Anastasija Sevastova

Career

In 2007, she qualified for the İstanbul Cup where she won her first career WTA match against Anastasiya Yakimova in the first round. She then lost to fifth-seeded Alona Bondarenko.

In August 2009, she qualified for the main draw of the US Open and won her first match in a Grand Slam by defeating Tamarine Tanasugarn.

2010

In March 2010, Sevastova got one of the biggest wins of her early career by defeating world No. 9 Jelena Janković in the first round of the Monterrey Open and then reached the semifinals.

Sevastova played at the Estoril Open and in her first match defeated top seed Ágnes Szávay in three sets. In the final of this tournament, she beat Arantxa Parra Santonja in straight sets. It was her first WTA final and her first WTA title.

2011

At the Australian Open, Sevastova upset the 21st seed Yanina Wickmayer in straight sets, before losing in the fourth round to world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets.

2013

Due to ongoing injuries and illness, Sevastova announced her retirement from the sport in May 2013.

2015 – Return to professional tennis

In 2015 January, Sevastova returned to professional tennis, receiving a wild card into the $10K tournament in Sharm-El-Sheikh, Egypt.

In the first half of the year, Sevastova won four ITF tournaments.

In the Brasil Tennis Cup, Sevastova reached her first WTA semifinal since 2013 in Pattaya.

At the Kremlin Cup in Moscow, Sevastova upset Karolína Plíšková in the second round and eventually lost to eventual champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in three sets.

2016: First Grand Slam quarterfinal

During the summer, Sevastova reached two finals: in Mallorca and Bucharest, losing to Caroline Garcia and Simona Halep respectively.

At the US Open, Sevastova stunned Garbiñe Muguruza in the second round in straight sets, then followed with wins over Kateryna Bondarenko and No. 13 Johanna Konta, reaching her first Grand Slam quarterfinal. She was defeated in the quarterfinals by Caroline Wozniacki. She gained with the new ranking of No. 32, eclipsing the previous high ranking of No. 36 on 31 January 2011.

2017: Second WTA title

Sevastova began her season at the Shenzhen Open and at the Hobart International, where she lost in the first round to Kristýna Plíšková and Shelby Rogers. She also reached the doubles semifinals at the latter, partnering Mandy Minella. She then reached the third round of the Australian Open, beating Nao Hibino and Kristína Kučová before losing to Garbiñe Muguruza.

Sevastova reached semifinals at two Premier 5 events - Dubai Tennis Championships and Mutua Madrid Open. In Madrid she had her second Top 10 win in 2017, beating world No. 3 Kristýna Plíšková in straight sets. At the French Open Sevastova won against Annika Beck and Eugenie Bouchard, before losing to Petra Martic in the third round. Two weeks later Sevastova claimed her first WTA title since 2010, winning Mallorca Open, where she had reached final the previous year.

At Wimbledon Sevastova won her first round match against Yulia Putintseva. In the second round she lost to Heather Watson. Following Wimbledon, Sevastova reached to No. 17 WTA ranking in the singles, which was a new career-high for her.

Sevastova followed Wimbledon with two quarterfinal appearances at the Bucharest Open and Swedish Open.

The US Open Series proved to be unsuccessful for Sevastova. She lost in the second round of the Rogers Cup and the third round of the Cincinnati Open. However, Sevastova made it to her second consecutive US Open quarterfinal. She won her first three rounds easily in straight sets. She stunned five time grand slam champion and former World Number one Maria Sharapova in the fourth round. Sevastova lost to eventual champion Sloane Stephens in the quarterfinals.

Playing style

Sevastova is known as a tactical all-round player who uses varied shots to win points. She possesses consistent and accurate groundstrokes, with both wings capable of producing winners. She possesses an accurate serve that can reach 110mph (177 km/h), but her second serve isn't as strong. She also moves around the court well and her footwork is good as well. She personally states that her backhand is her favourite shot. Possibly her biggest asset is her variety and resilience on court. She approaches the net a lot to finish points, and some of her best shots are her drop shots and slices, which are very difficult to retrieve. She is also known to fight for every point and can endure lots of longer rallies. This was obvious in her win over Garbine Muguruza at the 2016 US Open.

Endorsements

She is sponsored by Yonex for her racquets and clothing. She uses the Yonex Ezone DR 98 racquet.

Performance Timeline

Current through 2017 Western & Southern Open

Record against Top 10 players

Sevastova match record against players who have been ranked in the Top 10, with those who are active in boldface.