Karin Kschwendt is a former professional
tennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
player who represented
AustriaThe Austria Fed Cup team represents Austria in Fed Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Osterreichischer Tennisverband. They currently compete in the World Group II.-History:...
, Germany and
LuxembourgThe "Luxembourg Fed Cup team" represents Luxembourg in Fed Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Fédération Luxembourgeoise de Tennis. They currently compete in the Europe/Africa Zone of Group I.-History:...
at various points in her career. She reached her career high ranking of world No. 37 on August 12, 1996. In doubles, she went as high as No. 45 on February 16, 1996.
Kschwendt was born in Switzerland, to Austrian parents Heinz and Edith, but grew up in Luxembourg, where she lived for 28 years.
Tennis career
Kschwendt made her professional debut in 1986, where she played for Luxembourg during a Fed Cup tie. She continued to represent Luxembourg in the early part of her career, and in 1990 became the first female player from her country to reach the third round of a Grand Slam, a feat that she achieved at
WimbledonThe 1990 Wimbledon Championships was a tennis tournament played on :grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon in London in England...
, before she lost to
Martina Navratilova.
In 1991, she reached the third round of the
Australian OpenThe 1991 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts at Flinders Park in Melbourne in Victoria in Australia. It was the 79th edition of the Australian Open and was held from 14 through 27 January 1991.-Men's Singles:...
, a result that broke her into the top 100, and finished the year at No. 88, but soon left in early 1992 after a lengthy break with injury. She came back stronger and managed to finish 1992 as the No. 78 in the world.
Kschwendt began to achieve solid results in 1993; now playing for Germany, she reached the semifinals of Auckland, the quarterfinals of Paris, and made her first and only WTA Tour final at an event in Belgium (she lost to
Radka BobkováRadka Bobková is a former Czech professional tennis player.She was born in Prague.-Singles 2 :-Doubles 4 :-References:*...
). The following year, she reached the third round of a major once more, this time at the French Open, but fell to
Iva MajoliIva Majoli Marić is a former professional tennis player from Croatia. She upset Martina Hingis to win the women's singles title at the French Open in 1997. Majoli also won eight singles titles and one women's doubles title during her career.-Career:Majoli turned professional in 1991 at the age...
.
1996 saw Kschwendt put together her best season, reaching the third round of the
Australian OpenThe 1996 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts at Melbourne Park in Melbourne in Victoria in Australia. It was the 84th edition of the Australian Open and was held from 15 through 28 January 1996.-Men's Singles:...
and achieving consistent results in WTA Tour events. She finished that year at No. 47, but went as high as No. 37 in August.
In 1997, she played her only match for the
Austria Fed Cup teamThe Austria Fed Cup team represents Austria in Fed Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Osterreichischer Tennisverband. They currently compete in the World Group II.-History:...
, losing her doubles match against
CroatiaThe Croatia Fed Cup team represents Croatia in Fed Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Croatian Tennis Association. They currently compete in the World Group II.-History:Croatia competed in its first Fed Cup in 1992...
.
Her last few years on Tour were mostly spent playing on the
ITF Women's CircuitThe ITF Women's Circuit is a series of professional tennis tournaments run by the International Tennis Federation for female professional tennis players. It serves as the developmental circuit for the WTA Tour, which is run by the independent Women's Tennis Association...
and qualifications of WTA events. In 2000, she played her last professional match.
Win (6)
- 1990: Palermo
The Internazionali Femminili di Palermo is a tennis tournament held in Palermo, Italy. Held since 1988, this WTA Tour event is a Tier IV-tournament and is played on outdoor clay courts. It was lowered to a Tier V event in 2001 but returned to Tier IV in 2005....
, ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
(w/Laura Garrone)
- 1990: Athens, Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
(w/Laura Garrone)
- 1992: Prague
The Strabag Prague Open is a tennis tournament held in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic . Held since 1992 but interrupted between 1999 and 2005, this WTA Tour event is a WTA International Tournaments and is played on outdoor clay courts...
, Czech RepublicThe Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
(w/Petra Schwarz)
- 1993: Palermo, Italy (w/Natalia Medvedeva)
- 1993: Hong Kong
The Hong Kong Open is a defunct tennis tournament that was held in Hong Kong on the Grand Prix tour from and the ATP Tour from...
(w/Rachel McQuillan)
- 1995: San Juan
The Puerto Rico Open is a defunct tennis tournament. The first edition dates back to 1971 but only from 1986 to 1993 was the tournament played every year. It was held in San Juan, Puerto Rico and was played on outdoor hard courts. In 1988, when Tier categories were first introduced on the WTA Tour,...
, Puerto RicoPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
(w/Rene Simpson)
Finalist (2)
- 1998: Makarska
The Makarska International Championships is a defunct WTA Tour affiliated tennis tournament played in 1998. It was held in Makarska in Croatia and played on outdoor clay courts.-Singles:-Doubles:-References:*...
, CroatiaCroatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
(w/Evgenia Kulikovskaya)
- 1998: Warsaw, Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
(w/Liezel Horn)
External links