Peng Shuai
Encyclopedia
Peng Shuai is a Chinese professional female tennis player. She won a gold medal at the 2010 Asian Games
, defeating Akgul Amanmuradova
in the final. As of 19 September 2011, she is one of the only two players in the Top 20 of both the singles and doubles rankings, the other being Victoria Azarenka
.
Peng is known for her stamina and plays with two hands on both sides and hits very flat. She has defeated many top 10 and top 5 players, including Anastasia Myskina
, Elena Dementieva
, Dinara Safina
, Kim Clijsters
, Martina Hingis
, Amélie Mauresmo
, Francesca Schiavone
, Jelena Janković
, Maria Sharapova
, Agnieszka Radwańska
, Li Na
, Svetlana Kuznetsova
, Nadia Petrova
and Vera Zvonareva
.
She has yet to win a WTA singles title, making four finals and many semifinals.
and forehand (though her backhand is the better side). Her father Peng Jijun is a police officer and her mother is Zhang Bing. At age 13, Peng Shuai was submitted to a hospital for heart surgery, a situation which she explains in the "Impossible is Nothing" campaign from Adidas.
, a $10,000 International Tennis Federation
("ITF") tournament, after entering as a wildcard, and crushing highly capable countrywoman Sun Tiantian
6–1, 6–4 in the semi-final. In July, she won her second $10,000 tournament of the year (although she was assisted in the final by the retirement of her opponent Liu Nannan after just one game was played, and in the following week's tournament she lost to Liu in the semi-final). Then in October she debuted on the WTA Tour at Shanghai as a wildcard, losing in the first round to Tamarine Tanasugarn
.
, defeating American Sunitha Rao
in the final. The following week, she extended her match-winning streak to twelve by coming through qualifying to reach the final of a $25,000 tournament at New Delhi, with wins over Japanese Aiko Nakamura
and Austrian Sybille Bammer
, before losing in the championship match to Eva Birnerová
. In July, she succeeded in qualifying for the main draw of a $50,000 tournament at Lexington
; but further success proved elusive, and after a second successive first-round main draw defeat in early August she took nearly seven months off from competition at singles events, ending the year world-ranked just 357.
, Tatiana Golovin
and Christina Wheeler
among others. After disappointing summer results, she started to play more consistently again towards the end of the year; and in December, she won her first $50,000 event, and the fifth ITF title of her young career, at Changsha, with victories over Yuka Yoshida
, Yan Zi
and Zheng Jie
, salvaging her year-end ranking, which had improved only slightly overall to 326, and heralding her coming breakthrough the following year.
, only to be defeated by future superstar Czech Nicole Vaidišová
in the tantalisingly close tournament decider, 6–7 5–7. The following month, she qualified for another $50,000 event, at Orange, California
, with wins over Neha Uberoi
and Mashona Washington
, then defeated Colombian Catalina Castaño
and Camille Pin
to reach the main-draw quarter-final, before losing in three sets to Ukrainian Yuliya Beygelzimer. Among further consistent results in ITF tournaments, she was victorious in what was the first ever $75,000 tournament she had entered, defeating Angela Haynes
, Yuka Yoshida
and Evgenia Linetskaya
in straight sets at Dothan to take her sixth career ITF singles title. A month later, she proved this was no accident by winning her second $75,000 event, fending off some tough competition from Lucie Šafářová
and Barbora Strýcová en route to a comfortable final victory over Zuzana Ondrášková
.
With the season's excellent results propelling her rapidly upwards in the rankings, she gained direct entry into her first Grand Slam
main draw at Wimbledon
(though without match-wins to show for it), but narrowly missed the cut at the US Open, losing a close battle in the first round of qualifying to Russian Anastasia Rodionova. But the emerging Chinese star persisted in trying her hand at other WTA Tour events, and worked her way to considerable success at Cincinnati in August, defeating some high-class opponents in Stéphanie Foretz
, Jill Craybas
and Alina Jidkova
to reach her first WTA Tour quarter-final, before losing to a Top 20 player, Vera Zvonareva
of Russia. A second quarter-final performance followed at Guangzhou in September, after she virtually blew French star Marion Bartoli
off the court for the loss of just one game in Round Two, only to be ousted in turn herself by countrywoman Li Ting.
The year ended on a further high note for Peng, as she won her second $50,000 title and eighth overall career ITF singles title at Shenzhen 2 in November, with impressive victories over her countrywomen Sun Tiantian
and Zheng Jie. (She had also reached the semi-final at Shenzhen 1 the previous week, only to lose to recent Guangzhou champion Li Na
.) She ended the year world-ranked 73, after a meteoric rise. It was the first time she had finished in the Women's Tennis Association
Top 300, let alone the Top 75; and thereafter she was able to bid the ITF events adieu, focussing solely on WTA draws.
in the second round in straight sets, in addition to defeating Camille Pin
, Tzipora Obziler
, Denisa Chládková
and Mashona Washington
, all without dropping a set. In the quarter-final, she was up 6–3 4–2 against Russian star Nadia Petrova
, and well on target for another shock straight-sets victory, when Petrova retired. But Alicia Molik
was on top form and finally ousted Peng in the semi-final. The following week, at the Australian Open, the Chinese star finally won her first grand slam singles match, defeating Maria Elena Camerin
of Italy 6–1, 6–2 before being overcome by Venus Williams
in Round Two.
An ankle injury in February made her miss several tournaments in February and March. On her return to competition in April, she lost two successive titanic second-round tussles to high-class players, namely Vera Zvonareva
and Justine Henin-Hardenne
, each match running to three close sets. At Strasbourg in May, she reached another WTA quarter-final, with wins over Tamarine Tanasugarn
and brilliant young French talent Tatiana Golovin
, before losing in three sets to Marta Domachowska
of Poland. At the French Open, she also took Lindsay Davenport
into a deciding set in their second-round match.
In August, she topped all her previous achievements by reaching her first WTA Tour Tier I semifinal at San Diego, posting upsets over then World Number 6 Elena Dementieva
, World Number 26 Dinara Safina
and World Number 7 Kim Clijsters
, all in straight sets. Her victory over Kim Clijsters
, who was on her way back to being World No. 1 after only a few months back on the tour following injury, ended the Belgian's 26–consecutive-match-winning streak on hard courts. Following the match, Kim told reporters that Peng had the potential to become a top 3 tennis player. Although an inspired Mary Pierce
had her way in the semi-final, Peng's outstanding performance in this tournament helped her to her career-best singles ranking (31st) on August 15, 2005, which was also the highest ever singles ranking achieved by any Chinese women's tennis player, improving on the standard set by Li Na
, who peaked at 33 earlier the same year (though she may yet ascend to new heights).
By September 2005, Peng ranked among the top 5 female tennis players across the whole Asian continent. That month, she reached two further WTA quarter-finals, at Beijing and (for the second year running) Guangzhou, where she retired in her quarter-final match against teenaged emerging star Victoria Azarenka
after losing the first set by a break. This proved to be her last match of the year; and without being able to defend the points won at Shenzhen the previous November, she found her year-end ranking settling to 35.
) and the Australian Open, then withdrew from subsequent tournaments with sickness. As of March 4, she was yet to play again; and the loss of her previous year's ranking points at Sydney and the Australian Open had conspired to displace her to 60th in the world rankings, a moderate decline that cannot reasonably be expected to be irreversible, in view of the tremendous promise she has shown. She has since proven this promise in 2006, reaching the semi-finals of a Tier IV tournament in Prague, a final in a Tier III tournament in Strasbourg, third round showing at Wimbledon (including a victory over a top 20 player in Shahar Pe'er
, 6–4 7–6) and finally a successful continuation of her Fed Cup career, winning both her ties against Indonesia.
Peng began her year by qualifying for the Sydney tournament and reaching the second round of the Australian Open for the second time, losing a tight match to top ten player Swiss Patty Schnyder
.
In early February she reached the semi-finals of the Tier 3 Pattaya Open, losing to Sybille Bammer
of Austria, she also lost to Bammer in the third round of her next event in Indian Wells.
Peng reached the third round of Tier 1 events in Toronto, Berlin, Indian Wells and Charleston recording a win over the previous year's finalist Patty Schnyder.
Peng was forced to retire from her tightly contested third round match in Berlin against world number 6 Jelena Janković
and returned to competitive play at Wimbledon
, losing in straight sets to qualifier Hana Šromová
. She once again failed to get past the first round of the US Open, losing in three sets to a resurgent Flavia Pennetta
.
At the 2007 China Open
, Peng beat former World Number 1 and 5 time Grand Slam champion Martina Hingis
in the final match of her professional career, winning 7–5, 6–1. Hingis retired 6 weeks later. She also beat 3rd seed Amélie Mauresmo en-route to her second semi-final of the year.
In the autumn Peng suffered a surprising loss in Tier 3 Guangzhou to Tzipora Obziler
and in the qualification tournament for Luxembourg to former top ten player Alicia Molik
. She qualified to the main draw of Zurich before losing in three sets to Marion Bartoli
.
Peng finished the year with a 26–21 record in singles, a doubles title in Guangzhou with Yan Zi
and one top ten win (against Mauresmo).
of Serbia 6–1, 6–3 in the semi-finals of the silver group (a competition among all first matches losers) of an exhibition tournament in Hong Kong.
This form was not to last as she then failed to win a match in her next six tournaments, including a first round loss at the Australian Open.
Peng finally recorded her first win of the year at the Tier 2 Bangalore Open
against Anne Kremer
before losing in three sets to Venus Williams
, she also won the doubles title with Sun Tiantian
. She then upset 23rd seed Karin Knapp
to reach the third round at Indian Wells.
Peng suffered two surprising losses in singles play against Spain
in the Fed Cup
Semi-finals losing 6–4 6–4 to Nuria Llagostera Vives
and 6–3, 7–6 to Carla Suárez Navarro
. China subsequently lost the tie in front of the home crowd.
At Strasbourg Peng reached her first quarterfinal of the year and recorded a top ten win when French Marion Bartoli
was forced to retire in round 1 while trailing 6–1, 1–0.
In Grand Slam play Peng reached the second round of the French Open and the third round of Wimbledon for he second time in her career, losing third round to Alla Kudryavtseva
of Russia despite winning more points. She also reached the second round of the US Open for the first in her career, defeating Greek Eleni Daniilidou
6–1, 6–0 before losing to eventual quarterfinalist Italian Flavia Pennetta
in three sets for the second year in a row.
After the US Open her ranking climbed up to number 40, her highest since Wimbledon 2007. Prior to the US Open Peng reached her first singles final since Strasbourg 2006 at Tier IV Forest Hills Tennis Classic before losing in straight sets to Lucie Šafářová
.
At the Beijing Olympics Peng got revenge for her Fed Cup defeat by defeating Carla Suárez Navarro
in round one before losing to Alizé Cornet
of France 6–2 6–2.
. Peng won the Medibank International doubles title with Hsieh Su-wei
, defeating Nathalie Dechy
and Casey Dellacqua
in the final 6–0, 6–1.
Peng defeated 28th seed Francesca Schiavone
in the first round of the Australian Open. She beat Bulgarian qualifier Sesil Karatantcheva
in the second round 6–4, 6–0. She lost to 2nd seed and eventual champion Serena Williams
in the third round 6–1, 6–4. She played doubles with Hsieh Su-wei
, where the made the quarter finals losing to the Williams sisters
in 3 sets.
At the Rome Masters
in May, Peng partnered with Hsieh Su-wei
once again and won the doubles title as the 7th seed by defeating 5th seeded Daniela Hantuchová
and Ai Sugiyama
with the scoreline of 7–5, 7–6.
At the 2009 French Open
, Peng was seeded 31 but was knocked out in the first round by unseeded clay specialist María José Martínez Sánchez
with the scoreline of 1–6, 6–2, 6–4.
However in doubles, partnering Hsieh Su-wei
once again, and as the 9th seeds, have made it into the semifinals by defeating 7th seeded Daniela Hantuchová
and Ai Sugiyama
in the third round and unseeded Radwańska sisters in the quarters. In the semifinals, they lost to 12th seeded team Victoria Azarenka
and Elena Vesnina
.
At the 2009 Wimbledon Championships
, Peng was unseeded and defeated US teenager Alexa Glatch
in three sets. She fell to No.11 Agnieszka Radwańska
in the second round, after a mammoth battle of three and a half hours. Despite saving five match points she eventually lost in three sets. Her 'never say die' attitude won her the admiration of many English fans.
At the 2009 U.S. Open (tennis), Peng was unseeded. She defeated Jarmila Groth in straight sets. However, in the next round, she lost to eventual semifinalist, Yanina Wickmayer
, also unseeded, in three sets after having a one break lead in the third set.
During the 2009 China Open
, after beating qualifier Yaroslava Shvedova
6–2 6–3, Peng went on to beat 2008 China Open champion and former world number 1 Jelena Janković
4–6 7–5 6–2 in a thrilling encounter, after Janković picked up a wrist injury in the latter stages of the match. In the third round Peng came face to face with another former world number 1, Maria Sharapova
, which Peng managed to win in straight sets 6–2 6–4. In the quarterfinals, Peng lost to Nadia Petrova
, winning the first set 7–65, but then started to feel pains in her leg, losing the next two sets 3–6, 2–6. However, in doubles, Peng partnered with Hsieh Su-wei
and won the title, bringing her ranking to a career high of 13. By her good performance at the China Open, her singles ranking rose up to 42 in the world.
to Hungarian Ágnes Szávay
5–7, 6–4, 6–2.
At the 2010 Moorilla Hobart International
, Peng defeated Romanian Sorana Cîrstea
in the first round 6–1, 6–4. In the second round she fell to fellow Chinese compatriot Zheng Jie
6–2, 6–1.
At the 2010 Australian Open
, Peng was once again drawn against compatriot Zheng Jie
. Peng took the first set 6–0 but could not hold the lead, losing the next two sets 1–6, 2–6.
Peng then travelled to the USA to compete at the 2010 BNP Paribas Open
at Indian Wells. In the first round she outlasted Ekaterina Makarova
, beating her 6–1, 2–6, 6–4. In the second round she defeated 20th seed Alona Bondarenko 6–1, 6–4. She then lost to 16th seed Nadia Petrova
in the third round 1–6, 5–7.
Peng then flew to Miami to compete at the 2010 Sony Ericsson Open
. She was unseeded and in the first round defeated Vania King
6–4, 1–6, 6–3. In the second round Peng faced top seed and World No.4 Svetlana Kuznetsova
. Peng lost a very close match and looked capable of defeating the top seed, but Kuznetsova hung on and finally outlasted the Chinese double-hander, defeating her 6–2, 3–6, 6–4.
This is the fourth time in her career that she has lost in the second round at Miami.
At the 2010 MPS Group Championships
held in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, Peng was unseeded and defeated Taiwanese Chang Kai-chen in the first round 6–4, 6–2 despite being 1–4 down in the first set. In the second round she was defeated by 8th seed American Melanie Oudin
with a score of 6–2, 5–7, 5–7.
Peng then competed at the 2010 Family Circle Cup
in Charleston. She defeated Shenay Perry
in the opening round 6–3, 2–6, 6–1. She defeated 5th seed Marion Bartoli
in the second round. Bartoli retired at 6–2, 6–7, 3–4 to allow Peng to move into the third round where she defeated 10th seed Elena Vesnina
7–5, 2–6, 6–2. In the quarter-finals she was defeated by 4th seed Australian Samantha Stosur
6–4, 6–1 despite being up a break 4–2 in the first set.
Seeded 7th at the 2010 Estoril Open
, Peng eased past Julie Coin
in the first round 6–2, 6–2 to book a second round ecounter with Tatjana Malek
, which she won 6–2, 6–1. In the quarter-finals, Peng defeated 4th seed and clay court specialist Anabel Medina Garrigues
4–6, 6–4, 6–3 in a match lasting 3 hours. She was defeated by Anastasija Sevastova
of Latvia in the semi-finals 6–7, 6–1, 6–3.
Peng then received a wildcard into the Madrid Masters
, a Premier Mandatory tournament. In the first round she was 3–0 up against 10th seed Victoria Azarenka
before Azarenka retired due to a right adductor strain. In the second round, Peng was defeated by fellow double-hander Arantxa Parra Santonja
1–6, 7–6, 6–3.
Peng then withdrew from the 2010 French Open
and missed the whole of the grass court season due to illness.
Peng then entered the 2010 GDF SUEZ Grand Prix
in Budapest, Hungary, after her long illness break. In the first round she defeated Silvia Njirić
6–1, 6–3 but fell to Anastasija Sevastova
in the second round 6–1, 6–1.
In the US Open
, Peng advanced to the third round by beating Wilcard Shelby Rogers
6–7, 7–6, 6–3 in the first round and 9th seed Agnieszka Radwańska
2–6, 6–1, 6–4 in the second round. In the third round, Peng withdrew from the tournament before the match with injury, handing Andrea Petkovic
a place in the fourth round.
Peng then suffered two first round exits at the 2010 Toray Pan Pacific Open
and the 2010 China Open
. In Tokyo, she lost to Christina McHale
in the first round of qualifying 6–3, 6–2. In the first round of Beijing, where she made the quarterfinals in 2009, Peng lost to Sara Errani
1–6, 6–4, 6–1. This loss caused her to drop to No. 95 in the world.
Unseeded at the 2010 BGL Luxembourg Open
, Peng drew top seed and World No. 9 Elena Dementieva
in the first round. Peng played a great match and led 5–1 in the second set, but Dementieva launched a comeback and won 7–5, 7–6. This was Peng's last WTA tour match of the 2010 season.
Peng continued her season on the ITF tour with a trophy at the $100,000 ITF event in Taipei played on carpet. Along the way Peng defeated Bojana Jovanovski in the quarter-finals, Tamarine Tanasugarn in the semi-finals and Ayumi Morita in the final.
Peng ended her season representing China in the 2010 Asian Games
in Guangzhou, China. She won a gold medal in the team event alongside team-mates Li Na, Yan Zi and Zhang Shuai. In the doubles event she gained a bronze medal with her partner Zi Yan and in the singles event she won another gold medal, defeating Akgul Amanmuradova
of Uzbekistan 7–5, 6–2.
. She was unseeded and defeated Johanna Larsson in the first round 6–1, 6–3. In the second round she caused a big upset by defeating No. 3 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova
2–6, 6–4, 6–4 after being a double break down 0–3 in the final set. In the quarterfinals, she defeated British qualifier Heather Watson
6–4, 7–5. Despite playing some of her best tennis in the semifinals, Peng lost to defending champion and No. 2 seed Yanina Wickmayer
3–6, 7–6, 7–5 in 2 hours and 53 minutes.
In the first round of the 2011 Moorilla Hobart International
, Peng took out No. 3 seed Tsvetana Pironkova
in the first round 2–6, 6–3, 6–2. She then defeated qualifier Olga Govortsova
2–6, 6–4, 6–0. She then defeated No. 7 seed Sara Errani
in straight sets 6–1, 6–3 to move into her second semifinal of 2011. In the semifinal she lost to Bethanie Mattek-Sands 4–6, 6–1, 6–1.
At the 2011 Australian Open
, Peng was unseeded and defeated Kateryna Bondarenko
in the first round 2–6, 6–3, 8–6. She then toppled seventh seed Jelena Janković
in the second round 7–6, 6–3. She then moved into the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career after a 6–1, 3–6, 6–3 win over Japan's Ayumi Morita
. In the fourth round, Peng Shuai was defeated in a hard fought match against 12th seed Agnieszka Radwańska
7–5, 3–6, 7–5, despite having two match points at 5–4 in the final set. After her fourth round performance, Peng's ranking rose to No. 40, making her the second highest-ranked Chinese player after Li Na
, since Zheng Jie
slipped down the rankings after not being able to defend her semifinal points.
Peng's next tournament was the 2011 PTT Pattaya Open
. She was seeded 6th and defeated Chan Yung-jan
in the first round 7–6, 6–0 and in the second round she defeated Elena Baltacha
2–6, 6–1, 6–4. In the quarterfinals she was narrowly defeated by top seed Vera Zvonareva
6–4, 4–6, 6–4 despite being up 4–3 40–15 in the final set.
Peng's next stop was the 2011 Dubai Tennis Championships
. Peng entered the qualifying draw as the No.2 seed and defeated wildcard Vanessa Henke
in the first round 6–1, 6–0. She then qualified for the main draw with a 5–7, 6–4, 6–2 win over No.11 seed Kateryna Bondarenko
. Peng got her revenge on Bethanie Mattek-Sands in the first round, defeating her this time 6–3, 2–6, 6–3. She was then defeated 4–6, 6–2, 7–6 by No.7 seed Victoria Azarenka
in the second round in 2 hours and 23 minutes.
Peng then qualified for the main draw of the 2011 Qatar Ladies Open
. Seeded No.3, she defeated Nuria Llagostera Vives
6–1, 2–6, 6–1 Anastasia Rodionova 6–3, 6–2 and Elena Vesnina
6–3, 6–3. In the first round of the main draw she defeated Timea Bacsinszky
6–3, 6–2. In the second round she played No.3 seed Francesca Schiavone
, whom she defeated 7–5, 6–3. In the quarterfinals, faced Marion Bartoli
, losing in straight sets, for the first time in the season, 2–6, 2–6.
Peng then entered the 2011 BNP Paribas Open
at Indian Wells. She narrowly missed out on being seeded and defeated Renata Voráčová
in the first round 7–5, 6–1. In the second round she defeated compatriot and No.7 seed Li Na
for the first time in her career 4–6, 6–3, 6–3. In the third round she came back from 2–5 down in the final set to beat Czech qualifier Lucie Hradecká
6–3, 4–6, 7–5. In the fourth round she battled past 18th seed Nadia Petrova
6–4, 5–7, 6–3. 16th seed Maria Sharapova
defeated her 6–2, 5–7, 6–3 in a 2 hour 22 minute quarterfinal match. Peng moved up to No.32 in the world as a result, 1 spot off her career high of 31.
Her next tournament was the 2011 Sony Ericsson Open
in Miami. Unseeded, she defeated Gréta Arn
in the first round 6–1, 6–2, and followed that up with a win against 20th seed Aravane Rezaï
in the second round 6–0, 6–4. She then defeated 11th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova
6–3, 6–1 in the third round, avenging her loss to the same player at this event the previous year. Peng then fell to 26th seed Alexandra Dulgheru
6–3, 6–4.
Peng reached the semifinals of the doubles competition with Shahar Peer.
Peng rose to a new career high ranking of No.30 and was seeded 11th at the 2011 Family Circle Cup
in Charleston. In the first round she defeated qualifier Sloane Stephens
6–2, 6–1. She then defeated Ayumi Morita
6–2, 6–1 in the second round. In the third round she outlasted 7th seed Nadia Petrova
6–3, 5–7, 6–2 to reach the quarterfinals where she defeated Indian qualifier Sania Mirza
2–6, 6–2, 6–2. Elena Vesnina
defeated her in the semifinals 7–6, 6–3. Due to her good performance at Charleston, Peng rose to a new career high of No.29 in the world rankings.
After a short break, Peng resumed competition at the 2011 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open. She was defeated by No.3 seed Francesca Schiavone
7–5, 7–6. This was Peng's first first round defeat of 2011.
In the first round of the 2011 Internazionali BNL d'Italia
in Rome, Peng was defeated by American qualifier Christina McHale
in just under 3 hours 6–3, 2–6, 7–6. However, Peng won the doubles title alongside Zheng Jie
, defeating No.3 seeds Yaroslava Shvedova
and Vania King
6–2, 6–3.
Peng played her final warm-up tournament prior to Roland Garros at the 2011 Brussels Ladies Open as the No.8 seed. In the first round she defeated Kirsten Flipkens
6–0, 1–6, 6–3 and then destroying qualifier Abigail Spears
6–2 6–0 in the second round. In the quarterfinals Peng's good form continued with a 6–2 6–4 defeat of Sofia Arvidsson
. In the semifinals Peng secured her first victory over current world no.3 Vera Zvonareva
in straight sets 6–3 6–3 to reach her first Premier final and fourth final of her career. In the Final Peng eventually fell to world no.1 Caroline Wozniacki
in 3 sets, 6–2 3–6 3–6.
At the 2011 French Open
Peng defeated Tamira Paszek
of Austria in the first round 6–3 6–2. In the second round she defeated Polona Hercog
7–5, 6–1. In the third round she was up against defending champion Francesca Schiavone
losing 6–3, 1–2 retiring due to illness. She broke into the top 20 after her run in the French Open.
Peng then moved onto grass and played the 2011 AEGON Classic
in Birmingham, reaching the semifinals with wins over Naomi Broady
, Heather Watson
and Marina Erakovic
before falling to eventual champion Sabine Lisicki
in straight sets.
Peng also competed at the 2011 AEGON International
at Eastbourne, falling to 3rd seed Victoria Azarenka
in the first round.
At Wimbledon, Peng defeated Kirsten Flipkens
in the first round 6–0, 6–4 and reached the third round by defeating local hope Elena Baltacha
4–6, 6–2, 7–5. She defeated Melinda Czink
in the third round and faced the 5th seed, Maria Sharapova
, in the fourth round, losing to the eventual runner-up in straight sets 6–4, 6–2. After reaching the Round of 16 at Wimbledon, Peng will reach a career high ranking of World No. 17.
After posting good results at the 2011 Western & Southern Open
, where she reached the quarterfinals defeating Peer in the 3rd round but then had to retire hurt, Peng reached another career high ranking of World No. 14, before the US Open
, where she will be seeded 13th. She is currently competing at the last stop of the US Open Series, the inaugural 2011 Texas Tennis Open
. As the No. 1 seed in the draw, she will take on American wildcard Melanie Oudin
in the first round. However Peng was forced to withdraw with an injury and therefore a lucky loser was giving her spot.
Seeded 13th at the US Open
, Peng defeated Varvara Lepchenko
in the first round. She followed this up beating former Wimbledon semifinalist Tsvetana Pironkova
. She advanced to the fourth round for the first time with a win over 19th seed Julia Görges
. She lost to Flavia Pennetta
in the round of 16, after holding 4 set points in the second set tiebreak. Even though she had an impressive run in the U.S Open her ranking fell from 14 to 15.
Seedeed 12th in the China Open, Peng lost to Flavia Pennetta
6-7(6), 5-7.
Peng then received a wildcard into the Bali Commonwealth Championships and drew Nadia Petrova
in the quarter-final. She lost to the Russian 6-4 6-3. Despite the loss, she ended her year ranking 15 in the world. 2011 has been the most successful year in her career.
2010 Asian Games
The 2010 Asian Games, also known as the XVI Asiad, was a multi-sport event celebrated in Guangzhou, China from November 12 to November 27, 2010. Guangzhou was the second Chinese city to host the Games, after Beijing in 1990...
, defeating Akgul Amanmuradova
Akgul Amanmuradova
Akgul Amanmuradova is a professional female tennis player from Uzbekistan.In 2005, she reached her first ever WTA singles final in Tashkent, the capital of her home country. In the final she lost to 16-year old Michaëlla Krajicek of the Netherlands...
in the final. As of 19 September 2011, she is one of the only two players in the Top 20 of both the singles and doubles rankings, the other being Victoria Azarenka
Victoria Azarenka
Victoria Azarenka is a Belarusian professional tennis player. Her career high and current ranking is world no. 3, which she first achieved on 12 September 2011. She became the highest-ranked Belarusian player ever, surpassing Natasha Zvereva by two spots....
.
Peng is known for her stamina and plays with two hands on both sides and hits very flat. She has defeated many top 10 and top 5 players, including Anastasia Myskina
Anastasia Myskina
Anastasiya Andreyevna Myskina is a professional tennis player from Russia. She won the 2004 French Open singles title, becoming the first Russian female tennis player to win a Grand Slam main draw singles title. Subsequent to this victory she rose to number 3 on the WTA ranking, becoming the first...
, Elena Dementieva
Elena Dementieva
Elena Viatcheslavovna Dementieva is a retired Russian professional tennis player. Dementieva is most notable for winning the singles gold medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. She won 16 WTA singles titles and reached the finals of the 2004 French Open and 2004 US Open. Dementieva achieved a...
, Dinara Safina
Dinara Safina
Dinara Mikhailovna Safina , born April 27, 1986 in Moscow, is a Russian professional tennis player of Tatar background. Safina's career high ranking is World No. 1....
, Kim Clijsters
Kim Clijsters
Kim Antonie Lode Clijsters is a Belgian professional tennis player. As of 7 November 2011, Clijsters is ranked No. 13 in singles. Clijsters is a former World No. 1 in both singles and doubles....
, Martina Hingis
Martina Hingis
Martina Hingis is a retired Swiss professional tennis player who spent a total of 209 weeks as World No. 1. She won five Grand Slam singles titles...
, Amélie Mauresmo
Amélie Mauresmo
Amélie Simone Mauresmo ; is a French former professional tennis player, and a former World No. 1. Mauresmo won two Grand Slam singles titles at the Australian Open and at Wimbledon....
, Francesca Schiavone
Francesca Schiavone
Francesca Schiavone is an Italian tennis player who turned professional in 1998. She won the 2010 French Open singles title, becoming the first Italian woman to win a Grand Slam event in singles. She was also runner-up at the 2011 French Open. As of 24 October 2011, Schiavone's ranking is World...
, Jelena Janković
Jelena Janković
Jelena Janković is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from Serbia. She reached the final of the 2008 US Open and won the 2007 Wimbledon Mixed Doubles title. Janković is ranked world no...
, Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova
Maria Yuryevna Sharapova ,. is a Russian professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. A US resident since 1994, Sharapova has won 24 WTA singles titles, including three Grand Slam singles titles at the 2004 Wimbledon, 2006 US Open and 2008 Australian Open...
, Agnieszka Radwańska
Agnieszka Radwanska
Agnieszka Radwańska is a WTA Tour Polish tennis player.Her career high singles ranking is World No. 8, which she achieved on 22 February 2010. As of 24 October 2011, she is ranked World No. 8. In 2007, Radwańska became the first Polish player in history to claim a WTA Tour singles title when she...
, Li Na
Li Na (tennis)
Li Na , goes first before the equivalent of a first name in some other nations. Her name off court in China is Li Na. When listed on the , she is known as Na Li. However, in the match, the commentators call her Li Na, and when her full name is listed in text on court, it is also written as Li Na.;...
, Svetlana Kuznetsova
Svetlana Kuznetsova
Svetlana Aleksandrovna Kuznetsova ; born June 27, 1985) is a Russian professional tennis player and as of October 10, 2011 ranked No. 21 in the WTA singles and No. 90 in the doubles ranking. Kuznetsova has appeared in four singles Grand Slam finals, winning two, and has also appeared in six doubles...
, Nadia Petrova
Nadia Petrova
Nadezhda Viktorovna Petrova is a Russian professional tennis player.Overall, she has won 28 WTA Titles, ten in singles and eighteen in doubles. In singles, Petrova has reached a career high ranking of World No. 3 in May 2006 and has reached the semi-finals of the French Open in 2003 and 2005...
and Vera Zvonareva
Vera Zvonareva
Vera Zvonareva is a professional tennis player from Russia. She was introduced to tennis at the age of six and turned professional in 2000. Her career high is World No. 2 by the WTA, and she is currently ranked as the World No. 7. Zvonarёva has won twelve WTA Tour singles titles and reached the...
.
She has yet to win a WTA singles title, making four finals and many semifinals.
Career
Peng began playing at age eight when an uncle (a famous tennis coach in China and the only other family member who plays tennis) introduced her to the game. She favors hard courtsTennis court
A tennis court is where the game of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the center. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles.-Dimensions:...
and forehand (though her backhand is the better side). Her father Peng Jijun is a police officer and her mother is Zhang Bing. At age 13, Peng Shuai was submitted to a hospital for heart surgery, a situation which she explains in the "Impossible is Nothing" campaign from Adidas.
2001
In 2001, at the beginning of June, aged just fifteen years and four months, she won her first singles title at BaotouBaotou
Baotou is a mid-sized industrial city in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. Governed as a prefecture-level city, its urban areas are home to a population of approximately 1.78 million, with a total population of over 2.65 million accounting for counties under...
, a $10,000 International Tennis Federation
International Tennis Federation
The International Tennis Federation is the governing body of world tennis, made up of 205 national tennis associations.It was established as the International Lawn Tennis Federation by 12 national associations meeting at a conference in Paris, France on 1 March 1913...
("ITF") tournament, after entering as a wildcard, and crushing highly capable countrywoman Sun Tiantian
Sun Tiantian
Sun Tiantian is a Chinese female tennis player.- Career :In September 2000, Tiantian won two successive US$10,000 ITF singles titles, a feat she would repeat in June 2001, when she won another two back-to-back....
6–1, 6–4 in the semi-final. In July, she won her second $10,000 tournament of the year (although she was assisted in the final by the retirement of her opponent Liu Nannan after just one game was played, and in the following week's tournament she lost to Liu in the semi-final). Then in October she debuted on the WTA Tour at Shanghai as a wildcard, losing in the first round to Tamarine Tanasugarn
Tamarine Tanasugarn
Tamarine Tanasugarn is a professional Thai tennis player. She was born in Los Angeles, United States, and turned professional in 1994. She has been in the top 20 in both singles and doubles....
.
2002
In February 2002, Peng won her third $10,000 ITF singles title in the space of nine months at MumbaiMumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, defeating American Sunitha Rao
Sunitha Rao
Sunitha Manohar Rao is a former American professional tennis player of Indian background. She was born in Jersey City, New Jersey. Rao has 8 career titles on the ITF Women's Circuit and has reached many finals in singles.-Early life:...
in the final. The following week, she extended her match-winning streak to twelve by coming through qualifying to reach the final of a $25,000 tournament at New Delhi, with wins over Japanese Aiko Nakamura
Aiko Nakamura
, is a female Japanese tennis player. She was once the second highest WTA-ranked Japanese singles tennis player, at 107 , after Ai Sugiyama....
and Austrian Sybille Bammer
Sybille Bammer
Sybille Bammer is a former professional female tennis player from Austria. Her career high ranking is No. 19, achieved on 17 December 2007....
, before losing in the championship match to Eva Birnerová
Eva Birnerová
Eva Birnerová is a professional female tennis player from the Czech Republic.-Career:Coached by Tim Sommer since October 2005, an all-court player who prefers playing on grass...
. In July, she succeeded in qualifying for the main draw of a $50,000 tournament at Lexington
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
; but further success proved elusive, and after a second successive first-round main draw defeat in early August she took nearly seven months off from competition at singles events, ending the year world-ranked just 357.
2003
It was not until April 2003 that Peng next won a match; but then she proceeded to put in her career-best performance, coming through qualifying to win her first $25,000 title at Jackson, with match wins against Rika FujiwaraRika Fujiwara
Rika Fujiwara is a Japanese professional tennis player. Her best-ever ranking is, singles No. 84 , doubles No. 13...
, Tatiana Golovin
Tatiana Golovin
Tatiana Golovin is an inactive French professional tennis player. She is best known for her explosive forehand, which was said to be one of the best at the time. She notably won the 2004 French Open mixed doubles event with Richard Gasquet, and reached the singles quarterfinal at the 2006 U.S....
and Christina Wheeler
Christina Wheeler
Christina Wheeler is an Australian professional tennis player. Her highest WTA singles ranking is 147, which she reached on 26 May 2003. Her career high in doubles is 91 set at 8 July 2002...
among others. After disappointing summer results, she started to play more consistently again towards the end of the year; and in December, she won her first $50,000 event, and the fifth ITF title of her young career, at Changsha, with victories over Yuka Yoshida
Yuka Yoshida
Yuka Yoshida is a tennis player from Japan who has one doubles win in Memphis, Tennessee. Her best grand slam result came in 1998 when she reached the Quarterfinals of the doubles at the US Open.-References:...
, Yan Zi
Yan Zi
Yan Zi is a Chinese women's tennis player.Yan Zi may also refer to:* Stefanie Sun , also known as Sun Yan Zi, Singaporean singer** Yan Zi , Sun's self-titled album...
and Zheng Jie
Zheng Jie
Zheng Jie is a Chinese professional tennis player. Her career high ranking is World No. 15 which she achieved on May 18, 2009. As of August 15, 2011, Zheng is ranked World No. 65 in singles and World No. 20 in doubles....
, salvaging her year-end ranking, which had improved only slightly overall to 326, and heralding her coming breakthrough the following year.
2004
In February 2004, she reached her third $25,000 singles event final at Columbus, OhioColumbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, only to be defeated by future superstar Czech Nicole Vaidišová
Nicole Vaidišová
Nicole Vaidišová is a retired Czech tennis player.Vaidišová was an Australian Open and French Open semifinalist and also reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. Vaidišová started playing tennis when she was six years old, enrolling to train at Nick Bollettieri's tennis academy in Bradenton,...
in the tantalisingly close tournament decider, 6–7 5–7. The following month, she qualified for another $50,000 event, at Orange, California
Orange, California
Southern California is well-known for year-round pleasant weather: - On average, the warmest month is August. - The highest recorded temperature was in 1985. - On average, the coolest month is December. - The lowest recorded temperature was in 1950...
, with wins over Neha Uberoi
Neha Uberoi
Neha Uberoi is a former professional tennis player. She is the sister of fellow tennis professional Shikha Uberoi....
and Mashona Washington
Mashona Washington
Mashona Washington is a professional tennis player from the United States.Mashona's career high singles ranking is no. 50 which she reached on November 8, 2004, and her career high doubles ranking is no...
, then defeated Colombian Catalina Castaño
Catalina Castaño
Catalina Castaño Alvarez is a professional female Colombian tennis player. On July 10, 2006, Catalina reached her career-high singles ranking: World No. 35. Since November 2006, she is the highest ranked South American female tennis player...
and Camille Pin
Camille Pin
Camille Pin is a former French professional tennis player. Pin played right-handed and is 162 cm, or 5' 3¾" tall....
to reach the main-draw quarter-final, before losing in three sets to Ukrainian Yuliya Beygelzimer. Among further consistent results in ITF tournaments, she was victorious in what was the first ever $75,000 tournament she had entered, defeating Angela Haynes
Angela Haynes
Angela Haynes is a professional tennis player from the United States. Haynes's top WTA singles ranking is World No. 95 which she attained in August, 2005. Angela is currently ranked World No. 158, race-singles World No. 260 and World No...
, Yuka Yoshida
Yuka Yoshida
Yuka Yoshida is a tennis player from Japan who has one doubles win in Memphis, Tennessee. Her best grand slam result came in 1998 when she reached the Quarterfinals of the doubles at the US Open.-References:...
and Evgenia Linetskaya
Evgenia Linetskaya
Evgenia Simonovna Linetskaya is a Russian-born Israeli 5' 9" right-handed professional tennis player.Through May 2009, her career high in singles was # 35 on July 4, 2005.-Early success:...
in straight sets at Dothan to take her sixth career ITF singles title. A month later, she proved this was no accident by winning her second $75,000 event, fending off some tough competition from Lucie Šafářová
Lucie Šafárová
Lucie Šafářová is a professional Czech tennis player. She was born in Brno.Šafářová has won four WTA tour singles titles and reached the quarterfinals of the 2007 Australian Open, upsetting defending champion Amélie Mauresmo en-route...
and Barbora Strýcová en route to a comfortable final victory over Zuzana Ondrášková
Zuzana Ondrášková
Zuzana Ondrášková is a professional female tennis player from the Czech Republic. On 9 February 2004 she reached her career-high singles ranking of World No...
.
With the season's excellent results propelling her rapidly upwards in the rankings, she gained direct entry into her first Grand Slam
Grand Slam (tennis)
The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and...
main draw at Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
(though without match-wins to show for it), but narrowly missed the cut at the US Open, losing a close battle in the first round of qualifying to Russian Anastasia Rodionova. But the emerging Chinese star persisted in trying her hand at other WTA Tour events, and worked her way to considerable success at Cincinnati in August, defeating some high-class opponents in Stéphanie Foretz
Stéphanie Foretz
Stéphanie Foretz Gacon is a professional female tennis player from France...
, Jill Craybas
Jill Craybas
- Early years :Craybas was born in Providence, Rhode Island. She received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, where she played for coach Andy Brandi's Florida Gators women's tennis team in National Collegiate Athletics Association competition from 1993 to...
and Alina Jidkova
Alina Jidkova
Alina Vladimirovna Jidkova , soubriquet Alinka, is a former Women's Tennis Association tennis player....
to reach her first WTA Tour quarter-final, before losing to a Top 20 player, Vera Zvonareva
Vera Zvonareva
Vera Zvonareva is a professional tennis player from Russia. She was introduced to tennis at the age of six and turned professional in 2000. Her career high is World No. 2 by the WTA, and she is currently ranked as the World No. 7. Zvonarёva has won twelve WTA Tour singles titles and reached the...
of Russia. A second quarter-final performance followed at Guangzhou in September, after she virtually blew French star Marion Bartoli
Marion Bartoli
Marion Bartoli is a French professional tennis player and the current French no. 1. She has won seven Women's Tennis Association singles titles and three doubles titles. She was also a runner-up at the 2007 Wimbledon Championships....
off the court for the loss of just one game in Round Two, only to be ousted in turn herself by countrywoman Li Ting.
The year ended on a further high note for Peng, as she won her second $50,000 title and eighth overall career ITF singles title at Shenzhen 2 in November, with impressive victories over her countrywomen Sun Tiantian
Sun Tiantian
Sun Tiantian is a Chinese female tennis player.- Career :In September 2000, Tiantian won two successive US$10,000 ITF singles titles, a feat she would repeat in June 2001, when she won another two back-to-back....
and Zheng Jie. (She had also reached the semi-final at Shenzhen 1 the previous week, only to lose to recent Guangzhou champion Li Na
Li Na (tennis)
Li Na , goes first before the equivalent of a first name in some other nations. Her name off court in China is Li Na. When listed on the , she is known as Na Li. However, in the match, the commentators call her Li Na, and when her full name is listed in text on court, it is also written as Li Na.;...
.) She ended the year world-ranked 73, after a meteoric rise. It was the first time she had finished in the Women's Tennis Association
Women's Tennis Association
The Women's Tennis Association , founded in 1973 by Billie Jean King, is the principal organizing body of Women's Professional Tennis. It governs the WTA Tour which is the worldwide professional tennis tour for women. Its counterpart organization in the men's professional game is the Association of...
Top 300, let alone the Top 75; and thereafter she was able to bid the ITF events adieu, focussing solely on WTA draws.
2005
In January 2005, Peng came through a tough qualifying draw at Sydney comfortably, and went on to reach her first WTA Tour semifinal. On the way, she upset the no. 2 seed Anastasia MyskinaAnastasia Myskina
Anastasiya Andreyevna Myskina is a professional tennis player from Russia. She won the 2004 French Open singles title, becoming the first Russian female tennis player to win a Grand Slam main draw singles title. Subsequent to this victory she rose to number 3 on the WTA ranking, becoming the first...
in the second round in straight sets, in addition to defeating Camille Pin
Camille Pin
Camille Pin is a former French professional tennis player. Pin played right-handed and is 162 cm, or 5' 3¾" tall....
, Tzipora Obziler
Tzipora Obziler
Tzipora Obziler is a former professional right-handed tennis player.She reached her career-high singles world ranking of #75 in on July 8, 2007, and doubles ranking of #149 on April 10, 2000....
, Denisa Chládková
Denisa Chládková
Denisa Chládková was a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic.She did not win any WTA titles, but she is probably best remembered for reaching the Wimbledon quarterfinals in 1997, playing in only her third Grand Slam main draw...
and Mashona Washington
Mashona Washington
Mashona Washington is a professional tennis player from the United States.Mashona's career high singles ranking is no. 50 which she reached on November 8, 2004, and her career high doubles ranking is no...
, all without dropping a set. In the quarter-final, she was up 6–3 4–2 against Russian star Nadia Petrova
Nadia Petrova
Nadezhda Viktorovna Petrova is a Russian professional tennis player.Overall, she has won 28 WTA Titles, ten in singles and eighteen in doubles. In singles, Petrova has reached a career high ranking of World No. 3 in May 2006 and has reached the semi-finals of the French Open in 2003 and 2005...
, and well on target for another shock straight-sets victory, when Petrova retired. But Alicia Molik
Alicia Molik
Alicia Molik is a Australian professional female tennis player. She reached a career high singles rank of number 8 and also won a bronze medal for Australia at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Molik also reached a career high doubles ranking of number 6, and won two grand slam doubles titles, at the...
was on top form and finally ousted Peng in the semi-final. The following week, at the Australian Open, the Chinese star finally won her first grand slam singles match, defeating Maria Elena Camerin
Maria Elena Camerin
Maria Elena Camerin is a professional female tennis player from Italy.On 11 October 2004, Camerin reached her career-high singles ranking: World No...
of Italy 6–1, 6–2 before being overcome by Venus Williams
Venus Williams
Venus Ebony Starr Williams is an American professional tennis player who is a former World No. 1 and is ranked World No. 101 as of 10 October 2011 in singles and World No. 20 in doubles as of 2011. She has been ranked World No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association on three separate...
in Round Two.
An ankle injury in February made her miss several tournaments in February and March. On her return to competition in April, she lost two successive titanic second-round tussles to high-class players, namely Vera Zvonareva
Vera Zvonareva
Vera Zvonareva is a professional tennis player from Russia. She was introduced to tennis at the age of six and turned professional in 2000. Her career high is World No. 2 by the WTA, and she is currently ranked as the World No. 7. Zvonarёva has won twelve WTA Tour singles titles and reached the...
and Justine Henin-Hardenne
Justine Henin-Hardenne
Justine Henin , formerly known as Justine Henin-Hardenne , is a retired professional Belgian tennis player and former World No. 1....
, each match running to three close sets. At Strasbourg in May, she reached another WTA quarter-final, with wins over Tamarine Tanasugarn
Tamarine Tanasugarn
Tamarine Tanasugarn is a professional Thai tennis player. She was born in Los Angeles, United States, and turned professional in 1994. She has been in the top 20 in both singles and doubles....
and brilliant young French talent Tatiana Golovin
Tatiana Golovin
Tatiana Golovin is an inactive French professional tennis player. She is best known for her explosive forehand, which was said to be one of the best at the time. She notably won the 2004 French Open mixed doubles event with Richard Gasquet, and reached the singles quarterfinal at the 2006 U.S....
, before losing in three sets to Marta Domachowska
Marta Domachowska
Marta Domachowska is a Polish professional tennis player. She began playing at age 7. She reached the semi finals of Australian Open Junior Championships in 2003. Her racquet brand is Wilson. She speaks four languages: Polish, English, Spanish and Russian. Other than tennis, she enjoys sports such...
of Poland. At the French Open, she also took Lindsay Davenport
Lindsay Davenport
Lindsay Ann Davenport is a former World No. 1 American professional tennis player. She has won three Grand Slam singles tournaments and an Olympic gold medal in singles. In 2005, TENNIS Magazine ranked her as the 29th-best player of the preceding forty years...
into a deciding set in their second-round match.
In August, she topped all her previous achievements by reaching her first WTA Tour Tier I semifinal at San Diego, posting upsets over then World Number 6 Elena Dementieva
Elena Dementieva
Elena Viatcheslavovna Dementieva is a retired Russian professional tennis player. Dementieva is most notable for winning the singles gold medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. She won 16 WTA singles titles and reached the finals of the 2004 French Open and 2004 US Open. Dementieva achieved a...
, World Number 26 Dinara Safina
Dinara Safina
Dinara Mikhailovna Safina , born April 27, 1986 in Moscow, is a Russian professional tennis player of Tatar background. Safina's career high ranking is World No. 1....
and World Number 7 Kim Clijsters
Kim Clijsters
Kim Antonie Lode Clijsters is a Belgian professional tennis player. As of 7 November 2011, Clijsters is ranked No. 13 in singles. Clijsters is a former World No. 1 in both singles and doubles....
, all in straight sets. Her victory over Kim Clijsters
Kim Clijsters
Kim Antonie Lode Clijsters is a Belgian professional tennis player. As of 7 November 2011, Clijsters is ranked No. 13 in singles. Clijsters is a former World No. 1 in both singles and doubles....
, who was on her way back to being World No. 1 after only a few months back on the tour following injury, ended the Belgian's 26–consecutive-match-winning streak on hard courts. Following the match, Kim told reporters that Peng had the potential to become a top 3 tennis player. Although an inspired Mary Pierce
Mary Pierce
Mary Pierce is a French-American tennis professional playing on the Women's Tennis Association tour. She is a citizen of France, Canada, and the United States but plays for France in team competitions and the Olympics.Pierce has won four Grand Slam titles, two in singles and two in doubles...
had her way in the semi-final, Peng's outstanding performance in this tournament helped her to her career-best singles ranking (31st) on August 15, 2005, which was also the highest ever singles ranking achieved by any Chinese women's tennis player, improving on the standard set by Li Na
Li Na (tennis)
Li Na , goes first before the equivalent of a first name in some other nations. Her name off court in China is Li Na. When listed on the , she is known as Na Li. However, in the match, the commentators call her Li Na, and when her full name is listed in text on court, it is also written as Li Na.;...
, who peaked at 33 earlier the same year (though she may yet ascend to new heights).
By September 2005, Peng ranked among the top 5 female tennis players across the whole Asian continent. That month, she reached two further WTA quarter-finals, at Beijing and (for the second year running) Guangzhou, where she retired in her quarter-final match against teenaged emerging star Victoria Azarenka
Victoria Azarenka
Victoria Azarenka is a Belarusian professional tennis player. Her career high and current ranking is world no. 3, which she first achieved on 12 September 2011. She became the highest-ranked Belarusian player ever, surpassing Natasha Zvereva by two spots....
after losing the first set by a break. This proved to be her last match of the year; and without being able to defend the points won at Shenzhen the previous November, she found her year-end ranking settling to 35.
2006
The year 2006 began disappointingly for the Chinese twenty-year-old. She lost her first-round ties at Sydney (a tough draw against Ana IvanovićAna Ivanovic
Ana Ivanović is a former world no. 1 Serbian tennis player. As of November 7, 2011, she is ranked 22th on the WTA rankings. She beat Dinara Safina to win the 2008 French Open and was the runner-up in singles at the 2007 French Open and the 2008 Australian Open...
) and the Australian Open, then withdrew from subsequent tournaments with sickness. As of March 4, she was yet to play again; and the loss of her previous year's ranking points at Sydney and the Australian Open had conspired to displace her to 60th in the world rankings, a moderate decline that cannot reasonably be expected to be irreversible, in view of the tremendous promise she has shown. She has since proven this promise in 2006, reaching the semi-finals of a Tier IV tournament in Prague, a final in a Tier III tournament in Strasbourg, third round showing at Wimbledon (including a victory over a top 20 player in Shahar Pe'er
Shahar Pe'er
Shahar Pe'er is an Israeli professional tennis player. Her career-high singles ranking is World No. 11, which she achieved on January 31, 2011 ....
, 6–4 7–6) and finally a successful continuation of her Fed Cup career, winning both her ties against Indonesia.
2007
2007 was slightly more successful for Peng than her previous year as she finished ranked within the world's top 50.Peng began her year by qualifying for the Sydney tournament and reaching the second round of the Australian Open for the second time, losing a tight match to top ten player Swiss Patty Schnyder
Patty Schnyder
Patty Schnyder is a retired Swiss professional tennis player. She played on the WTA tour from 1993 to 2011 and is a former World No. 7. She defeated several World No...
.
In early February she reached the semi-finals of the Tier 3 Pattaya Open, losing to Sybille Bammer
Sybille Bammer
Sybille Bammer is a former professional female tennis player from Austria. Her career high ranking is No. 19, achieved on 17 December 2007....
of Austria, she also lost to Bammer in the third round of her next event in Indian Wells.
Peng reached the third round of Tier 1 events in Toronto, Berlin, Indian Wells and Charleston recording a win over the previous year's finalist Patty Schnyder.
Peng was forced to retire from her tightly contested third round match in Berlin against world number 6 Jelena Janković
Jelena Janković
Jelena Janković is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from Serbia. She reached the final of the 2008 US Open and won the 2007 Wimbledon Mixed Doubles title. Janković is ranked world no...
and returned to competitive play at Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
, losing in straight sets to qualifier Hana Šromová
Hana Šromová
Hana Šromová is a professional female tennis player from the Czech Republic. On Jun 19, 2006, Šromová achieved her career-high singles ranking: World No. 87.- External links :...
. She once again failed to get past the first round of the US Open, losing in three sets to a resurgent Flavia Pennetta
Flavia Pennetta
Flavia Pennetta is an Italian professional tennis player. She became Italy's first top 10 female singles player on 17 August 2009 and also the first ever Italian Tennis player to be ranked No.1 in Doubles on 28 February 2011. As of 10 October 2011, Pennetta is ranked World No. 18 in singles and...
.
At the 2007 China Open
China Open (tennis)
The China Open is an annual professional tennis tournament held in Beijing, China. The men's singles and doubles events were first held in 1993, the year in which the Qatar Open and Dubai Tennis Championships were also introduced to the men's tour, as the ATP opened a series of new tournaments in...
, Peng beat former World Number 1 and 5 time Grand Slam champion Martina Hingis
Martina Hingis
Martina Hingis is a retired Swiss professional tennis player who spent a total of 209 weeks as World No. 1. She won five Grand Slam singles titles...
in the final match of her professional career, winning 7–5, 6–1. Hingis retired 6 weeks later. She also beat 3rd seed Amélie Mauresmo en-route to her second semi-final of the year.
In the autumn Peng suffered a surprising loss in Tier 3 Guangzhou to Tzipora Obziler
Tzipora Obziler
Tzipora Obziler is a former professional right-handed tennis player.She reached her career-high singles world ranking of #75 in on July 8, 2007, and doubles ranking of #149 on April 10, 2000....
and in the qualification tournament for Luxembourg to former top ten player Alicia Molik
Alicia Molik
Alicia Molik is a Australian professional female tennis player. She reached a career high singles rank of number 8 and also won a bronze medal for Australia at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Molik also reached a career high doubles ranking of number 6, and won two grand slam doubles titles, at the...
. She qualified to the main draw of Zurich before losing in three sets to Marion Bartoli
Marion Bartoli
Marion Bartoli is a French professional tennis player and the current French no. 1. She has won seven Women's Tennis Association singles titles and three doubles titles. She was also a runner-up at the 2007 Wimbledon Championships....
.
Peng finished the year with a 26–21 record in singles, a doubles title in Guangzhou with Yan Zi
Yan Zi
Yan Zi is a Chinese women's tennis player.Yan Zi may also refer to:* Stefanie Sun , also known as Sun Yan Zi, Singaporean singer** Yan Zi , Sun's self-titled album...
and one top ten win (against Mauresmo).
2008
On January 4, 2008 Peng, ranked no.45, beat No.1 seed Ana IvanovićAna Ivanovic
Ana Ivanović is a former world no. 1 Serbian tennis player. As of November 7, 2011, she is ranked 22th on the WTA rankings. She beat Dinara Safina to win the 2008 French Open and was the runner-up in singles at the 2007 French Open and the 2008 Australian Open...
of Serbia 6–1, 6–3 in the semi-finals of the silver group (a competition among all first matches losers) of an exhibition tournament in Hong Kong.
This form was not to last as she then failed to win a match in her next six tournaments, including a first round loss at the Australian Open.
Peng finally recorded her first win of the year at the Tier 2 Bangalore Open
Bangalore Open
The Bangalore Open was a tennis tournament held in Bangalore, India. The tournament began in Hyderabad in 2003, and moved to Bangalore in 2006. This WTA Tour event was played on outdoor hardcourts. It as a Premier Mandatory event with a prize Money of US$175,000...
against Anne Kremer
Anne Kremer
Anne Kremer is a professional female tennis player from Luxembourg. Her highest WTA Ranking has been World No...
before losing in three sets to Venus Williams
Venus Williams
Venus Ebony Starr Williams is an American professional tennis player who is a former World No. 1 and is ranked World No. 101 as of 10 October 2011 in singles and World No. 20 in doubles as of 2011. She has been ranked World No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association on three separate...
, she also won the doubles title with Sun Tiantian
Sun Tiantian
Sun Tiantian is a Chinese female tennis player.- Career :In September 2000, Tiantian won two successive US$10,000 ITF singles titles, a feat she would repeat in June 2001, when she won another two back-to-back....
. She then upset 23rd seed Karin Knapp
Karin Knapp
Karin Knapp is an Italian female tennis player. She was ranked World No. 35 on 25 February 2008.-Career:...
to reach the third round at Indian Wells.
Peng suffered two surprising losses in singles play against Spain
Spain Fed Cup team
The Spain Fed Cup team represents Spain in Fed Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Real Federación Española de Tenis. They currently compete in the World Group.-Current team:* María José Martínez Sánchez...
in the Fed Cup
Fed Cup
Fed Cup is the premier team competition in women's tennis, launched in 1963 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the International Tennis Federation...
Semi-finals losing 6–4 6–4 to Nuria Llagostera Vives
Nuria Llagostera Vives
Nuria Llagostera Vives is a Spanish female tennis player. On June 6, 2005, Llagostera Vives reached her career-high singles ranking, World No. 35.During her career she has won 2 singles titles and 11 in doubles...
and 6–3, 7–6 to Carla Suárez Navarro
Carla Suarez Navarro
Carla Suárez Navarro is a Spanish tennis player. She began playing for Spain in the 2008 Fed Cup. On May 18, 2009, she reached her career high ranking at World No. 22.-2008:...
. China subsequently lost the tie in front of the home crowd.
At Strasbourg Peng reached her first quarterfinal of the year and recorded a top ten win when French Marion Bartoli
Marion Bartoli
Marion Bartoli is a French professional tennis player and the current French no. 1. She has won seven Women's Tennis Association singles titles and three doubles titles. She was also a runner-up at the 2007 Wimbledon Championships....
was forced to retire in round 1 while trailing 6–1, 1–0.
In Grand Slam play Peng reached the second round of the French Open and the third round of Wimbledon for he second time in her career, losing third round to Alla Kudryavtseva
Alla Kudryavtseva
Alla Alexandrovna Kudryavtseva is a professional tennis player from Russia. She currently lives in Moscow, where she is coached by Nick Rybakov...
of Russia despite winning more points. She also reached the second round of the US Open for the first in her career, defeating Greek Eleni Daniilidou
Eleni Daniilidou
Eleni Daniilidou is a Greek tennis player born in Chania, on the island of Crete.As of 2011, she has won five WTA singles titles and three doubles titles. In 2003, she reached the Australian Open mixed doubles final. Her highest singles ranking has been 14th...
6–1, 6–0 before losing to eventual quarterfinalist Italian Flavia Pennetta
Flavia Pennetta
Flavia Pennetta is an Italian professional tennis player. She became Italy's first top 10 female singles player on 17 August 2009 and also the first ever Italian Tennis player to be ranked No.1 in Doubles on 28 February 2011. As of 10 October 2011, Pennetta is ranked World No. 18 in singles and...
in three sets for the second year in a row.
After the US Open her ranking climbed up to number 40, her highest since Wimbledon 2007. Prior to the US Open Peng reached her first singles final since Strasbourg 2006 at Tier IV Forest Hills Tennis Classic before losing in straight sets to Lucie Šafářová
Lucie Šafárová
Lucie Šafářová is a professional Czech tennis player. She was born in Brno.Šafářová has won four WTA tour singles titles and reached the quarterfinals of the 2007 Australian Open, upsetting defending champion Amélie Mauresmo en-route...
.
At the Beijing Olympics Peng got revenge for her Fed Cup defeat by defeating Carla Suárez Navarro
Carla Suarez Navarro
Carla Suárez Navarro is a Spanish tennis player. She began playing for Spain in the 2008 Fed Cup. On May 18, 2009, she reached her career high ranking at World No. 22.-2008:...
in round one before losing to Alizé Cornet
Alizé Cornet
Alizé Cornet is a French professional tennis player and the current French number three . She was born in Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, and has a career-high ranking of No. 11, achieved on 16 February 2009; as of 4 July 2011 she is ranked World No. 69...
of France 6–2 6–2.
2009
In early 2009, Peng announced that she will be coached full-time for the 2009 season by Tarik BenhabilesTarik Benhabiles
Tarik Benhabiles is a former French tennis player. He achieved his highest ATP-ranking on June 8, 1987, when the right-hander was listed as the number 22 player in the world....
. Peng won the Medibank International doubles title with Hsieh Su-wei
Hsieh Su-wei
Hsieh Su-wei is a Taiwanese professional female tennis player. As of July 12, 2010 she is ranked 322nd in the WTA Tour singles rankings and is the fourth-highest ranked Taiwanese women's singles player. -2006–2007:...
, defeating Nathalie Dechy
Nathalie Dechy
Nathalie Dechy is a French former professional tour tennis player.Dechy is a three-time doubles Grand Slam champion, winning the 2006 US Open women's doubles title with Vera Zvonareva, the 2007 French Open mixed doubles title with Andy Ram, and the 2007 US Open women's doubles title with Dinara...
and Casey Dellacqua
Casey Dellacqua
Casey Dellacqua is an Australian professional tennis player who currently resides in Perth, Western Australia. She was previously coached by former Australian player Nicole Pratt, before the two decided to part ways prior to the 2009 Australian Open...
in the final 6–0, 6–1.
Peng defeated 28th seed Francesca Schiavone
Francesca Schiavone
Francesca Schiavone is an Italian tennis player who turned professional in 1998. She won the 2010 French Open singles title, becoming the first Italian woman to win a Grand Slam event in singles. She was also runner-up at the 2011 French Open. As of 24 October 2011, Schiavone's ranking is World...
in the first round of the Australian Open. She beat Bulgarian qualifier Sesil Karatantcheva
Sesil Karatantcheva
Sesil Karatantcheva is a Bulgarian-born Kazakhstani tennis player. Karatantcheva played for Bulgaria until February 2, 2009, when she changed nationality. She will play for Kazakhstan until at least 2012....
in the second round 6–4, 6–0. She lost to 2nd seed and eventual champion Serena Williams
Serena Williams
Serena Jameka Williams is an American professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. The Women's Tennis Association has ranked her world no. 1 in singles on five separate occasions. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002 and regained this ranking for the fifth time on...
in the third round 6–1, 6–4. She played doubles with Hsieh Su-wei
Hsieh Su-wei
Hsieh Su-wei is a Taiwanese professional female tennis player. As of July 12, 2010 she is ranked 322nd in the WTA Tour singles rankings and is the fourth-highest ranked Taiwanese women's singles player. -2006–2007:...
, where the made the quarter finals losing to the Williams sisters
Williams sisters
The Williams sisters are two professional American tennis players: Venus Williams born 1980, seven-time Grand Slam title winner , and Serena Williams born 1981, thirteen-time Grand Slam title winner , both of whom were coached from an early age by their father Richard Williams...
in 3 sets.
At the Rome Masters
2009 Internazionali BNL d'Italia
The 2009 Internazionali BNL d'Italia was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 66th edition of the event known that year as the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, and was part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 of the 2009 ATP World Tour, and of the Premier-level tournaments of...
in May, Peng partnered with Hsieh Su-wei
Hsieh Su-wei
Hsieh Su-wei is a Taiwanese professional female tennis player. As of July 12, 2010 she is ranked 322nd in the WTA Tour singles rankings and is the fourth-highest ranked Taiwanese women's singles player. -2006–2007:...
once again and won the doubles title as the 7th seed by defeating 5th seeded Daniela Hantuchová
Daniela Hantuchová
Daniela Hantuchová is a Slovak professional tennis player. She turned professional in 1999 and had her breakthrough year in 2002, when she won her first Tier I tournament and ended the year in the top 10.She is currently coached by Larri Passos...
and Ai Sugiyama
Ai Sugiyama
is a retired Japanese professional tennis player. She reached No. 1 in women's doubles on the WTA Tour. Her career-high singles ranking was No. 8, achieved on February 9, 2004. She turned professional in 1992...
with the scoreline of 7–5, 7–6.
At the 2009 French Open
2009 French Open
The 2009 French Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 108th edition of the French Open, and the second Grand Slam event of the year...
, Peng was seeded 31 but was knocked out in the first round by unseeded clay specialist María José Martínez Sánchez
María José Martínez Sánchez
María José Martínez Sánchez is a Spanish professional tennis player. In singles, she has won five WTA singles titles, the 2009 Copa Sony Ericsson Colsanitas, the 2009 Swedish Open, the Premier 5 event, 2010 Internazionali BNL d'Italia, the 2011 Gastein Ladies and the 2011 Hansol Korea Open. She...
with the scoreline of 1–6, 6–2, 6–4.
However in doubles, partnering Hsieh Su-wei
Hsieh Su-wei
Hsieh Su-wei is a Taiwanese professional female tennis player. As of July 12, 2010 she is ranked 322nd in the WTA Tour singles rankings and is the fourth-highest ranked Taiwanese women's singles player. -2006–2007:...
once again, and as the 9th seeds, have made it into the semifinals by defeating 7th seeded Daniela Hantuchová
Daniela Hantuchová
Daniela Hantuchová is a Slovak professional tennis player. She turned professional in 1999 and had her breakthrough year in 2002, when she won her first Tier I tournament and ended the year in the top 10.She is currently coached by Larri Passos...
and Ai Sugiyama
Ai Sugiyama
is a retired Japanese professional tennis player. She reached No. 1 in women's doubles on the WTA Tour. Her career-high singles ranking was No. 8, achieved on February 9, 2004. She turned professional in 1992...
in the third round and unseeded Radwańska sisters in the quarters. In the semifinals, they lost to 12th seeded team Victoria Azarenka
Victoria Azarenka
Victoria Azarenka is a Belarusian professional tennis player. Her career high and current ranking is world no. 3, which she first achieved on 12 September 2011. She became the highest-ranked Belarusian player ever, surpassing Natasha Zvereva by two spots....
and Elena Vesnina
Elena Vesnina
Elena Sergeevna Vesnina is a professional female tennis player from Russia. Her career high rank was #22, achieved on 12 October 2009...
.
At the 2009 Wimbledon Championships
2009 Wimbledon Championships
The 2009 Wimbledon Championships took place on the outdoor grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, from Monday 22 June through to Sunday 5 July 2009...
, Peng was unseeded and defeated US teenager Alexa Glatch
Alexa Glatch
-Junior career:She started playing tennis at the age of five. As a junior player, she won the prestigious Easter Bowl title in the Girls 14s and Girls 18s divisions and the Orange Bowl in the Girls 16s division in 2004. She achieved a World Junior Ranking of #5 in 2005, advancing to the 2005 US...
in three sets. She fell to No.11 Agnieszka Radwańska
Agnieszka Radwanska
Agnieszka Radwańska is a WTA Tour Polish tennis player.Her career high singles ranking is World No. 8, which she achieved on 22 February 2010. As of 24 October 2011, she is ranked World No. 8. In 2007, Radwańska became the first Polish player in history to claim a WTA Tour singles title when she...
in the second round, after a mammoth battle of three and a half hours. Despite saving five match points she eventually lost in three sets. Her 'never say die' attitude won her the admiration of many English fans.
At the 2009 U.S. Open (tennis), Peng was unseeded. She defeated Jarmila Groth in straight sets. However, in the next round, she lost to eventual semifinalist, Yanina Wickmayer
Yanina Wickmayer
Yanina Wickmayer is a Belgian professional tennis player who is currently ranked world no. 22 and is the second-highest ranked female Belgian tennis player. She reached her career-high ranking of world no. 12 on 19 April 2010...
, also unseeded, in three sets after having a one break lead in the third set.
During the 2009 China Open
China Open (tennis)
The China Open is an annual professional tennis tournament held in Beijing, China. The men's singles and doubles events were first held in 1993, the year in which the Qatar Open and Dubai Tennis Championships were also introduced to the men's tour, as the ATP opened a series of new tournaments in...
, after beating qualifier Yaroslava Shvedova
Yaroslava Shvedova
Yaroslava Vyacheslavovna Shvedova is a Kazakhstani professional tennis player of Russian descent. She has achieved a career high ranking of No. 29 as of 21 June 2010. She has won 1 WTA singles title, 3 ITF Women's Circuit singles titles and 3 doubles titles, including the 2010 Wimbledon and US...
6–2 6–3, Peng went on to beat 2008 China Open champion and former world number 1 Jelena Janković
Jelena Janković
Jelena Janković is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from Serbia. She reached the final of the 2008 US Open and won the 2007 Wimbledon Mixed Doubles title. Janković is ranked world no...
4–6 7–5 6–2 in a thrilling encounter, after Janković picked up a wrist injury in the latter stages of the match. In the third round Peng came face to face with another former world number 1, Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova
Maria Yuryevna Sharapova ,. is a Russian professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. A US resident since 1994, Sharapova has won 24 WTA singles titles, including three Grand Slam singles titles at the 2004 Wimbledon, 2006 US Open and 2008 Australian Open...
, which Peng managed to win in straight sets 6–2 6–4. In the quarterfinals, Peng lost to Nadia Petrova
Nadia Petrova
Nadezhda Viktorovna Petrova is a Russian professional tennis player.Overall, she has won 28 WTA Titles, ten in singles and eighteen in doubles. In singles, Petrova has reached a career high ranking of World No. 3 in May 2006 and has reached the semi-finals of the French Open in 2003 and 2005...
, winning the first set 7–65, but then started to feel pains in her leg, losing the next two sets 3–6, 2–6. However, in doubles, Peng partnered with Hsieh Su-wei
Hsieh Su-wei
Hsieh Su-wei is a Taiwanese professional female tennis player. As of July 12, 2010 she is ranked 322nd in the WTA Tour singles rankings and is the fourth-highest ranked Taiwanese women's singles player. -2006–2007:...
and won the title, bringing her ranking to a career high of 13. By her good performance at the China Open, her singles ranking rose up to 42 in the world.
2010
Peng began her 2010 world tour with a first round lost at the 2010 Brisbane International2010 Brisbane International
The 2010 Brisbane International was a joint ATP and WTA tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 2nd edition of the tournament and was played at the Queensland Tennis Centre in Tennyson, Brisbane. The centre court, Pat Rafter Arena is named in honour of Australian tennis hero...
to Hungarian Ágnes Szávay
Ágnes Szávay
Ágnes Szávay is a professional tennis player from Hungary. She is the country's highest ranked tennis player. She was the WTA Newcomer of the Year in 2007. She achieved her career high ranking of World No. 13 on April 14, 2008.- Background :...
5–7, 6–4, 6–2.
At the 2010 Moorilla Hobart International
2010 Moorilla Hobart International
The 2010 Moorilla Hobart International was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 17th edition of the event and is part of the WTA International tournaments of the 2010 WTA Tour...
, Peng defeated Romanian Sorana Cîrstea
Sorana Cîrstea
Sorana Mihaela Cîrstea, is a Romanian tennis player. Her career high rank was World No. 23, achieved on 17 August 2009, after she reached the quarterfinals of the 2009 French Open and the semifinals of the 2009 Los Angeles Open.- Playing style :...
in the first round 6–1, 6–4. In the second round she fell to fellow Chinese compatriot Zheng Jie
Zheng Jie
Zheng Jie is a Chinese professional tennis player. Her career high ranking is World No. 15 which she achieved on May 18, 2009. As of August 15, 2011, Zheng is ranked World No. 65 in singles and World No. 20 in doubles....
6–2, 6–1.
At the 2010 Australian Open
2010 Australian Open
The 2010 Australian Open was a tennis tournament that took place in Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 18 to 31 January. It was the 98th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year....
, Peng was once again drawn against compatriot Zheng Jie
Zheng Jie
Zheng Jie is a Chinese professional tennis player. Her career high ranking is World No. 15 which she achieved on May 18, 2009. As of August 15, 2011, Zheng is ranked World No. 65 in singles and World No. 20 in doubles....
. Peng took the first set 6–0 but could not hold the lead, losing the next two sets 1–6, 2–6.
Peng then travelled to the USA to compete at the 2010 BNP Paribas Open
2010 BNP Paribas Open
The 2010 BNP Paribas Open was a tennis tournament played at Indian Wells, California in March 2010. It was the 36th edition of the event, known this year as the BNP Paribas Open, and is classified as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the 2010 ATP World Tour and a Premier Mandatory event on...
at Indian Wells. In the first round she outlasted Ekaterina Makarova
Ekaterina Makarova
Ekaterina Valeryevna Makarova is a professional Russian tennis player. She achieved her career high ranking of number 29 on June 6, 2011.-Career:...
, beating her 6–1, 2–6, 6–4. In the second round she defeated 20th seed Alona Bondarenko 6–1, 6–4. She then lost to 16th seed Nadia Petrova
Nadia Petrova
Nadezhda Viktorovna Petrova is a Russian professional tennis player.Overall, she has won 28 WTA Titles, ten in singles and eighteen in doubles. In singles, Petrova has reached a career high ranking of World No. 3 in May 2006 and has reached the semi-finals of the French Open in 2003 and 2005...
in the third round 1–6, 5–7.
Peng then flew to Miami to compete at the 2010 Sony Ericsson Open
2010 Sony Ericsson Open
The 2010 Sony Ericsson Open , was a tennis tournament for men and women held from March 22 to April 4, 2010. It was the 26th edition of the Miami Masters event and is played on outdoor hard courts at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park in Key Biscayne, Florida, located near Miami...
. She was unseeded and in the first round defeated Vania King
Vania King
Vania King is a Taiwanese American female tennis player. King won both the 2010 Wimbledon Women's Doubles and 2010 US Open Women's Doubles titles with Kazakh partner Yaroslava Shvedova....
6–4, 1–6, 6–3. In the second round Peng faced top seed and World No.4 Svetlana Kuznetsova
Svetlana Kuznetsova
Svetlana Aleksandrovna Kuznetsova ; born June 27, 1985) is a Russian professional tennis player and as of October 10, 2011 ranked No. 21 in the WTA singles and No. 90 in the doubles ranking. Kuznetsova has appeared in four singles Grand Slam finals, winning two, and has also appeared in six doubles...
. Peng lost a very close match and looked capable of defeating the top seed, but Kuznetsova hung on and finally outlasted the Chinese double-hander, defeating her 6–2, 3–6, 6–4.
This is the fourth time in her career that she has lost in the second round at Miami.
At the 2010 MPS Group Championships
2010 MPS Group Championships
The 2010 MPS Group Championships was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 31st edition of the MPS Group Championships and the second held in its new location, and was part of the International series of the 2010 WTA Tour...
held in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, Peng was unseeded and defeated Taiwanese Chang Kai-chen in the first round 6–4, 6–2 despite being 1–4 down in the first set. In the second round she was defeated by 8th seed American Melanie Oudin
Melanie Oudin
Melanie Oudin is an American tennis player and former World Junior No. 2. Her career high rank is World No. 31, which she achieved on April 19, 2010...
with a score of 6–2, 5–7, 5–7.
Peng then competed at the 2010 Family Circle Cup
2010 Family Circle Cup
The 2010 Family Circle Cup was a women's tennis event on the 2010 WTA Tour, which took place from April 12 to April 18. The event was hosted at the Family Circle Tennis Center, in Charleston, South Carolina, United States. It was the second and last event of the clay court season played on green clay...
in Charleston. She defeated Shenay Perry
Shenay Perry
Shenay Perry is an American professional tennis player. Her career-high WTA singles ranking is 40, which she reached on August 28, 2006...
in the opening round 6–3, 2–6, 6–1. She defeated 5th seed Marion Bartoli
Marion Bartoli
Marion Bartoli is a French professional tennis player and the current French no. 1. She has won seven Women's Tennis Association singles titles and three doubles titles. She was also a runner-up at the 2007 Wimbledon Championships....
in the second round. Bartoli retired at 6–2, 6–7, 3–4 to allow Peng to move into the third round where she defeated 10th seed Elena Vesnina
Elena Vesnina
Elena Sergeevna Vesnina is a professional female tennis player from Russia. Her career high rank was #22, achieved on 12 October 2009...
7–5, 2–6, 6–2. In the quarter-finals she was defeated by 4th seed Australian Samantha Stosur
Samantha Stosur
Samantha "Sam" Jane Stosur is an Australian professional tennis player. She won the 2011 US Open singles title and was a finalist at the 2010 French Open. Stosur is ranked World No. 6 and her career high in singles is World No. 4, achieved on 21 February 2011. She is a former world No...
6–4, 6–1 despite being up a break 4–2 in the first set.
Seeded 7th at the 2010 Estoril Open
2010 Estoril Open
The 2010 Estoril Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 21st edition of the Estoril Open, and was part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the 2010 ATP World Tour, and of the International-level tournaments of the 2010 WTA Tour...
, Peng eased past Julie Coin
Julie Coin
Julie Coin is a professional French tennis player. Coin recorded the largest victory of her career by defeating the world's #1 ranked female singles player, and #1 seed, Ana Ivanović at the 2008 US Open. Her career high singles ranking is World No. 60, achieved on 27 July 2009. Her career high...
in the first round 6–2, 6–2 to book a second round ecounter with Tatjana Malek
Tatjana Malek
Tatjana Malek is a professional German tennis player. She achieved her highest singles ranking of World No. 64 on 14 September 2009. Her highest doubles ranking of World No. 73 came on 3 May 2010. Malek has won 8 ITF singles titles and 7 ITF doubles title but no WTA tour singles or doubles titles...
, which she won 6–2, 6–1. In the quarter-finals, Peng defeated 4th seed and clay court specialist Anabel Medina Garrigues
Anabel Medina Garrigues
Ana Isabel Medina Garrigues , better known as Anabel Medina, is a Spanish female tennis player. She reached a career high WTA Tour ranking of No. 16 on 4 May 2009, and has won 11 singles titles and 14 doubles titles, including the 2008 French Open and 2009 French Open with Virginia Ruano Pascual...
4–6, 6–4, 6–3 in a match lasting 3 hours. She was defeated by Anastasija Sevastova
Anastasija Sevastova
Anastasija Sevastova is a Latvian tennis player. On January 31, 2011, she achieved her career-high WTA singles ranking of No. 36. On August 31, 2009, she claimed her highest Doubles rank of No. 195...
of Latvia in the semi-finals 6–7, 6–1, 6–3.
Peng then received a wildcard into the Madrid Masters
2010 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open
The 2010 Madrid Masters was played on outdoor clay courts at the Park Manzanares in Madrid, Spain from May 7 – May 16. It was the 9th edition of the event on the ATP and 2nd on the WTA...
, a Premier Mandatory tournament. In the first round she was 3–0 up against 10th seed Victoria Azarenka
Victoria Azarenka
Victoria Azarenka is a Belarusian professional tennis player. Her career high and current ranking is world no. 3, which she first achieved on 12 September 2011. She became the highest-ranked Belarusian player ever, surpassing Natasha Zvereva by two spots....
before Azarenka retired due to a right adductor strain. In the second round, Peng was defeated by fellow double-hander Arantxa Parra Santonja
Arantxa Parra Santonja
Arantxa Parra Santonja is a professional female tennis player from Spain. She turned pro in 2000.On 12 July 2010, Parra Santonja reached her career-high singles ranking: World No...
1–6, 7–6, 6–3.
Peng then withdrew from the 2010 French Open
2010 French Open
The 2010 French Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 109th edition of the French Open, and the second Grand Slam event of the year...
and missed the whole of the grass court season due to illness.
Peng then entered the 2010 GDF SUEZ Grand Prix
2010 GDF SUEZ Grand Prix
The 2010 GDF SUEZ Grand Prix was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 14th edition of the Budapest Grand Prix, an International-level tournament on the 2010 WTA Tour...
in Budapest, Hungary, after her long illness break. In the first round she defeated Silvia Njirić
Silvia Njirić
Silvia Njirić is a junior Croatian tennis player. Having already played Fed Cup for Croatia, Njirić made semi-finals at the 2010 junior French Open, losing to Elina Svitolina of Ukraine.-ITF Circuit singles finals :...
6–1, 6–3 but fell to Anastasija Sevastova
Anastasija Sevastova
Anastasija Sevastova is a Latvian tennis player. On January 31, 2011, she achieved her career-high WTA singles ranking of No. 36. On August 31, 2009, she claimed her highest Doubles rank of No. 195...
in the second round 6–1, 6–1.
In the US Open
2010 US Open (tennis)
The 2010 US Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts, held from August 30 to September 13, 2010 in the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at Flushing Meadows, Queens, New York City, United States....
, Peng advanced to the third round by beating Wilcard Shelby Rogers
Shelby Rogers
Shelby Rogers is a professional American tennis player. Her highest WTA singles ranking is 344, which she reached on August 30, 2010. Her career high in doubles is 896, which she reached on August 30, 2010...
6–7, 7–6, 6–3 in the first round and 9th seed Agnieszka Radwańska
Agnieszka Radwanska
Agnieszka Radwańska is a WTA Tour Polish tennis player.Her career high singles ranking is World No. 8, which she achieved on 22 February 2010. As of 24 October 2011, she is ranked World No. 8. In 2007, Radwańska became the first Polish player in history to claim a WTA Tour singles title when she...
2–6, 6–1, 6–4 in the second round. In the third round, Peng withdrew from the tournament before the match with injury, handing Andrea Petkovic
Andrea Petkovic
Andrea Petkovic is a professional German tennis player of Serbian origin. She is the highest ranked German tennis player. She lives in Griesheim near Darmstadt, Germany....
a place in the fourth round.
Peng then suffered two first round exits at the 2010 Toray Pan Pacific Open
2010 Toray Pan Pacific Open
The 2010 Toray Pan Pacific Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 27th edition of the Toray Pan Pacific Open, and was part of the Premier Series of the 2010 WTA Tour...
and the 2010 China Open
2010 China Open (tennis)
The 2010 China Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 12th edition of the China Open, and is part of the ATP 500 Series of the 2010 ATP World Tour, and of the Premier Series of the 2010 WTA Tour...
. In Tokyo, she lost to Christina McHale
Christina McHale
Christina McHale is a professional American tennis player. Her highest WTA singles ranking is No. 45, and in doubles it is No. 171. McHale has beaten numerous top WTA tour players, including current world no...
in the first round of qualifying 6–3, 6–2. In the first round of Beijing, where she made the quarterfinals in 2009, Peng lost to Sara Errani
Sara Errani
Sara Errani , nicknamed "Poco Gigante", is a professional female tennis player from Italy. On February 23, 2009, she reached a new career high of No. 31 on the Tour rankings...
1–6, 6–4, 6–1. This loss caused her to drop to No. 95 in the world.
Unseeded at the 2010 BGL Luxembourg Open
2010 BGL Luxembourg Open
The 2010 BGL Luxembourg Open was a tennis tournament on indoor hard courts. It was the 15th edition of the Fortis Championships Luxembourg, and was part of the WTA International tournaments of the 2010 WTA Tour...
, Peng drew top seed and World No. 9 Elena Dementieva
Elena Dementieva
Elena Viatcheslavovna Dementieva is a retired Russian professional tennis player. Dementieva is most notable for winning the singles gold medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. She won 16 WTA singles titles and reached the finals of the 2004 French Open and 2004 US Open. Dementieva achieved a...
in the first round. Peng played a great match and led 5–1 in the second set, but Dementieva launched a comeback and won 7–5, 7–6. This was Peng's last WTA tour match of the 2010 season.
Peng continued her season on the ITF tour with a trophy at the $100,000 ITF event in Taipei played on carpet. Along the way Peng defeated Bojana Jovanovski in the quarter-finals, Tamarine Tanasugarn in the semi-finals and Ayumi Morita in the final.
Peng ended her season representing China in the 2010 Asian Games
2010 Asian Games
The 2010 Asian Games, also known as the XVI Asiad, was a multi-sport event celebrated in Guangzhou, China from November 12 to November 27, 2010. Guangzhou was the second Chinese city to host the Games, after Beijing in 1990...
in Guangzhou, China. She won a gold medal in the team event alongside team-mates Li Na, Yan Zi and Zhang Shuai. In the doubles event she gained a bronze medal with her partner Zi Yan and in the singles event she won another gold medal, defeating Akgul Amanmuradova
Akgul Amanmuradova
Akgul Amanmuradova is a professional female tennis player from Uzbekistan.In 2005, she reached her first ever WTA singles final in Tashkent, the capital of her home country. In the final she lost to 16-year old Michaëlla Krajicek of the Netherlands...
of Uzbekistan 7–5, 6–2.
2011
Peng Shuai kicked off her 2011 season in Auckland, New Zealand, at the 2011 ASB Classic2011 ASB Classic
The 2011 ASB Classic was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 26th edition of the ASB Classic, and was part of the WTA International tournaments of the 2011 WTA Tour...
. She was unseeded and defeated Johanna Larsson in the first round 6–1, 6–3. In the second round she caused a big upset by defeating No. 3 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova
Svetlana Kuznetsova
Svetlana Aleksandrovna Kuznetsova ; born June 27, 1985) is a Russian professional tennis player and as of October 10, 2011 ranked No. 21 in the WTA singles and No. 90 in the doubles ranking. Kuznetsova has appeared in four singles Grand Slam finals, winning two, and has also appeared in six doubles...
2–6, 6–4, 6–4 after being a double break down 0–3 in the final set. In the quarterfinals, she defeated British qualifier Heather Watson
Heather Watson
Heather Miriam Watson is a British female tennis player. Born in Guernsey, she trains and resides at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida, USA. Watson has won one major title at the 2009 US Open Juniors, two senior ITF titles and won gold at the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games. She has...
6–4, 7–5. Despite playing some of her best tennis in the semifinals, Peng lost to defending champion and No. 2 seed Yanina Wickmayer
Yanina Wickmayer
Yanina Wickmayer is a Belgian professional tennis player who is currently ranked world no. 22 and is the second-highest ranked female Belgian tennis player. She reached her career-high ranking of world no. 12 on 19 April 2010...
3–6, 7–6, 7–5 in 2 hours and 53 minutes.
In the first round of the 2011 Moorilla Hobart International
2011 Moorilla Hobart International
The 2011 Moorilla Hobart International was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 18th edition of the event and was part of the WTA International tournaments of the 2011 WTA Tour...
, Peng took out No. 3 seed Tsvetana Pironkova
Tsvetana Pironkova
Tsvetana Kirilova Pironkova is a female Bulgarian tennis player. She was born and lives in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Pironkova is right-handed and plays with a two-handed backhand....
in the first round 2–6, 6–3, 6–2. She then defeated qualifier Olga Govortsova
Olga Govortsova
Olga Govortsova is a professional Belarusian tennis player. As of May 10, 2010 her highest singles ranking on the WTA is World Number 35, which she achieved on June 23, 2008.-Career:...
2–6, 6–4, 6–0. She then defeated No. 7 seed Sara Errani
Sara Errani
Sara Errani , nicknamed "Poco Gigante", is a professional female tennis player from Italy. On February 23, 2009, she reached a new career high of No. 31 on the Tour rankings...
in straight sets 6–1, 6–3 to move into her second semifinal of 2011. In the semifinal she lost to Bethanie Mattek-Sands 4–6, 6–1, 6–1.
At the 2011 Australian Open
2011 Australian Open
The 2011 Australian Open was a tennis tournament featuring six different competitions, and part of the 2011 ATP World Tour, the 2011 WTA Tour, ITF Junior Tour and the NEC Tour, as tournaments for professional, junior and wheelchair players were held...
, Peng was unseeded and defeated Kateryna Bondarenko
Kateryna Bondarenko
Kateryna Volodymyrivna Bondarenko is a professional female tennis player from Ukraine and a doubles champion at Australian Open 2008.The younger sister of professional tennis players Valeria and Alona Bondarenko, she was born in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union. She was...
in the first round 2–6, 6–3, 8–6. She then toppled seventh seed Jelena Janković
Jelena Janković
Jelena Janković is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from Serbia. She reached the final of the 2008 US Open and won the 2007 Wimbledon Mixed Doubles title. Janković is ranked world no...
in the second round 7–6, 6–3. She then moved into the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career after a 6–1, 3–6, 6–3 win over Japan's Ayumi Morita
Ayumi Morita
is a Japanese female tennis player. She reached her career-high ranking of 42nd in the world on June 6, 2011 and is currently the highest ranked Japanese player in the world at World No. 46, the seventh overall in Asia. At Junior level, she reached a career high ranking of No. 3.Morita is known for...
. In the fourth round, Peng Shuai was defeated in a hard fought match against 12th seed Agnieszka Radwańska
Agnieszka Radwanska
Agnieszka Radwańska is a WTA Tour Polish tennis player.Her career high singles ranking is World No. 8, which she achieved on 22 February 2010. As of 24 October 2011, she is ranked World No. 8. In 2007, Radwańska became the first Polish player in history to claim a WTA Tour singles title when she...
7–5, 3–6, 7–5, despite having two match points at 5–4 in the final set. After her fourth round performance, Peng's ranking rose to No. 40, making her the second highest-ranked Chinese player after Li Na
Li Na (tennis)
Li Na , goes first before the equivalent of a first name in some other nations. Her name off court in China is Li Na. When listed on the , she is known as Na Li. However, in the match, the commentators call her Li Na, and when her full name is listed in text on court, it is also written as Li Na.;...
, since Zheng Jie
Zheng Jie
Zheng Jie is a Chinese professional tennis player. Her career high ranking is World No. 15 which she achieved on May 18, 2009. As of August 15, 2011, Zheng is ranked World No. 65 in singles and World No. 20 in doubles....
slipped down the rankings after not being able to defend her semifinal points.
Peng's next tournament was the 2011 PTT Pattaya Open
2011 PTT Pattaya Open
The 2011 PTT Pattaya Open was a women's professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 21st edition of the PTT Pattaya Open and was part of the International category on the 2011 WTA Tour...
. She was seeded 6th and defeated Chan Yung-jan
Chan Yung-jan
Chan Yung-jan , Taiwan) is a professional female tennis player from Republic of China . She has won 13 ITF singles titles; and 7 WTA and 11 ITF doubles titles. Her career highlights include semifinals in the Japan Open in 2006 and finals in the PTT Bangkok Open in 2007 Chan Yung-jan , Taiwan) is a...
in the first round 7–6, 6–0 and in the second round she defeated Elena Baltacha
Elena Baltacha
Elena Baltacha is a British professional tennis player of Ukrainian background. Being a four-time winner of the AEGON Award, she is also the long standing British number 1, a position she has held intermittently since 2002. As of 24 November 2011 she holds a current world ranking of No. 50. Her...
2–6, 6–1, 6–4. In the quarterfinals she was narrowly defeated by top seed Vera Zvonareva
Vera Zvonareva
Vera Zvonareva is a professional tennis player from Russia. She was introduced to tennis at the age of six and turned professional in 2000. Her career high is World No. 2 by the WTA, and she is currently ranked as the World No. 7. Zvonarёva has won twelve WTA Tour singles titles and reached the...
6–4, 4–6, 6–4 despite being up 4–3 40–15 in the final set.
Peng's next stop was the 2011 Dubai Tennis Championships
2011 Dubai Tennis Championships
The 2011 Dubai Tennis Championships was a 500 Series event on the 2011 ATP World Tour and a Premier 5 event on the 2011 WTA Tour. The tournament was known as the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships for sponsorship reasons...
. Peng entered the qualifying draw as the No.2 seed and defeated wildcard Vanessa Henke
Vanessa Henke
Vanessa Henke is a German professional tennis player. She was born on 15 January 1981. Henke has numerous ITF Tennis Titles. Her career high singles ranking is No.137, achieved on 26 September 2005. As of 29 August 2011 she is ranked no.648 in singles. Her career high doubles ranking is no.110...
in the first round 6–1, 6–0. She then qualified for the main draw with a 5–7, 6–4, 6–2 win over No.11 seed Kateryna Bondarenko
Kateryna Bondarenko
Kateryna Volodymyrivna Bondarenko is a professional female tennis player from Ukraine and a doubles champion at Australian Open 2008.The younger sister of professional tennis players Valeria and Alona Bondarenko, she was born in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union. She was...
. Peng got her revenge on Bethanie Mattek-Sands in the first round, defeating her this time 6–3, 2–6, 6–3. She was then defeated 4–6, 6–2, 7–6 by No.7 seed Victoria Azarenka
Victoria Azarenka
Victoria Azarenka is a Belarusian professional tennis player. Her career high and current ranking is world no. 3, which she first achieved on 12 September 2011. She became the highest-ranked Belarusian player ever, surpassing Natasha Zvereva by two spots....
in the second round in 2 hours and 23 minutes.
Peng then qualified for the main draw of the 2011 Qatar Ladies Open
2011 Qatar Ladies Open
The 2011 Qatar Ladies Open was a professional tennis tournament played on hard courts. It was the ninth edition of the tournament and the first since 2008 which was part of the 2011 WTA Tour...
. Seeded No.3, she defeated Nuria Llagostera Vives
Nuria Llagostera Vives
Nuria Llagostera Vives is a Spanish female tennis player. On June 6, 2005, Llagostera Vives reached her career-high singles ranking, World No. 35.During her career she has won 2 singles titles and 11 in doubles...
6–1, 2–6, 6–1 Anastasia Rodionova 6–3, 6–2 and Elena Vesnina
Elena Vesnina
Elena Sergeevna Vesnina is a professional female tennis player from Russia. Her career high rank was #22, achieved on 12 October 2009...
6–3, 6–3. In the first round of the main draw she defeated Timea Bacsinszky
Timea Bacsinszky
Timea Bacsinszky is a professional female tennis player residing in Belmont-sur-Lausanne, Switzerland. She joined the WTA Tour in 2004 and was ranked World No. 37 on 7 June 2010....
6–3, 6–2. In the second round she played No.3 seed Francesca Schiavone
Francesca Schiavone
Francesca Schiavone is an Italian tennis player who turned professional in 1998. She won the 2010 French Open singles title, becoming the first Italian woman to win a Grand Slam event in singles. She was also runner-up at the 2011 French Open. As of 24 October 2011, Schiavone's ranking is World...
, whom she defeated 7–5, 6–3. In the quarterfinals, faced Marion Bartoli
Marion Bartoli
Marion Bartoli is a French professional tennis player and the current French no. 1. She has won seven Women's Tennis Association singles titles and three doubles titles. She was also a runner-up at the 2007 Wimbledon Championships....
, losing in straight sets, for the first time in the season, 2–6, 2–6.
Peng then entered the 2011 BNP Paribas Open
2011 BNP Paribas Open
The 2011 BNP Paribas Open was a tennis tournament played at Indian Wells, California in March 2011. It was the 36th edition of the event, known as the BNP Paribas Open, and was classified as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the 2011 ATP World Tour and a Premier Mandatory event on the 2011...
at Indian Wells. She narrowly missed out on being seeded and defeated Renata Voráčová
Renata Vorácová
Renata Voráčová is a professional female tennis player from the Czech Republic. Her career high singles ranking is No...
in the first round 7–5, 6–1. In the second round she defeated compatriot and No.7 seed Li Na
Li Na (tennis)
Li Na , goes first before the equivalent of a first name in some other nations. Her name off court in China is Li Na. When listed on the , she is known as Na Li. However, in the match, the commentators call her Li Na, and when her full name is listed in text on court, it is also written as Li Na.;...
for the first time in her career 4–6, 6–3, 6–3. In the third round she came back from 2–5 down in the final set to beat Czech qualifier Lucie Hradecká
Lucie Hradecká
Lucie Hradecká is a professional tennis player from the Czech Republic. In her career, Hradecká has won ten WTA doubles titles. This total includes the 2011 French Open, in which she won her first Grand Slam title.-Career:...
6–3, 4–6, 7–5. In the fourth round she battled past 18th seed Nadia Petrova
Nadia Petrova
Nadezhda Viktorovna Petrova is a Russian professional tennis player.Overall, she has won 28 WTA Titles, ten in singles and eighteen in doubles. In singles, Petrova has reached a career high ranking of World No. 3 in May 2006 and has reached the semi-finals of the French Open in 2003 and 2005...
6–4, 5–7, 6–3. 16th seed Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova
Maria Yuryevna Sharapova ,. is a Russian professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. A US resident since 1994, Sharapova has won 24 WTA singles titles, including three Grand Slam singles titles at the 2004 Wimbledon, 2006 US Open and 2008 Australian Open...
defeated her 6–2, 5–7, 6–3 in a 2 hour 22 minute quarterfinal match. Peng moved up to No.32 in the world as a result, 1 spot off her career high of 31.
Her next tournament was the 2011 Sony Ericsson Open
2011 Sony Ericsson Open
The 2011 Sony Ericsson Open , a men's and women's tennis tournament, was held from March 21 to April 3, 2011. It was the 27th edition of the Miami Masters event and played on outdoor hard courts at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park in Miami...
in Miami. Unseeded, she defeated Gréta Arn
Gréta Arn
Gréta Arn is a professional tennis player from Hungary, and the current Hungarian No. 1. Arn turned professional in 1997....
in the first round 6–1, 6–2, and followed that up with a win against 20th seed Aravane Rezaï
Aravane Rezaï
Aravane Rezaï is an Iranian-French tennis player born in Saint-Étienne, France to Iranian parents. She is the current French No. 5 in women's tennis. Rezaï took up tennis after a childhood stint as her older brother's ball girl...
in the second round 6–0, 6–4. She then defeated 11th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova
Svetlana Kuznetsova
Svetlana Aleksandrovna Kuznetsova ; born June 27, 1985) is a Russian professional tennis player and as of October 10, 2011 ranked No. 21 in the WTA singles and No. 90 in the doubles ranking. Kuznetsova has appeared in four singles Grand Slam finals, winning two, and has also appeared in six doubles...
6–3, 6–1 in the third round, avenging her loss to the same player at this event the previous year. Peng then fell to 26th seed Alexandra Dulgheru
Alexandra Dulgheru
Alexandra Dulgheru is a Romanian professional tennis player. She achieved a singles career high of World No. 26 on April 11, 2011. Her career high in doubles was World No. 47 on March 21, 2011.She is coached by Gabriel Urpi.-Biography:...
6–3, 6–4.
Peng reached the semifinals of the doubles competition with Shahar Peer.
Peng rose to a new career high ranking of No.30 and was seeded 11th at the 2011 Family Circle Cup
2011 Family Circle Cup
The 2011 Family Circle Cup was a women's tennis event on the 2011 WTA Tour. It took place from April 4 to April 10, 2011. It was the 39th edition of the tournament and one of the Premier level tournaments. The event was hosted at the Family Circle Tennis Center, in Charleston, South Carolina,...
in Charleston. In the first round she defeated qualifier Sloane Stephens
Sloane Stephens
-Personal life:Stephens was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Sybil Smith and John Stephens, a professional American football player...
6–2, 6–1. She then defeated Ayumi Morita
Ayumi Morita
is a Japanese female tennis player. She reached her career-high ranking of 42nd in the world on June 6, 2011 and is currently the highest ranked Japanese player in the world at World No. 46, the seventh overall in Asia. At Junior level, she reached a career high ranking of No. 3.Morita is known for...
6–2, 6–1 in the second round. In the third round she outlasted 7th seed Nadia Petrova
Nadia Petrova
Nadezhda Viktorovna Petrova is a Russian professional tennis player.Overall, she has won 28 WTA Titles, ten in singles and eighteen in doubles. In singles, Petrova has reached a career high ranking of World No. 3 in May 2006 and has reached the semi-finals of the French Open in 2003 and 2005...
6–3, 5–7, 6–2 to reach the quarterfinals where she defeated Indian qualifier Sania Mirza
Sania Mirza
Sania Mirza is a professional Indian tennis player. She began her tennis career in 2003 and is well known for her powerful forehand ground strokes. She is the first ever Indian to break into the top 30 WTA rankings...
2–6, 6–2, 6–2. Elena Vesnina
Elena Vesnina
Elena Sergeevna Vesnina is a professional female tennis player from Russia. Her career high rank was #22, achieved on 12 October 2009...
defeated her in the semifinals 7–6, 6–3. Due to her good performance at Charleston, Peng rose to a new career high of No.29 in the world rankings.
After a short break, Peng resumed competition at the 2011 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open. She was defeated by No.3 seed Francesca Schiavone
Francesca Schiavone
Francesca Schiavone is an Italian tennis player who turned professional in 1998. She won the 2010 French Open singles title, becoming the first Italian woman to win a Grand Slam event in singles. She was also runner-up at the 2011 French Open. As of 24 October 2011, Schiavone's ranking is World...
7–5, 7–6. This was Peng's first first round defeat of 2011.
In the first round of the 2011 Internazionali BNL d'Italia
2011 Internazionali BNL d'Italia
The 2011 Internazionali BNL d'Italia was a tennis tournament, being played on outdoor clay courts at the Foro Italico in Rome, Italy. It was the 68th edition of the event and was classified as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the 2011 ATP World Tour and a Premier 5 event on the 2011 WTA Tour...
in Rome, Peng was defeated by American qualifier Christina McHale
Christina McHale
Christina McHale is a professional American tennis player. Her highest WTA singles ranking is No. 45, and in doubles it is No. 171. McHale has beaten numerous top WTA tour players, including current world no...
in just under 3 hours 6–3, 2–6, 7–6. However, Peng won the doubles title alongside Zheng Jie
Zheng Jie
Zheng Jie is a Chinese professional tennis player. Her career high ranking is World No. 15 which she achieved on May 18, 2009. As of August 15, 2011, Zheng is ranked World No. 65 in singles and World No. 20 in doubles....
, defeating No.3 seeds Yaroslava Shvedova
Yaroslava Shvedova
Yaroslava Vyacheslavovna Shvedova is a Kazakhstani professional tennis player of Russian descent. She has achieved a career high ranking of No. 29 as of 21 June 2010. She has won 1 WTA singles title, 3 ITF Women's Circuit singles titles and 3 doubles titles, including the 2010 Wimbledon and US...
and Vania King
Vania King
Vania King is a Taiwanese American female tennis player. King won both the 2010 Wimbledon Women's Doubles and 2010 US Open Women's Doubles titles with Kazakh partner Yaroslava Shvedova....
6–2, 6–3.
Peng played her final warm-up tournament prior to Roland Garros at the 2011 Brussels Ladies Open as the No.8 seed. In the first round she defeated Kirsten Flipkens
Kirsten Flipkens
Kirsten Flipkens is a professional female Belgian tennis player since 2003. Her career high rank for singles is No. 59 . She won 10 ITF Singles titles, and 1 ITF Doubles title....
6–0, 1–6, 6–3 and then destroying qualifier Abigail Spears
Abigail Spears
Abigail Michal Spears is an American professional tennis player.Spears turned professional in 2000. Spears has reached the third round at the 2005 Australian Open, and the first round at the 2005 French Open, 2005 Wimbledon tournament and the 2005 U.S. Open...
6–2 6–0 in the second round. In the quarterfinals Peng's good form continued with a 6–2 6–4 defeat of Sofia Arvidsson
Sofia Arvidsson
Lena Sofia Alexandra Arvidsson is a Swedish tennis player. As of May 9, 2011, she is ranked World No. 77. Her highest career ranking is World No. 29.-Biography:...
. In the semifinals Peng secured her first victory over current world no.3 Vera Zvonareva
Vera Zvonareva
Vera Zvonareva is a professional tennis player from Russia. She was introduced to tennis at the age of six and turned professional in 2000. Her career high is World No. 2 by the WTA, and she is currently ranked as the World No. 7. Zvonarёva has won twelve WTA Tour singles titles and reached the...
in straight sets 6–3 6–3 to reach her first Premier final and fourth final of her career. In the Final Peng eventually fell to world no.1 Caroline Wozniacki
Caroline Wozniacki
Caroline Wozniacki is a Danish professional tennis player. She is the current world no. 1 on the WTA Tour. As of 7 November 2011, she has held this position for 56 weeks...
in 3 sets, 6–2 3–6 3–6.
At the 2011 French Open
2011 French Open
The 2011 French Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 110th edition of the French Open, and the second Grand Slam event of the year...
Peng defeated Tamira Paszek
Tamira Paszek
Tamira Shelah Paszek is a professional tennis player from Austria. As of July 4, 2011, she is the no.1 ranked tennis player from Austria in the WTA ranking, at No. 41....
of Austria in the first round 6–3 6–2. In the second round she defeated Polona Hercog
Polona Hercog
Polona Hercog is a Slovenian tennis player. Her highest ranking is No. 35 in singles and No. 56 in doubles. Hercog has won two WTA Tour doubles title and one singles title. She also enjoyed success on the ITF Circuit, winning nine singles and five doubles titles...
7–5, 6–1. In the third round she was up against defending champion Francesca Schiavone
Francesca Schiavone
Francesca Schiavone is an Italian tennis player who turned professional in 1998. She won the 2010 French Open singles title, becoming the first Italian woman to win a Grand Slam event in singles. She was also runner-up at the 2011 French Open. As of 24 October 2011, Schiavone's ranking is World...
losing 6–3, 1–2 retiring due to illness. She broke into the top 20 after her run in the French Open.
Peng then moved onto grass and played the 2011 AEGON Classic
2011 AEGON Classic
The 2011 AEGON Classic was a tennis tournament played on outdoor grass courts. It was the 30th edition of the event. It took place at the Edgbaston Priory Club in Birmingham, England, United Kingdom, originally scheduled between 6 and 12 June 2011, but the final was rescheduled to 13 June 2011 due...
in Birmingham, reaching the semifinals with wins over Naomi Broady
Naomi Broady
Naomi Broady is an English tennis player who is coached by Suzi Riley. She began playing tennis at the age of 7 and was the 2007 British under 18 girls' champion. She is currently the British no. 5 with a career-high world ranking of no. 194 . So far in her career she has won four ITF titles in...
, Heather Watson
Heather Watson
Heather Miriam Watson is a British female tennis player. Born in Guernsey, she trains and resides at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida, USA. Watson has won one major title at the 2009 US Open Juniors, two senior ITF titles and won gold at the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games. She has...
and Marina Erakovic
Marina Erakovic
Marina Erakovic is a New Zealand professional tennis player of Croatian background. Her career high in Women's Tennis Association doubles ranking is World No. 43, achieved on 27 October 2008, and in singles it is No. 49, achieved on 7 July 2008. As of 21 November 2011, she is World No...
before falling to eventual champion Sabine Lisicki
Sabine Lisicki
Sabine Lisicki is a German professional tennis player of Polish background.Lisicki has won three WTA singles tournaments in her career and one doubles tournament . She reached the semifinals of the 2011 Wimbledon Championships and also reached the quarterfinals of the 2009 Wimbledon Championships...
in straight sets.
Peng also competed at the 2011 AEGON International
2011 AEGON International
The 2011 AEGON International was a combined men's and women's tennis tournament played on outdoor grass courts. It was the 36th edition of the event for the women and the 3rd edition for the men. It was classified as a WTA Premier tournament on the 2011 WTA Tour and as an ATP World Tour 250 series...
at Eastbourne, falling to 3rd seed Victoria Azarenka
Victoria Azarenka
Victoria Azarenka is a Belarusian professional tennis player. Her career high and current ranking is world no. 3, which she first achieved on 12 September 2011. She became the highest-ranked Belarusian player ever, surpassing Natasha Zvereva by two spots....
in the first round.
At Wimbledon, Peng defeated Kirsten Flipkens
Kirsten Flipkens
Kirsten Flipkens is a professional female Belgian tennis player since 2003. Her career high rank for singles is No. 59 . She won 10 ITF Singles titles, and 1 ITF Doubles title....
in the first round 6–0, 6–4 and reached the third round by defeating local hope Elena Baltacha
Elena Baltacha
Elena Baltacha is a British professional tennis player of Ukrainian background. Being a four-time winner of the AEGON Award, she is also the long standing British number 1, a position she has held intermittently since 2002. As of 24 November 2011 she holds a current world ranking of No. 50. Her...
4–6, 6–2, 7–5. She defeated Melinda Czink
Melinda Czink
Melinda Czink is a Hungarian professional female tennis player. On September 21, 2009 Czink reached her career-high singles ranking of World No. 37....
in the third round and faced the 5th seed, Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova
Maria Yuryevna Sharapova ,. is a Russian professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. A US resident since 1994, Sharapova has won 24 WTA singles titles, including three Grand Slam singles titles at the 2004 Wimbledon, 2006 US Open and 2008 Australian Open...
, in the fourth round, losing to the eventual runner-up in straight sets 6–4, 6–2. After reaching the Round of 16 at Wimbledon, Peng will reach a career high ranking of World No. 17.
After posting good results at the 2011 Western & Southern Open
2011 Western & Southern Open
The 2011 Cincinnati Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio, near Cincinnati, United States. The tournament was a joint men's and women's event, with six new courts being built for the tournament...
, where she reached the quarterfinals defeating Peer in the 3rd round but then had to retire hurt, Peng reached another career high ranking of World No. 14, before the US Open
2011 US Open (tennis)
The 2011 US Open was a tennis tournament played on the outdoor hard courts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows Park, of Queens, New York City, United States...
, where she will be seeded 13th. She is currently competing at the last stop of the US Open Series, the inaugural 2011 Texas Tennis Open
2011 Texas Tennis Open
The 2011 Texas Tennis Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the first edition of the tournament . It was classified as one of the WTA International tournaments of the 2011 WTA Tour...
. As the No. 1 seed in the draw, she will take on American wildcard Melanie Oudin
Melanie Oudin
Melanie Oudin is an American tennis player and former World Junior No. 2. Her career high rank is World No. 31, which she achieved on April 19, 2010...
in the first round. However Peng was forced to withdraw with an injury and therefore a lucky loser was giving her spot.
Seeded 13th at the US Open
2011 US Open (tennis)
The 2011 US Open was a tennis tournament played on the outdoor hard courts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows Park, of Queens, New York City, United States...
, Peng defeated Varvara Lepchenko
Varvara Lepchenko
Varvara Lepchenko is an American female professional tennis player. She reached her singles career high of no. 74 on November 15, 2010. She has won six ITF titles during her career.-Early life and junior career:...
in the first round. She followed this up beating former Wimbledon semifinalist Tsvetana Pironkova
Tsvetana Pironkova
Tsvetana Kirilova Pironkova is a female Bulgarian tennis player. She was born and lives in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Pironkova is right-handed and plays with a two-handed backhand....
. She advanced to the fourth round for the first time with a win over 19th seed Julia Görges
Julia Görges
Julia Görges is a professional tennis player from Germany. Görges reached career-high WTA singles ranking of No. 16 on 6 June 2011 and a doubles ranking of 31 on 6 June 2011...
. She lost to Flavia Pennetta
Flavia Pennetta
Flavia Pennetta is an Italian professional tennis player. She became Italy's first top 10 female singles player on 17 August 2009 and also the first ever Italian Tennis player to be ranked No.1 in Doubles on 28 February 2011. As of 10 October 2011, Pennetta is ranked World No. 18 in singles and...
in the round of 16, after holding 4 set points in the second set tiebreak. Even though she had an impressive run in the U.S Open her ranking fell from 14 to 15.
Seedeed 12th in the China Open, Peng lost to Flavia Pennetta
Flavia Pennetta
Flavia Pennetta is an Italian professional tennis player. She became Italy's first top 10 female singles player on 17 August 2009 and also the first ever Italian Tennis player to be ranked No.1 in Doubles on 28 February 2011. As of 10 October 2011, Pennetta is ranked World No. 18 in singles and...
6-7(6), 5-7.
Peng then received a wildcard into the Bali Commonwealth Championships and drew Nadia Petrova
Nadia Petrova
Nadezhda Viktorovna Petrova is a Russian professional tennis player.Overall, she has won 28 WTA Titles, ten in singles and eighteen in doubles. In singles, Petrova has reached a career high ranking of World No. 3 in May 2006 and has reached the semi-finals of the French Open in 2003 and 2005...
in the quarter-final. She lost to the Russian 6-4 6-3. Despite the loss, she ended her year ranking 15 in the world. 2011 has been the most successful year in her career.
Singles: 4 (0–4)
| Legend (pre/post 2009) |
|---|
| Grand Slam Grand Slam (tennis) The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and... tournaments |
| WTA Tour Championships |
| Tier I / Premier Mandatory & Premier 5 |
| Tier II / Premier (0–1) |
| Tier III, IV & V / International (0–3) |
| Outcome | |No. | |Date | |Tournament | |Surface | |Opponent in the final | |Score in the final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | May 27, 2006 | Strasbourg Internationaux de Strasbourg The Internationaux de Strasbourg is a tennis tournament held in Strasbourg, France. Held since 1987, this WTA Tour event is an International-level tournament played on outdoor clay courts.... , France |
Clay |  Nicole VaidišováNicole Vaidišová Nicole Vaidišová is a retired Czech tennis player.Vaidišová was an Australian Open and French Open semifinalist and also reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. Vaidišová started playing tennis when she was six years old, enrolling to train at Nick Bollettieri's tennis academy in Bradenton,... |
7–6(9–7), 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 2. | August 23, 2008 | Forest Hills, USA | Hard | Lucie Šafářová Lucie Šafárová Lucie Šafářová is a professional Czech tennis player. She was born in Brno.Šafářová has won four WTA tour singles titles and reached the quarterfinals of the 2007 Australian Open, upsetting defending champion Amélie Mauresmo en-route... |
6–4, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 3. | September 21, 2008 | Guangzhou Guangzhou International Women's Open The Guangzhou International Women's Open is a tennis tournament held in Guangzhou, People's Republic of China. Held since 2004, the inaugural tournament had Li Na as the first ever Chinese singles title winner. -Singles:-Doubles:-External links:* *... , China |
Hard |  Vera ZvonarevaVera Zvonareva Vera Zvonareva is a professional tennis player from Russia. She was introduced to tennis at the age of six and turned professional in 2000. Her career high is World No. 2 by the WTA, and she is currently ranked as the World No. 7. Zvonarёva has won twelve WTA Tour singles titles and reached the... |
6–7(4–7), 6–0, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 4. | May 21, 2011 | Brussels 2011 Brussels Open – Singles World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki won the title, beating Peng Shuai in the final 2–6, 6–3, 6–3. It was Wozniacki's 16th career title and 4th of the year.-Seeds:The top two seeds received a bye into the second round.# Caroline Wozniacki ... , Belgium |
Clay |  Caroline WozniackiCaroline Wozniacki Caroline Wozniacki is a Danish professional tennis player. She is the current world no. 1 on the WTA Tour. As of 7 November 2011, she has held this position for 56 weeks... |
2–6, 6–3, 6–3 |
Doubles: 9 (7–2)
| Legend (pre/post 2009) |
|---|
| Grand Slam Grand Slam (tennis) The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and... tournaments |
| WTA Tour Championships |
| Tier I / Premier Mandatory & Premier 5 (3–2) |
| Tier II / Premier (2–0) |
| Tier III, IV & V / International (2–0) |
| Outcome | |No. | |Date | |Tournament | |Surface | |Partner | |Opponents in the final | |Score in the final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | April 15, 2007 | Charleston Family Circle Cup The Family Circle Cup is a WTA Tour affiliated professional tennis tournament for women, held every year since 1973. The tournament is currently played on the green clay courts at the Daniel Island Tennis Center in Charleston, South Carolina, USA... , USA |
Hard |  Sun TiantianSun Tiantian Sun Tiantian is a Chinese female tennis player.- Career :In September 2000, Tiantian won two successive US$10,000 ITF singles titles, a feat she would repeat in June 2001, when she won another two back-to-back.... |
Yan Zi Yan Zi Yan Zi is a Chinese women's tennis player.Yan Zi may also refer to:* Stefanie Sun , also known as Sun Yan Zi, Singaporean singer** Yan Zi , Sun's self-titled album... Zheng JieZheng Jie Zheng Jie is a Chinese professional tennis player. Her career high ranking is World No. 15 which she achieved on May 18, 2009. As of August 15, 2011, Zheng is ranked World No. 65 in singles and World No. 20 in doubles.... |
7–5, 6–0 |
| Winner | 1. | September 29, 2007 | Guangzhou Guangzhou International Women's Open The Guangzhou International Women's Open is a tennis tournament held in Guangzhou, People's Republic of China. Held since 2004, the inaugural tournament had Li Na as the first ever Chinese singles title winner. -Singles:-Doubles:-External links:* *... , China |
Hard | Yan Zi Yan Zi Yan Zi is a Chinese women's tennis player.Yan Zi may also refer to:* Stefanie Sun , also known as Sun Yan Zi, Singaporean singer** Yan Zi , Sun's self-titled album... |
 Vania KingVania King Vania King is a Taiwanese American female tennis player. King won both the 2010 Wimbledon Women's Doubles and 2010 US Open Women's Doubles titles with Kazakh partner Yaroslava Shvedova.... Sun TiantianSun Tiantian Sun Tiantian is a Chinese female tennis player.- Career :In September 2000, Tiantian won two successive US$10,000 ITF singles titles, a feat she would repeat in June 2001, when she won another two back-to-back.... |
6–3, 6–4 |
| Winner | 2. | March 9, 2008 | Bangalore Bangalore Open The Bangalore Open was a tennis tournament held in Bangalore, India. The tournament began in Hyderabad in 2003, and moved to Bangalore in 2006. This WTA Tour event was played on outdoor hardcourts. It as a Premier Mandatory event with a prize Money of US$175,000... , India |
Hard | Sun Tiantian Sun Tiantian Sun Tiantian is a Chinese female tennis player.- Career :In September 2000, Tiantian won two successive US$10,000 ITF singles titles, a feat she would repeat in June 2001, when she won another two back-to-back.... |
 Chan Yung-janChan Yung-jan Chan Yung-jan , Taiwan) is a professional female tennis player from Republic of China . She has won 13 ITF singles titles; and 7 WTA and 11 ITF doubles titles. Her career highlights include semifinals in the Japan Open in 2006 and finals in the PTT Bangkok Open in 2007 Chan Yung-jan , Taiwan) is a... Chuang Chia-jungChuang Chia-jung Chuang Chia-jung is a Taiwanese professional female tennis player. In the Australian Open 2007, she reached the final of the women's doubles with her partner Chan Yung-jan, but lost in three sets to Cara Black and Liezel Huber... |
6–4, 5–7, [10–8] |
| Winner | 3. | September 14, 2008 | Bali, Indonesia | Hard | Hsieh Su-wei Hsieh Su-wei Hsieh Su-wei is a Taiwanese professional female tennis player. As of July 12, 2010 she is ranked 322nd in the WTA Tour singles rankings and is the fourth-highest ranked Taiwanese women's singles player. -2006–2007:... |
 Marta DomachowskaMarta Domachowska Marta Domachowska is a Polish professional tennis player. She began playing at age 7. She reached the semi finals of Australian Open Junior Championships in 2003. Her racquet brand is Wilson. She speaks four languages: Polish, English, Spanish and Russian. Other than tennis, she enjoys sports such... Nadia PetrovaNadia Petrova Nadezhda Viktorovna Petrova is a Russian professional tennis player.Overall, she has won 28 WTA Titles, ten in singles and eighteen in doubles. In singles, Petrova has reached a career high ranking of World No. 3 in May 2006 and has reached the semi-finals of the French Open in 2003 and 2005... |
6–7(4–7), 7–6(6–3), [10–7] |
| Winner | 4. | January 16, 2009 | Sydney, Australia | Hard | Hsieh Su-wei Hsieh Su-wei Hsieh Su-wei is a Taiwanese professional female tennis player. As of July 12, 2010 she is ranked 322nd in the WTA Tour singles rankings and is the fourth-highest ranked Taiwanese women's singles player. -2006–2007:... |
 Nathalie DechyNathalie Dechy Nathalie Dechy is a French former professional tour tennis player.Dechy is a three-time doubles Grand Slam champion, winning the 2006 US Open women's doubles title with Vera Zvonareva, the 2007 French Open mixed doubles title with Andy Ram, and the 2007 US Open women's doubles title with Dinara...  Casey DellacquaCasey Dellacqua Casey Dellacqua is an Australian professional tennis player who currently resides in Perth, Western Australia. She was previously coached by former Australian player Nicole Pratt, before the two decided to part ways prior to the 2009 Australian Open... |
6–0, 6–1 |
| Winner | 5. | May 9, 2009 | Rome 2009 Internazionali BNL d'Italia The 2009 Internazionali BNL d'Italia was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 66th edition of the event known that year as the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, and was part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 of the 2009 ATP World Tour, and of the Premier-level tournaments of... , Italy (1) |
Clay | Hsieh Su-wei Hsieh Su-wei Hsieh Su-wei is a Taiwanese professional female tennis player. As of July 12, 2010 she is ranked 322nd in the WTA Tour singles rankings and is the fourth-highest ranked Taiwanese women's singles player. -2006–2007:... |
 Daniela HantuchováDaniela Hantuchová Daniela Hantuchová is a Slovak professional tennis player. She turned professional in 1999 and had her breakthrough year in 2002, when she won her first Tier I tournament and ended the year in the top 10.She is currently coached by Larri Passos...  Ai SugiyamaAi Sugiyama is a retired Japanese professional tennis player. She reached No. 1 in women's doubles on the WTA Tour. Her career-high singles ranking was No. 8, achieved on February 9, 2004. She turned professional in 1992... |
7–5, 7–6(7–5) |
| Winner | 6. | October 10, 2009 | Beijing 2009 China Open (tennis) The 2009 China Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 11th edition of the China Open, and was part of the ATP 500 Series of the 2009 ATP Tour, and of the Premier Series of the 2009 WTA Tour... , China |
Hard | Hsieh Su-wei Hsieh Su-wei Hsieh Su-wei is a Taiwanese professional female tennis player. As of July 12, 2010 she is ranked 322nd in the WTA Tour singles rankings and is the fourth-highest ranked Taiwanese women's singles player. -2006–2007:... |
Alla Kudryavtseva Alla Kudryavtseva Alla Alexandrovna Kudryavtseva is a professional tennis player from Russia. She currently lives in Moscow, where she is coached by Nick Rybakov... Ekaterina MakarovaEkaterina Makarova Ekaterina Valeryevna Makarova is a professional Russian tennis player. She achieved her career high ranking of number 29 on June 6, 2011.-Career:... |
6–3, 6–1 |
| Runner-up | 2. | October 2, 2010 | Tokyo Toray Pan Pacific Open The is a WTA Tour affiliated professional tennis tournament for women, held every year since 1984 on in Tokyo, Japan. It is classified on the WTA Tour as a Tier I tournament since 1993. The event has traditionally been played on indoor carpet at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, but the 2008 event... , Japan |
Hard (i) |  Shahar Pe'erShahar Pe'er Shahar Pe'er is an Israeli professional tennis player. Her career-high singles ranking is World No. 11, which she achieved on January 31, 2011 .... |
Iveta Benešová Iveta Benešová Iveta Benešová is a professional tennis player. She began playing tennis at age of 7 and turned professional in 1998 in Prague. She has won two WTA Tour events and one Grand Slam in mixed doubles partnering with Jürgen Melzer at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships.-2006–2008:In the 2006 Australian... Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová |
6–4, 4–6, [10–8] |
| Winner | 7. | May 15, 2011 | Rome 2011 Internazionali BNL d'Italia The 2011 Internazionali BNL d'Italia was a tennis tournament, being played on outdoor clay courts at the Foro Italico in Rome, Italy. It was the 68th edition of the event and was classified as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the 2011 ATP World Tour and a Premier 5 event on the 2011 WTA Tour... , Italy (2) |
Clay | Zheng Jie Zheng Jie Zheng Jie is a Chinese professional tennis player. Her career high ranking is World No. 15 which she achieved on May 18, 2009. As of August 15, 2011, Zheng is ranked World No. 65 in singles and World No. 20 in doubles.... |
Vania King Vania King Vania King is a Taiwanese American female tennis player. King won both the 2010 Wimbledon Women's Doubles and 2010 US Open Women's Doubles titles with Kazakh partner Yaroslava Shvedova....  Yaroslava ShvedovaYaroslava Shvedova Yaroslava Vyacheslavovna Shvedova is a Kazakhstani professional tennis player of Russian descent. She has achieved a career high ranking of No. 29 as of 21 June 2010. She has won 1 WTA singles title, 3 ITF Women's Circuit singles titles and 3 doubles titles, including the 2010 Wimbledon and US... |
6–2, 6–3 |
Singles performance timeline
| Tournament | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open Australian Open The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court... |
A | A | A | A | 2R | 1R | 2R | 1R | 3R | 1R 2010 Australian Open – Women's Singles Serena Williams defended her title after winning 6–4, 3–6, 6–2 against Justine Henin in the final.-Seeds:# Serena Williams # Dinara Safina ... |
4R 2011 Australian Open – Women's Singles Serena Williams was the defending champion, but could not defend her title due to a foot injury sustained in the middle of the 2010 season.Kim Clijsters won her first Australian Open title and fourth Grand Slam overall by beating Li Na 3–6, 6–3, 6–3 in the final match... |
0 |
| French Open | A | A | A | LQ | 2R | 2R | A | 2R | 1R 2009 French Open – Women's Singles Ana Ivanović was the defending champion, but lost in the fourth round to Victoria Azarenka.Svetlana Kuznetsova won in the final 6–4, 6–2, against Dinara Safina in 74 minutes. It was the third all-Russian final in Grand Slam history, and the first since 2004... |
A | 3R 2011 French Open – Women's Singles Francesca Schiavone was the defending champion, but lost in the final to Li Na, 6–4, 7–6, making Li the first Asian and Chinese Grand Slam singles champion.-Seeds:# Caroline Wozniacki # Kim Clijsters ... |
0 |
| Wimbledon | A | A | A | 1R | A | 3R | 1R | 3R | 2R | A | 4R 2011 Wimbledon Championships – Women's Singles Serena Williams was the two-time defending champion, but lost to 2007 finalist Marion Bartoli in the fourth round.For the first time since 1913, all eight quarter-finalists were European.... |
0 |
| US Open | A | A | A | LQ | 1R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 2R | 3R | 4R 2011 US Open – Women's Singles Kim Clijsters was the two-time defending champion, but withdrew due to an abdominal injury.Ninth seed Samantha Stosur won her first Grand Slam championship, defeating the favourite Serena Williams, a three-time US Open champion and the 28th seed, 6–2, 6–3 in the final... |
0 |
Women's doubles performance timeline
| Tournament | 2011 2011 WTA Tour The WTA Tour is the elite tour for women's professional tennis organized by the Women's Tennis Association . The 2011 WTA Tour includes the Grand Slam tournaments , the WTA Premier tournaments, the WTA International tournaments, the Fed Cup , the Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions, and the WTA... | 2010 2010 WTA Tour The Women's Tennis Association Tour is the elite professional tennis circuit organized by the WTA. The 2010 WTA Tour calendar comprises the Grand Slam tournaments , the WTA Premier tournaments , the WTA International tournaments, the Fed Cup , and the year-end... | 2009 2009 WTA Tour The 2009 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour was the 37th season since the founding of the Women's Tennis Association. It commenced on January 5, 2009, and concluded on November 8, 2009 after 56 events.... | 2008 2008 WTA Tour The 2008 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour was the 36th season since the founding of the Women's Tennis Association. It commenced on December 31, 2007, and concluded on November 9, 2008 after 59 events.The season was characterised by its frequent changes in the No... | 2007 2007 WTA Tour The 2007 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour was the 35th season since the founding of the Women's Tennis Association. It commenced on January 1, 2007, and concluded on November 11, 2007 after 61 events. Two new events were added to the schedule for the 2007 season: the Barcelona KIA and Gastein Ladies. It also... | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 2004 WTA Tour The 2004 WTA Tour was the 32nd season since the founding of the Women's Tennis Association. It commenced on January 5, 2004, and concluded on November 13, 2004, after 60 events.... | 2003 2003 WTA Tour The WTA Tour is the elite tour for professional women's tennis organised by the Women's Tennis Association . The WTA Tour includes the four Grand Slam tournaments, the WTA Tour Championships and the WTA Tier I, Tier II, Tier III, Tier IV and Tier V events... | 2002 2002 WTA Tour The 2002 Sanex WTA Tour was the 30th season since the founding of the Women's Tennis Association. It commenced on December 31, 2001, and concluded on November 11, 2002, after 64 events.... | 2001 2001 WTA Tour The WTA Tour is the elite tour for professional women's tennis organised by the Women's Tennis Association . The WTA Tour includes the four Grand Slam tournaments, the WTA Tour Championships and the WTA Tier I, Tier II, Tier III, Tier IV and Tier V events... | W–L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open Australian Open The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court... |
3R 2010 Australian Open – Women's Doubles Serena Williams and Venus Williams successfully defended their 2009 Australian Open title with a 6–4, 6–3 win over top-seeded Cara Black and Liezel Huber in the final.-Seeds:# Cara Black / Liezel Huber ... |
3R 2011 Australian Open – Women's Doubles Serena Williams and Venus Williams were the defending champions from 2010; however, they were unable to defend their title because of Serena's foot injury, sustained in the middle of the 2010 season... |
QF | 2R | 2R | 2R | 3R | A | A | A | A | 12–7 |
| French Open | 3R 2011 French Open – Women's Doubles Serena Williams and Venus Williams were the defending champions, but both withdrew from the tournament with a pulmonary embolism and a hip injury, respectively.In the final, Andrea Hlaváčková and Lucie Hradecká defeated 7th seeded Sania Mirza and Elena Vesnina in straight sets, 6–4, 6–3.-Seeds:# ... |
A | SF 2009 French Open – Women's Doubles Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual were the defending champions, and won in the final 6–1, 6–1 against Victoria Azarenka and Elena Vesnina.-Seeds:# Cara Black / Liezel Huber ... |
3R | A | 2R | 1R | A | A | A | A | 8–5 |
| Wimbledon The Championships, Wimbledon The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors... |
QF 2011 Wimbledon Championships – Women's Doubles Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova were the defending champions, but lost to Sabine Lisicki and Samantha Stosur in the second round.Květa Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik won this event, defeating Lisicki and Stosur in the final 6–3, 6–1. It was the 1st Grand Slam title for the veteran couple, and... |
A | 1R | 1R | QF | 2R | A | A | A | A | A | 7–5 |
| US Open | 1R 2011 US Open – Women's Doubles Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova were the defending champions and they reached to the final. Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond defeated them 4–6, 7–6, 7–6 to win the title.-Seeds:# Květa Peschke / Katarina Srebotnik ... |
2R 2010 US Open – Women's Doubles Serena Williams and her sister Venus Williams were the defending champions. However, Serena withdrew from the tournament because of a foot injury and Venus chose to participate in the singles event only.... |
2R | 3R | 2R | 1R | 2R | QF | A | A | A | 9–8 |
External links
- Suai Peng Profile