost in the first round to 29th seed Alizé Cornet.[29]
Vinci began her grass-court season at theBirmingham Classic. She was defeated in the first round by qualifier Tímea Babos.[30] At theEastbourne International, she lost in the first round toCaroline Garcia.[31] Ranked 35 atWimbledon, Vinci lost in the first round to Aleksandra Krunić.[32]
After Wimbledon, Vinci competed at theBucharest Open where she was the second seed and last year's finalist. She lost in the second round to Aleksandra Krunić in straight sets.[33] Last year finalist at theİstanbul Cup, Vinci reached the quarterfinals beating seventh seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and qualifierAlexandra Panova. Vinci then lost in the quarterfinals toMagdaléna Rybáriková.[34]
Vinci then reached her second quarterfinal at theCanadian Open by defeating Karin Knapp, qualifier Mirjana Lučić-Baroni, and Daria Gavrilova all in straight sets. She then succumbed to world No. 1, Serena Williams, in the quarterfinals.[35] She then lost to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the first round at theCincinnati Open.[36] Vinci qualified for the main draw at theConnecticut Open and easily defeatedEugenie Bouchard in the first round.[37] She then was defeated in the second round in three sets by third seed Caroline Wozniacki.[38]
Ranked 43 at theUS Open, Vinci won her first three rounds defeatingVania King,Denisa Allertová, andMariana Duque Mariño. Vinci then reached her third US Open quarterfinal in four years after Eugenie Bouchard withdrew a few hours before their fourth-round match after she slipped and hit her head in the locker room.[39] In the quarterfinals, Vinci defeated Kristina Mladenovic to reach the semifinals.[40] At 32, Vinci became the oldest first-time Grand Slam semifinalist in the Open Era.[41] She then dispatched defending champion Serena Williams in three sets en route to her first Grand Slam final, while also ending Williams' attempt at a calendar-year Grand Slam. Vinci was ranked 42 places lower than Williams at that time. Numerous major media outlets reported about Vinci's win over Williams being one of the biggest upsets in tennis history.[42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51] She lost to Flavia Pennetta in the final in straight sets in what was the first all-Italian Grand Slam final in the Open Era. By virtue of her run to the final in New York, Vinci returned to the top 20 for the first time since June 2014.[52]
Seeded 15th at theWuhan Open, Vinci defeated qualifierDanka Kovinić and Irina-Camelia Begu in the first two rounds. In the third round, she stunned third seed and defending champion, Petra Kvitová.[53] She then defeated eighth seedKarolína Plíšková in two sets to advance to the semifinals.[54] In the semifinals, Vinci lost to eventual champion Venus Williams in three sets.[55] In this match, Vinci had a 6–5 lead in the third set and even had one match point before Venus came back and won the match. Seeded 15th at theChina Open, Vinci lost in the third round to qualifier Bethanie Mattek-Sands.[56] Seeded third at theLinz Open, she was defeated in the first round by qualifier Aleksandra Krunić.[57] Vinci's final tournament of the year was the first edition of theWTA Elite Trophy. Seeded fourth, Vinci beat 11th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova in her first rubber in two sets.[58] In her second rubber, she lost to Alternate Anna Karolína Schmiedlová.[59] Having a 1–1 record in Group D, Vinci reached the semifinals losing to top-seed and eventual champion Venus Williams.[60]
Vinci ended the year ranked 15.
Vinci started her season at theBrisbane International. Seeded eighth, she started the tournament by defeating Jelena Janković in the first round, 3–6, 6–2, 6–4.[61] She then dominated Dominika Cibulková in their second round match 6–1, 6–1.[62] In the quarterfinals, she lost to former world No. 1, two-time Australian Open champion, and eventual champion, Victoria Azarenka, 1–6, 2–6.[63] After Brisbane, she competed atSydney where she lost in the first round to Samantha Stosur.[64] As the 13th seed at theAustralian Open, Vinci reached the third round after beating qualifierTamira Paszek and world No. 74,Irina Falconi. In the third round, she suffered a shock loss to world No. 82, Anna-Lena Friedsam, 6–0, 4–6, 4–6.[65]
After the Australian Open, Vinci played at the inauguralSt. Petersburg Trophy. Seeded second, she reached the final defeating Yanina Wickmayer, Tímea Babos, and fourth seed Ana Ivanovic. In the final, Vinci beat top seed Belinda Bencic, 6–4, 6–3.[66] This was Vinci's tenth career WTA singles title, her first since 2013, and her first Premier-level title. Seeded seventh at theDubai Tennis Championships, Vinci lost in the first round to qualifier Yaroslava Shvedova, 0–6, 6–4, 3–6.[67] Despite losing in the first round to Shvedova, Vinci rose to a career-high ranking of 10 as neither Lucie Šafářová nor Venus Williams defended their ranking points from the previous year, she became the oldest female tennis player to make her top-10 singles debut, four days after her 33rd birthday. Seeded 9th at theQatar Total Open, Vinci defeatedLesia Tsurenko, Daria Kasatkina, and wildcardÇağla Büyükakçay to reach the quarterfinals. There, she lost to 3rd seed Agnieszka Radwańska, 6–3, 2–6, 3–6.[68] As the top seed at theMalaysian Open, Vinci suffered a shock loss in the first round to world No. 153,Chang Kai-chen, 7–5, 2–6, 1–6.[69] As the ninth seed at theIndian Wells Open, Vinci received a bye into the second round and facedMargarita Gasparyan. Vinci came through in a three-set thriller, 6–3, 6–7, 7–6.[70] Vinci had to save two match points in order to defeat Gasparyan in the second round. She then won comfortably against 17th seedElina Svitolina in the third round 6–1, 6–3.[71] In the fourth round, she was forced to retire trailing 2–6, 0–2 to Magdaléna Rybáriková.[72] Seeded ninth at theMiami Open, Vinci received a bye into the second round where she beatLucie Hradecká, 1–6, 6–4, 7–6.[73] In the third round, Vinci was defeated by 22nd seedMadison Keys, 6–4, 6–4.[74] At the2016 Fed Cup World Group play-offs, Vinci represented Italy in their tie against Spain. Vinci lost both of her rubbers to Carla Suárez Navarro andGarbiñe Muguruza. Spain defeated Italy 4–0.[75]
Vinci began her clay court season at thePorsche Tennis Grand Prix. Seeded sixth, Vinci reached the quarterfinals beating Ekaterina Makarova and German wildcard Julia Görges. In the quarterfinals, she lost to German qualifier and eventual finalistLaura Siegemund 1–6, 4–6.[76] Seeded 7th at theMadrid Open, Vinci lost in the first round to world No. 52, Danka Kovinić, 4–6, 2–6.[77] Seeded seventh and given a first-round bye at theInternazionali BNL d'Italia, Vinci was defeated in the second round by world No. 23,Johanna Konta, 6–0, 6–4.[78] Vinci's final tournament before the French Open was theNürnberger Versicherungscup. As the top seed, she lost in the second round to qualifier and eventual champion,Kiki Bertens, 4–6, 6–7.[79] Seeded seventh at theFrench Open, Vinci was upset in the first round by world No. 65,Kateryna Bondarenko, 6–1, 6–3.[80]
Vinci played only one grass-court warm-up tournament before Wimbledon. Seeded second atEastbourne, she lost in the second round to Ekaterina Makarova 6–4, 4–6, 3–6.[81] Seeded sixth atWimbledon, Vinci reached the third round defeatingAlison Riske and lucky loserDuan Yingying. She lost then to 27th seedCoCo Vandeweghe in straight sets.[82]
Vinci started her US Open Series at theCanadian Open. Seeded seventh, she lost in the third round to world No. 33, Daria Kasatkina, 5–7, 3–6.[83] RepresentingItaly at theRio Olympics, Vinci was defeated in the first round byAnna Karolína Schmiedlová, 7–5, 6–4.[84] Seeded sixth at theWestern & Southern Open, Vinci was defeated in the third round by ninth seed Carla Suárez Navarro, 6–1, 7–5.[85] Seeded second at theConnecticut Open, Vinci lost in the quarterfinals to qualifierJohanna Larsson 6–7, 1–6.[86] Vinci was seeded seventh at theUS Open, where she has finalist points to defend from last year. She reached the quarterfinals for the fourth time in five years, defeating Anna-Lena Friedsam, Christina McHale,Carina Witthöft, and Lesia Tsurenko. Vinci then lost in the quarterfinals to second seed and eventual champion Angelique Kerber, 5–7, 0–6.[87] As a result, Vinci failed to defend her finalist points from last year, so she fell from the top 10.
Seeded 13th at theWuhan Open, Vinci was defeated in the second round by Yaroslava Shvedova, 7–5, 6–2.[88] Seeded 13th at theChina Open, she lost in the second round to Caroline Wozniacki, 3–6, 2–6.[89] Vinci's final tournament of the year was theWTA Elite Trophy in Zhuhai. Seeded fifth, Vinci lost her first match to 9th seed Barbora Strýcová, 4–6, 3–6.[90] In her final match, Vinci was defeated by third seed and eventual champion Petra Kvitová, 6–1, 6–2.[citation needed] In November, Vinci was contemplating retirement from Tennis due to her poor results and tiredness.[91] However, on 21 November 2016, Vinci decided to play at least one more year.[92]
Vinci ended the year ranked 18.
Vinci began the season at theBrisbane International. Seeded eighth, she started the tournament off by beating lucky loser Kateryna Bondarenko in the first round, 7–6, 6–7, 7–6.[93] She then defeatedMisaki Doi in the second round 6–4, 6–2.[94] In the quarterfinals, Vinci lost to third seed and eventual champion Karolína Plíšková, 6–3, 2–6, 2–6.[95] Next, Vinci played at theSydney International. Seeded ninth, she was defeated in the second round by Barbora Strýcová, 6–2, 6–3.[96] As the 15th seed at theAustralian Open, Vinci lost in the first round to world No. 35 and eventual semifinalist, CoCo Vandeweghe, 1–6, 6–7.[97]
After the Australian Open, Vinci went to compete at theSt. Petersburg Trophy, where she was the sixth seed and the defending champion. She started off the tournament by beating Tímea Babos in the first round, 6–3, 3–6, 6–4[98] before she defeated qualifier Andrea Petkovic, 6–4, 6–4.[99] In the quarterfinals, Vinci was defeated by eventual champion Kristina Mladenovic, 6–1, 6–4.[100] Due to losing in the quarterfinals, Vinci failed to defend her title. At theQatar Open, Vinci lost in the first round to qualifierLauren Davis, 2–6, 3–6.[101] Seeded 16th at theDubai Tennis Championships, Vinci was upset in the first round by world No. 55,Kristýna Plíšková, 3–6, 7–5, 6–3.[102] Vinci had a 6–3, 5–4 lead and was serving for the match before Plíšková made a comeback to win the match. Seeded 26th atIndian Wells, Vinci received a first round bye. She lost in the third round to eighth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, 2–6, 6–2, 1–6.[103] Seeded 25th at theMiami Open, Vinci was stunned in the second round by qualifierTaylor Townsend, 6–3, 6–2.[104] After Miami, Vinci played at the first edition of theLadies Open Biel Bienne. As the fourth seed, she was upset in the first round by world No. 58, Kristýna Plíšková, 6–4, 6–4.[105]
Vinci began her clay-court season at thePorsche Grand Prix. In the first round, Vinci lost to newly returned Maria Sharapova, 5–7, 3–6.[106] Vinci had her first win since Indian Wells at theMadrid Open by defeating Daria Kasatkina in the first round, 6–1, 1–6, 6–1.[107] In the second round, she lost to 3rd seed and eventual champion Simona Halep, 3–6, 6–2, 6–7.[108] Vinci led 3–6, 6–2, 5–2 before Halep came back to win the match. At theInternazionali BNL d'Italia, she lost in the first round to Ekaterina Makarova, 2–6, 1–6.[109] As the 31st seed at theFrench Open, Vinci was defeated in the first round by the previous year's Olympic gold medalist Monica Puig, 6–3, 3–6, 6–2.[110]
Vinci played one grass-court warm-up tournament to prepare herself for Wimbledon. As the sixth seed at theMallorca Open, she beat lucky loser and compatriot Sara Errani in the first round 6–2, 6–1.[111] In the second round, she defeated qualifier Kirsten Flipkens, 6–4, 5–7, 6–2, to reach the quarterfinals for the first time at this tournament.[112] In the quarterfinals, Vinci was defeated by third seed and defending champion, Caroline Garcia, 6–2, 7–6.[113][114] Seeded 31st atWimbledon, Vinci lost in the first round to Kristýna Plíšková, 6–7, 2–6.[115]
Having announced her plans to retire after theItalian Open, Vinci continued to play sporadically through the early part of the season. She faced Aleksandra Krunić in the opening round of the Italian Open, but lost the final match of her career in a keenly contested three set match. She said of her retirement: "I'm crying now but I'm happy, I'm happy for what I've accomplished".[116]
In 2022, partnering with Giulia Sussarello, Vinci joined the professionalpadel circuit. She finished the season with a 28–12 record and reached a ranking of world no. 66[117] on the World Padel Tour.[118] Vinci also represented Italy at theInternational Padel Federation'sPadel World Championship, combining with fellow tennis retireeEmily Stellato to defeat Belgium in the penultimate bronze medal match.[119]
Vinci is known for her doubles prowess, her ability at the net, and relentless use of the backhand slice,[120] although she regrets switching her backhandgrip to one-handed at the age of 18.[121] Vinci has also been praised for her excellent movement and her sense of the court.[122] Due to her backhand slice, powerful forehand and excellent court covering, her game is often compared toSteffi Graf.
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 2015 | US Open | Hard | Flavia Pennetta | 6–7(4–7), 2–6 |
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 2012 | Australian Open | Hard | Sara Errani |  Svetlana KuznetsovaVera Zvonareva | 5–7, 6–4, 6–3 |
| Win | 2012 | French Open | Clay | Sara Errani | Maria KirilenkoNadia Petrova | 4–6, 6–4, 6–2 |
| Win | 2012 | US Open | Hard | Sara Errani |  Andrea HlaváčkováLucie Hradecká | 6–4, 6–2 |
| Win | 2013 | Australian Open | Hard | Sara Errani |  Ashleigh BartyCasey Dellacqua | 6–2, 3–6, 6–2 |
| Loss | 2013 | French Open | Clay | Sara Errani | Ekaterina MakarovaElena Vesnina | 5–7, 2–6 |
| Win | 2014 | Australian Open (2) | Hard | Sara Errani | Ekaterina Makarova Elena Vesnina | 6–4, 3–6, 7–5 |
| Loss | 2014 | French Open | Clay | Sara Errani |  Hsieh Su-wei Peng Shuai | 4–6, 1–6 |
| Win | 2014 | Wimbledon | Grass | Sara Errani |  Tímea Babos Kristina Mladenovic | 6–1, 6–3 |
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
| Tournament | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | W–L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q1 | 3R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 3R | 1R | 2R | 3R | 1R | 2R | 3R | 1R | Q1 | 10–12 |
| French Open | A | Q2 | Q2 | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | Q1 | 1R | 2R | 3R | 1R | 4R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | A | 6–13 |
| Wimbledon | A | 1R | Q3 | Q3 | 3R | A | 2R | Q2 | 3R | 2R | 3R | 4R | 4R | 1R | 1R | 3R | 1R | A | 16–12 |
| US Open | 1R | Q1 | A | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 3R | QF | QF | 3R | F | QF | 1R | A | 23–15 |
| Win–loss | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 2–3 | 2–3 | 1–4 | 1–2 | 2–4 | 4–4 | 6–4 | 8–4 | 12–4 | 2–4 | 6–4 | 8–4 | 0–4 | 0–0 | 55–52 |
Note: Vinci received a walkover in the2015 US Open, afterEugenie Bouchard sustained concussion. This did not count a win.
| Tournament | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | W–L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | 3R | 1R | QF | 1R | 1R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 1R | F | W | W | 3R | 3R | A | 30–13 |
| French Open | QF | QF | 1R | SF | 1R | 3R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 3R | W | F | F | 3R | A | A | 33–14 |
| Wimbledon | A | 3R | 1R | 3R | 1R | A | 1R | A | 1R | 3R | 3R | QF | 3R | W | 3R | 1R | A | 21–12 |
| US Open | SF | 1R | A | 1R | 3R | 2R | 1R | A | 1R | 1R | QF | W | QF | 2R | 3R | A | A | 22–12 |
| Win–loss | 7–2 | 7–4 | 0–3 | 9–4 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 1–4 | 1–2 | 1–4 | 4–4 | 7–4 | 20–2 | 16–3 | 18–2 | 8–4 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 106–51 |
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | WTA Doubles Team of the Year (withSara Errani) 2012 –2014 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Katarina Srebotnik & Květa Peschke | ITF Women's doubles World Champions (with Sara Errani) 2012–2014 | Succeeded by Martina Hingis & Sania Mirza |
| Preceded by | WTA Fan Favorite Doubles Team of the Year (with Sara Errani) 2014 | Succeeded by Incumbent |
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| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
