Ekaterina Valeryevna Makarova ( rus, Екатери́на Вале́рьевна Мака́рова; ; born 7 June 1988) is a Russian former professional
tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball cov ...
player who was ranked
world No. 1 in doubles, and world No. 8 in singles.
She is a four-time
Grand Slam champion, having won the
2013 French Open
The 2013 French Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 117th edition of the French Open and the second Grand Slam event of the year. It took place at the Stade Roland Garros from 26 May to 9 June. It consisted o ...
,
2014 US Open and
2017 Wimbledon Championships
The 2017 Wimbledon Championships was a Grand Slam tennis tournament that took place at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom. The main draw matches commenced on 3 July 2017 and concluded on 16 July 2 ...
in women's doubles, all alongside compatriot
Elena Vesnina
Elena Sergeyevna Vesnina (born 1 August 1986) is a Russian former professional tennis player and a former world No. 1 in doubles.
She is a four-time Grand Slam champion, having won the 2013 French Open, 2014 US Open, and 2017 Wimbledon Cha ...
, as well as the
2012 US Open in mixed doubles with
Bruno Soares. Makarova and Vesnina also finished runners-up at the
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wa ...
and
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
Australian Opens,
2015 Wimbledon Championships and
2016 French Open. She and
Jaroslav Levinský reached the mixed doubles final at the
2010 Australian Open
The 2010 Australian Open was a tennis tournament that took place in Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 18 to 31 January. It was the 98th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year.
In the singles competi ...
. In singles, Makarova achieved her best Grand Slam results at the
2014 US Open and
2015 Australian Open, where she reached the semifinals.
She became world No. 1 in doubles on 11 June 2018, and won 15 titles on the
WTA Tour
The WTA Tour is a worldwide top-tier tennis tour for women organized by the Women's Tennis Association. The second-tier tour is the WTA 125K series, and third-tier is the ITF Women's Circuit. The men's equivalent is the ATP Tour.
WTA Tour tou ...
, including the
2016 WTA Finals and seven at
Premier Mandatory/Premier 5 level. Makarova and Vesnina also won Olympic gold in
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...
. She reached her career-high singles ranking of world No. 8 on 6 April 2015, and won three WTA titles, most notably at the
2010 Eastbourne International. Makarova was also part of the Russian team which won the
2008 Fed Cup
The 2008 Fed Cup was the 46th edition of the most important competition between national teams in women's tennis.
The final took place at the Club de Campo Villa de Madrid in Madrid, Spain, on 13–14 September. The home team, Spain, lost to the ...
.
Early life
Ekaterina Valeryevna Makarova was born to Valery and Olga in Moscow, Soviet Union. Her father is a banker and her mother a housewife. At age five or six she was sent by her parents to the
Luzhniki per the recommendation of friends.
Career
2003–2005
In her first professional tournament in Elektrostal as a wildcard, she reached the quarterfinals losing to
Olga Savchuk
Olga Mykolayivna Savchuk ( uk, Ольга Миколаївна Савчук; born 20 September 1987) is a retired tennis player from Ukraine. Savchuk grew up in the city of Makiyivka in Donetsk province. She resides in Nassau, Bahamas.
Her be ...
. At her last tournament of 2003 in Zhukovsky, Russia, she lost in the first round. She then played in Cairo, Egypt, reaching the second round as a qualifier. At
Antalya
la, Attalensis grc, Ἀτταλειώτης
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code = 07xxx
, area_code = (+90) 242
, registration_plate = 07
, blank_name = Licence plate
...
, Turkey, she won her career first title over Kateryna Avdiyenko. Appearing at Felixstowe, Great Britain, she lost in the first round. At
Târgu Mureş, Romania, Makarova claimed her second $10k title without dropping a set, defeating
Simona Matei
Simona-Iulia Matei (born 7 July 1985) is a former professional Romanian tennis player.
On 2 October 2006, she reached her career-high singles ranking of world No. 145 and her best WTA doubles ranking of 246. In her career, she won nine singl ...
in the finals. In Moscow as a wildcard in the qualifier, she earned her first top 100 victory over
Tatiana Perebiynis and
Marta Domachowska
Marta Domachowska (; born 16 January 1986) is a former tennis player from Poland.
She was ranked world No. 37 in singles (2006) and No. 62 in doubles (2006), and reached 2008 Australian Open fourth round in singles and won 2006 Canberra Interna ...
, but lost to compatriot
Anna Chakvetadze.
At Redbridge, Makarova lost to Baltacha in the semifinals. In the next tournament at St. Petersburg, she again reached semifinals, in which she lost to compatriot
Ekaterina Bychkova. Bychkova beat her in the semifinal at the tournament in Cagnes-sur-Mer, France. In the second round of qualifying for the
US Open she lost to Indian
Shikha Uberoi. In her next tournaments, she was often reaching first rounds or losing in qualifying.
2006–2007
Her first tournament in 2006 was at Ortesei, in which as a qualifier she lost to
Eva Birnerová in the first round. At Torrent, Spain, she reached the finals, eventually losing to
Romina Oprandi
Romina Sarina Oprandi (born 29 March 1986) is a retired tennis player. She has dual Swiss-Italian citizenship and represented Italy from her professional debut in 2005 until January 2012, when she joined the Swiss tennis federation.
She has ...
. At an ITF event in Moscow, she reached the final defeating
Vesna Manasieva in the quarterfinals and
Anna Lapushchenkova in the semifinals, before falling to
Evgeniya Rodina
Evgeniya Sergeyevna Rodina (russian: Евгения Сергеевна Родина, born 4 February 1989) is a Russian tennis player. On 6 May 2019, she achieved a career-high singles ranking of 67.
Rodina has won 13 singles titles on the ITF ...
.
Makarova began 2007 season losing to Olga Blahotová, at Tampa, Florida. In Moscow, she won the title with victories over Evgenia Grenbenyuk, and Evgeniya Rodina in the final. Makarova entered the qualifying draw for the
French Open
The French Open (french: Internationaux de France de tennis), also known as Roland-Garros (), is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, beginning in late May each year. The tournament and ve ...
defeating
Erika Takao
is a retired Japanese tennis player.
On 6 November 2006, she reached her career-high WTA singles ranking of No. 128. On 31 October 2011, she also reached her highest doubles ranking of No. 270.
In 2013, after Japanese national championships, ...
but was defeated again by
Ioana Raluca Olaru. Then, in Zagreb, she reached the semifinals, before losing to
Kyra Nagy
Kira Nagy (born 29 December 1977) is a former professional tennis player from Hungary. She won 18 singles and ten doubles titles on tournaments of the ITF Circuit.
Kira won her first match on the WTA Tour in 2007 at the Palermo Ladies Open, ...
. Makarova then lost in qualifying for the
Wimbledon Championships
The Wimbledon Championships, commonly known simply as Wimbledon, is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is widely regarded as the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London, since 1877 and is pla ...
to
Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová after defeating
Lilia Osterloh
Lilia Osterloh (born April 7, 1978) is a retired tennis player from the United States.
Osterloh started a professional career in August 1997.
She reached her highest singles ranking in April 2001, when she became world No. 41 Her career-high dou ...
. Makarova qualified for her first Grand Slam main draw at the
US Open; in the main draw she defeated
Julia Schruff and
Ai Sugiyama, but lost to reigning world No. 1 and eventual champion,
Justine Henin in straight sets. In her last tournament of the year in Minsk, she reached the second round, losing to
Ekaterina Dzehalevich.
2008
Makarova began the year by losing in the qualifying round of the
Sydney International. She earned her first win over a top 20 at the
Australian Open
The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Ope ...
, where she overcame No. 19
Ágnes Szávay
Ágnes Szávay ( hu, Szávay Ágnes, ; born 29 December 1988) is a former professional tennis player from Hungary. The 2007 WTA Newcomer of the Year achieved her career-high ranking of world No. 13 in April 2008.
Personal life
Szávay was bor ...
. 14th seed
Nadia Petrova
Nadezhda Viktorovna "Nadia" Petrova (russian: Надежда Викторовна Петрова ; born 8 June 1982) is a Russian former professional tennis player. A former top-five player in both singles and doubles, she reached a career-high ...
hindered her way to the fourth round. In the opening season Makarova had a number of second round achievements, such as at the
French Open
The French Open (french: Internationaux de France de tennis), also known as Roland-Garros (), is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, beginning in late May each year. The tournament and ve ...
. Makarova suffered consecutive first round losses at
Wimbledon, the
Slovenia Open,
Nordic Light Open and
Cincinnati Open
The Cincinnati Masters or Cincinnati Open (branded as the Western & Southern Open for sponsorship reasons) is an annual outdoor hardcourt tennis event held in Mason, Ohio near Cincinnati. The event started on September 18, 1899, and is the o ...
. At the
US Open she earned her first top-10 win over world No. 9, Anna Chakvetadze, until falling to
Li Na.
2009
Makarova started the 2009 season at
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mounta ...
where she lost in the first round to third seed and eventual champion, Elena Dementieva. At the
Australian Open
The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Ope ...
, she was defeated in the second round by third seed, compatriot, and eventual finalist
Dinara Safina.
At the
Open GdF Suez
Open GDF Suez, formerly Open Gaz de France, was a Premier level tennis tournament on the WTA Tour held in Paris, France. Held from 1993 till 2014, the tournament was played indoors, originally on carpet until 2000, then on hardcourts. The 2014 O ...
, Makarova lost in the first round to
Daniela Hantuchová
Daniela Hantuchová (; born 23 April 1983) is a Slovak tennis commentator and retired player. She turned professional in 1999 and had her breakthrough year in 2002, when she won her first WTA Tour title at the Indian Wells Masters, defeating M ...
. In
Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, wikt:دبي, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the List of cities in the United Arab Emirates#Major cities, most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 ...
, she was defeated in the first round by
Sania Mirza
Sania Mirza (; born 15 November 1986) is an Indian professional tennis player. A former doubles world No. 1, she has won six major titles – three in women's doubles and three in mixed doubles. From 2003 until her retirement from singles ...
. At the
Indian Wells Open
The Indian Wells Masters, also known as the Indian Wells Open and BNP Paribas Open is an annual tennis tournament usually held in early- and mid-March at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, California, United States. The owner is La ...
, she lost in the second round to 19th seed Anna Chakvetadze. Competing at the
Miami Open, she reached the fourth round where she was defeated by Li Na.
Seeded sixth at the
Morocco Open, Makarova reached her first WTA singles final; she lost in a one-sided final to top seed Anabel Medina Garrigues. In doubles, she and
Alisa Kleybanova
Alisa Mikhailovna Kleybanova (russian: Алиса Михайловна Клейбанова, born 15 July 1989) is a Russian former tennis player. Her career-high singles ranking is world No. 20, achieved in February 2011. In her career. she wo ...
made it to the final where they were defeated by
Sorana Cîrstea/
Maria Kirilenko
Maria Yuryevna Kirilenko ( rus, Мари́я Ю́рьевна Кириле́нко, p=mɐˈrʲijə kʲɪrʲɪˈlʲɛnkə ; born 25 January 1987) is a Russian former professional tennis player. A junior Grand Slam champion at the 2002 US Open a ...
. Seeded sixth at the
Estoril Open, she made her second WTA singles final where she lost to
Yanina Wickmayer. At the
French Open
The French Open (french: Internationaux de France de tennis), also known as Roland-Garros (), is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, beginning in late May each year. The tournament and ve ...
, she was defeated in the first round by 18th seed Anabel Medina Garrigues.
Seeded sixth in
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...
, Makarova lost in the first round to
Stefanie Vögele. Getting past qualifying at the
Aegon International
The Eastbourne International is a tennis tournament on the WTA Tour and the ATP Tour held at the Devonshire Park Lawn Tennis Club, Eastbourne, United Kingdom. Held since 1974, it is classified as a WTA 500 series on the WTA Tour and an ATP Tour ...
, she reached the quarterfinals where she was defeated by sixth seed and eventual champion, Caroline Wozniacki. At
Wimbledon, she lost in the second round to
Carla Suárez Navarro.
Seeded sixth in
Palermo
Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The city is noted for its ...
, Makarova was defeated in the second round by
Olga Govortsova
Olga Alekseyevna Govortsova ( be, Вольга Аляксееўна Гаварцова (Volha Alyakseyeuna Havartsova); ; born 23 August 1988) is a Belarusian professional tennis player. On 23 June 2008, she achieved a career-high singles ranki ...
. Starting her
US Open Series at the
LA Women's Championships, Makarova lost in the second round to 17th seed
Sabine Lisicki
Sabine Katharina Lisicki (; born 22 September 1989) is a German professional tennis player.
Lisicki turned professional in 2006, and her breakthrough came in 2009 when she reached the quarterfinals of the Wimbledon Championships, and also won ...
. In
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line w ...
, she fell in the first round to qualifier Olga Govortsova. At the
Rogers Cup
The Canadian Open (french: Tournoi de tennis du Canada), also known as the Canada Masters, and currently branded as the National Bank Open presented by Rogers for sponsorship reasons, is an annual tennis tournament held in Ontario and Quebec. T ...
, she was defeated in the first round by
Virginie Razzano. Playing in Connecticut at the
Pilot Pen Open, she lost in the first round to compatriot
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Anastasia Sergeyevna "Nastia" Pavlyuchenkova (russian: Анастаси́я "Настя" Серге́евна Павлюче́нкова; born 3 July 1991) is an inactive Russian professional tennis player. A junior prodigy, Pavlyuchenkova won ...
. At the
US Open, she was defeated in the first round by
Gisela Dulko.
At the
Korea Open, Makarova lost in the first round to eighth seed Sybille Bammer. In
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.46 ...
, she was defeated in the first round by 11th seed
Agnieszka Radwańska. At the
China Open, she made it to the second round where she lost to second seed
Serena Williams
Serena Jameka Williams (born September 26, 1981) is an American inactive professional tennis player. Considered among the greatest tennis players of all time, she was ranked world No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) fo ...
. In doubles, she and Alla Kudryavtseva reached the final where they were defeated by
Hsieh Su-wei/
Peng Shuai
Peng Shuai (; born 8 January 1986) is a Chinese retired professional tennis player. In February 2014, she was ranked world No. 1 doubles player by the WTA, becoming the first Chinese tennis player to achieve that ranking (in either single ...
. Her final tournament of the season was at home in
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
. She lost in the first round to
Lucie Šafářová
Lucie Šafářová (; born 4 February 1987) is a Czech former professional tennis player who was ranked world No. 1 in doubles, and No. 5 in singles.
She is a five-time Grand Slam champion in doubles, having won the 2015 Australian Open, 2015 ...
.
Makarova ended the year ranked 60 in singles and 20 in doubles.
2010: First WTA title
Makarova started 2010 at the
Brisbane International
The Brisbane International established in 2009 is a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hardcourts in Brisbane, Queensland in Australia. It is a WTA Premier tournament of the WTA Tour and was part of the ATP World Tour 250 serie ...
where she lost in the first round to Alicia Molik. In
Hobart
Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/ Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...
, she was defeated in the first round by qualifier Alla Kudryavtseva without winning a single game. At the
Australian Open
The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Ope ...
, she lost in the second round to
Sara Errani.
At the
Eastbourne International, qualifier Makarova made it to the final without dropping a set. She triumphed over
Victoria Azarenka in the final to earn her first WTA Tour title. Makarova defeated five top-20 players in the tournament, emerging victorious over No. 11
Flavia Pennetta, No. 13 Nadia Petrova, No. 20
Svetlana Kuznetsova, No. 7
Samantha Stosur
Samantha Jane Stosur ( ; born 30 March 1984) is an Australian professional tennis player. She is a former world No. 1 in doubles, a ranking which she first achieved on 6 February 2006 and held for 61 consecutive weeks. Also a former top ten s ...
, and No. 15 Victoria Azarenka. Makarova then made it to the second round at
Wimbledon, but was beaten by second seed
Venus Williams. In the
US Open, she was defeated by
Ana Ivanovic
Ana Schweinsteiger ( sr, Ана Швајнштајгер / ''Ana Švajnštajger''; born 6 November 1987), professionally known by her birth name Ana Ivanovic (Ана Ивановић / ''Ana Ivanović'', ), is a Serbian former world No. 1 tenn ...
in the first round.
2011
Makarova caused an upset in the first round of the
Australian Open
The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Ope ...
when she defeated 19th seed Ana Ivanovic. It took three sets and 2 hours and 47 minutes. She then went on to defeat qualifier
Lesia Tsurenko, and caused another upset by beating 13th seed Nadia Petrova. Makarova's career-best run at a Grand Slam tournament was ended in the fourth round by third seed and champion,
Kim Clijsters. At the
Italian Open Italian Open may refer to:
*Italian Open (tennis), a Masters 1000 level tennis tournament played in Rome each year.
*Italian Open (golf)
The DS Automobiles Italian Open ( it, Open d'Italia) is the men's national open golf championship of Italy. I ...
, Makarova upset defending champion
María José Martínez Sánchez in the first round, but lost to eventual champion
Maria Sharapova. Makarova would reach the fourth round of the
French Open
The French Open (french: Internationaux de France de tennis), also known as Roland-Garros (), is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, beginning in late May each year. The tournament and ve ...
before losing to fourth seed Victoria Azarenka. She lost her openers at
Wimbledon and the
US Open to
Christina McHale
Christina Marietta McHale (born May 11, 1992) is an American former professional tennis player. Her highest-ever WTA rankings were No. 24 in singles and No. 35 in doubles.
Known for an aggressive baseline game, McHale was recognized by ''The New ...
and Maria Kirilenko respectively.
2012: Breakthrough
Makarova started at the
Sydney International where she qualified, faced Li Na in the first round and lost. Then at the
Australian Open
The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Ope ...
in the second round, she defeated 25th seed
Kaia Kanepi
Kaia Kanepi (; born 10 June 1985) is an Estonian professional tennis player. She achieved her career-high ranking of world No. 15 on 20 August 2012 and has won four singles titles on the WTA Tour.
Described as a 'resident Grand Slam upset speci ...
. In the third round, she defeated seventh seed
Vera Zvonareva. In the round of 16, she defeated 13-time Grand Slam champion
Serena Williams
Serena Jameka Williams (born September 26, 1981) is an American inactive professional tennis player. Considered among the greatest tennis players of all time, she was ranked world No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) fo ...
to advance to her first Grand Slam quarterfinal of her career. There she faced fourth seed and former champion Maria Sharapova and was defeated by the eventual finalist. Makarova lost in the second round at
Indian Wells to
Caroline Wozniacki after defeating American
Bethanie Mattek-Sands
Bethanie Mattek-Sands ( Bethanie Lynn Mattek; born March 23, 1985) is an American professional tennis player. She has won nine Grand Slam titles (five in women's doubles and four in mixed doubles), and an Olympic gold medal, and is a former ...
in the opening round. She did well at
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...
by reaching the fourth round where she lost to Sharapova again.
Makarova defeated 16th seed Maria Kirilenko at the
Madrid Open in the second round before losing to
Lucie Hradecká
Lucie Hradecká (; born 21 May 1985) is a Czech former professional tennis player. A three-time Grand Slam doubles champion and 26-time WTA Tour doubles titlist, she reached her career-high doubles ranking of world No. 4 in October 2012. She ...
in the third round. At
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus ( legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
, she defeated
Francesca Schiavone before losing to Venus Williams in the second round. At the
French Open
The French Open (french: Internationaux de France de tennis), also known as Roland-Garros (), is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, beginning in late May each year. The tournament and ve ...
, she lost to
Sloane Stephens in the first round.
The following week, she reached the semifinals of the
Birmingham Classic, losing to Melanie Oudin. She reached the quarterfinals at
Eastbourne
Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. Eastbourne is immediately east of Beachy Head, the highest chalk sea cliff in Great Britain and part of the l ...
but lost to
Angelique Kerber. At
Wimbledon, she defeated
Alberta Brianti
Alberta Brianti (born 5 April 1980) is a former professional tennis player from Italy.
On 13 June 2011, Brianti achieved her career-high singles ranking of 55. On 13 February 2012, she peaked at No. 68 in the doubles rankings.
She won one sin ...
in the first round. She lost to Kerber in the second round.
Makarova reached the third round at the
Cincinnati Open
The Cincinnati Masters or Cincinnati Open (branded as the Western & Southern Open for sponsorship reasons) is an annual outdoor hardcourt tennis event held in Mason, Ohio near Cincinnati. The event started on September 18, 1899, and is the o ...
after recording victories over Nadia Petrova and
Anna Tatishvili
Anna Tatishvili ( ka, ანა ტატიშვილი, tr, ; born February 3, 1990) is a Georgian-American former professional tennis player.
In her career, Tatishvili won eleven singles and eight doubles titles on the ITF Women's Circu ...
before losing to Samantha Stosur. At the
US Open, Makarova lost to Serena Williams in the third round. She partnered with Brazilian
Bruno Soares to win the mixed-doubles competition, defeating
Květa Peschke and
Marcin Matkowski in three sets in the final. It was her first Grand Slam title of any kind. After that, she reached the semifinals at
Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...
where she lost to eventual champion Caroline Wozniacki.
At the
China Open, Makarova defeated Kirilenko again in the first round but lost to
Polona Hercog next. In the doubles event, she teamed up with
Elena Vesnina
Elena Sergeyevna Vesnina (born 1 August 1986) is a Russian former professional tennis player and a former world No. 1 in doubles.
She is a four-time Grand Slam champion, having won the 2013 French Open, 2014 US Open, and 2017 Wimbledon Cha ...
and won defeating
Nuria Llagostera Vives and
Sania Mirza
Sania Mirza (; born 15 November 1986) is an Indian professional tennis player. A former doubles world No. 1, she has won six major titles – three in women's doubles and three in mixed doubles. From 2003 until her retirement from singles ...
in the final. She lost to
Dominika Cibulková in the first round at the
Kremlin Cup.
2013: Doubles success
At
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mounta ...
, she defeated
Varvara Lepchenko Varvara (Cyrillic: Варвара; el, Βαρβάρα, ''Varvára''), a variant of " Barbara", may refer to:
Places
*Varvara, Azerbaijan
* Varvara, Prozor, on the Rama river, Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Varvara, Burgas Province, Bulgaria
* Varvara ...
in the first round before succumbing to Dominika Cibulková. She reached her second consecutive quarterfinal at the
Australian Open
The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Ope ...
, recording victories over
Marion Bartoli
Marion Bartoli (; born 2 October 1984) is a French former professional tennis player. Bartoli won the 2013 Wimbledon Championships singles title after previously being runner-up in 2007, and was a semifinalist at the 2011 French Open. She also ...
and Angelique Kerber. She then lost to Maria Sharapova again. At
Doha
Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor (city), Al Khor, it is home to m ...
, Makarova retired against Petra Kvitová in the second round.
Makarova lost her openers in
Indian Wells and
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...
after receiving first round byes to
Garbiñe Muguruza
Garbiñe Muguruza Blanco (; born 8 October 1993) is a Spanish-Venezuelan professional tennis player. She has a career-high singles WTA rankings#Singles, ranking of List of WTA number 1 ranked singles tennis players#Singles, world No. 1 by the ...
and Svetlana Kuznetsova respectively. She partnered Elena Vesnina in the doubles event at Indian Wells and won defeating Nadia Petrova and
Katarina Srebotnik in the final. She fell to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the first round at
Porsche Tennis Grand Prix as well. At the
Madrid Open, Makarova caused an upset in the second round when she defeated world number three Victoria Azarenka (after winning only one game in the first set), ending the Belarusian's 18-match winning streak to start the season in the process. She reached the quarterfinals after defeating Marion Bartoli, where she lost to seventh seed Sara Errani in straight sets. At the French Open, she lost her opening match to fellow Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova. She teamed up with Vesnina in doubles, winning the
French Open
The French Open (french: Internationaux de France de tennis), also known as Roland-Garros (), is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, beginning in late May each year. The tournament and ve ...
doubles title.
Makarova lost her opener at
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...
to
Marina Erakovic after having a first round bye but reached the quarterfinals at the
Aegon International
The Eastbourne International is a tennis tournament on the WTA Tour and the ATP Tour held at the Devonshire Park Lawn Tennis Club, Eastbourne, United Kingdom. Held since 1974, it is classified as a WTA 500 series on the WTA Tour and an ATP Tour ...
where she lost to Caroline Wozniacki. At
Wimbledon, Makarova reached the third round; she lost to
Petra Kvitová in three sets.
During the US Open Series, she reached semifinals at the
Washington Open bot lost to eventual champion
Magdaléna Rybáriková. She reached the second round at
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
and
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line w ...
, losing to Roberta Vinci and Jelena Janković, respectively. The week before the US Open, she reached the quarterfinals at
New Haven
New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,023 ...
, losing to eventual champion
Simona Halep. At the
US Open, she defeated third seed Agnieszka Radwańska in the fourth round to reach her third career Grand Slam quarterfinal, and first at the US Open. She subsequently lost to fifth seed Li Na in three sets.
2014: Second WTA title, first Grand Slam singles semifinal
Makarova began 2014 at the
Sydney International, where she caused an upset by defeating fourth seed Jelena Janković in the first round. She lost to
Carla Suárez Navarro in the next round. Then, she reached the fourth round of the
Australian Open
The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Ope ...
for the third consecutive time but lost to eventual champion Li Na. In the doubles event, she and Elena Vesnina reached the final, where they lost to Errani and Vinci. Makarova won her second title at the
Pattaya Open by defeating
Karolína Plíšková. In
Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, wikt:دبي, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the List of cities in the United Arab Emirates#Major cities, most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 ...
, she beat
Alisa Kleybanova
Alisa Mikhailovna Kleybanova (russian: Алиса Михайловна Клейбанова, born 15 July 1989) is a Russian former tennis player. Her career-high singles ranking is world No. 20, achieved in February 2011. In her career. she wo ...
in the opening round. She then lost to world No. 1, Serena Williams.
She reached the third round at
Indian Wells Open
The Indian Wells Masters, also known as the Indian Wells Open and BNP Paribas Open is an annual tennis tournament usually held in early- and mid-March at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, California, United States. The owner is La ...
where she lost to Dominika Cibulková. In Miami, she defeated Sara Errani in the third round but lost to Angelique Kerber in three sets in the fourth. Makarova lost her openers at
Stuttgart
Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the Sw ...
and
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
to Suarez Navarro and Caroline Wozniacki, respectively. In
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus ( legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
, she defeated Roberta Vinci in the first round but lost to Errani in the following round. Makarova reached the third round at
Roland-Garros where she lost to
Sloane Stephens.
During the grass court swing, Makarova defeated Francesca Schiavone and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to book her place in the quarterfinals at the
Eastbourne International. She then lost to Angelique Kerber. Makarova's good form continued at
Wimbledon, where she reached her fourth Grand Slam quarterfinal by defeating Agnieszka Radwańska in the fourth round. Then, she succumbed to Lucie Šafářová in straight sets.
Makarova reached the semifinals in singles for the first time at a Premier 5 tournament, the
Rogers Cup
The Canadian Open (french: Tournoi de tennis du Canada), also known as the Canada Masters, and currently branded as the National Bank Open presented by Rogers for sponsorship reasons, is an annual tennis tournament held in Ontario and Quebec. T ...
. On the way, she beat her doubles partner Vesnina in the second round and second seed Petra Kvitová. She was stopped by Agnieszka Radwańska in a close match, losing two tiebreaks. In doubles, she and Vesnina were beaten with difficulty in the quarterfinals by
Hsieh
Xie (; ) is a Chinese-language surname. lt is usually romanized as "Hsieh" in Taiwan. It is estimated that there are more than ten million people with this surname, the majority of whom live in Taiwan, Southern China, South East Asia, America, ...
and
Peng
Peng may refer to:
* Peng (surname) (彭), a Chinese name
* Peng (state) (大彭), a state during the late Shang dynasty
* Peng (mythology) (鵬), a legendary Chinese creature
* ''Peng!'', 1992 album by Stereolab
* ''PENG!'', a 2005 comic
* P.Eng. ...
.
Makarova reached her first Grand Slam singles semifinal at the
US Open. Following a win over
Eugenie Bouchard
Eugenie "Genie" Bouchard (; french: Eugénie Bouchard, ; born February 25, 1994) is a Canadian tennis player. At the 2014 Wimbledon Championships, she became the first Canadian-born player representing Canada to reach the final of a Grand Slam t ...
in the fourth round, she defeated Victoria Azarenka in the quarterfinal, but was defeated by top seed Serena Williams; this was the only match in the tournament in which she lost at least one set. However, she and Elena Vesnina won the doubles championship, marking her third Grand Slam doubles title.
In the Asian season, Makarova reached the second and third rounds in
Wuhan
Wuhan (, ; ; ) is the capital of Hubei Province in the People's Republic of China. It is the largest city in Hubei and the most populous city in Central China, with a population of over eleven million, the ninth-most populous Chinese city a ...
and
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the Capital city, capital of the China, People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's Li ...
, respectively. As a result, she obtained a new highest ranking of 13.
Her successful season in doubles qualified her for the
WTA Championships
The WTA Finals (formerly known as the WTA Tour Championships or WTA Championships) is a tournament of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) played annually at the end of the season. The event is uniquely reserved for players at the top of the WTA ...
. She was also an alternate player in singles, but did not participate in the round-robin stages.
2015: Second Grand Slam singles semifinal, top 10 debut and injuries
In the Pacific season, Makarova first concentrated in singles. Her first appearance was at the
Sydney International, where she lost in the second round. At the
Australian Open
The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Ope ...
, she reached a Grand Slam semifinal second times in a row, crushing the third-ranked Simona Halep in two sets in the quarterfinal. Her safe streak without a lost set was broken after facing her compatriot Maria Sharapova. In
doubles
Men's doubles, Women's doubles or Mixed doubles are sports having two players per side, including;
* Beach volleyball
* Doubles badminton
* Doubles curling
* Footvolley
* Doubles pickleball
* Doubles squash
* Doubles table tennis
* Doubles te ...
, Makarova and Vesnina made it into the quarterfinals, where they played against future champions Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Šafářová, and lost in three sets. As a result of her singles success, Makarova reached a new career-high ranking of No. 9.
Sixth-seeded Makarova reached the quarterfinals of the
Dubai Championships, where she was defeated by Simona Halep. In doubles she and Vesnina also reached the quarterfinals. The duo reached two finals in a row at the
Indian Wells Open
The Indian Wells Masters, also known as the Indian Wells Open and BNP Paribas Open is an annual tennis tournament usually held in early- and mid-March at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, California, United States. The owner is La ...
and the
Miami Open, but always lost to
Sania Mirza
Sania Mirza (; born 15 November 1986) is an Indian professional tennis player. A former doubles world No. 1, she has won six major titles – three in women's doubles and three in mixed doubles. From 2003 until her retirement from singles ...
and
Martina Hingis. In singles, she repeated her last year's result in reaching the third and fourth rounds at these tournaments, respectively.
At the
2015 French Open, Makarova matched her best result at the tournament when she reached the fourth round, as she did in
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrates ...
. With a chance to complete her set of having reached at least the quarterfinals at all four Majors, she lost to
former champion Ana Ivanovic in three sets, and thus failed to reach her first French Open quarterfinal.
Makarova and Vesnina became runners-up at
Wimbledon, losing to Hingis and Mirza in three sets, after leading 5–3 in the last set. In singles, Makarova lost to
Magdaléna Rybáriková in the second round.
2016: Olympic champion, WTA Finals doubles champion
In January, Makarova took a break in doubles and started the 2016 season in the Premier tournaments
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...
and
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mounta ...
, reaching the second round and quarterfinals, respectively. In the
Australian Open
The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Ope ...
, she reached the fourth round and lost there to
Johanna Konta.
Makarova reached the quarterfinals in both singles and doubles at the
Miami Open. In doubles, she paired with
Barbora Strýcová
Barbora Strýcová (; born 28 March 1986), formerly known as Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová, is a Czech former professional tennis player who was ranked world No. 1 in doubles.
She won her first Grand Slam title at the 2019 Wimbledon Champion ...
. She reunited with Vesnina in doubles in
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
, reaching the semifinals. In the next tournaments, the duo reached two finals in a row; in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus ( legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
they lost to Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza, while at the
French Open
The French Open (french: Internationaux de France de tennis), also known as Roland-Garros (), is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, beginning in late May each year. The tournament and ve ...
they lost to
Caroline Garcia and
Kristina Mladenovic. At
Wimbledon, the pair lost in the quarterfinals to the Williams sisters. Makarova also progressed in grass court in singles, winning six out of eight matches, only to lose against doubles partner Elena Vesnina in the fourth round.
The duo finally won their first tournament title at the
Rogers Cup
The Canadian Open (french: Tournoi de tennis du Canada), also known as the Canada Masters, and currently branded as the National Bank Open presented by Rogers for sponsorship reasons, is an annual tennis tournament held in Ontario and Quebec. T ...
and won the gold medal at the
Summer Olympics
The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The ina ...
for
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
.
Makarova made it to the third round of the
Connecticut Open, but lost to Petra Kvitová in the third round. Ekaterina had the worst possible luck at the
US Open by drawing the number-one-player in the world, Serena Williams in singles to whom she lost in straight sets. Makarova and Vesnina had a good showing in doubles. They made it to the semifinals, but lost to eventual champions, Mattek-Sands and Šafářová.
Makarova defeated her doubles partner Elena Vesnina in the first round of the
China Open. However, she lost to Agnieszka Radwańska in the second round. In doubles, Makarova and Vesnina were stunned in the second round by Peng Shuai and
Christina McHale
Christina Marietta McHale (born May 11, 1992) is an American former professional tennis player. Her highest-ever WTA rankings were No. 24 in singles and No. 35 in doubles.
Known for an aggressive baseline game, McHale was recognized by ''The New ...
. Her next tournament was the
Kremlin Cup
The Kremlin Cup (russian: Кубок Кремля) is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts, which was suspended in 2022. It was part of the ATP Tour 250 series of the ATP Tour and was a Premier Tournament on the WTA ...
, in her home country of Russia. She beat qualifier
Nicole Gibbs
Nicole Gibbs (born March 3, 1993) is an American retired tennis player.
She won seven singles and five doubles titles on the ITF Circuit. On 25 July 2016, she reached her best singles ranking of world No. 68. On 19 September 2016, she peaked at ...
in the first round, but lost to fellow countrywoman
Daria Kasatkina
Daria Sergeyevna Kasatkina (born 7 May 1997) is a Russian professional tennis player. She is currently the Russian No. 1 player in singles. She made her top-ten debut in the WTA rankings towards the end of the 2018 season and has been ranked ...
in the second round. She was also seeded as the top seed alongside her doubles partner Elena Vesnina, but were beaten in the first round by
Daria Gavrilova
Daria Saville (née Gavrilova, born 5 March 1994) is an Australian professional tennis player. She represented Russia until 2015, before emigrating to Australia. She competed under her maiden name until her marriage to Luke Saville in 20 ...
and the same woman she lost to in singles, Daria Kasatkina.
Makarova and Vesnina
qualified for their third joint
WTA Finals
The WTA Finals (formerly known as the WTA Tour Championships or WTA Championships) is a tournament of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) played annually at the end of the season. The event is uniquely reserved for players at the top of the WTA ...
, defeating Hlavackova/Hradecka, Hingis/Mirza, and Mattek-Sands/Safarova en route to win their first WTA Finals title.
2017: Wimbledon doubles champion, third singles title
Makarova began her season at the
Brisbane International
The Brisbane International established in 2009 is a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hardcourts in Brisbane, Queensland in Australia. It is a WTA Premier tournament of the WTA Tour and was part of the ATP World Tour 250 seri ...
. She lost in the first round to
Misaki Doi
is a Japanese professional tennis player. Her highest WTA rankings are No. 30 in singles and No. 77 in doubles.
Doi reached two junior Grand Slam doubles finals – at Wimbledon in 2007 with Kurumi Nara, and at the Australian Open in 2008 ...
6–7, 4–6. However, in doubles, she and
Elena Vesnina
Elena Sergeyevna Vesnina (born 1 August 1986) is a Russian former professional tennis player and a former world No. 1 in doubles.
She is a four-time Grand Slam champion, having won the 2013 French Open, 2014 US Open, and 2017 Wimbledon Cha ...
reached the final, losing the match to Bethanie Mattek-Sands/Sania Mirza in straight sets. In Melbourne, the Russians reached the quarterfinals. At the St. Petersburg Open, she lost in the first round to doubles partner Vesnina. In
Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
, she reached the third round before losing to
Lauren Davis
Lauren Davis (born October 9, 1993) is an American professional tennis player. Known for her aggressive backhand, speed, and clay-court strength, she won her first title on the WTA Tour at the Auckland Open and reached a career-high singles ra ...
. The doubles team, however, won the trophy by defeating Hlaváčková/Peng in three sets. After reaching the semifinals of the
Indian Wells Open
The Indian Wells Masters, also known as the Indian Wells Open and BNP Paribas Open is an annual tennis tournament usually held in early- and mid-March at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, California, United States. The owner is La ...
, the duo had the chance to become the new number-one ranked doubles players if they had won the title, but they only reached the quarterfinals, suffering there an unpredictable loss to
Gabriela Dabrowski
Gabriela "Gaby" Dabrowski (; pl, Dąbrowska, ; born April 1, 1992) is a Canadian professional tennis player. She reached her best singles ranking of world No. 164 by the WTA on November 3, 2014 and her highest doubles ranking of world No. 4 on ...
and
Xu Yifan
Xu Yifan (; ; born 8 August 1988) is a professional tennis player from China. She reached a career-high ranking of No. 148 in singles, on 13 July 2015. Since October 2018, she has specialized playing in doubles. On 13 January 2020, she peaked ...
, the eventual champions.
Makarova faced top-ranked Kerber in the first round of the
French Open
The French Open (french: Internationaux de France de tennis), also known as Roland-Garros (), is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, beginning in late May each year. The tournament and ven ...
, beating her in two sets; this was the first time in the French Open history and the first time in the Open Era tennis history since 2001 that a number-one ranked player failed to reach the second round. According to WTA Insider, Makarova after her win over Kerber was ranked fourth among active players by number of top-ten wins at Grand Slam tournaments, with 10.
She and Vesnina won their third joint and individual Grand Slam doubles title in
Wimbledon
Wimbledon most often refers to:
* Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London
* Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships
Wimbledon may also refer to:
Places London
* ...
, crushing runners-up
Chan Hao-cChing /
Monica Niculescu
Monica Niculescu (born 25 September 1987) is a Romanian professional tennis player. She has been ranked by the Women's Tennis Association as high as 28 in singles and 11 in doubles. Niculescu has won several titles: three singles and ten doubles ...
, 6–0, 6–0. This was the first "
double bagel
This page is a glossary of tennis terminology.
A
* Ace: Serve where the tennis ball lands inside the '' service box'' and is not touched by the receiver; thus, a shot that is both a serve and a winner is an ace. Aces are usually powerful and ge ...
" in the women's doubles tournament final since 1953. The Russian went on winning the
Washington Open in singles, beating players as Olympic champion
Puig
Puig () is a word of Catalan origin, meaning "hill". Hence, in Catalan-speaking areas, it appears in the names of numerous people and geographical features:
Geographical features
* Puig-l'agulla, a mountain of Catalonia
* Puig de l'Àliga (Sant ...
and world No. 2, Simona Halep. In the finals, she prevailed over Julia Görges, winning her third WTA singles title.
Makarova got into the third round of the
Rogers Cup
The Canadian Open (french: Tournoi de tennis du Canada), also known as the Canada Masters, and currently branded as the National Bank Open presented by Rogers for sponsorship reasons, is an annual tennis tournament held in Ontario and Quebec. T ...
, defeating seventh-seeded Johanna Konta en-route but eventually losing to Lucie Safarova. She again reached third round at the
Cincinnati Open
The Cincinnati Masters or Cincinnati Open (branded as the Western & Southern Open for sponsorship reasons) is an annual outdoor hardcourt tennis event held in Mason, Ohio near Cincinnati. The event started on September 18, 1899, and is the olde ...
, crushing third-seeded Kerber en-route but losing to Sloane Stephens. Makarova thrice in a row defeated a top-10 in the second round of the
US Open, fifth-seeded Caroline Wozniacki, for the first time in her career after seven losses in a row against her.
2018: World No. 1 doubles player
Makarova started her 2018 season in January at the
Sydney International. She upset third seed
Jeļena Ostapenko
Jeļena Ostapenko (born 8 June 1997), also known as Aļona Ostapenko, is a Latvian professional tennis player. She has career-high WTA rankings of world No. 5 in singles, achieved on 19 March 2018, and world No. 9 in doubles, reached on 22 Augus ...
in the first round. She lost in the second round to Barbora Strýcová. Seeded 31st at the
Australian Open
The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. Th ...
, she was defeated in the first round by Irina-Camelia Begu. In doubles, she and Vesnina reached the final where they lost to
Tímea Babos
Tímea Babos (; born 10 May 1993) is a Hungarian professional tennis player who is a former world No. 1 in doubles.
She is a four-time Grand Slam champion in women's doubles, having won the 2018 and 2020 Australian Opens, as well as the Fre ...
/Kristina Mladenovic.
After the Australian Open, Makarova competed at the
St. Petersburg Ladies' Trophy. She lost in the second round to
Kateřina Siniaková
Kateřina Siniaková (; ; born 10 May 1996) is a Czech professional tennis player who is the current world No. 1 in doubles.
She is a six-time Grand Slam champion in doubles, having won the 2018 and 2021 French Opens, 2018 and 2022 Wimbled ...
. In
Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...
, she was defeated in the second round by second seed and 2014 champion, Simona Halep. At the
Dubai Championships, she lost in her second-round match to fifth seed Caroline Garcia. At the
Indian Wells Open
The Indian Wells Masters, also known as the Indian Wells Open and BNP Paribas Open is an annual tennis tournament usually held in early- and mid-March at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, California, United States. The owner is La ...
, she was defeated in the second round by tenth seed Angelique Kerber. In doubles, she and Vesnina made it to the final where they lost to Hsieh Su-Wei/Barbora Strýcová. Playing in
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
, she was defeated in the second round by fifth seed Karolína Plíšková.
Seeded fifth at the
İstanbul Cup
The İstanbul Cup is a WTA tennis tournament held in Istanbul, Turkey, organised for professional female tennis players. It is classified as an International-level tournament on the WTA Tour. Held annually since May 2005, it was played on outdoo ...
, Makarova lost in the first round to Aleksandra Krunić. At the
Madrid Open There are three sporting events known as the Madrid Open:
* Madrid Open (golf)
The Madrid Open was an annual men's golf tournament which was held in and around the Spanish capital Madrid from 1968 to 2007, apart from a seven-year gap from 1994 to ...
, she was defeated in the first round by top seed and two-time defending champion, Simona Halep. However, in doubles, she and Vesnina won the title beating Tímea Babos/Kristina Mladenovic in the final. She lost in the second round of the
French Open
The French Open (french: Internationaux de France de tennis), also known as Roland-Garros (), is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, beginning in late May each year. The tournament and ven ...
to 26th seed Barbora Strýcová. Following the
French Open
The French Open (french: Internationaux de France de tennis), also known as Roland-Garros (), is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, beginning in late May each year. The tournament and ven ...
, she and Vesnina became the new world No. 1, even though both did not get beyond the first round there (both played with other partners).
In
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
, Makarova was defeated in the first round by Alizé Cornet. At the
Eastbourne International
The Eastbourne International is a tennis tournament on the WTA Tour and the ATP Tour held at the Devonshire Park Lawn Tennis Club, Eastbourne, United Kingdom. Held since 1974, it is classified as a WTA 500 series on the WTA Tour and an ATP Tour ...
, she lost in the first round to 2016 champion Dominika Cibulková. At
Wimbledon
Wimbledon most often refers to:
* Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London
* Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships
Wimbledon may also refer to:
Places London
* ...
, she stunned second seed Caroline Wozniacki in the second round. She was defeated in the fourth round by
Camila Giorgi
Camila Giorgi (; born 30 December 1991) is an Italian professional tennis player. She has a career-high singles ranking of world No. 26, achieved on 22 October 2018. She is the current Italian No. 2, after Martina Trevisan.
After winning her fi ...
.
Seeded fourth and last year champion at
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
, Makarova lost in the first round to
Ana Bogdan
Ana Bogdan (born 25 November 1992) is a Romanian professional tennis player. Having made her tour debut in 2007, she peaked at No. 46 in the WTA rankings in October 2022.
Bogdan had a successful junior career, reaching world No. 2 on 5 January ...
. In
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
, she was defeated in the first round by Anett Kontaveit. In doubles, she and
Latisha Chan
Latisha Chan (born 17 August 1989), formerly known by her Chinese name Chan Yung-jan (; ), is a Taiwanese tennis player who is a former world No. 1 in doubles. She has won 33 career titles in doubles, including a Grand Slam title at the 2017 ...
reached the final where they lost to
Ashleigh Barty
Ashleigh is the feminine form of the Old English name Ashley (given name), Ashley, which means "dweller near the ash tree forest". It is most common in the United States and United Kingdom.
Notable people
B
*Ashleigh Ball (born 1983), Canadian ...
/
Demi Schuurs
Demi Schuurs (born 1 August 1993) is a professional Dutch tennis player who has specialized in doubles.
She has won 15 doubles titles on the WTA Tour, as well as one singles title and 20 doubles titles on the ITF Circuit. In February 2015, she ...
. At the
Cincinnati Open
The Cincinnati Masters or Cincinnati Open (branded as the Western & Southern Open for sponsorship reasons) is an annual outdoor hardcourt tennis event held in Mason, Ohio near Cincinnati. The event started on September 18, 1899, and is the olde ...
, she made it to the third round where she was defeated by Lesia Tsurenko. In doubles, she and Lucie Hradecká won the title beating
Elise Mertens
Elise Mertens (; born 17 November 1995) is a Belgian professional tennis player. She is a former world No. 1 in doubles.
Mertens is a three-time Grand Slam champion in doubles, having won the 2019 US Open and 2021 Australian Open partnering ...
/Demi Schuurs in the final. Competing in one more tournament before the final Grand Slam of the year, she reached the quarterfinals at the
Connecticut Open and lost to fifth seed Julia Görges. At the
US Open, she was defeated in the third round by 19th seed Anastasija Sevastova.
Playing in
Wuhan
Wuhan (, ; ; ) is the capital of Hubei, Hubei Province in the China, People's Republic of China. It is the largest city in Hubei and the most populous city in Central China, with a population of over eleven million, the List of cities in China ...
, Makarova lost in the first round of qualifying to
Lizette Cabrera
Lizette Faith Cabrera (born 19 December 1997) is an Australian tennis player of Filipino descent. She has a career-high singles ranking of No. 119, achieved on 3 February 2020.
Early life
Cabrera was born and raised in Townsville by her parent ...
. At the
China Open, she was defeated in the first round by 14th seed and 2015 champion, Garbiñe Muguruza. She played her final tournament of the season at the
Kremlin Cup
The Kremlin Cup (russian: Кубок Кремля) is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts, which was suspended in 2022. It was part of the ATP Tour 250 series of the ATP Tour and was a Premier Tournament on the WTA ...
. She lost in the first round to qualifier and eventual finalist,
Ons Jabeur
Ons Jabeur ( ar, أُنْس جَابِر, ʾUns Jābir, ; born 28 August 1994) is a Tunisian professional tennis player. She has a career high Women's Tennis Association (WTA) ranking of world No. 2 achieved on 27 June 2022. Jabeur is the curr ...
.
Makarova ended the year ranked 59 in singles and 6 in doubles.
2019
Makarova began her 2019 season at the
Australian Open
The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. Th ...
. She lost in the first round to
Katie Boulter
Katie Boulter (born 1 August 1996) is a British tennis player.
Boulter, from Woodhouse Eaves, Leicestershire, has won six singles titles and four doubles titles on the ITF Women's Circuit. On 18 February 2019, she reached her best singles rank ...
. This match was the first match decided by a 10-point final set tie-break at the Australian Open.
At
St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
, Makarova was defeated in the first round by Vera Zvonareva. In doubles, she and
Margarita Gasparyan
Margarita Melikovna Betova (née Gasparyan; rus, Маргари́та Ме́ликовна Гаспаря́н, , mərɡɐˈrʲitə ɡəspɐˈrʲan, Ru-Margarita Gasparyan.ogg, hy, Մարգարիտա Մելիքի Գասպարյան; born 1 Sept ...
won the title beating
Anna Kalinskaya
Anna Nikolayevna Kalinskaya ( rus, Анна Николаевна Калинская, , ˈanːə kɐˈlʲinskəjə, Ru-Anna_Kalinskaya.ogg; born 2 December 1998) is a Russian professional tennis player. Ranked by the Women's Tennis Association (WT ...
/
Viktória Kužmová
Viktória Kužmová (; born 11 May 1998) is a Slovak professional tennis player. She has been ranked as high as No. 43 in singles and No. 27 in doubles in the world by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA). Kužmová has won three WTA doubles ti ...
in the final. In
Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
, she lost in the first round to
Aliaksandra Sasnovich
Aliaksandra Aliaksandraŭna Sasnovich ( be, Аляксандра Аляксандраўна Сасновіч; born 22 March 1994) is a Belarusian tennis player. She has won eleven singles and seven doubles titles on the ITF Circuit. She has rea ...
. In doubles, she and Lucie Hradecká reached the final where they were defeated by Hsieh Su-wei/Barbora Strýcová.
2020
On 28 January 2020, Makarova announced her retirement from professional tennis.
Playing style
Makarova was an all-court player who uses power and angles to set up passing shots.
She was noted for her left-handed slice serve, often used to stretch opponents into uncomfortable positions. She attacked the return by shifting her wrist to disguise the direction of her forehand, or by hitting deep and aggressively with her backhand.
She will usually seek to end the rally by maneuvering an opponent around the court and hitting a winner near the sidelines.
Makarova hit powerfully on both wings, and is largely known for her aggressive groundstrokes. Journalists have noted her cross-court forehand, describing it as a powerful finishing shot.
In an article from ''WTATennis.com'', her backhand was labeled "devastatingly good".
Similarly, Richard Pagliaro of ''Tennis.com'' has noted her "bold" backhand as a primary strength.
Being a left-handed player, she was particularly comfortable hitting backhands in the deuce court, with several of her winners coming from that side. During the 2014 Rogers Cup, Agnieszka Radwańska repeatedly targeted Makarova's forehand in the ad court, occasionally exposing it as a vulnerability.
When returning first serves, Makarova often made a series of quick stomps in place before blocking the shot back across the net; she attacks second serves by moving inside the baseline and hitting the ball at an angle.
As of August 2017, Makarova was one of just two left-handed players (the other being
Angelique Kerber) to have ever beaten Serena Williams in a Grand Slam match, doing so at the 2012 Australian Open.
Career statistics
Performance timelines
''Only main-draw results in WTA Tour, Grand Slam tournaments, Fed Cup and Olympic Games are included in win–loss records.''
Singles
Doubles
Grand Slam tournament finals
Doubles: 7 (3 titles, 4 runner-ups)
Mixed doubles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up)
WTA Tour Championships finals
Doubles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up)
Olympic finals
Doubles: 1 (gold medal)
Awards
;2005
* The
Russian Cup in the nomination Girls Under-18 Team of the Year
;2008
* The Russian Cup in the nomination Team of the Year
;2009
* The Russian Cup in the nomination Team of the Year
;2012
* The Russian Cup in the nomination Female Players of the Year
;2013
* The Russian Cup in the nomination Pair of the Year (with
Elena Vesnina
Elena Sergeyevna Vesnina (born 1 August 1986) is a Russian former professional tennis player and a former world No. 1 in doubles.
She is a four-time Grand Slam champion, having won the 2013 French Open, 2014 US Open, and 2017 Wimbledon Cha ...
)
*
WTA Fan Favorite Doubles Team of the Year
;2014
* The Russian Cup in the nomination Pair of the Year (with Elena Vesnina)
;2016
* The Russian Cup in the nomination Pair of the Year (with Elena Vesnina)
References
External links
Official website
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Makarova, Ekaterina
1988 births
Living people
Tennis players from Moscow
Russian female tennis players
Tennis players at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Tennis players at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Olympic tennis players of Russia
US Open (tennis) champions
Grand Slam (tennis) champions in mixed doubles
Grand Slam (tennis) champions in women's doubles
French Open champions
Wimbledon champions
Olympic medalists in tennis
Olympic gold medalists for Russia
Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Universiade medalists in tennis
Universiade gold medalists for Russia
Medalists at the 2009 Summer Universiade
Medalists at the 2013 Summer Universiade
WTA number 1 ranked doubles tennis players