Stephanie Vogt

Biography

Vogt was born on 15 February 1990 to parents Erika and Ewald (the latter deceased 2007). She began playing tennis at age 5 and after playing with the Swiss junior team for some time, she turned professional in 2006. She simultaneously decided to move to Hungary to train with Zoltan Kuharszky, which would result in reaching the mid-200s of the WTA rankings in 2008. Moreover, it was announced that she had been awarded an invitation spot at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, but she was forced to withdraw due to a patella injury, which further required surgery. Knee rehabilitation took approximately 18 months, during which Vogt finished school before returning to the professional circuit in 2011. Vogt was given the honor of being Liechtenstein's flag bearer during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London and also represented Liechtenstein at the 2016 Summer Olympics. She was the highest-ranked tennis player to ever represent her country until her retirement in August 2016.

Career

Vogt had a successful junior career, winning five ITF singles titles, as well as six doubles titles. Her career-high world ranking as a junior was world number five, and she finished her junior career with a record of 79–26.

Her success on the ITF women's circuit in 2008 led to the ITF announcing that she had been given one of the two invitations into the main draw for the Summer Olympics in Beijing. However, she was forced to withdraw through injury and was replaced by Tamarine Tanasugarn.

2010 – 2011

She reached six ITF singles finals, winning three in Egypt, Slovenia, and The Netherlands. She also reached five ITF doubles finals, losing all five. At the 2011 Games of the Small States of Europe, held in Liechtenstein, Vogt won three gold medals. She defeated Kathinka von Deichmann in the final of the singles, whilst also partnering with von Deichmann to win the women's doubles. The mixed doubles was won with Jirka Lokaj. This built on her success from the 2007 Games, where she won a gold medal in the singles, before combining with Marina Novak to take silver in the doubles. She did not participate in the 2009 event.

2012

Vogt represented Liechtenstein at the Summer Olympics in London. Ranked No. 236, she did not qualify through rankings and was thus given a Tripartite Commission Invitation to play in the singles event. She drew Anna Tatishvili of Georgia and lost 2–6, 0–6. In ITF, she won the tournament twice Bath and Aschaffenburg but gives final at Tessenderlo and Netanya, losing to Anna Karolína Schmiedlová in three sets.

2013 First WTA title

In July the biggest title coming in Biarritz, where she beat Schmiedlová in three sets. Following this win, Vogt cracked the Top-150 for the first time in her career. She was in touching distance of a main-draw berth at the French Open, defeating two players in qualifying before losing out to Czech veteran Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová in straight sets. 1 month after her most recent singles title in Podgorica, Estonian Anett Kontaveit of 6–4, 6–3.

In October, she took part in the WTA tournament qualifications of Linz in Austria endowed with $235,000, where she defeated in the first round the American Christina McHaleon the score of 7–5, 6–3 but lost in the second round against the Polish Katarzyna Piter on the score of 7–6, 4–6, 6–4. But always in Linz duplicate associated with Belgian Yanina Wickmayer, she bows in the first round against the pair composed of the German Mona Barthel and Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu of 6–4, 4–6 10–7. The following week, it snaps to the qualifications of the WTA tournament Luxembourg endowed with $235,000, where she spent the first round by removing the British Melanie South on the score of 6–1, 6–2 but lost the second round against the Belgian Alison Van Uytvanck 5–7, 6–2, 6–4. Always associated with the Belgian Yanina Wickmayer, she defeated in the first round the pair composed of the Spanish Lourdes Domínguez Lino and Romanian Monica Niculescu on the score of 6–3, 4–6, 12–10. In the quarterfinals, they spread the Latvian Līga Dekmeijere and American Christina McHale on the score of 7–6, 4–6, 10–3. They take advantage of the semi final abandonment of the pair composed of the Slovenian Polona Hercog and American Lisa Raymond to reach the final of the tournament and win face the pair Kristina Barrois and Laura Thorpe on the score of 7- 6, 6–4.

2015

In April, she played in Stuttgart in Germany but lost in the first round to the Czech Kateřina Siniaková. Doubling with the Croatian Petra Martic, Vogt reached the semi-finals before she and Martic were beaten by Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Šafářová. Note that they have beaten in the first round most often by the Swiss Martina Hingis and Indian Sania Mirza.

In July, she bowed out in the semi-finals of the German tournament Versmold endowed with $ 50,000. She then bowed out in the first round of the qualifications for Bad Gastein in Austria but won the doubles title there with Danka Kovinic.

2016 – Retirement

In January, she won the doubles tournament in Hong Kong, earning $ 25,000 prize money along with the Swiss Viktorija Golubic. She then bowed out in the first qualifying round of the Australian Open as she lost to Australian Arina Rodionova 6–4, 6–1. In doubles, she and her partner, the American Maria Sanchez got through to the finals of the tournament where they beat Croatian Darija Jurak and American Nicole Melichar 6–3, 2–6, 7–6 in the first round, making this Vogt's first victory in the final table of a Grand Slam. Vogt did bow out sharply however in the second round when she and Sanchez lost to the French pair Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic 6–2, 6–1.

In August, Vogt participated in her second Olympics. She lost in the first round to British Johanna Konta 6–3, 6–1. Afterwards Vogt later announced her retirement from professional tennis.