Residence Edinburgh, Scotland Prize money US$64,545 Plays Right-handed | Retired 2007 Turned pro 1998 Name Karen Paterson | |
Country (sports) United Kingdom
Scotland Born 18 May 1982 (age 41)
Edinburgh, Scotland ( 1982-05-18 ) | ||
Karen Paterson (born 18 May 1982) is a Scottish ex-professional tennis player who was active between the years 1998 and 2007. She won a total of 2 ITF singles titles and 5 ITF doubles titles, reaching a career-high ranking of world no. 369 in singles (achieved 3 October 2005) and world no. 220 as a doubles player (achieved on 6 August 2007). She coached British junior, Steph Cornish and currently coaches another British player, Jocelyn Rae.
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As a singles competitor, she never managed to qualify for any of the four Grand Slams although she did compete in the Wimbledon doubles competition on two occasions in 2006 and 2007. In 2006, she and Rebecca Llewellyn were beaten by the no. 2 seeds, Cara Black and Rennae Stubbs, and in 2007 she and Melanie South lost to Janette Husárová and Meghann Shaughnessy, the no. 7 seeds.
1998–2000
Paterson's first professional tournament came in September 1998 when she attempted to qualify for a $25,000 ITF tournament in Edinburgh, Scotland where she reached the second round of qualifying. Over the rest of the year she attempted to qualify for three more ITF events in Great Britain but was unsuccessful each time. She finished 1998 without a world ranking.
She also spent 1999 attempting to qualify for lower-level ITF tournaments with limited success; falling in qualifying four times and the first round of main draws four times (once as a lucky loser). She again finished the year without a world ranking.
2000 was spent falling in qualifying a total of eight times and once in the second round of a $10,000 ITF tournament in Glasgow. She finished the season with a world ranking of world no. 1178.
2001–2002
Up until March of 2001, Paterson failed to progress past the qualifying stages of tournaments when she reached the semi-finals of a $10,000 ITF tournament in Chandigarh, India, beating a young Sania Mirza along the way. Paterson spent the rest of the year competing on the ITF circuit and, as a result, her year-end ranking had risen to world no. 644.
Paterson did not manage to progress past the second round of any ITF tournament during 2002 and as a result her year-end ranking fell to world no. 708.
2003
In January 2003, Paterson reached the semi-finals of a $10,000 ITF tournament in Tipton as a lucky loser and in May she was a quarterfinalist in another $10,000 ITF, this one in Edinburgh. Paterson teamed up with Emily Webley-Smith in June and they were given a wild card into the qualifying draw for the Wimbledon doubles tournament. They were beaten, 2–6 3–6, by Jill Craybas and Vanessa Webb. Paterson reached the semi-finals in Felixstowe and the quarterfinals in Pontevedra (both $10,000 ITF) in July and the next month she reached the first ITF final of her career in Wrexham $10,000. She was beaten by Timea Bacsinszky in straight sets, 0–6 3–6. October saw her reach the quarterfinals of a $25,000 event in Jersey where she lost to Sybille Bammer. Akgul Amanmuradova defeated Paterson, 2–6 5–7, in the semi-finals of a $10,000 event in Pune in November. Her year-end ranking was world no. 416.
2004
A promising start to 2004 saw Paterson reach the quarterfinals of a $10,000 ITF in Hull however she only managed to win two of her next 11 matches, and these two wins both came in the qualifying stages of tournaments. Nevertheless, she received a wild card into the qualifying draw for the DFS Classic in June where she lost to Roberta Vinci in round one of qualifying. Following this she reached the semi-finals of Felixstowe $10,000 and two weeks later, the quarterfinals of Pontevedra ($25,000). She spent the rest of the year competing on the ITF circuit and reached two more semi-finals: the first in a $10,000 in Manchester and the second in Glasgow, a $25,000 event where she again lost to Sybille Bammer. Paterson finished the year ranked world no. 448.
2005
Paterson again started the year well, reaching the final in her first tournament of 2005 in Grenoble ($10,000). Mervana Jugić-Salkić beat her, 3–6 1–6, in the final. Paterson again experienced a slight lull up until June when she was given a wild card into the qualifying draw for the DFS Classic for the second year running. She was defeated by Milagros Sequera in the first round of qualifying before being given a wild card into the qualifying draw for Wimbledon where she was again defeated in the first stage of the qualifying event, this time by Adriana Serra Zanetti. In August she reached two ITF quarterfinals in Hampstead and Amarante, both $10,000 tournaments. A young Dominika Cibulková was Paterson's conqueror, 1–6 2–6, in Amarante. She followed this up with a run to the second $10,000 ITF final of her career (this one in Nottingham) where she lost a three-set battle with compatriot, Anne Keothavong, 6–1 6–7(4) 4–6. In late September, Paterson had the best result in a $50,000 ITF of her career when she reached the quarterfinals in Batumi before losing to Ana Timotić. Nevertheless, this result was good enough to take her to a career-high ranking of no. 369 in the world. October saw her team up with Anne Keothavong to reach the doubles quarterfinal of a tier III WTA event in Quebec City by battling to defeat Lauren Barnikow and Vilmarie Castellvi, 6–7(5) 7–6(6) 7–5. She and Keothavong were beaten by Marion Bartoli and María Emilia Salerni, 1–6 3–6, in the quarterfinals. Her year-end ranking for singles was world no. 408.
2006
In January 2006, Paterson reached the semi-finals of her first $10,000 ITF tournament of the year in Hull and in March she reached the semi-finals of yet another $10,000 ITF, following this one up with a run to the quarterfinals of another $10,000 event in Bath. She again received a wild card into the qualifying draw for Wimbledon but again failed to win a match, falling at the first hurdle to Margit Rüütel. In August, Paterson reached the quarterfinals in London ($10,000 ITF) where she lost to Anna Fitzpatrick however she and Jane O'Donoghue joined forces to win the doubles title at this event. Paterson then headed to a $10,000 ITF event in Mollerusa where she beat Yera Campos Molina, 3–6 7–5 6–2, in the final to win the title. This was the first singles title of Paterson's career. After this she reached one more $10,000 semi-final and a $25,000 quarterfinal and finished the year with a world ranking of no. 433.
2007
2007 could not have begun better for Paterson as she won her first ITF tournament of the season in Sunderland by beating Carla Suárez Navarro in the final, 6–4 6–2. She then went to Hull ($10,000) and reached the quarterfinals (beating Suarez Navarro again in the second round). In February, Suarez Navarro managed to get some revenge by beating Paterson in the final round of qualifying for a $25,000 event in Tipton. Despite this, Paterson went on to reach the quarterfinals in Montechoro, another $10,000 ITF. In June, Paterson was given wild cards into the qualifying events for the DFS Classic, the Hastings Direct International, and Wimbledon where she was unable to win a match each time. Paterson played her last professional match in August 2007 when she lost in the quarterfinals of a $10,000 ITF tournament in London, England to Martina Babáková, 6–3 2–6 2–6.