Eleni Daniilidou
Eleni Daniilidou (Greek: Ελένη Δανιηλίδου; [eleˈni ðaniˈiliðu]; born 19 September 1982) is a Greek former tennis player from the island of Crete.
Country (sports) | Greece |
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Residence | Thessaloniki |
Born | Chania, Crete | 19 September 1982
Height | 1.82 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in) |
Turned pro | 1996 |
Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
Prize money | $2,929,165 |
Singles | |
Career record | 509–431 (54.1%) |
Career titles | 5 WTA, 11 ITF |
Highest ranking | No. 14 (12 May 2003) |
Grand Slam Singles results | |
Australian Open | 4R (2003) |
French Open | 3R (2003) |
Wimbledon | 4R (2002) |
US Open | 4R (2004) |
Doubles | |
Career record | 298–277 (51.8%) |
Career titles | 3 WTA, 16 ITF |
Highest ranking | No. 21 (29 January 2007) |
Grand Slam Doubles results | |
Australian Open | QF (2005) |
French Open | SF (2006) |
Wimbledon | QF (2006) |
US Open | 2R (2004, 2007) |
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results | |
Australian Open | F (2003) |
French Open | 1R (2007) |
Wimbledon | 2R (2006) |
US Open | 2R (2003) |
Team competitions | |
Fed Cup | 29–15 (65.9%) |
She is considered as one of the best Greek tennis players of the Open Era, winning five singles titles and three doubles titles on the WTA Tour. In 2003, she reached the mixed-doubles final of the Australian Open, making her the first Greek player to have reached a Grand Slam final. Her highest singles ranking is world No. 14, making her the only female tennis player from Greece to have reached the top 20 until Maria Sakkari in February 2020. No male tennis player had achieved this until Stefanos Tsitsipas reached 15th place in August 2018. By beating Justine Henin in the first round of the 2005 Wimbledon Championships, she became the first player to defeat a reigning French Open champion in the first round of Wimbledon.
Career summary
Daniilidou began her professional career in 1996, making the final of her first ITF event, having barely turned 14. She achieved her first ranking in 1998, finishing that year as the world No. 294. In 2001, she broke into the top 100 following a third round appearance at the US Open.
2002 was the best year of Daniilidou's career, finishing it at No. 22 in the world. She won her first WTA career singles title at the Rosmalen Championships, beating Amélie Mauresmo, Elena Dementieva and Henin; and reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time at Wimbledon. At the end of the year, she reached her second WTA final at the Brasil Open, beating Monica Seles en route, but lost to Anastasia Myskina.
Daniilidou started 2003 by winning her second WTA title at the Auckland Open and reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open, results which saw her break into the top 20 for the first time, reaching a career high of No. 14 after the German Open. She also reached the semifinals of the Paris Indoors and the DFS Classic.
Daniilidou successfully defended her title at Auckland in 2004, her third WTA singles title. She reached the semifinals at the prestigious Miami Open, beating Jennifer Capriati en route. Later that year she equalled her best Grand Slam performance at the US Open by reaching the fourth round.
2005 was a relatively poor year for Daniilidou, becoming the first since 2001 where she did not win a title. She did, however, cause a huge upset at Wimbledon, beating the reigning French Open champion, Justine Henin. It was the first time the French Open champion had ever lost in the first round of Wimbledon. It also brought the end of Henin's 24-match win streak dating back to the beginning of the clay season. Daniilidou eventually lost in the third round, her best Grand Slam performance of the year. She also reached the semifinals of a lower level WTA event in Portoroz, Slovenia.
She recovered slightly in 2006, going back into the top 50 and winning her fourth WTA singles title at the Korea Open. She also reached the semifinals of the Ordina Open, and remained in the top 50 in 2007 with her best result being a semifinal at the Connecticut Open, where she beat Dinara Safina in the quarterfinals after saving a match point.
2008 was an injury-plagued season for Daniilidou, missing almost half the year with a right knee injury. She won her fifth and last WTA singles title at the Hobart International, but missed several months of events from March. She returned at the Summer Olympics in August, but failed to win a match for the rest of the season, ultimately finishing the year outside the top 100 for the first time since 2000.
Grand Slam finals
Mixed doubles: 1 (runner-up)
Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
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Loss | 2003 | Australian Open | Hard | Todd Woodbridge | Leander Paes Martina Navratilova | 4–6, 5–7 |
WTA career finals
Singles: 6 (5 titles, 1 runner–up)
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Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
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Win | 1–0 | Jun 2002 | Rosmalen Championships, Netherlands | Tier III | Grass | Elena Dementieva | 3–6, 6–2, 6–3 |
Loss | 1–1 | Sep 2002 | Brasil Open, Brazil | Tier II | Hard | Anastasia Myskina | 3–6, 6–0, 2–6 |
Win | 2–1 | Jan 2003 | Auckland Open, New Zealand | Tier IV | Hard | Cho Yoon-jeong | 6–4, 4–6, 7–6(7–2) |
Win | 3–1 | Jan 2004 | Auckland Open, New Zealand (2) | Tier IV | Hard | Ashley Harkleroad | 6–3, 6–2 |
Win | 4–1 | Oct 2006 | Korea Open, South Korea | Tier IV | Hard | Ai Sugiyama | 6–3, 2–6, 7–6(7–3) |
Win | 5–1 | Jan 2008 | Hobart International, Australia | Tier IV | Hard | Vera Zvonareva | w/o |
Doubles: 12 (3 titles, 9 runner–ups)
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ITF Circuit finals
$100,000 tournaments |
$75,000 tournaments |
$50,000 tournaments |
$25,000 tournaments |
$10,000 tournaments |
Singles: 16 (11 titles, 5 runner-ups)
Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loss | 0–1 | Sep 1996 | ITF Thessaloniki, Greece | Hard | Nóra Köves | 3–6, 2–6 |
Win | 1–1 | Aug 1998 | ITF Southsea, Great Britain | Grass | Manisha Malhotra | 7–6(7–5), 6–3 |
Win | 2–1 | Aug 1998 | ITF İstanbul, Turkey | Hard | Riei Kawamata | 6–0, 6–1 |
Win | 3–1 | Aug 1998 | ITF Skiathos, Greece | Carpet | Tatiana Poutchek | 6–3, 6–4 |
Win | 4–1 | Aug 1998 | ITF Xanthi, Greece | Hard | Lizzie Jelfs | 6–2, 6–0 |
Win | 5–1 | Sep 1999 | ITF Thessaloniki, Greece | Carpet | Clarisa Fernández | 6–2, 6–2 |
Win | 6–1 | Aug 2000 | ITF Kastoria, Greece | Carpet | Jolanda Mens | 6–3, 6–1 |
Win | 7–1 | Apr 2001 | ITF Dubai, United Arab Emirates | Hard | Anikó Kapros | 6–4, 6–4 |
Win | 8–1 | Apr 2001 | ITF Taranto, Italy | Clay | Edina Gallovits-Hall | 7–5, 6–2 |
Loss | 8–2 | Feb 2009 | ITF Midland, United States | Hard (i) | Lucie Hradecká | 3–6, 3–6 |
8–3 | 3. | Aug 2009 | ITF Westende, Belgium | Hard | Estelle Guisard | 1–6, 2–6 |
Loss | 8–4 | Sep 2009 | ITF Athens, Greece | Hard | Jelena Dokic | 2–6, 1–6 |
Win | 9–4 | Oct 2010 | ITF Athens, Greece | Hard | Laura Pous Tió | 6–4, 6–1 |
Win | 10–4 | May 2011 | ITF Nottingham, Great Britain | Grass | Olga Govortsova | 1–6, 6–4, 6–2 |
Win | 11–4 | Jul 2011 | ITF Pozoblanco, Spain | Hard | Elitsa Kostova | 6–3, 6–2 |
Loss | 11–5 | Oct 2012 | ITF Barnstaple, Great Britain | Hard (i) | Annika Beck | 7–6(7–1), 2–6, 2–6 |
Doubles: 29 (16 titles, 13 runner-ups)
Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
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Runner-up | 1. | 3 August 1998 | ITF Southsea, Great Britain | Grass | Lucy Wood | Lizzie Jelfs Mareze Joubert |
2–6, 3–6 |
Winner | 1. | 10 August 1998 | ITF İstanbul, Turkey | Hard | Nataly Cahana | Duygu Akşit Oal Gülberk Gültekin |
3–6, 6–3, 6–3 |
Winner | 2. | 24 August 1998 | ITF Skiathos, Greece | Carpet | Evagelia Roussi | Marina Lazarovska Tatiana Poutchek |
3–6, 6–4, 6–2 |
Winner | 3. | 31 August 1998 | ITF Xanthi, Greece | Hard | Evagelia Roussi | Dragana Ilić Ljiljana Nanušević |
6–0, 6–3 |
Winner | 4. | 28 September 1998 | ITF Thessaloniki, Greece | Clay | Christína Papadáki | Ľudmila Cervanová Magdalena Kučerová |
7–6(7–5), 4–6, 7–5 |
Winner | 5. | 20 September 1999 | ITF Thessaloniki | Carpet | Surina De Beer | Adriana Barna Adrienn Hegedűs |
6–2, 6–3 |
Winner | 6. | 21 August 2000 | ITF Kastoria, Greece | Carpet | Evagelia Roussi | Sandra Klemenschits Daniela Klemenschits |
6–3, 6–4 |
Runner-up | 2. | 4 September 2000 | ITF Fano, Italy | Clay | Alicia Ortuño | Rosa María Andrés Rodríguez Conchita Martínez Granados |
2–6, 4–6 |
Winner | 7. | 16 October 2000 | ITF Joué-lès-Tours, France | Hard (i) | Maria Geznenge | Mia Buric Laura Dell'Angelo |
5–3, 4–1, 4–0 |
Runner-up | 3. | 29 January 2001 | ITF Tipton, Great Britain | Hard (i) | Maria Geznenge | Helen Crook Victoria Davies |
6–2, 4–6, 4–6 |
Winner | 8. | 12 February 2001 | ITF Sutton, Great Britain | Hard (i) | Lydia Steinbach | Amanda Hopmans Patty Van Acker |
6–0, 6–4 |
Runner-up | 4. | 25 March 2001 | ITF Cholet, France | Clay (i) | Germana Di Natale | Yuliya Beygelzimer Anastasia Rodionova |
1–6, 6–7(5–7) |
Winner | 9. | 9 April 2001 | ITF Dinan, France | Clay (i) | Caroline Schneider | Vanessa Henke Syna Schmidle |
6–3, 7–6(7–4) |
Runner-up | 5. | 27 March 2009 | ITF La Palma, Spain | Hard | Jasmin Wöhr | Lu Jingjing Sun Shengnan |
2–6, 7–5, [5–10] |
Runner-up | 6. | 5 June 2009 | ITF Nottingham, Great Britain | Grass | Rika Fujiwara | Alexa Glatch Natalie Grandin |
3–6, 6–2, [7–10] |
Winner | 10. | 28 September 2009 | ITF Athens, Greece | Hard | Jasmin Wöhr | Timea Bacsinszky Tathiana Garbin |
6–2, 5–7, [10–4] |
Winner | 11. | 2 November 2009 | ITF Ismaning, Germany | Carpet (i) | Jasmin Wöhr | Ekaterina Dzehalevich Eva Hrdinová |
6–2, 4–6, [10–5] |
Winner | 12. | 13 September 2010 | ITF Sofia, Bulgaria | Hard | Jasmin Wöhr | Sandra Klemenschits Tatjana Maria |
6–3, 6–4 |
Runner-up | 7. | 3 October 2010 | ITF Athens | Hard | Petra Martić | Vitalia Diatchenko İpek Şenoğlu |
w/o |
Winner | 13. | 9 June 2012 | ITF Nottingham | Grass | Casey Dellacqua | Laura Robson Heather Watson |
6–4, 6–2 |
Winner | 14. | 16 September 2013 | ITF Albuquerque, United States | Hard | CoCo Vandeweghe | Melanie Oudin Taylor Townsend |
6–4, 7–6(7–2) |
Runner-up | 8. | 20 December 2013 | ITF Ankara, Turkey | Hard | Aleksandra Krunić | Yuliya Beygelzimer Çağla Büyükakçay |
3–6, 3–6 |
Runner-up | 9. | 24 March 2014 | ITF Croissy-Beaubourg, France | Hard (i) | Kristina Barrois | Margarita Gasparyan Lyudmyla Kichenok |
2–6, 4–6 |
Runner-up | 10. | 5 May 2014 | ITF Fukuoka, Japan | Grass | Naomi Broady | Shuko Aoyama Eri Hozumi |
3–6, 4–6 |
Winner | 15. | 9 March 2015 | ITF Amiens, France | Clay | Ilka Csöregi | Elizaveta Ianchuk Olga Ianchuk |
6–1, 6–4 |
Runner-up | 11. | 21 February 2016 | ITF Antalya | Clay | Arina Folts | Petia Arshinkova Elena Gabriela Ruse |
6–7(0–7), 4–6 |
Runner-up | 12. | 25 April 2016 | ITF Manisa, Turkey | Hard | Margarita Lazareva | Abbie Myers Melis Sezer |
4–6, 4–6 |
Winner | 16. | 11 July 2016 | ITF Imola, Italy | Carpet | Lisa Sabino | Martina Di Giuseppe Maria Masini |
4–6, 6–2, [10–4] |
Runner-up | 13. | 27 March 2017 | ITF İstanbul | Hard (i) | Vlada Ekshibarova | Ekaterina Kazionova Elena Rybakina |
1–6, 3–6 |
Grand Slam performance timelines
Singles
Tournament | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | W–L |
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Australian Open | A | 3R | 4R | 3R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | Q2 | Q2 | Q2 | 2R | 2R | Q1 | 9–9 |
French Open | Q3 | 2R | 3R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | A | A | Q1 | 1R | 1R | Q2 | A | 3–8 |
Wimbledon | 2R | 4R | 2R | 1R | 3R | 1R | 2R | A | A | 1R | 2R | 1R | Q2 | A | 10–10 |
US Open | 3R | 1R | 1R | 4R | 1R | 2R | 2R | 1R | A | Q1 | 1R | 1R | 1R | A | 7–11 |
Win–Loss | 3–2 | 6–4 | 7–4 | 5–4 | 2–4 | 1–4 | 2–4 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 1–4 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 29–38 |
Doubles
Tournament | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | W–L |
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Australian Open | 3R | 1R | 1R | QF | 1R | 3R | 1R | A | A | 2R | 1R | 1R | A | 8–10 |
French Open | A | 3R | 1R | 1R | SF | 2R | A | A | 1R | 1R | 2R | A | A | 8–8 |
Wimbledon | A | 1R | 1R | 2R | QF | 2R | A | A | 1R | 1R | 1R | A | 1R | 5–9 |
US Open | A | 1R | 2R | 1R | A | 2R | 1R | A | 1R | 2R | 1R | 1R | A | 3–9 |
Win–Loss | 2–1 | 2–4 | 1–4 | 4–4 | 7–3 | 5–4 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 0–3 | 2–4 | 1–4 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 24–36 |
Head-to-head records
- Serena Williams: 0–8
- Venus Williams: 0–2
- Kim Clijsters: 0–2
- Lindsay Davenport: 0–3
- Jelena Jankovic: 0–1
- Nadia Petrova: 1–3
- Dinara Safina: 2–2
- Justine Henin: 2–2
- Maria Sharapova: 0–5
External links
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