Karin Knapp (born 28 June 1987) is a retired Italian tennis player.
In her career, Knapp won two singles 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 tourna ...
, as well as six singles titles and six doubles titles on the
ITF Circuit. On 24 August 2015, she reached her best singles ranking of world No. 33. On 28 September 2015, she peaked at No. 49 in the doubles rankings.
As a member of the
Italy Fed Cup team
The Italy women's national tennis team represents Italy in international women's tennis and is directed by the Federazione Italiana Tennis. The team played in the first ever tournament in 1963, and is one of four teams that has taken part in eve ...
, Knapp was part of the winning squad in 2013 and has a win–loss record of 3–3.
Personal life
Knapp was born 1987 in the northern Italian province of
South Tyrol
it, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige lld, Provinzia Autonoma de Balsan/Bulsan – Südtirol
, settlement_type = Autonomous province
, image_skyline =
, image_alt ...
. Her father, Alois, is a fabric manufacturer and her mother, Marianne, is a retired school teacher. She has two brothers, Stefan and Michael. Knapp was introduced to tennis at age seven by her parents. She admires
Kim Clijsters
Kim Antonie Lode Clijsters (; born 8 June 1983) is a Belgian former professional tennis player. Clijsters reached the world No. 1 ranking in both singles and doubles, having held both rankings simultaneously in 2003. She won six major titles, ...
.
Career
2007
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 ven ...
, her first
Grand Slam tournament, she reached the
third round
Third or 3rd may refer to:
Numbers
* 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3
* , a fraction of one third
* 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute''
Places
* 3rd Street (disambiguation)
* Third Avenue (disambiguation)
* Hig ...
in the singles event, beating 22nd-seeded
Alona Bondarenko
Alona Volodymyrivna Bondarenko Dyachok ( uk, Альона Володимирівна Бондаренко; born 13 August 1984) is a Ukrainian former tennis player. Her younger sister Kateryna Bondarenko plays on the WTA Tour.
Her career-high s ...
. In the third round, she lost to 14th-seeded
Patty Schnyder
Patty Schnyder (born 14 December 1978)
Weltwoche, 14. September 2011 is a Swiss reti ...
.
At the
US Open, she defeated
Chan Yung-jan
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 ...
to reach the second round where she lost to American
wildcard
Wild card most commonly refers to:
* Wild card (cards), a playing card that substitutes for any other card in card games
* Wild card (sports), a tournament or playoff place awarded to an individual or team that has not qualified through normal pla ...
Ahsha Rolle. Her biggest
ITF final came in 2007 in Biella, where she was beaten by
Agnieszka Radwańska
Agnieszka Roma Radwańska (; born 6 March 1989) is a Polish former professional tennis player. She won 20 career singles WTA Tour titles, two doubles titles, and achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 2 on 9 July 2012. Her achievem ...
.
2008
Knapp reached her first
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 tourna ...
final in 2008 in
Antwerp
Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504, . She lost there to world No. 1 and home favorite,
Justine Henin
Justine Henin (; born 1 June 1982) is a Belgian former professional tennis player. She spent a total of 117 weeks as the world No. 1 and was the year-end No. 1 in 2003, 2006 and 2007. Henin, coming from a country with limited success in te ...
. At the
2008 French Open
The 2008 French Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 112th edition of the French Open, and the second Grand Slam event of the year. It took place at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, from 25 May until 8 J ...
, she lost in the third round to top-seeded
Maria Sharapova
Maria Yuryevna Sharapova ( , ; rus, Мари́я Ю́рьевна Шара́пова, p=mɐˈrʲijə ʂɐˈrapəvə, a=Maria_sharapova.ogg; born 19 April 1987) is a Russian former List of WTA number 1 ranked singles tennis players, world No. 1 ...
.
2012
Knapp started season off 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 was defeated in the second round of qualifying by Vera Dushevina. At the
Hobart International
The Hobart International is a women's professional tennis tournament held at the Hobart International Tennis Centre in Hobart, Australia. Held since 1994, it forms a part of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour and is classed as an Interna ...
, Knapp lost in the first round of qualifying to
Irina Falconi
Irina Falconi ( es, Falconí; born May 4, 1990) is an Ecuadorian-born American former tennis player. She moved to Manhattan, New York, as a toddler.
Her highest WTA singles ranking is world No. 63, which she reached in May 2016. Her career-high ...
. In Melbourne 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 second round of qualifying by
Kurumi Nara
is a Japanese former professional tennis player.
She has won one singles title on the WTA Tour, as well as six singles and three doubles titles on the ITF Women's Circuit. On 18 August 2014, she reached a career-high singles ranking of world No ...
.
2013
![Knapp WMQ13-002](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Knapp_WMQ13-002.jpg)
Knapp began the year 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 ...
where she lost in the second round of qualifying to Australian wildcard
Bojana Bobusic
Bojana Bobusic ( sr-Cyrl, Бојана Бобушић, ''Bojana Bobušić''; born 2 October 1987) is a former professional Australian tennis player. On 20 February 2012, she reached her highest WTA singles ranking of 222. In her career, she won ...
. At the
Apia International Sydney
The Sydney International (formerly known as the Championship of New South Wales and New South Wales Open, with various title sponsors), formerly sponsored as the Apia International Sydney from 2012 to 2017, is a professional tennis tournament i ...
, Knapp was defeated in the first round of qualifying by
Alexa Glatch
Alexa Glatch (born September 10, 1989) is an American professional tennis player.
Junior career
She started playing tennis at the age of five. As a junior player, she won the prestigious Easter Bowl title in the Girls-14s and Girls-18s divisions ...
. After qualifying for 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 fellow qualifier Maria João Koehler.
After that, Knapp traveled to Paris to play at the
Open GdF Suez where she was defeated in the first round of qualifying to Garbiñe Muguruza. In Bogotá at the
Copa Colsanitas
The Copa Colsanitas is a women's professional tennis tournament held in Bogotá, Colombia at the Centro de Alto Rendimiento. Held since 1998, this WTA 250 tournament is played on outdoor clay courts
A clay court is one of the types of tennis ...
, Knapp made it to the semifinals defeating Eva Birnerová,
Lourdes Domínguez Lino
Lourdes Domínguez Lino (; born 31 March 1981) is a retired tennis player from Spain. She reached career-high rankings of world No. 40 in singles and 45 in doubles.
Tennis career
In the 1999 Roland Garros, she won the junior girls' singles, de ...
, and Lara Arruabarrena Vecino. She lost in her semifinal match to top seed and eventual champion
Jelena Janković
Jelena Janković ( sr-Cyrl, Јелена Јанковић, ; born 28 February 1985) is a Serbian former tennis player. A former world No. 1, Janković reached the top ranking before her career-best major performance, a runner-up finish at the ...
. At the
Abierto Mexicano Telcel
The Mexican Open (currently sponsored by Telcel and HSBC Mexico, HSBC and called the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presented by HSBC) is a men's professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts, and usually held annually in late February at ...
, Knapp was defeated in her quarterfinal match by Sílvia Soler Espinosa.
Knapp began her clay-court season at the
Rabat Grand Prix
The Morocco Open or Rabat Grand Prix (for sponsorship reasons called the Grand Prix de SAR La Princess Lalla Meryem of Morocco, Princesse Lalla Meryem), is a women's professional tennis tournament currently held in Rabat, Morocco. This Women's Ten ...
. Despite qualifying for the main draw, she lost in the second round to third seed Alizé Cornet. At the
Portugal Open
The Portugal Open (formerly named Estoril Open) was an ATP and WTA clay court tennis tournament in Portugal. The event took place at the sports complex of Jamor in Oeiras, of which Estoril Court Central is the most prominent show court. In 20 ...
, Knapp was defeated in the first round of qualifying by Shahar Pe'er. Seeded second in Trnava at the
Slovak Open
The Slovak Open is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hardcourts. It is currently part of the Tretorn SERIE+ of the ATP Challenger Tour and ITF Women's Circuit. It is held at the Národné Tenisové Centrum in Bratislava
Br ...
, Knapp reached the final where she lost to Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová. Knapp played her final tournament before the French Open at the
Italian Open. She was defeated in the first round by
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 ...
. 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 ven ...
, Knapp lost in the first round to 17th seed
Sloane Stephens
Sloane Stephens (born March 20, 1993) is an American professional tennis player. She achieved a career-best ranking of world No. 3 after Wimbledon in 2018. Stephens was the 2017 US Open champion, and has won seven WTA Tour singles titles in t ...
. After the French Open, Knapp competed at the first edition of the
Nürnberger Versicherungscup
The Nuremberg Cup was a women's professional tennis tournament held in Nuremberg, Germany. Held from 2013 until 2019, this 250-level tournament was played on outdoor clay courts.
Tournament history
The Nuremberg Open was a defunct men's tenni ...
. She was defeated in the second round by eighth seed Annika Beck.
Knapp only played one grass-court tournament in the leadup to Wimbledon. 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 lost in the first round of qualifying to Melanie Oudin. Knapp earned her best Grand Slam result at 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 Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, All England Club in ...
. She made it to the fourth round beating
Lucie Hradecká
Lucie Hradecká (; born 21 May 1985) is a Czech former professional tennis player. A three-time Grand Slam (tennis), Grand Slam doubles champion and 26-time WTA Tour doubles titlist, she reached her career-high doubles ranking of world No. 4 in ...
, 27th seed Lucie Šafářová, and qualifier Michelle Larcher de Brito. She was defeated in her fourth-round match by 15th seed and eventual champion, Marion Bartoli.
After Wimbledon, Knapp competed at the
Internazionali di Palermo. She lost in the second round to fourth seed Klára Zakopalová. Seeded eighth at the
Gastein Ladies
The WTA Austrian Open is a WTA Tour affiliated women's tennis tournament held off and on from 1968. In the Open Era, seven locations hosted the event: Pörtschach in 1968 and 1999; Kitzbühel from 1969 to 1983 and from 1990 to 1993; Vienna in 19 ...
, Knapp reached the semifinal round where she was defeated by eventual champion Yvonne Meusburger.
Despite qualifying for the
Western & Southern Open, Knapp lost in the first round to ninth seed Angelique Kerber. Knapp played her final tournament before the US Open at the
New Haven Open
The New Haven Open was a golf tournament on the Nike Tour. It ran from 1990 to 1993. It was played at the Yale Golf Course in New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor o ...
. She successfully qualified for the main draw; she was defeated in the second round by fourth seed
Caroline Wozniacki
Caroline Wozniacki (; born 11 July 1990) is a Danish former professional tennis player. She was ranked world No. 1 in singles for a total of 71 weeks, including at the end of 2010 and 2011. She achieved the top ranking for the first time on 11 ...
. Ranked 55 at the
US Open, Knapp reached the third round after wins over American qualifier
Grace Min
Grace Min (born May 6, 1994) is an American tennis player who won the 2011 US Open girls' singles title.Generali Ladies Linz
The Linz Open, currently sponsored by Generali Gruppe, is a women's tennis tournament held in Linz, Austria. It is played on indoor hardcourts.
The inaugural event took place in 1987 in Wels, Austria and was organized by the ITF as a $10,000 tou ...
, Knapp upset eighth seed
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 Mar ...
in her first-round match. In the second round, she was defeated by
Stefanie Vögele
Stefanie Vögele (born 10 March 1990) is a former professional Swiss tennis player. She achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 42 on 11 November 2013. Her highest WTA ranking in doubles is 100, which she reached on 5 January 2015. O ...
. Knapp's final tournament of the season was at the
Luxembourg Open
Luxembourg Open,
Tennis tournaments in Luxembourg
Indoor tennis tournaments
Hard court tennis tournaments
WTA Tour
Kockelscheuer
Recurring sporting events established in 1991
Autumn events in Luxembourg
1991 establishments in Luxembourg ...
. She reached the quarterfinals where she lost to third 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 h ...
.
Knapp ended the year ranked 41.
2014: First WTA title
Knapp began the season at the
ASB Classic. Seeded eighth, she was defeated in the first round by Julia Görges. At the
Hobart International
The Hobart International is a women's professional tennis tournament held at the Hobart International Tennis Centre in Hobart, Australia. Held since 1994, it forms a part of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour and is classed as an Interna ...
, Knapp lost in the first round to qualifier Estrella Cabeza Candela. Ranked 44 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 beat Paula Ormaechea in the first round. In the second round, she faced third seed Maria Sharapova. Knapp took Sharapova to three sets, but she ended up losing the three hour and 28 minute match.
In Paris at the
Open GdF Suez, Knapp lost in the second round to third seed, last year finalist, and eventual finalist Sara Errani. Playing in the
Fed Cup
The Billie Jean King Cup (or the BJK Cup) is the premier international team competition in women's tennis, launched as the Federation Cup in 1963 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the International Tennis Federation (ITF). The name was cha ...
tie versus the USA, Knapp won both of her rubbers over Christina McHale and Alison Riske. Italy won the tie 3-1 to advance to the semifinal round. At the
Qatar Open in Doha, Knapp beat
Caroline Garcia
Caroline Garcia (, born 16 October 1993) is a French professional tennis player. She has been ranked in the top 5 in both singles at world No. 4 and in doubles at world No. 2. Garcia is the 2022 WTA Finals singles champion.
She is also a two-ti ...
in the first round. She was defeated in the second round by fifth seed Jelena Janković. Knapp lost in the second round of qualifying at the
Dubai Championships to Annika Beck. In Indian Wells at the
BNP Paribas Open, Knapp was defeated in round one by American wildcard
Taylor Townsend
Taylor Townsend (born April 16, 1996) is an American professional tennis player. She reached career-high WTA rankings of world No. 61 in singles (July 2018) and No. 31 in doubles (December 2022). She also reached the doubles final of the 2022 ...
. At the
Sony Open in Miami, Knapp lost in the first round to qualifier
Patricia Mayr-Achleitner
Patricia Mayr-Achleitner (née Mayr; born 8 November 1986 in Rum) is a retired Austrian tennis player.
Mayr-Achleitner won 17 singles and seven doubles titles on the ITF Circuit in her career. On 4 May 2009, she reached her best singles ranking ...
. Seeded seventh at the
Monterrey Open
The Monterrey Open is a professional women's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. The event is affiliated with the Women's Tennis Association (WTA), and is part of the 250 series on the WTA Tour. From 2009 to 2013, the tournament wa ...
, Knapp was defeated in the first round by eventual finalist
Jovana Jakšić Jovana is a Serbian feminine name. People with the name include:
*Jovana Brakočević, Serbian volleyball player
*Jovana Crnogorac, Serbian cyclist
*Jovana Damnjanović, Serbian football player
*Jovana Jakšić, Serbian tennis player
*Jovana Jankov ...
.
Knapp started her clay-court season at the
Copa Colsanitas
The Copa Colsanitas is a women's professional tennis tournament held in Bogotá, Colombia at the Centro de Alto Rendimiento. Held since 1998, this WTA 250 tournament is played on outdoor clay courts
A clay court is one of the types of tennis ...
. Seeded third, she lost in the first round to
Chanelle Scheepers
Chanelle Scheepers ( ; born 13 March 1984) is a retired South African tennis player.
She won one singles and one doubles title on the WTA Tour, as well as 12 singles and 20 doubles titles on the ITF Women's Circuit in her career. On 10 October ...
. In Estoril at the
Portugal Open
The Portugal Open (formerly named Estoril Open) was an ATP and WTA clay court tennis tournament in Portugal. The event took place at the sports complex of Jamor in Oeiras, of which Estoril Court Central is the most prominent show court. In 20 ...
, Knapp was defeated in the first round by Yaroslava Shvedova. 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 ...
, Knapp lost in the first round to
Bojana Jovanovski Bojana may refer to
Places
* Bojana (river), a river in Albania and Montenegro
* Ada Bojana / Bojana Island
Name
* Bojana (given name), a Slavic given name
* People
** Bojana Atanasovska
** Bojana Bobusic
** Bojana Jovanovski
** Bojana Novakovic
* ...
. In Rome at the
Italian Open, Knapp was defeated in the first round by 11th seed
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 ...
. Knapp played her final tournament before the French Open at the
Nürnberger Versicherungscup
The Nuremberg Cup was a women's professional tennis tournament held in Nuremberg, Germany. Held from 2013 until 2019, this 250-level tournament was played on outdoor clay courts.
Tournament history
The Nuremberg Open was a defunct men's tenni ...
. She advanced to the semifinals after wins over Shahar Pe'er, Polona Hercog, and seventh seed Caroline Garcia. She lost in her semifinal match to second seed and eventual champion Eugenie Bouchard. Ranked 49 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 ven ...
, Knapp was defeated in the first round by Mona Barthel.
After skipping the
Aegon Classic
The Birmingham Classic (currently sponsored by Rothesay Pensions) is a 250-level women's tennis tournament on the WTA Tour held at the Edgbaston Priory Club in Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom. Held at this location since 1982, the tourna ...
and the
Topshelf Open
The Rosmalen Grass Court Championships, branded by its sponsored name as the Libéma Open since 2018, (formerly known as the Continental Grass Court Championships, Heineken Trophy, Ordina Open, UNICEF Open, Topshelf Open and RICOH Open), is a pro ...
, Knapp returned to action at 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 Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, All England Club in ...
. She lost in a three-set thriller in the first round to
Karolína Plíšková
Karolína Hrdličková ( née Plíšková; ; born 21 March 1992) is a Czech professional tennis player. She is a former world No. 1 in singles, reaching the top of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) rankings on 17 July 2017 and holding the pos ...
.
As the top seed at the
Reinert Open, a $50k tournament in Germany, Knapp was defeated in the first round by qualifier
Verónica Cepede Royg
Verónica Cepede Royg (; born 21 January 1992) is a professional Paraguayan tennis player.
On 7 August 2017, she reached her highest WTA rankings, WTA singles ranking of No. 73 whilst her best doubles ranking is No. 85, achieved on 19 September ...
. Seeded fourth at the first edition of the
Bucharest Open, Knapp lost in the second round to
Danka Kovinić
Danka Kovinić ( cnr, Данка Ковинић; born 18 November 1994) is a Montenegrin professional tennis player.
On 22 February 2016, she reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 46, and on 20 June 2016, she peaked at No. 67 in th ...
. 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 ...
, Knapp was defeated in the second round by top seed and eventual champion Caroline Wozniacki.
Qualifying for 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 ...
, Knapp lost in round one to Caroline Garcia. Even though Knapp qualified for the
Western & Southern Open, she was defeated in the second round by Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Knapp fell in the final round of qualifying at the
Connecticut Open to Peng Shuai. Ranked seventy-one at the
US Open, Knapp lost in the first round to Tsvetana Pironkova.
Seeded third at the
Tashkent Open
The Tashkent Open by Zeromax is a women's tennis tournament held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Held since 1999, this WTA Tour event is an International tournament and is played on outdoor hard courts.
Since 2014, the event has been scheduled in early ...
, Knapp reached the final after victories over
Çağla Büyükakçay
Çağla Büyükakçay (; born 28 September 1989) is a Turkish professional tennis player.
She has won 11 singles and 15 doubles titles on the ITF Women's Circuit. In September 2016, she reached her highest singles ranking of world No. 6 ...
,
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 ...
, Olga Govortsova, and qualifier Lesia Tsurenko. She beat top seed and defending champion Bojana Jovanovski in the final to win her first WTA title. At the
Guangzhou International Open, Knapp was defeated in the first round by Monica Puig. Qualifying for the first edition of the
Wuhan Open
The Wuhan Open (currently sponsored by Dongfeng Motor) is a tennis tournament held in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China and organized for female professional tennis players. It is one of the WTA 1000 tournaments on the WTA Tour and made its debut in t ...
, Knapp lost in the second round to third seed and eventual champion
Petra Kvitová
Petra Kvitová, OLY ( , ; born 8 March 1990) is a Czech professional tennis player. Known for her powerful left-handed groundstrokes and variety, Kvitová has won 29 career singles titles, including two major titles at Wimbledon in 2011 and i ...
. In Austria at the
Generali Ladies Linz
The Linz Open, currently sponsored by Generali Gruppe, is a women's tennis tournament held in Linz, Austria. It is played on indoor hardcourts.
The inaugural event took place in 1987 in Wels, Austria and was organized by the ITF as a $10,000 tou ...
, Knapp advanced to the semifinals after wins over fifth seed Sabine Lisicki, Magdaléna Rybáriková, and Tsvetana Pironkova. She was defeated in her semifinal match by compatriot
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 ...
. Knapp's final tournament of the year was at the
Luxembourg Open
Luxembourg Open,
Tennis tournaments in Luxembourg
Indoor tennis tournaments
Hard court tennis tournaments
WTA Tour
Kockelscheuer
Recurring sporting events established in 1991
Autumn events in Luxembourg
1991 establishments in Luxembourg ...
. She faced Patricia Mayr-Achleitner in her first-round match. Knapp retired leading 3-2 in the first set due to a left thigh injury.
Knapp ended the year ranked 56.
2015
![Knapp RG15 (19301587482)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/Knapp_RG15_%2819301587482%29.jpg)
Knapp started her 2015 season off at the
Shenzhen Open. After winning her first-round match, she was defeated in the second round by eighth seed and eventual finalist Timea Bacsinszky. In the
Hobart International
The Hobart International is a women's professional tennis tournament held at the Hobart International Tennis Centre in Hobart, Australia. Held since 1994, it forms a part of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour and is classed as an Interna ...
, Knapp reached the quarterfinals after beating
Ajla Tomljanović
Ajla Tomljanović ( ; ; born 7 May 1993) is an Australian professional tennis player. She has won four singles and three doubles titles on the ITF Circuit. On 31 October 2022, she reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 33. On 5 Janu ...
and top seed Casey Dellacqua. She lost her quarterfinal match to qualifier and eventual finalist
Madison Brengle
Madison Brengle (born April 3, 1990) is an American professional tennis player. Her biggest success she had in early 2015, reaching her first WTA Tour final in January, followed by a fourth round major event appearance at the Australian Open. I ...
. Ranked 50 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 ...
, Knapp was defeated in the first round by third seed
Simona Halep
Simona Halep (; born 27 September 1991) is a Romanian professional tennis player. She has been ranked world No. 1 in singles twice between 2017 and 2019, for a total of 64 weeks, which ranks eleventh in the history of the Women's Tennis Assoc ...
.
Competing in Antwerp, Belgium at the
Diamond Games
The Diamond Games (due to sponsorship known for the last time as BNP Paribas Fortis Diamond Games and before that Proximus Diamond Games, GDF-Suez Diamond Games and Thomas Cook Diamond Games) was a professional women's tennis tournament organis ...
, Knapp was defeated in her first-round match by Annika Beck. At the
Dubai Championships, Knapp lost in the first round to Belinda Bencic. In
Monterrey
Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is anchor ...
, Knapp was defeated in the first round by third seed and eventual finalist 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 ...
, Knapp lost in the first round to Yanina Wickmayer. At the
Miami Open, Knapp was defeated in the second round by eighth seed
Ekaterina Makarova
Ekaterina Valeryevna Makarova ( rus, Екатери́на Вале́рьевна Мака́рова; ; born 7 June 1988) is a Russian former professional tennis player who was ranked world No. 1 in doubles, and world No. 8 in singles.
She ...
. Seeded sixth at the
Katowice Open
The Katowice Open was a professional women's tennis tournament played on an indoor hard court in Katowice, Poland and was held in April. The event was affiliated with the Women's Tennis Association (WTA), and was an International-level tournament ...
, Knapp lost in the first round to Vera Zvonareva.
Knapp began her clay-court season at the
Morocco Open
The Morocco Open or Rabat Grand Prix (for sponsorship reasons called the Grand Prix de SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem), is a women's professional tennis tournament currently held in Rabat, Morocco. This WTA Tour event is classified as an Internati ...
. She reached the quarterfinals defeating Çağla Büyükakçay and sixth seed Roberta Vinci. She was defeated in her quarterfinal match by fourth seed and eventual champion Elina Svitolina. Playing in Rome at the
Italian Open, Knapp scored a first-round victory over compatriot
Francesca Schiavone
Francesca Schiavone (; born 23 June 1980) is an Italian former professional tennis player. She turned professional in 1998 and won the 2010 French Open singles title, becoming the first Italian woman to win a Grand Slam event in singles. She wa ...
. She lost in the second round to fourth seed Petra Kvitová. Seeded sixth at the
Nürnberger Versicherungscup
The Nuremberg Cup was a women's professional tennis tournament held in Nuremberg, Germany. Held from 2013 until 2019, this 250-level tournament was played on outdoor clay courts.
Tournament history
The Nuremberg Open was a defunct men's tenni ...
, Knapp reached the final defeating
Antonia Lottner
Antonia Lottner (; born 13 August 1996) is a German tennis player.
Lottner has won seven singles titles and six doubles titles on the ITF Women's Circuit. In June 2018, she reached her best singles ranking of world No. 128. In April 2015, she p ...
,
Anna-Lena Friedsam
Anna-Lena Friedsam (born 1 February 1994) is a German tennis player.
She has won three doubles titles on the WTA Tour, one WTA 125 singles title as well as 12 singles and three doubles titles on the ITF Circuit in her career. She played also ...
, qualifier
Yulia Putintseva
Yulia Antonovna Putintseva ( rus, Ю́лия Анто́новна Пути́нцева; , ''puh-TEEN-tseh-vah''; born 7 January 1995) is a Russian-born Kazakhstani professional tennis player. She is a three-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist (twic ...
, and Lara Arruabarrena. In the final, she beat fourth seed Roberta Vinci to win her second WTA title. Ranked forty-two 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 ven ...
, Knapp was defeated in the first round by fifth seed Caroline Wozniacki.
Knapp began her grass-court season at the first edition of the
Nottingham Open
The Nottingham Open was originally known as the Nottingham Championships or Nottingham Lawn Tennis Tournament (1887-1967), is a tennis tournament for men and women held in Nottingham, United Kingdom, played on outdoor grass courts at the Nottingh ...
. Seeded fourth, she lost in the first round to Yanina Wickmayer. In Birmingham at the
Aegon Classic
The Birmingham Classic (currently sponsored by Rothesay Pensions) is a 250-level women's tennis tournament on the WTA Tour held at the Edgbaston Priory Club in Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom. Held at this location since 1982, the tourna ...
, Knapp was defeated in the first round by 13th seed
Svetlana Kuznetsova
Svetlana Aleksandrovna Kuznetsova (born 27 June 1985) is a Russian inactive professional tennis player. She is a two-time major singles champion, winning the 2004 US Open and 2009 French Open, and finishing runner-up at two other majors. I ...
. At 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 Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, All England Club in ...
, Knapp retired in the second set during her first-round match against Magdaléna Rybáriková.
Seeded third at the
Gastein Ladies
The WTA Austrian Open is a WTA Tour affiliated women's tennis tournament held off and on from 1968. In the Open Era, seven locations hosted the event: Pörtschach in 1968 and 1999; Kitzbühel from 1969 to 1983 and from 1990 to 1993; Vienna in 19 ...
, Knapp made it to the final after victories over Tamira Paszek, Johanna Larsson, Polona Hercog, and top seed Sara Errani. In the final, she lost to second seed
Sam 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 ...
. Seeded second at the
Baku Cup
The Baku Cup was a professional women's tennis tournament held in Baku, Azerbaijan. It made its debut on the 2011 WTA Tour and as one of the international tier of events. This WTA Tour event is an international tournament and was played at the B ...
, Knapp was defeated in the semifinals by
Margarita Gasparyan
Margarita Melikovna Betova (née Gasparyan; rus, Маргари́та Ме́ликовна Гаспаря́н, , mərɡɐˈrʲitə ɡəspɐˈrʲan, Ru-Margarita Gasparyan.ogg, hy, Մարգարիտա Մելիքի Գասպարյան; born 1 Sept ...
.
In Toronto 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 ...
, Knapp lost in the first round to Roberta Vinci; this was the worst loss of her career. At the
Western & Southern Open, Knapp was defeated in the third round by top seed, defending champion, and eventual 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) for ...
. Ranked 34 at the
US Open, Knapp lost in the second round to 11th seed Angelique Kerber.
Knapp was forced to end the season early due to a knee injury. She ended the year ranked 51.
2016
![Knapp RG16 (9) (27127240900)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/Knapp_RG16_%289%29_%2827127240900%29.jpg)
Knapp returned to action in March at the
Miami Open. She lost in the first round to Yanina Wickmayer. In Poland at the
Katowice Open
The Katowice Open was a professional women's tennis tournament played on an indoor hard court in Katowice, Poland and was held in April. The event was affiliated with the Women's Tennis Association (WTA), and was an International-level tournament ...
, Knapp was defeated in the first round by Naomi Broady.
Knapp began clay-court season 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 ...
. She lost in the first round to
Hsieh Su-wei
Hsieh Su-wei ( ;''Xiè 謝淑薇Shūwēi'' in Chinese mainland. Taiwanese Mandarin: ; in Standard Mandarin of Chinese mainland. born 4 January 1986) is an inactive Taiwanese professional tennis player. She has won three singles titles and 30 ...
. In Spain 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 ...
, Knapp was defeated in the second round by sixth seed and eventual champion Simona Halep. At the
Italian Open, Knapp lost in round one to Barbora Strýcová. Knapp had a lucky run 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 ven ...
. In the first round, she faced fifth seed Victoria Azarenka and won the match when Azarenka retired during the third set due to a right knee injury. Then, she beat Anastasija Sevastova to reach the third round for the first time since 2008. She was defeated in the third round by Yulia Putintseva.
As the top seed at the
Internazionali di Brescia, a $50k tournament, Knapp won the title beating
Jesika Malečková
Jesika Malečková (born 16 August 1994) is a Czech tennis player.
Malečková has won ten singles titles and 18 doubles titles on the ITF Circuit. On 20 June 2016, she reached her best singles ranking of world No. 191. On 14 November 2022, s ...
in the final.
Ranked 90 at 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 Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, All England Club in ...
, Knapp lost in the first round to Ana Konjuh.
At the
Swedish Open
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
, Knapp was defeated in the quarterfinals by Julia Görges. Knapp retired during her second-round match against
Rebecca Peterson
Rebecca Peterson (born 6 August 1995) is a Swedish tennis player. She has been ranked as high as 43 in singles and 87 in doubles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA). Peterson has reached two singles finals on the WTA Tour in 2019, winning bot ...
at the
Prague Open In tennis, Prague Open may refer to:
* Prague Open (1987–1999)
* ATP Prague Open
* WTA Prague Open
* Sparta Prague Open Challenger
The Sparta Prague Open Challenger is a professional tennis tournament played on Tennis court#Clay courts, clay cou ...
. In August, Knapp represented Italy at the
Rio Olympics
)
, nations = 207 (including IOA and EOR teams)
, athletes = 11,238
, events = 306 in 28 sports (41 disciplines)
, opening = 5 August 2016
, closing = 21 August 2016
, opened_by = Vice President Michel Temer
, cauldron = Vanderlei Cordeiro d ...
. She lost in the first round to Lucie Šafářová.
Playing in Cincinnati at the
Western & Southern Open, Knapp was defeated in the final round of qualifying by Kurumi Nara. At the
US Open, Knapp lost in the first round to Johanna Larsson.
Knapp did not play any more tournaments for the rest of the season. She ended the year ranked 144.
2017
In Melbourne 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 ...
, Knapp retired during her first-round match versus Hsieh Su-wei due to injury. This ended up being Knapp's final match of her career. In April, she married her partner and coach, Francesco Piccari.
2018
On 13 May 2018, Knapp retired from tennis due to a chronic right knee injury.
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
WTA career finals
Singles: 4 (2 titles, 2 runner-ups)
Doubles: 3 (3 runner-ups)
ITF Circuit finals
Singles: 19 (6 titles, 13 runner-ups)
Doubles: 7 (6 titles, 1 runner-up)
Notes
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knapp, Karin
1987 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Bruneck
Italian female tennis players
Germanophone Italian people
Italian people of Austrian descent
Olympic tennis players of Italy
Tennis players at the 2016 Summer Olympics