 Baltacha at the 2010 US Open | |
| Country (sports) |  United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Born | 14 August 1983 Kyiv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now Ukraine) |
| Died | 4 May 2014 (aged 30) Ipswich, Suffolk, England |
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) |
| Turned pro | 1997 |
| Retired | 2013 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Prize money | $1,190,893 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 324–243 |
| Career titles | 11 ITF |
| Highest ranking | No. 49 (13 September 2010) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | 3R (2005, 2010) |
| French Open | 2R (2011) |
| Wimbledon | 3R (2002) |
| US Open | 2R (2010, 2011) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 59–59 |
| Career titles | 4 ITF |
| Highest ranking | No. 211 (17 January 2011) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | 2R (2010) |
| Wimbledon | 2R (2005, 2010) |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | 3R (2002) |
| Team competitions | |
| Fed Cup | 33–16 |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Tennis | ||
Representing  Scotland
| ||
| Commonwealth Youth Games | ||
 |
2000 Edinburgh | Team |
Elena Sergeevna Baltacha (Ukrainian: Олена Сергіївна Балтача; 14 August 1983 – 4 May 2014) was a Ukrainian-born British professional tennis player. Being a four-time winner of the AEGON Awards, she was also a long-term British No. 1, a position she held intermittently from 2002 to 2012.[1] However, as a result of her absence from competition due to knee surgery,[2] she dropped down the world rankings and at the time of her retirement on 18 November 2013, she was ranked as the world No. 221 and British No. 6. Her career-high ranking of world No. 49 was achieved in September 2010.[3]
Over the course of her career, she won 11 ITF singles titles (five $25k, two $50k, two $75k, and two $100k) and four ITF doubles titles (all $25k). She was also a runner-up in three ITF events in singles and four in doubles. In 2010, Baltacha had victories over top 10-players, including two victories over Li Na (the second of which came via retirement) and one against Francesca Schiavone, who at the time was the reigning French Open champion. In 2011, Baltacha won her highest ranked tournament on the ITF Circuit, the Nottingham Challenge.
Baltacha was diagnosed with liver cancer in January 2014, just a few weeks after her marriage to tennis coach Nino Severino. She died on 4 May 2014, aged 30.[4][5]
- ^ Jago, Richard (2 October 2002). "Mystery bug half Baltacha's march". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
- ^ "Numbers rise at Elena Baltacha Tennis Academy". EADT. 1 September 2012. Archived from the original on 14 September 2012. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
- ^ "Elena Baltacha breaks into women's top 50 rankings". BBC Sport. 14 September 2010. Retrieved 16 September 2010.
- ^ "Elena Baltacha, Former British Number One Tennis Star, Dies at 30 of Liver Cancer (VIDEO)". The Huffington Post UK. 5 May 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "Elena Baltacha: Former British number one dies of liver cancer". BBC Sport. London. 4 May 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2014.