Anastasia Sergeyevna "Nastia"Pavlyuchenkova[4] (Анастаси́я «Настя» Серге́евна Павлюче́нкова; born 3 July 1991) is a Russian professionaltennis player. She reached a career-high singlesranking of world No. 11 on 8 November 2021.[5] Pavlyuchenkova has won twelve singles titles on theWTA Tour, and contested amajor final at the2021 French Open.
A junior prodigy, Pavlyuchenkova won three junior major titles and became the junior world No. 1 aged just 14. She was continuously ranked inside the world's top 50 from November 2008 to June 2022. Her biggest singles titles to date came at twoPremier-level tournaments, the2014 Open GDF Suez and the2014 Kremlin Cup. In addition to her 2021 French Open final appearance, Pavlyuchenkova has contested eight other major quarterfinals.
Pavlyuchenkova was born inSamara in the Soviet Union to Sergey and Marina on 3 July 1991, as one of two children. Her father was arower and her mother aswimmer. Her brotherAlexander also played professional tennis for a time. Her grandmother played professional basketball, and her grandfather was an elite referee in that sport for USSR.[2]
Pavlyuchenkova started playing tennis at age six, with her parents helping her. Her brother, Alexander often travels with her and provides hints for her playing.[2] She also trained at theMouratoglou Tennis Academy during her early career.[6][7][8]
Pavlyuchenkova first made headlines in 2006 by winning theAustralian Open junior title, defeatingCaroline Wozniacki in the final.[9] She reached another junior Grand Slam final at theFrench Open where she lost toAgnieszka Radwańska. She then won theUS Open junior title by beatingTamira Paszek in the final.[9] Her successful career as a junior also saw her reach the world No. 1 ranking on 30 January 2006. She accumulated an overall win/loss of record of 131–23 and 87–22 in singles and doubles, respectively.[10] Her success in juniors enabled her to enterITF and WTA tournaments, winning an ITF event in Italy in May 2006. Five months later, Pavlyuchenkova received a wildcard into her maiden WTA Tour main-draw appearance at theKremlin Cup. She lost in the first round to rising Czech,Nicole Vaidišová, in straight sets.[citation needed]
Pavlyuchenkova also played for the Sacramento Capitals of theWorld TeamTennis league in the summer of 2006.[citation needed]
In 2007, Pavlyuchenkova barely missed out on qualifying for the main draw of theAustralian Open, losing toJulia Vakulenko in the final round of qualifying. However, she successfully defended her junior title by defeatingMadison Brengle in the final.[9] That same year, she received a wildcard intoWimbledon, her maiden Grand Slam appearance, but was overwhelmed by 10th seedDaniela Hantuchová in the first round in forty minutes.[citation needed]
The following year, she enteredWimbledon as the youngest player in the women's draw. She won her first round match against 17th seedAlizé Cornet and went on to defeatLi Na before falling to 11th seed Radwańska. At theUS Open, the first Grand Slam at which she was able to gain direct entry, she won against AmericanVania King in the opening round in three sets, but was defeated in the second round byPatty Schnyder. Throughout 2008, Pavlyuchenkova captured four ITF singles, two of them coming at the end of the season in Poitiers and Bratislava. She ended the year inside the top 50 for the first time in her career, at world No. 45.[5]
Pavlyuchenkova began2009 season at theAuckland Open where she lost toAravane Rezaï in second round. At theAustralian Open, she lost to ItalianTathiana Garbin in the first round in three sets. The following month at theIndian Wells Open, she enjoyed a breakthrough where she made her first Premier Mandatory semifinal. Along the way, she had defeated the likes ofMarta Domachowska, world No. 2Jelena Janković,Karin Knapp,Nuria Llagostera Vives, and world No. 10 Agnieszka Radwańska.[11] However, she was defeated by the fifth seed and defending champion Ana Ivanovic. Pavlyuchenkova made her top 30 debut following the end of the tournament. InMiami, she defeated Rezaï in the first round but then fell to eventual championVictoria Azarenka in straight sets.[citation needed]
The following week, Pavlyuchenkova made herFed Cup debut, where Russia faced Italy in the semifinals, dropping her sole match toFrancesca Schiavone. The Italian team eventually advanced to the final.[12] Pavlyuchenkova ended 2009 as world No. 41, her second top-50 finish in a row. At theFrench Open where she was seeded at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time, 27th-seeded Pavlyuchenkova advanced to the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time as well after defeating bothRaluca Olaru andJulie Coin in straight sets before losing to world No. 1,Dinara Safina. She then reached the second round atWimbledon where she fell toRoberta Vinci. However, she lost in the first round of theUS Open to eventual quarterfinalistMelanie Oudin.[citation needed]
Pavlyuchenkova then won her maiden career title at theMonterrey Open. En route to the final, she moved past the likes ofAnna Tatishvili,Polona Hercog andKlára Zakopalová to reach the semifinals where she beatAnastasija Sevastova. In the final, she overcame second seed Hantuchová in three sets to win the title.[15] Pavlyuchenkova was the 29th seed at theFrench Open and reached the third round where she lost to top seedSerena Williams, in three sets.[16] She also made the third round atWimbledon where she lost to Wozniacki.[citation needed]
After a quarterfinal appearance at theSlovenia Open where she lost to eventual runner-upJohanna Larsson, Pavlyuchenkova entered theİstanbul Cup seeded third. She reached the last four after seeing off Marta Domachowska,Magdaléna Rybáriková andSorana Cîrstea, all in straight sets. She then reached the final by beatingJarmila Groth. She facedElena Vesnina in the final and defeated her elder Russian opponent in three sets to win her second career title.[17]
Pavlyuchenkova continued her good form inCincinnati, beating Hantuchová and defending championElena Dementieva to advance to the third round where she moved past 13th seedShahar Pe'er. In the quarterfinals, she scored a comeback win over 12th seedYanina Wickmayer to advance to her first Premier 5 semifinal. There, she fell toMaria Sharapova in three sets.[18] She then lost in the opening round of theRogers Cup to Kuznetsova, in three sets.[citation needed]
At theUS Open, 22nd seed Pavlyuchenkova posted her best major result at that time by reaching the round of 16. There, she lost to Francesca Schiavone Schiavone in straight sets.[19] Pavlyuchenkova's last tournament of the season was theTournament of Champions in Bali. It was her debut appearance after winning two International titles throughout the year in Monterrey and İstanbul. However, she lost to eventual champion Ivanovic at the first hurdle. She finished the year inside the top 30 for the first time ever, at world No. 21.[5]
Pavlyuchenkova opened her2011 season inBrisbane where she was seeded fifth. Despite being pushed to three sets in two prior matches, she managed to reach the semifinals where she fell to eventual championPetra Kvitová.[20] She made her top 20 debut following her good result there. The following week, inHobart, Pavlyuchenkova was forced to retire in the opening round againstBethanie Mattek-Sands. At theAustralian Open, she was the 18th seeded and advanced to the third round after defeatingKirsten Flipkens andKristina Barrois, before losing toIveta Benešová in a three-setter.[citation needed]
InFed Cup competition, Pavlyuchenkova helped Russia rally from an 0–2 deficit against France by winning her reverse singles match againstAlizé Cornet and the decisive doubles match, partnering with Svetlana Kuznetsova, thus allowing the Russian team to advance to the semifinals.[21] After an early exit inDubai, she successfully defended her title at theMonterrey Open, prevailing over top seed Jelena Janković in the final, in three sets.[22] She then reached the third round of theIndian Wells Open, falling to tenth seed Shahar Pe'er. This was followed by a fourth-round loss to eventual champion, Victoria Azarenka, in three sets at theMiami Open. Pavlyuchenkova then helped Russia beatItaly to advance to theFed Cup final. She beat Sara Errani in her singles rubber match and then teamed up withEkaterina Makarova to defeatAlberta Brianti andMaria Elena Camerin in the decisive doubles rubber.[23]
Pavlyuchenkova began the clay-court season at thePorsche Tennis Grand Prix where she lost to second seed Vera Zvonareva in the round of 16. She then defeatedZheng Jie, Marion Bartoli and Samantha Stosur to reach the quarterfinals of theMadrid Open where she lost toJulia Görges.[24] The following week inRome, Pavlyuchenkova advanced to the round of 16 where she lost to third seed Victoria Azarenka, in three sets. Pavlyuchenkova was the 14th seed at theFrench Open and advanced to her first ever Grand Slam quarterfinal after racking in wins overYaroslava Shvedova, qualifiersMona Barthel andNuria Llagostera Vives and third seed Zvonareva.[25] There, she came up short to defending champion Francesca Schiavone in three sets despite having been two games away from upsetting the Italian.[26][27]
Pavlyuchenkova had a dismal grass-court campaign, dropping her opening match inEastbourne toBojana Jovanovski and falling in the second round of theWimbledon Championships toNadia Petrova in straight sets. Nevertheless, she hit her career-high ranking of world No. 13 after the conclusion of Wimbledon. She then competed at theBaku Cup but crashed out toGalina Voskoboeva in the quarterfinals, hitting a bizarre 27 double faults in the process.[28]
After opening round losses inToronto andCincinnati toMaría José Martínez Sánchez andFlavia Pennetta, respectively, Pavlyuchenkova advanced to the quarterfinals at theNew Haven Open where she lost to Li Na.[29] At theUS Open, Pavlyuchenkova was the 17th seed and defeated Anna Tatishvili,Petra Martić and Janković to reach the fourth round. There, she avenged her earlier two losses to Schiavone to cruise into her second Grand Slam quarterfinal where she lost to eventual runner-up Serena Williams, in straight sets. AtTokyo, she overcameArantxa Rus in the first round but was then upset by Vania King in the following round in straight sets.[30][31]
Pavlyuchenkova suffered an early exit at thePan Pacific Open in the hands of Vania King but rebounded well to reach the quarterfinals of theChina Open. There, she lost to ninth seedAndrea Petkovic in straight sets. At theLadies Linz she beatAnabel Medina Garrigues, before falling to qualifier Sorana Cîrstea in the second round. InLuxembourg, Pavlyuchenkova suffered a shocking loss toRebecca Marino in the first round.[32] In theFed Cup final, the Russian team faced the team of the Czech Republic. Despite winning her only singles rubber against Lucie Šafářová in straight sets, the Russian team came up short in the end when they lost the decisive doubles match.[33] Pavlyuchenkova ended 2011 at world No. 16, her first ever top-20 finish to a season.[5]
Pavlyuchenkova at the 2012 Eastbourne International
Pavlyuchenkova started the2012 season with a loss to eventual championKaia Kanepi in the second round of theBrisbane International.[34] She then dropped her opening match inSydney to Andrea Petkovic, and exited theAustralian Open in the second round to Vania King.[35] She then suffered a four-match losing streak in the next two months before snapping it at theCharleston Open in April where she beatEleni Daniilidou in her opening match in three sets. She then lost to compatriot Nadia Petrova in the following round. After that, she dropped both her singles matches while onFed Cup duty in the semifinals against Serbia.[36]
During the clay-court swing, Pavlyuchenkova fell in the second round ofMadrid andRome. Seeded 22nd at theFrench Open, she won back-to-back matches for the first time since Beijing last year to reach the third round where she was stunned by Klára Zakopalová in straight sets.[37] Her ranking fell outside the top 30 after the French Open concluded. On grass, she reached the quarterfinals inEastbourne where she lost to Zakopalová once more.[38] AtWimbledon, she lost toVarvara Lepchenko in the second round.[citation needed]
Pavlyuchenkova's form improved after Wimbledon when she made the quarterfinals inBåstad and then went on to reach her first final of the year at theWashington Open where she was beaten by Magdaléna Rybáriková.[39] After falling at the first hurdle inMontreal, she cruised into the last eight inCincinnati where she lost to Petra Kvitová. This resulted in her return to the top 20. However, she suffered a setback at theUS Open when she was upset in the second round by wildcardKristina Mladenovic. Pavlyuchenkova went on to win just one more match in her last three tournaments of the year when she beatChanelle Scheepers in the first round ofTokyo before falling to seventh seed Li Na.[40] Her ranking then plummeted to No. 34 after falling in the first round ofBeijing. She finished the year ranked World No. 36.[5]
2013: Two singles titles, Premier Mandatory doubles title
Pavlyuchenkova at the 2013 Wimbledon Championships
Pavlyuchenkova kicked off her2013 season brilliantly by advancing to the final of theBrisbane International where she went down to third seed Serena Williams.[41] Along the way, she had defeated the likes of sixth seed Petra Kvitová and fourth seedAngelique Kerber, in the second round and quarterfinals respectively.[42][43] However, at theAustralian Open, she fell at the first hurdle toLesia Tsurenko. She was then defeated in her opening matches atParis andDubai by Yanina Wickmayer and Ana Ivanovic, respectively.[44]
At theMalaysian Open, Pavlyuchenkova was the only seed to reach the last four but there, she was upset by wildcard Bethanie Mattek-Sands.[45] This was then followed by winless appearances inIndian Wells andMiami. At theMonterrey Open, she saw offNina Bratchikova,Tereza Mrdeža to reach the quarterfinals. She then went on to beatLauren Davis and Monica Niculescu to reach the final where she stunned top seed Kerber in three sets for her third title in Monterrey, also her fourth career title overall and her first since defending her title here in 2011.[46] She climbed back into the top 20 rankings after Monterrey. In theFed Cup semifinals against Slovakia, she lost her singles match toDominika Cibulková but Russia nevertheless advanced to the final by winning the decisive doubles rubber.
After a second-round loss to Kerber inStuttgart, Pavlyuchenkova captured her sixth career title and her first on clay at thePortugal Open. Along the way, she beat qualifiersShahar Pe'er andEstrella Cabeza Candela to reach the quarterfinals where she defeated Elena Vesnina. She then overcame SwissRomina Oprandi to reach the final where she beat fourth seedCarla Suárez Navarro in straight sets.[47] The result was followed up with first-round exits inMadrid andRome. However, she won her first Premier doubles title in Madrid withLucie Šafářová.She then beatAndrea Hlaváčková in the first round at theFrench Open before falling to CzechPetra Cetkovská in the following round. Pavlyuchenkova was easily ousted byTsvetana Pironkova in the first round ofWimbledon, winning just one game.
She posted early losses inToronto andCincinnati which resulted in her ranking sliding to world No. 34. However, she rebounded to reach the quarterfinals ofNew Haven where she lost to defending champion Kvitová in three sets.[48] At theUS Open, Pavlyuchenkova was seeded 32nd and defeated a pair of wildcardsVirginie Razzano andAshleigh Barty to advance to third round where lost to third seed Agnieszka Radwańska in straight sets.[49] After the US Open, she made her fourth final of the season inSeoul, succumbing to Radwańska once again, this time in three sets.[50] She then dropped her opening matches inTokyo andBeijing toSimona Halep and eventual runner-up Jelena Janković, respectively.
At theKremlin Cup, Pavlyuchenkova made her first quarterfinal of the tournament after defeatingCaroline Garcia and third seedMaria Kirilenko. She then beat Daniela Hantuchová to reach the semifinals but lost to eventual champion Halep.[51] She finished the year at theTournament of Champions in Sofia for the second time in her career as a result of winning International tournaments in Monterrey and Oeiras throughout the season. As the sixth seed, she recorded wins over alternateElina Svitolina and seventh seed Alizé Cornet in the round robin but suffered a loss to top seed Halep. Nevertheless, she finished second in the group behind Halep, thus advancing to the semifinals, where she succumbed to fourth seed Samantha Stosur in three sets.[52] Pavlyuchenkova ended the year at World No. 26.[5]
Pavlyuchenkova experienced a breakthrough in doubles in 2013. Partnering Lucie Šafářová, she reached her first two Grand Slam quarterfinals in doubles at theAustralian Open and theFrench Open. The pair also won the Premier Mandatory-levelMadrid Open by defeatingCara Black andMarina Erakovic in the final, it is Pavlyuchenkova's biggest career doubles title to date.[53]
Pavlyuchenkova began her2014 season inBrisbane. After defeating fellow RussianAlla Kudryavtseva in the opening round, she retired against fifth seed Angelique Kerber with a thigh injury.[54] Seeded fourth at theHobart, she was upset byAlison Riske in the first round in straight sets.[55] Pavlyuchenkova was the 29th seed at theAustralian Open and defeatedTeliana Pereira andMandy Minella to reach the third round where she lost to eventual semifinalist Agnieszka Radwańska in three sets.[56]
The following month, she won the sixth and biggest title of her career to date at the Premier-levelParis Indoors event. Despite being unseeded, she overcame Francesca Schiavone in her opener and went on to beat three seeded opponents in Carla Suárez Navarro, Kerber and Maria Sharapova to reach the final where she prevailed over third seed Sara Errani to claim the title.[57] It was her first title indoors as well. She then suffered an early loss at theQatar Ladies Open toMirjana Lučić-Baroni. At theIndian Wells Open, Pavlyuchenkova beat Caroline Garcia in her opening match but was then stopped by wildcardAleksandra Wozniak in three sets. Another early loss ensued, this time toCoCo Vandeweghe inMiami.
Pavlyuchenkova then defeated Latvia'sDiāna Marcinkēviča in the first round of theStuttgart Grand Prix before falling to two-time defending champion Sharapova in the following round in straight sets.[58] At theMadrid Open, she defeatedMaría Teresa Torró Flor and sixth seed Jelena Janković to reach the round of 16 where she lost to Ana Ivanovic.[59] The following week inRome, she drew qualifierBelinda Bencic in the opening round and lost to the Swiss in three sets. Pavlyuchenkova was the 24th seed at theFrench Open and survived her opening clash against veteranKimiko Date-Krumm in the first round but was then forced to retire againstKiki Bertens in following round. During the grass-court swing, Pavlyuchenkova upset top seed Radwańska in the first round ofEastbourne but then lost to compatriot Ekaterina Makarova in the following round in straight sets. She then dropped her opening match at theWimbledon Championships, for the second year in a row, to Riske.
In July, Pavlyuchenkova suffered a shocking loss in the opening round ofBåstad toGrace Min. She then reached her second quarterfinal of the year atWashington after beating Virginie Razzano andHiroko Kuwata. There, she fell to Makarova once more.[60] She then lost to eventual finalist Venus Williams in the first round of theRogers Cup. The following week inCincinnati, she saw off 11th seed Dominika Cibulková in the first round and then went on to beatKarin Knapp to reach the round of 16 where she lost to Sharapova in straight sets.[61] At theUS Open where she was seeded 23rd, she crashed out in the second round to wildcardNicole Gibbs, in three sets.[62]
After an early loss toGarbiñe Muguruza inTokyo, Pavlyuchenkova scored her first win over Ivanovic, via retirement from the Serb, en route the second round inWuhan where she lost toCasey Dellacqua.[63] She then retired againstZhu Lin in the first round inBeijing due to dizziness.[64] To finish the year, Pavlyuchenkova played theKremlin Cup where she was the sixth seed. She defeated the likes ofAna Konjuh and Riske to reach the last eight where she beat fellow RussianVitalia Diatchenko in three sets. She then advanced to the final, after overcomingKateřina Siniaková, where she faced RomanianIrina-Camelia Begu. She won the match in three sets to capture her seventh and equal-biggest career title to date.[65] She concluded the year as World No. 25.[5]
Pavlyuchenkova endured a three-match losing streak to start off her2015 season, a stretch which includes theAustralian Open andDubai, which culminated in her ranking falling to as low as No. 41, her lowest since 2009. At theMonterrey Open, Pavlyuchenkova recorded her first victories of the year by defeatingAnna Karolína Schmiedlová andJohanna Larsson to reach the quarterfinals where she lost to second seed Sara Errani.[66] It was her first ever defeat at the tournament.
AtIndian Wells, Pavlyuchenkova scored wins over Larsson and 17th seedBarbora Strýcová to reach the third round where she lost to 12th seed Carla Suárez Navarro. The following week inMiami, she lost to Errani in the second round. Pavlyuchenkova then retired in her opening match againstSara Sorribes Tormo inCharleston due to a shoulder injury.[67] In theFed Cup semifinal tie against Germany, Pavlyuchenkova won her singles rubber overSabine Lisicki and then partneredElena Vesnina to defeat Lisicki and Andrea Petkovic in the decisive doubles match, thus sending Russia into its first Fed Cup final since 2011.[68]
After an early exit inPrague, Pavlyuchenkova made the last 16 inMadrid where she lost to eventual champion Petra Kvitová,[69] and the second round inRome where he lost to defending champion Serena Williams.[70] At theFrench Open, where Pavlyuchenkova was unseeded at a Grand Slam for the first time since the2010 Australian Open, she fell to eventual runner-up Lucie Šafářová at the first hurdle. On grass, Pavlyuchenkova lost in the second round of theRosmalen Open to Kiki Bertens in straight sets. AtWimbledon, she was defeated in the second round by tenth seed Angelique Kerber.
After another loss to Halep in the second round ofWuhan, Pavlyuchenkova cruised into her second quarterfinal at theChina Open where she fell to sixth seed Ana Ivanovic in straight sets.[75] InLinz, she cruised into the last four without the loss of a set, with wins overKateřina Siniaková,Stefanie Vögele and Aleksandra Krunić. There, she moved past Flipkens in three sets, and then defeated GermanAnna-Lena Friedsam in the final in straight sets for her eighth career title.[76] It was also her third straight title indoors. As the defending champion inMoscow, she carried on her good form by advancing to her third final of the year but saw her title defence come to an end in the hands of compatriot Svetlana Kuznetsova.[77] Pavlyuchenkova finished the year ranked world No. 28, her fifth overall top 30 finish to a season.[5]
In theFed Cup final against Czech Republic, Pavlyuchenkova lost both her singles rubbers and then teamed up with Vesnina in the decisive doubles match but came up second best to the Czech team in the end.[78]
Pavlyuchenkova began the2016 season at theBrisbane International, reaching the quarterfinals by beating fifth seed Timea Bacsinszky and Alizé Cornet. There, she fell to eventual runner-up Angelique Kerber.[79] The following week inSydney, she lost to Karolína Plíšková in the second round. She then suffered a second consecutive first round loss at theAustralian Open when she fell to Lauren Davis in her opening match.[80] She then reached the quarterfinals on home soil inSt. Petersburg after seeing offKlára Koukalová andCarina Witthöft but there, she was beaten by eventual runner-up Belinda Bencic.[81] She then made the quarterfinals inAcapulco where she lost to Yanina Wickmayer,[82] but then suffered her first ever opening-round defeat inMonterrey where she lost toPauline Parmentier, in straight sets.
After a going winless in tournaments throughout the months of March and April, which includes theIndian Wells andMiami Opens, Pavlyuchenkova advanced to the round of 16 at the Madrid Open for the third year in a row. There, she succumbed to eventual runner-up Dominika Cibulková in three sets.[83] At theItalian Open, she lost to 13th seed Ana Ivanovic in the first round. At theFrench Open, Pavlyuchenkova won back-to-back matches at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time since the 2014 Australian Open, defeating the likes ofSara Sorribes Tormo andÇağla Büyükakçay to book her spot in the third round where she was beaten by compatriot Svetlana Kuznetsova.
Pavlyuchenkova started the grass-court season with opening-round losses toJeļena Ostapenko andMadison Brengle inBirmingham andEastbourne, respectively. At theWimbledon Championships, Pavlyuchenkova was the 21st seed and she moved pastHsieh Su-wei andYulia Putintseva to reach the third round where she upset Timea Bacsinszky to advance to the second week of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time since the 2011 US Open. In the fourth round, she defeated CoCo Vandeweghe for a place in her third Grand Slam quarterfinal, also her first since the 2011 US Open.[84] There, she faced Serena Williams and was defeated by the defending champion, in straight sets.[85] Following the conclusion of Wimbledon, Pavlyuchenkova re-entered the top 20 rankings for the first time in more than four years at No. 19.[5]
Carrying her good form into theRogers Cup, she was seeded 16th and she saw off Putintseva andChristina McHale before upsetting fourth seed Agnieszka Radwańska for a place in her fifth quarterfinal of the year.[86] There, she was defeated by eventual runner-upMadison Keys in three sets. Making her debut appearance at theSummer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Pavlyuchenkova defeated PoleMagda Linette in the opening round but was then beaten by eventual gold medalistMonica Puig in the second round. She then lost in the round of 16 atCincinnati to Garbiñe Muguruza. At theUS Open, Pavlyuchenkova reached the third round where she was beaten by eventual runner-up Plíšková.[87]
After an unfruitful Asian swing, where she managed just one win from three tournaments, Pavlyuchenkova then went on to finish the year by recording another two quarterfinal appearances, inLinz, where she was the defending champion but fell to eventual champion Cibulková,[88] and inMoscow, to eventual runner-upDaria Gavrilova.[89] The loss to Gavrilova meant Pavlyuchenkova had failed to reach a semifinal throughout the season, her best result being seven quarterfinal showings. Nevertheless, she maintained her year-end ranking from the previous year, World No. 28.[5]
2017: Australian Open quarterfinal and three titles
Pavlyuchenkova at the 2017 Wimbledon Championships
Pavlyuchenkova opened hernew season at theAuckland Open where she was defeated in the opening round by Julia Görges.[90] She then made the quarterfinals inSydney by claiming excellent victories over Samantha Stosur and defending champion Svetlana Kuznetsova before falling toEugenie Bouchard in straight sets.[91] Seeded 24th at theAustralian Open, Pavlyuchenkova defeated a pair of Russians inEvgeniya Rodina andNatalia Vikhlyantseva to reach the third round where she saw off 11th seed Elina Svitolina in three sets, thus advancing to her maiden second week appearance at the tournament. There, she took down an eighth-seeded Kuznetsova in straight sets to cruise into her fourth overall Grand Slam quarterfinal, her second in as many as six months.[92] With this achievement, Pavlyuchenkova has now made the quarterfinals at each of the four Grand Slam events. There, she lost to eventual runner-up Venus Williams in straight sets.[93]
After a string of early losses in the Middle East, Pavlyuchenkova rebounded at theIndian Wells Open. There, she beat Anett Kontaveit and 17th seed Barbora Strýcová before going on to upset fifth seed Dominika Cibulková in three sets to reach her first quarterfinal here since her semifinal run back in 2009. There, she fell to eventual runner-up Kuznetsova in straight sets.[94] She then exited in the third round of theMiami Open to Bethanie Mattek-Sands.
The following month, inMonterrey, Pavlyuchenkova reached the quarterfinals after defeatingTatjana Maria and qualifierKristie Ahn before surviving fifth seed Tímea Babos to cruise into her first semifinal in eleven tries, her first since the Kremlin Cup in 2015. There, she beat third seed Caroline Garcia and in a rematch of the 2013 final, top seed Angelique Kerber, for her ninth career title, her fourth at the tournament.[95] After an unsuccessfulFed Cup campaign against Belgium for a place in the World Group, dropping her singles match toElise Mertens, with the Russian team ultimately losing the tie 2–3, Pavlyuchenkova reached her second final of the year inRabat. En route, she had defeated the likes ofConny Perrin, Ekaterina Makarova, seventh seed Lauren Davis and Sara Errani. She then beat Francesca Schiavone in straight sets for her tenth career title, her second on clay.[96] She then dropped her opener inMadrid to Sorana Cîrstea, and then reached the third round inRome where she lost to Simona Halep. She suffered an early defeat at theFrench Open, falling to Paraguay'sVerónica Cepede Royg in the second round, in three sets.
On grass, Pavlyuchenkova reached the second round inMallorca and the last 16 inEastbourne, but then succumbed at the first hurdle ofWimbledon to qualifierArina Rodionova in three sets.[97] She then recorded a quarterfinal appearance inStanford before suffering early losses at theRogers Cup and theCincinnati Open. After reaching the last eight ofNew Haven,[98] she exited in the opening round of theUS Open to Christina McHale.
Pavlyuchenkova began the Asian swing inTokyo where she reached the final, falling to Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets.[99] After dropping her opener inWuhan, she made the second round inBeijing but lost to Wozniacki once again. At theHong Kong Open, Pavlyuchenkova advanced to the final by beating Babos,Jacqueline Cako,Naomi Osaka and Wang Qiang, all in straight sets. There, she overcame Daria Gavrilova in a long three-setter to claim her third title of the year, her 11th career singles title.[100] However, this was followed by a loss in the opening round of theKremlin Cup.[101] Nevertheless, Pavlyuchenkova's strong results throughout the year ensured her qualification for theWTA Elite Trophy. It was her debut appearance at the tournament and her first at a year-end championship since the Tournament of Champions in 2013. In her opener, she defeated Angelique Kerber, for the third time in 2017,[102] before falling to Ashleigh Barty, in straight sets.[103] She was eliminated in the round-robin stage. She concluded 2017 as world No. 15, her best season-finish to date, and second in the top 20 overall.[5]
After her resurgent year of 2017, Pavlyuchenkova endured a rough start to her2018 season. Across six tournament appearances in the first three months of the year, she logged in just two wins, overKateryna Kozlova andAliaksandra Sasnovich, at theAustralian Open andMiami Open, respectively. These results caused her to drop out of the top 20. Kicking off her clay-court season inStuttgart, Pavlyuchenkova finally gained some momentum by making her first ever quarterfinal at the tournament, beating Madison Keys and second seed Garbiñe Muguruza, the latter by via retirement. There, she succumbed to Anett Kontaveit in three sets. She then lost her openers inMadrid andRome, in the hands of Samantha Stosur and Keys, respectively. As a result, she fell out of the top 30 for the first time since 2015.
Pavlyuchenkova then soared into her first final of the year at theInternationaux de Strasbourg. Seeded third, she saw off the likes of Tatjana Maria, Natalia Vikhlyantseva,Zarina Diyas and top seed Ashleigh Barty en route. In the final, she came out on top in a three-set marathon final, with all sets going to a tiebreak, against fifth-seeded veteran Dominika Cibulková. Pavlyuchenkova called that match, which ended 6–7, 7–6, 7–6, after 215 minutes, "the most dramatic I ever played".[104] At theFrench Open, she was eliminated in the second round by Stosur in straight sets. Pavlyuchenkova did not enjoy much success on grass, netting just one win across three tournaments on the surface, which includes an opening-round loss inWimbledon to Hsieh Su-wei as well.
The following month, at theRogers Cup, she fell in the second round to Simona Halep and inCincinnati the following week, in the same round to Angelique Kerber. She was then upset byRebecca Peterson in the first round of theUS Open in three sets. She then lost in the second round of thePan Pacific Open to Caroline Garcia despite having two match points.[105] She then recorded her best result in four months by making the last eight inWuhan, scoring wins over Anastasija Sevastova, Kiki Bertens and Petra Kvitová.[106] There, she lost to Barty in three sets.[107] The following week at theChina Open, she succumbed in the first round to Sloane Stephens in an intense battle in three sets.[108] She ended the season with back-to-back quarterfinal appearances, inLinz andMoscow, falling on both occasions to Russians Ekaterina Alexandrova and Daria Kasatkina, respectively.[109][110] Pavlyuchenkova's results in 2018 saw her finish the year at world No. 42, her worst season finish in ten years and her first outside the top 30 since 2012.[5]
Pavlyuchenkova began the2019 season with early exits at theShenzhen Open and theHobart International, losing to a pair of youngsters inVeronika Kudermetova andVera Lapko, respectively. Unseeded at theAustralian Open, she began her campaign with a victory over Monica Puig. She then came from a set down to upset ninth seed Kiki Bertens, before defeating Aliaksandra Sasnovich to reach the round of 16. There, she came from a set and a break down to upset fifth seed Sloane Stephens and thus, earned herself a berth in her fifth Grand Slam quarterfinal, where she faced first-time major quarterfinalistDanielle Collins. Despite having won the opening set comfortably, Pavlyuchenkova was upset by the American player in the end.[111] Pavlyuchenkova followed up that result with a quarterfinal showing inSt. Petersburg where she lost to eventual champion Bertens, in three sets.[112]
Pavlyuchenkova then went on a three-match losing streak as she lost her openers inDubai,Indian Wells andMiami. Seeded third inMonterrey, Pavlyuchenkova sauntered into the last eight with wins overAnna Blinkova andIvana Jorović with a combined loss of just three games but there, she was eliminated by eventual runner-up Victoria Azarenka in straight sets.[113] OnFed Cup duty against Italy for a place in World Group II, Pavlyuchenkova won her singles matches overJasmine Paolini andMartina Trevisan with the Russian team eventually winning the tie 4–0.[114] She then lost in the second round atStuttgart to Anett Kontaveit in straight sets, in a rematch of their quarterfinal clash here a year ago.
Pavlyuchenkova's form mid-season did not improve as she suffered a five-match losing streak after Stuttgart, which includes losses at theFrench Open andWimbledon,[115][116] resulting in her ranking falling out of the top 40 to as low as No. 46, her lowest ranking in more than 10 years. At theRogers Cup, she scored her first win in more than three months, and her third over a top-ten player in 2019, when she defeated ninth seedAryna Sabalenka in the first round but then lost to Jeļena Ostapenko. After falling to Zarina Diyas in qualifying atCincinnati, Pavlyuchenkova scored her first win at theUS Open since 2016 by beating Pauline Parmentier in the opening round but then lost to Bertens in straight sets.[117]
Pavlyuchenkova started off the Asian swing by recording by her best result of the year by making the final of thePan Pacific Open, her second at the tournament, defeating the likes ofDayana Yastremska, Bertens,Misaki Doi and Angelique Kerber en route, where she finished runner-up to Naomi Osaka.[118] She was, however, unable to back up this result, falling early in her next three tournaments, with back-to-back defeats in the hands ofSofia Kenin inWuhan andBeijing, and toViktória Kužmová inLinz.[119] She then bounced back by reaching her second final of the season at theKremlin Cup, also her third at the tournament, by seeing off seventh seedMaria Sakkari, qualifierVarvara Gracheva, Kudermetova andKarolína Muchová en route. Against third seed Belinda Bencic in the final, despite having won the first set, Pavlyuchenkova succumbed to the Swiss in the end.[120] Nevertheless, her turnaround in the back end of the year which saw her win ten of her fifteen matches after the US Open ensured her a top-30 season finish, at world No. 30.[5]
Pavlyuchenkova began the2020 season with early losses, once again. After losing against Kvitová from a set up in the opening round inBrisbane,[121] she scored her first win of the year, inAdelaide over Anett Kontaveit in straight sets. She faced world No. 1, Ashleigh Barty, in the next round and lost despite having led by a set, again.[122]
Seeded 30th at theAustralian Open, she recorded straight-set wins overNina Stojanović andTaylor Townsend in her first two matches. She then caused a huge upset by defeating second seed Karolína Plíšková in the third round, her first win in seven career meetings over the former world No. 1.[123] She then came from a set down to defeat 2016 champion and 17th seeded Angelique Kerber to advance to the quarterfinals for the second year in a row, also her sixth Grand Slam quarterfinal in total.[124] There, she was defeated by eventual runner-up, Garbiñe Muguruza, in straight sets.[125]
Pavlyuchenkova played one more tournament before the tour was suspended in March due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, making the second round at theDubai Championships after upsetting fourth seed and defending champion Belinda Bencic but there, she lost to Kontaveit.[126][127] Returning to competition after the lifting of the suspension in August, at thePrague Open, a sixth-seeded Pavlyuchenkova dropped her opening match to Arantxa Rus.[128] She then chose to skip theUS Open due to safety concerns over the ongoing pandemic, which saw her streak of 48 consecutive Grand Slam tournament appearances, dating back to the 2008 French Open, come to an end.[129]
The next month, Pavlyuchenkova competed at theItalian Open where she beatZhang Shuai in her opening match but then lost to fourth seed Elina Svitolina, in straight sets.[130] She then reached the second round inStrasbourg where she lost toJil Teichmann. At her final tournament of the season, theFrench Open, Pavlyuchenkova made the second round after upsetting former champion and 28th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, in three sets.[131] There, however, she fell to Kateřina Siniaková in straight sets. She finished the year ranked 38, her third non-top 30 finish since 2009.[5]
2021: Singles major final, Olympic quarterfinals and world No. 11
Pavlyuchenkova started her2021 season inAbu Dhabi where she was beaten at the first hurdle by Ons Jabeur.[132] She then scored straight-set wins over Misaki Doi and Anastasija Sevastova to reach the third round at theYarra Valley Classic, losing to eventual finalist Garbiñe Muguruza. At theAustralian Open, she lost in the first round to third seed and eventual champion Naomi Osaka.[133] After that, Pavlyuchenkova competed at thePhillip Island Trophy and defeatedAjla Tomljanović in her opening match but then lost to eventual champion Daria Kasatkina in three sets.[134] After a dry spell of two wins across four tournaments, Pavlyuchenkova rebounded at theMadrid Open by sealing her best result since the tour restart last August with a run to the semifinals, defeating Madison Keys, Karolína Plíšková, Jennifer Brady and Karolína Muchová.[135][136][137] There, she was defeated by eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets.[138] It was Pavlyuchenkova's best showing at a WTA 1000 event since reaching the same stage at theCincinnati Open in 2010, and her best at a Mandatory tournament since being a semifinalist at the2009 Indian Wells Open, over 12 years ago.
At theFrench Open, Pavlyuchenkova was seeded 31st and moved into the second week for the first time since 2011 after seeing off Christina McHale and Tomljanović in the first two rounds, before following up with an upset win over third seed Sabalenka in three sets.[139] She would progress further by coming back from a set down to beat 15th seed Victoria Azarenka to return to the last eight there for the first time since 2011, thus making it her seventh Grand Slam quarterfinal showing overall.[140][141] There, 10 years removed from her first quarterfinal at a Grand Slam tournament (where she then lost to defending champion and eventual runner-up Francesca Schiavone from a set and a break up),[26][27] Pavlyuchenkova came back from a set down to prevail over 21st seed and doubles partnerElena Rybakina, winning 9–7 in the third set, thus advancing to the last four of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career.[142][143] In the semifinals, Pavlyuchenkova recorded her first straight-set win in four matches by beating fellow Grand Slam semifinal debutanteTamara Zidanšek to reach her first Grand Slam final, doing so on her 52nd overall appearance in the main draw of Grand Slams, a new record.[144] In the championship match, Pavlyuchenkova lost to fellow Grand Slam debutanteBarbora Krejčíková in three sets, making it her first runner-up finish on clay.[145] Her run in Paris this fortnight, however, put her back in the top 20 rankings, for the first time since 2018.[146]
In June, at the grass-court warm-up event inEastbourne, eighth seed Pavlyuchenkova lost in the first round to eventual champion Jeļena Ostapenko in straight sets.[147] Seeded 16th atWimbledon, Pavlyuchenkova recorded back-to-back wins there for the first time since 2016, defeatingAna Bogdan andKristýna Plíšková, before falling in the third round to 19th seed Karolína Muchová.[148][149] In her second appearance at the Summer Olympics, Pavlyuchenkova was the 13th seed in thesingles tournament and advanced to her maiden Olympic quarterfinal, doing so with an Olympic record of seven games surrendered, as she saw off Sara Errani, Anna-Lena Friedsam, and Sara Sorribes Tormo.[150][151][152] She was later defeated by the eventual gold medalist, for the second Olympics in a row, when she succumbed to ninth seed Belinda Bencic in three sets.[153] Inmixed doubles, Pavlyuchenkova tasted greater success. PartneringAndrey Rublev, the first-time pairing sailed to the final, and took home the gold medal over compatriotsAslan Karatsev and Elena Vesnina, after saving a match point.[154][155]
Pavlyuchenkova entered theCanadian Open as the 10th seed and recorded a straight-set win over Caroline Garcia in the first round, but failed to move on past the second round after losing toJessica Pegula in three sets.[156] At theUS Open, Pavlyuchenkova recorded her best result there in 10 years by making it to the second week here for the first time since 2011, with wins over Alison Riske, Anna Karolina Schmiedlova and Varvara Gracheva. In the fourth round, she lost to fourth seed Karolína Plíšková in straight sets.[157] The subsequent four tournament appearances of Pavlyuchenkova saw her net just one quarterfinal result, with a run to the last eight on home soil, inMoscow, where she lost toMarkéta Vondroušová,[158] besides taking a loss in the hands of youngsterLeylah Fernandez in the third round ofIndian Wells, despite having led by a set and a break in the latter.[159] She finished her year by helping her nation claim its firstBillie Jean King Cup in more than a decade, where the Russian Tennis Federation beat Switzerland in the final.[160]
On 8 November, Pavlyuchenkova surpassed her prior 10-year-old career-high ranking of world No. 13 when she hit the No. 11 ranking, and subsequently concluded 2021 ranked the same, her career-best year-end ranking to date.[5]
She was scheduled to compete at theSt. Petersburg Trophy, but withdrew due to a knee injury.[164] Pavlyuchenkova later announced that she would be ruled out of action for ten weeks due to her knee injury, and would be back in late April in time for the clay-court season.[165]
At theItalian Open, partnering Veronika Kudermetova, she won her second WTA 1000 doubles title, after the one in Madrid in 2013, defeating Madrid championsGabriela Dabrowski andGiuliana Olmos.[166]
Pavlyuchenkova subsequently ended her season, after withdrawing from theFrench Open to continue nursing the knee injury.[167] Having been defending her runner-up result from 12 months ago, her ranking dove nearly four-fold, from world No. 21 to No. 83 after the tournament's conclusion – making it the first time she is ranked outside the top 50, since she debuted here more than 13 years ago, on 3 November 2008.[5]
2023–24: Comeback, French Open quarterfinal and 500th win
Using also protected ranking at theItalian Open, she won her first round match against wildcard Sara Errani but lost to top seed Iga Świątek in the second round by a double bagel in a little over an hour match.[168][169]
Ranked No. 333, Pavlyuchenkova reached the fourth round at theFrench Open. Her scalps included the likes of Czech youngsterLinda Fruhvirtová, followed by a pair of compatriots in 15th seedLiudmila Samsonova and 24th seedAnastasia Potapova – the latter two in three sets. As such, she became the second-lowest ranked player to reach the last 16 here in theOpen Era following Serena Williams, who was ranked No. 451 when she made that same stage in 2018.[170] Next, she defeated 28th seed Elise Mertens to reach her eighth major quarterfinal and her third at the French Open. She became only the third player ranked outside the top 250 to reach a major quarterfinal, afterMartina Hingis at the2006 Australian Open andKaia Kanepi at the2017 US Open.[citation needed]
The following year, at theMiami Open, she recorded her 500th career win over Shelby Rogers, making her the sixth Russian woman to achieve the milestone after Kuznetsova, Sharapova, Dementieva, Petrova and Zvonareva.[citation needed]
Later that year, Pavlyuchenkova reached the quarterfinals at the2024 Cincinnati Open, recording her 39th top 10 career win over seventh seedZheng Qinwen,[171] making her the female player with most top 10 wins in the WTA that has not been ranked in the top 10, and her 17th win at a WTA 1000 level the most of any player who has never won a WTA 1000 title, since the format introduction in 2009.[172] It was her first quarterfinal in Cincinnati since 2015, the nine seasons between the two being the longest gap between consecutive quarterfinal appearances in the event's history.[173][174] She fell in the last eight toPaula Badosa.[175]
In July 2023, she was among the Russian and Belarusian players that were not allowed to enter theCzech Republic ahead of the2023 Prague Open.[185] They competed as neutrals, without any national flag or symbol, but the Czech government passed a resolution banning all Russian and Belarusian athletes from entering the country due to the war in Ukraine.[186][187]
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (P#) preliminary round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (Z#) Davis/Fed Cup Zonal Group (with number indication) or (PO) play-off; (G) gold, (S) silver or (B) bronze Olympic/Paralympic medal; (NMS) not a Masters tournament; (NTI) not a Tier I tournament; (P) postponed; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.
To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.
Notes:1 = switched fromKazakhstan;2 = juniors' circuit player awarded before the existence of theJuniors nomination,3 = wheelchair,4 = postponed to 2021 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic in Russia