Elena Sergeevna Vesnina (Russian: Елена Сергеевна Веснина) (born Lviv, Ukrainian SSR, August 1, 1986) is a professional female tennis player from Russia. Her career high rank was #23, achieved on August 31, 2009. She is coached by former ATP tour player Andrei Chesnokov.
Vesnina is a baseliner who is also proficient at net and can finish rallies from there after getting her opponent out of position. She emphasizes ball placement and strategy. Vesnina's biggest weakness is her serve—Vesnina often double faults once or twice per game in her matches. These game style characteristics mean she is regularly compared to fellow Russian Elena Dementieva
Vesnina participated in the 2009 ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand in January. It was here that she advanced to her first final on the WTA Tour, upsetting the tournament's sixth-seed Nicole Vaidisova in the second round and the second-seed Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark in the quarterfinals along the way. She then prevailed in a marathon semifinal against British #1 Anne Keothavong with a score of 6-7(3), 6-1, 7-5 to set up a meeting with fellow Russian and tournament first-seed Elena Dementieva. She started strongly in the match with a 3-1 lead but eventually lost to Dementieva 6-4 6-1.
Vesnina participated in the 2009 Australian Open but lost in the first round to French player Julie Coin. At the 2009 Dubai Tennis Championships, where she was a qualifier, Vesnina made it to the quarterfinals, defeating Chinese player Li Na 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the first round and achieving her first win over a top 10 player by defeating 7th-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4, 3-6, 6-0. In the third round, she defeated 12th-seeded Dominika Cibulkova, who retired after Vesnina was leading 4-6, 6-1, 4-0. In the quarterfinals her series of upsets ended when she lost to 16th-seeded Kaia Kanepi 3-6, 5-7.
At her next tournament, the 2009 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, Vesnina defeated Sabine Lisicki 7-6(4), 7-5 in the first round and 32nd-seed Sorana Cirstea 5-7, 6-2, 6-3 in the second round. In the third round, she lost to 8th-seed Victoria Azarenka 3-6, 5-7. Vesnina started her 2009 clay court season at the 2009 MPS Group Championships in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. She upset 6th-seeded Shuai Peng in the first round 2-6, 6-1, 6-3, and the 3rd-seed Dominika Cibulkova 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-3 in the quarterfinals. She lost to 2nd-seeded Caroline Wozniacki 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(4) in the semifinals after having 4 match points in the third set.
Vesnina at the 2009 Wimbledon Championships.
She then reached the quarterfinals of the Tier I Family Circle Cup in Charleston, South Carolina before losing to Sabine Lisicki 6-4, 6-0 while battling a leg strain.
At Vesnina's next tournament, the 2009 Rome Masters, she reached the second round by defeating American Jill Craybas 1-6, 6-3, 6-2, but lost to Jie Zheng 2-6, 7-6(3), 2-6. She then reached the third round of the 2009 Madrid Masters and lost to Jelena Jankovic 2-6, 2-6. She lost to Agnes Szavay in the second round of the French Open, the first time she'd reached the second round there. She did however reach her first grand slam final in the doubles at the French Open partnering Victoria Azarenka. The pair were seeded 12th but lost in the final to the 3rd seeds and defending champions Virginia Ruano Pascual and Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-1 6-1.
At the 2009 Wimbledon Championships Vesnina defeated Yanina Wickmayer in the first round and defeated Vera Dushevina in the second round. She then caused a big upset over #14 Dominika Cibulkova in the third round. Vesnina won the first set and had a trainer come at the end of the second. She fell behind in the third, but rallied back. Vesnina then fell to #4 Elena Dementieva in the fourth round, 6-1, 6-3.
At the 2009 US Open Series in her first event of the series in 2009 LA Women's Tennis Championships she fell to Jie Zheng in the second round 4-6, 6-4, 0-6, it was followed by first round loses in the 2009 Rogers Cup to Anna Chakvetadze 7-5 6-3 and in the 2009 Western & Southern Financial Group Masters and Women's Open to Jie Zheng 6-3 6-2.
At the 2009 Pilot Pen Tennis, she upset two top-20 players - a fast-rising Samantha Stosur in the second round 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, and Amelie Mauresmo 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 in the semifinals. She however lost to Caroline Wozniacki in her second WTA Tour Career finals 6-2, 6-4 and her first in a Premier Event. She was seeded number 31 at the 2009 US Open and faced Lucie Hradecká in the first round where she came through 6-4 7-6. In the second round she defeated Jill Craybas 7-6 6-1 to advance to third round at the US Open for the first time. There she faced fellow Russian and her former doubles partner Vera Zvonareva where she fell 2-6 4-6.
