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Elena Dementieva: Final
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In 1999, Dementieva represented Russia in the Fed Cup final against the United States, scoring Russia's only point when she upset Venus Williams 1-6, 6-3, 7-6(5), recovering from a 4-1 third set deficit. She played her first Grand Slam main draws, qualifying for the Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon and receiving a direct entry into the U.S. Open. She reached the second round at the Australian Open and French Open, made a first round exit at Wimbledon, and reached the third round of the U.S. Open.
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In 2004 , Dementieva had a breakthrough year. At Miami , seeded 5th, she eliminated former world no. 1 Venus Williams , who was seeded second, in the semifinal, then faced former world no. 1, top seed and two-time defending Serena Williams . Serena won the match. On April 5, she reached her highest singles ranking at sixth in the world. With no. 5 Myskina and no. 9 Nadia Petrova , it was the first time that three Russians appeared in the WTA top 10 simultaneously. In May, at Roland Garros, she reached her first Grand Slam final, defeating former world no. 1 Lindsay Davenport in straight sets on the way. She lost to compatriot Anastasia Myskina in the first all-Russian Grand Slam final.
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In 2005, Dementieva reached six semifinals, the most important being at the U.S. Open. She ... reached the final in Charleston, losing to Justine Henin, and Philadelphia, losing to Amelie Mauresmo despite serving for the match at 5-4 in the third set. In the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open, Dementieva defeated top ranked Lindsay Davenport 6-1, 3-6, 7-6(6) for her second victory over a current No. 1 player. In the semifinals, she lost to Mary Pierce 3-6, 6-2, 6-2. The momentum of the match with Pierce changed in Pierce's favor when, with Dementieva up a set, Pierce received 12 minutes of on-court medical treatment. Partnering Flavia Pennetta of Italy, Dementieva reached her second doubles final at the U.S. Open.
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Dementieva plays as an aggressive baseliner. She has one of the best groundstrokes in the WTA, able to punish with forehands as well as backhands. However, her glaring weakness is her weak serve for a top player. Her toughness is ... up for debate. While she manages to consistently rank in the top 10 despite her weak serve, she rarely plays her best in a finals match. In 2004, she reached the final at the French and U.S. Open, losing both times in straight sets.
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In 2002, Dementieva and her partner Janette Husarova of Slovakia reached the final of the U.S. Open and won the year-ending WTA Tour Championships. In singles, Dementieva defeated a top ranked player for the first time, beating world No. 1 Martina Hingis 6-2, 6-2 in a quarterfinal in Moscow. Dementieva reached the final of that tournament, losing to Jelena Dokic.
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In her final tune-up event to the French Open, Dementieva won the Istanbul Cup, defeating Frenchwoman Aravane Rezai in the final. This was her seventh career WTA tour singles title. At the French Open, Dementieva reached the third round before being defeated by Marion Bartoli.
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