Aleksandra Wozniak Canada's Tennis Star
Quebec's Prize Pupil Earns Fame, Glory on the WTA Tour
Jul 24, 2009
The 21-year-old women's tennis professional became the first Canadian to win a singles' title on the WTA Tour in 20 years, and is just the fifth ever to do so. She's also the only Quebecoise player to win a singles title on the women's tour.
Wozniak highlighted her breakthrough season with a straight-set win over France's Marion Bartoli in the championship match of the 2008 Bank of the West Classic at Stanford's Taube Tennis Center.
She beat American Serena Williams (who retired due to a knee injury trailing 6-3, 3-1), Italy's Francesca Schiavone, Australia's Samantha Stosur and Austria's Sybille Bammer along the way.
From Qualifying to Winning
The remarkable aspect of her victory is that Wozniak first had to qualify for the main draw. She won three matches just to reach the main draw.
"I played eight matches in nine days," Wozniak said after the 2009 draw for the Bank of the West Classic. "That's like a Grand Slam, so at least I know I can do that."
Wozniak was honored by her hometown of Blainville, which changed the name of its city to "Wozniakville" for 24 hours following her victory at Stanford.
"It was a nice honor," Wozniak said. "I was given a gold key for the city."
A Rising Tennis Star
She continued her astonishing upward climb in the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Singles Rankings by beating her first Top 10 opponent (Nadia Petrova) while reaching the finals at Ponte Vedra Beach in April.
A month later, Wozniak reached the fourth round of the French Open in Roland Garros, her highest finish at a Grand Slam event and the highest finish by a Canadian player at the French Open in 17 years. Serena Williams knocked her out of the tournament but not before Wozniak earned her career best ranking of 21.
Despite missing a month of the season with a right shoulder injury, Wozniak has displayed a winning form. She suffered the injury in February and feels fully recovered.
"There has been no pain for a month," she said. "The strength is getting there and I am feeling good."
Fellow Canadian Joins Wozniak at Stanford
Canada's top two female players are entered in the Bank of the West Classic. Stephanie Dubois, ranked 105th, meets second-seeded and third-ranked Venus Williams in her first-round match.
"It's a tough draw for everybody," Wozniak said. "I'm sure she'll give it her best."
Wozniak and Dubois have met on the court three times, with Wozniak winning twice.
"We try not to play against each other to give more hope to Canada," Wozniak said.
The top three seeds at Stanford are Serena Williams, Venus Williams and Elena Dementieva, all of whom reached the semifinals at Wimbledon in June. Former world No. 1 players Jelena Jankovic and Maria Sharapova are also entered.
Wozniak, who lost her first match at Wimbledon (to Schiavone) plays Daniela Hantuchova in the first round. Hantuchova has been ranked as high as third in the world.
"It's definitely a challenge," Wozniak said. "The best players in the world are here. It looks like there are more players in the Top 10 here as well. It’s like a mini Grand Slam. I love this tournament though. When I play on center court it feels like I am playing at home."
