Klára Koukalová
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![]() Klara Zakopalova at the 2011 US Open | |
Country (sports) | ![]() |
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Residence | Prague, Czech Republic |
Born | Prague, Czechoslovakia now Czech Republic | 24 February 1982
Height | 1.66 m (5 ft 5+1⁄2 in) |
Turned pro | 1999 |
Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
Prize money | $1,391,603 |
Singles | |
Career record | 337–275 |
Career titles | 2 WTA (7 ITF) |
Highest ranking | No. 27 (6 March 2006) |
Current ranking | No. 44 (7 May 2012) |
Grand Slam singles results | |
Australian Open | 3R (2003) |
French Open | 2R (2004, 2005, 2008, 2010) |
Wimbledon | 4R (2010) |
US Open | 1R (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011) |
Doubles | |
Career record | 21–57 |
Career titles | 1 |
Highest ranking | No. 96 (17 May 2009) |
Last updated on: 10 January 2011. |
Klára Zakopalová (Czech pronunciation: [ˈklaːra ˈzakopalovaː]; born as Klára Koukalová on 24 February 1982 in Prague, Czechoslovakia) is a Czech professional female tennis player. She was born and still lives in Prague, the capital.
Career
In her career, Zakopalová has reached eight singles finals and won two, both in 2005: on grass in Rosmalen (Netherlands) and in September in Portorož (Slovenia) on hard court.
In January 2006, she played a comeback player Martina Hingis, at the WTA Tournament in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, whom she lost to in the second round. Zakopalová was seeded No.29 at the 2006 Australian Open but lost in the first round to Ekaterina Bychkova of Russia. In that year, Klara had ten first-round losses in singles and failed to win a doubles match.
In 2008, Zakopalová reached the final of the inaugural Cachantun Cup in Chile. She played the top seed Flavia Pennetta but was forced to retire due to an ankle sprain. This also forced her to withdraw from the next tournament in Bogotá, where she had made the quarterfinals in 2007.
Zakopalová 's biggest win came at the 2009 Andalucia Tennis Experience in Marbella, Spain. She defeated World No. 1 and ten time grand slam champion Serena Williams, 6–4, 3–6, 6–1. Williams was also her first round opponent at the 2009 French Open, where Zakopalová lost 3–6, 7–6, 4–6.
Zakopalová gained another good win over a top 5 player, defeating Dinara Safina in the first round of the 2010 Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open 7–6(1), 7–6(3).
In the first round of the 2010 Polsat Warsaw Open, Zakopalova caused a big upset by defeating 4th seed and World No.14 Marion Bartoli 4–6, 6–1, 6–2. She was then defeated by World No.205 Gréta Arn in the second round 6–4, 6–4.
At the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, Zakopalova advanced to the 4th round for the first time at a Grand Slam. She scored upset wins over 18th seed Aravane Rezaï and 10th seed Flavia Pennetta before falling to qualifier Kaia Kanepi.
Zakopalova made the final at the 2010 e-Boks Danish Open where she lost to then World No. 3 Caroline Wozniacki. Zakopalova defeated Rossana De Los Rios, Tatjana Malek, Sorana Cîrstea, and Li Na en route to the final. After this tournament, could not match up her performance as she went on to do poorly her last four tournaments, only advancing to the second round in the 2010 Generali Ladies Linz where she lost to Patty Schnyder 6–2, 6–0.
Zakopalova started her 2011 season at the Moorilla Hobart International after having to withdraw from the Brisbane International. She made the semifinals in Hobart, upsetting the top seeded Marion Bartoli in the quarter finals, before falling to her doubles partner Jarmila Groth.
At the 2011 Australian Open, Zakopalova defeated American Melanie Oudin in 3 sets in the 1st round before falling to fellow Czech Lucie Safarova in 3 sets in the 2nd round. This was Zakopalova's first victory at the Australian Open since 2003.
Zakopalova was seeded 31st for the 2011 French Open, her first seeding at a slam since 2006. She was upset in the first round by Chinese-Taipei qualifier Chan Yung-jan.
After her defeat at Roland Garros, Zakopalova traveled to Copenhagen to defend her finalist points from the year before. Seeded 2nd, she was upset in the 1st round by German Kathrin Woerle.
Zakopalova then returned to the site of her greatest slam accomplishment, Wimbledon. Unseeded, she came from a set down to defeat British wild-card Emily Webley-Smith in the first round. In the second round she avenged her Australian Open loss by upsetting the 31st seed Lucie Safarova in three sets. In the third round, Zakopalova fell to eventual finalist Maria Sharapova 2–6 3–6.
After Wimbledon, Zakopalova made the semi-finals in Budapest where she lost to the eventual champion Roberta Vinci, and then made the quarter-finals in Palermo, Italy, where she lost to eventual finalist Polona Hercog.
Personal Life
On 6 June 2006, Klara married Czech football player Jan Zakopal.[1]
WTA Career Finals
Singles: 11 (2-9)
Legend: Before 2009 | Legend: Starting in 2009 |
---|---|
Grand Slam tournaments (0) | |
WTA Championships (0) | |
Tier I (0) | Premier Mandatory (0) |
Tier II (0) | Premier 5 (0) |
Tier III (1/5) | Premier (0) |
Tier IV & V (1/2) | International (0/2) |
Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Runner-up | 1. | 20 May 2001 | ![]() |
Clay | ![]() |
6–3, 6–2 |
Runner-up | 2. | 14 July 2002 | ![]() |
Clay | ![]() |
5–7, 6–3, 6–3 |
Runner-up | 3. | 2 August 2003 | ![]() |
Clay | ![]() |
6–2 6–0 |
Runner-up | 4. | 19 June 2004 | ![]() |
Grass | ![]() |
7–6(6), 6–2 |
Runner-up | 5. | 14 August 2004 | ![]() |
Clay | ![]() |
7–5, 3–6, 6–3 |
Winner | 1. | 18 June 2005 | ![]() |
Grass | ![]() |
3–6, 6–2, 6–2 |
Runner-up | 6. | 24 July 2005 | ![]() |
Clay | ![]() |
6–4, 6–0 |
Winner | 2. | 25 September 2005 | ![]() |
Hard | ![]() |
6–2, 4–6, 6–3 |
Runner-up | 7. | 17 February 2008 | ![]() |
Clay | ![]() |
6–4, 5–4 ret. |
Runner-up | 8. | 8 August 2010 | ![]() |
Carpet (i) | ![]() |
6–2, 7–6(5) |
Runner-up | 9. | 26 September 2010 | ![]() |
Hard | ![]() |
6–1, 6–3 |
Doubles: 5 (1-4)
Legend: Before 2009 | Legend: Starting in 2009 |
---|---|
Grand Slam tournaments (0) | |
WTA Championships (0) | |
Tier I (0/0) | Premier Mandatory (0/0) |
Tier II (0/0) | Premier 5 (0/0) |
Tier III (0/1) | Premier (0/1) |
Tier IV & V (0/0) | International (1/2) |
Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponent | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Runner-up | 1. | 17 September 2001 | ![]() |
Hard (i) | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
7–5, 4–6, 6–3 |
Runner-up | 2. | 25 July 2009 | ![]() |
Hard | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–4, 6–2 |
Runner-up | 3. | 24 October 2009 | ![]() |
Hard | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–2, 6–2 |
Winner | 1. | 18 June 2011 | ![]() |
Grass | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
1–6, 6–4, [10–7] |
Runner-up | 4. | 16 July 2011 | ![]() |
Clay | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
7–5, 6–1 |
Singles performance timeline
This table is current through
Tournament | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | W–L |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Australian Open | 3R | 1R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 4–10 |
French Open | 1R | 2R | 2R | 1R | A | 2R | 1R | 2R | 1R | 4–8 | |
Wimbledon | 1R | 2R | 1R | 1R | A | 1R | 1R | 4R | 3R | 6–8 | |
US Open | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | LQ | 1R | 1R | 0–8 | |
Win–Loss | 2–4 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 1–4 | 0–3 | 4–4 | 3–3 | 0–1 | 14–33 |
Tournaments Won | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Year End Ranking | 62 | 46 | 36 | 125 | 62 | 75 | 95 | 41 | 41 |
References
![](http://178.128.105.246/cars-http-upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- ^ Van Agtmael, Claudia (31 July 2006). "Koukalova getrouwd, 'The Scud' breekt, Roddick feest". Tennisinfo.be (in Dutch). Retrieved 11 May 2010.
External links
- Klára Zakopalová at the Women's Tennis Association
- {{ITF profile}} template using deprecated numeric ID.