Flavia pennetta tennis star

Flavia Pennetta (born 25 February 1982 in Brindisi, Apulia) is an Italian professional tennis player. She became Italy's first top 10 female singles player on 17 August 2009 and also the first ever Italian Tennis player to be ranked No.1 in Doubles on 28 February 2011. As of 4 July 2011, Pennetta is ranked World No. She and her Italian teammates Mara Santangelo, Francesca Schiavone, and Roberta Vinci beat the Belgium team 3–2 in the 2006 Fed Cup final. Justine Henin had to retire in the fifth and final match due to an injury in her right knee, which let Italy win their first Fed Cup trophy. Pennetta began to play on the International Tennis Federation (ITF) circuit in 1997. The following year, she lost in the second round of her first qualifying tournament for a WTA Tour main draw, the Internazionali Femminili di Palermo. In 1999, Pennetta won two singles titles and two doubles titles on the ITF circuit.

2010

the ASB Classic in Auckland as the number one seed where defeating Jill Craybas 6–2 6–4, Carla Suárez Navarro 6–2 6–2, Dominika Cibulková 6–1 6–2 and Francesca Schiavone 6–3 6–0 in the semi finals. She lost to 3rd seed Yanina Wickmayer 3–6 2–6. In the Medibank International she notched up two top 20 wins over Samantha Stosur 6–3 6–1 and Li Na 6–2, 7–6(7–5) before losing 6–3, 6–0 to unseeded Aravane Rezaï in the quarter finals. At the first slam of the year, the Australian Open, Pennetta was the 12th seed. In the opening round she defeated former top 10 player Anna Chakvetadze 6–3, 3–6, 6–2 before falling in the second round to qualifier and world number 16 Yanina Wickmayer 7–6(7–4), 6–1. The loss being her third consecutive straight set loss to Wickmayer. Pennetta was selected for Italy's first tie against Ukraine. She won both her singles matches in straight sets against the Bondarenko sisters to set up a 4–1 away victory in the tie.

She was eliminated by No.3 seed Caroline Wozniacki in the round of 16. However, her performance moved her ranking back into the top ten, matching her career-high of world #10. This, in combination with countrywoman Francesca Schiavone winning the French Open, meant that on the week of 7 June 2010, two Italian woman were in the top 10 (Schiavone at world #6) at the same time, a feat never before accomplished. Pennetta was seeded 10th at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships.

Singles Titles

2010: Marbella

2009: Palermo, Los Angeles

2008: Viña del Mar, Acapulco

2007: Bangkok

2005: Bogotá, Acapulco

2004: Sopott

Flavia Pennetta became the first Italian woman to reach the Top 10, in 2009, her breakout season. After a disappointing stretch in early 2009, Pennetta played the best hard-court tennis of her career, winning in Los Angeles and reaching the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open. She won two matches in the Fed Cup final against the United States, including the tie-clinching victory. Pennetta wins matches with hustle and speed more than power; she’s a dogged competitor. Her serve is her weakest stroke.

Doubles Titles

2011: Australian Open

2010: Miami, Stuttgart, Rome, Bastad, Montréal, Moscow

2009: Hobart, Bastad, 's-Hertogenbosch

2008: Estoril

2006: Bogotá

2005: Los Angeles (w/Dementieva);