WTA World Number 25: Alisa Kleybanova in 2010
Alisa Mikhaelovna Kleybanova is a professional tennis player from Russia, she has been a part of the WTA since 2003, the year she turned pro at the age of fourteen. The player’s highest Women’s Tennis Association world ranking
spot is World No.22, which she reached on the 22nd of March, 2010. She is currently World No.25. Her career record is two WTA singles titles.
In 2010, Kleybanova’s best performance was in Kuala Lumpur. Her opponents suffered heavily under her playing style, which was compared to that of former World No. 1 Lindsay Davenport. At Malaysia, Kleybanova dropped just two sets
on her way to the title match of the event. She defeated top seed Elena Dementieva (who retired at Doha) in straight sets 6-3, 6-2 to seize her first Women’s Tennis Association title. The next tournament she played at was Indian Wells, where she made it to
the quarterfinals before losing to eventual champion Jelena Jankovic.
Some of Kleybanova’s worst performances during the WTA tour were on hard courts and at US tournaments. She was unable to move past the second round of five of the six hard court events she played in the United States, including
the Grand Slam at Flushing Meadows. She was knocked out of the 2010 US Open in the second round in straight sets 6-2, 6-3, by Sara Errani.
In retrospect, Kleybanova seems to have had a very mixed year. She has been in the World’s Top 50 players for almost three years, but was unable to land a position higher than World Number 25 at the end of the year. This seems
to be due to a lack of consistency, she won career titles at Kuala Lumpur and Seoul and also reached the title match of the Bali Tournament of Champions, but was unable to finish a tournament in the last four in 22 other events in which she played.
Perhaps the 21 year old should play more tournaments in Asia, or train harder with a more extensive fitness regime. Her stature and form allows her to hit some huge shots, but she seems to be holding back due to a lack of confidence
on the court. However, she is still quite young and there is plenty of time for her to practice and improve her form, her frame and her game. If Alisa Kleybanova successfully hones her talent, she may be the second Nadia Petrova.
One of the Russian’s crowning performances was her defeat of Serbian WTA pro, Ana Ivanovic. Ivanovic had emerged from 2008 as the champion of the French Open, and beating her on clay was a difficult task. However, Kleybanova proved
herself equal to the challenge when she defeated Ivanovic at the 2010 French Open. While the Serbian player triumphed at three of their five 2010 matches, Kleybanova managed to seize success where it mattered, at Roland Garros.
If one observes the trend followed by Kleybanova in the past few years, it is obvious that she is able to make some progress in every year of her career. At the age of 19 in 2008, she ended the year at World No. 33. Last year in
2009, she pushed up her position to World No. 29. This season, she has ended the year at World No.25, only three spots lower than her all-time high of No. 22.
Is it possible for her to end the year at World No. 21 in 2011? While the answer to that question can only be answered with time, it is obvious that Kleybanova possesses the talent and ability to win titles. If she puts in effort
on the hard courts, she may well be one of the World’s Top 20 players by the end of next year.
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