ANNA KOURNIKOVA CAREER IN REVIEW.
| 2003 | Anna Kournikova collected her first Grand Slam match victory in two years at Australian Open, defeating Nagyova 1r and lost to Henin-Hardenne in 2nd round. She withdrew from Tokyo [Pan Pacific] due to sprained back suffered at Australian Open and did not return to Tour until Miami. Anna Kournikova retired in 1r of Charleston due to left adductor strain. She reached SF at ITF/Sea Island-USA before withdrawing from the match agains Maria Sharapova due to adductor injury. She faced an upset in 1r ITF/Charlottesville-USA. Anna Kournikova did not compete for rest of season due to continuing back injury. |
| 2002 | Anna Kournikova won Australian Open doubles with Hingis, their second Grand Slam together. She began singles season at Auckland, reaching Semi Finals, where she lost to eventual champion Smashnova. As a Wild Card, Anna Kournikova reached Tokyo [Pan Pacific] Semi Finals, her first Tier I Semi Finals appearance since 2001 Tokyo [Pan Pacific] where she lost to Monica Seles in 3 set match. Anna Kournikova reached Acapulco Semi Finals and lost to eventual champion Srebotnik in a three set match. Anna Kournikova reached Wimbledon doubles semi final with Rubin, representing the only team to win a set from eventual champions Williams sisters. Aat Stanford, Anna Kournikova halted five-match losing-streak and reached Quarter Finals, but lost to eventual champion Venus Williams, marking third time in three appearances at the tournament to lose to her. Anna Kournikova reached third Semi Finals of season at San Diego where she lost to Dokic 6-7(6) 7-6(2) 6-0. After holding two match points at Shanghai, Anna Kournikova reached first singles final in nearly two years (the last singles final was in year 2000 in Moscow) and lost to No.1 seed Smashnova, having beaten her twice in US Open lead-up. Anna Kournikova won Shanghai doubles title for first-time partnerd J. Lee. Anna Kournikova sprained right ankle at Moscow, forcing her to withdraw for rest of season |
| 2001 | Season dominated by injury for Anna Kournikova including a left foot stress fracture which forced her withdrawal from 12 tournaments, including Roland Garros and Wimbledon. She underwent surgery in April. Prior to injury, reached second career Grand Slam Quarter Finals at Australian Open, Tokyo [Pan Pacific] Semi Finals - lost to Seles in 3 sets and Paris Indoors Quarter Finals where she lost to Mauresmo in 3 sets match. Anna Kournikova returned to the Tour at San Diego, lost in first round to Pratt in 3 sets. In the same tournamnet Anna Kournikova reached doubles final with MartinaHingis. Anna Kournikova withdrew from several events due to continuing problems with her left foot and did not return until Leipzig where she lost to Myskina in second round. Anna Kournikova incurring her first career loss to a fellow Russian in a Tour event. Anna Kournikova won Moscow doubles title with Martina Hingis, their 10th title together. Anna Kournikova won first matches since returning from injury at Luxembourg to reach Quarter Finals and lost to eventual champion Clijsters |
| 2000 | Anna Kournikova Finished inside Top 15 for third consecutive year and first time in Top 10 at No. 8. Anna Kournikova reached one singles final ie Moscow, eight Semi Finals and seven Quarter Finals. Anna Kournikova won season-ending Championships doubles title for second successive year again with Hingis. She tore a ligament in left ankle in Berlin second round in May, forcing her withdrawal from Rome |
| 1999 | Anna Kournikova ended season as world’s No. 1 doubles player also reached one singles final at Hilton Head, three Semi Finals, three Quarter Finals and won her first Grand Slam doubles title with first-time partner Martina Hingis at Australian Open. Anna Kournikova reached fourth round in singles at all four Grand Slams this year. The Hilton Head final which Anna Kournikova vs. Hingis was the youngest in 27-year history with a combined age of 36 years, five months. At Amelia Island,Anna Kournikova defeated No. 2 Davenport and No. 10 Schnyder for her first Top 10 wins since 1998 Berlin. Anna Kournikova suffered stress fracture in right foot while practicing for Canadian Open in early August and was off the Tour for nearly three months, returning in Linz the last week of October |
| 1998 | Anna Kournikova broke into Top 20 in WTA ranking on March 30 at No. 16 after reaching career-first Tour singles finals at Miami. Anna Kournikova defeated No. 4 Monica Seles, No. 9 Martinez, No. 2 Davenport and No. 8 Sanchez-Vicario in consecutive days Thus Anna Kournikova joined Chris Evert-1977 VS Championships, Navratilova-1978 VS Championships and 1979 Wimbledon, Goolagong-Cawley-1980 Wimbledon, Pierce-1995 Australian Open, Davenport-1996 Olympics and Novotna-1997 Championships as players to have beaten four Top 10 players in same tournament. Anna Kournikova fell to Venus Williams in 3 sets at Berlin. Anna Kournikova defeated No. 5 Sanchez-Vicario and No. 1 Martina Hingis - This is Martina Hingis’ first loss to someone younger than her - en route to Semi Finals. Anna Kournikova reached fourth round at Roland Garros and US Open. At Eastbourne, in quarter Finals, handed No. 2 seed Steffi Graf only her third grasscourt loss of 1990s, and scored unique achievement of beating last five players to have held No. 1 ranking since 1987 in the space of three months. During the match with Steffi Graf, fell on her right thumb which forced her withdrawal from semi finals and Wimbledon. Anna Kournikova returned in late August for Canadian Open. Anna Kournikova broke into Top 10 for first time on June 22 at No. 10. With loss to No. 24 Farina Elia at Moscow, lost to a lower-ranked player for first time in 34 career losses and an Open Era record and first loss to someone outside Top 15 in two years |
| 1997 | Anna Kournikova became second woman in Open Era to reach semi finals on her first on Tour in her Wimbledon debut. Evert in 1972 was first, Stevenson in 1999 was third. Anna Kournikova defeated world No. 5 Majoli and No. 10 A. Huber en route, saved 1 match point in second round win over Rittner. Earlier at Berlin, scored first Top 10 win over world No. 6 Sanchez-Vicario in three round to reach first Tour quarter final and lost to eventual champion MJ Fernandez and breaking into Top 50 (May 19) at No. 48. Anna Kournikova lost to world No. 1 Hingis in theird round of Roland Garros, Paris. She withdrew from Philadelphia with a foot injury |
| 1996 | Anna Kournikova ended season ranked No. 57, a 224-spot improvement in 12 months and won first professional singles titles at ITF/Midland-USA as a qualifier where she droped just one set in eight matches, then at ITF/Rockford-USA. Anna Kournikova made Grand Slam debut at US Open and this was only second Tour main draw, where she defeated world No. 14 Paulus in theird round before falling to world No. 1 Graf in fourth round. On September 9, ranking jumped from No. 144 to debut in Top 100 at No. 69. Anna Kournikova represented Russia at Atlanta Olympics where she lost in first round to Courtois and at age 14, became youngest player to compete and win in Fed Cup competition, helping Russia to defeat Sweden 3-0 in First round. |
| 1995 | Unranked, Anna Kournikova made Tour debut at Moscow as a qualifier and reached 24 where she lost to No. 3 seed Appelmans. Anna Kournikova debuted on season-ending rankings at No. 281 |
| 1994 | Anna Kournikova received wild card into ITF/Moscow-RUS qualifying as a 14-year-old player. |
