* 2 Tennis career
o 2.1 Junior career
o 2.2 Turned professional
o 2.3 2007
o 2.4 2008
o 2.5 2009
o 2.6 2010
* 3 Playing style
* 4 Fashion
* 5 Career statistics
* 6 References
* 7 External linksBorn in the Soviet Union of paternal Ukrainian heritage, Kirilenko is a good friend to fellow WTA players Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanović, Agnieszka Radwańska, and Marta Domachowska. Kirilenko is affectionately called Makiri. She is in a relationship with tennis player Igor Andreev.Maria Kirilenko started showing a passion towards tennis at age 5, but it was difficult to get the practice in while she was attending school. Her father enrolled her in a tennis school, and hours of fierce training started to pay off as she won several tournaments.
When Kirilenko was twelve years old, an Honored Master of sports, Elena Brioukhovets, saw her while training. All the next year Elena watched Maria making progress and then offered to work together with her. A three-year program was made and a special team was selected. In less than three years Maria became the number one in her age group and the number two in the group under eighteen. The well-known tennis-players Yevgeni Kafelnikov, Andrei Olhovskiy and Max Mirnyi, who had created an organization supporting young tennis-players, helped Kirilenko to arrange her training-process and to attend tournaments.In 2002 Kirilenko became one of the youngest winners of the Canadian Open and the US Open Junior Tournaments.
Turned professionalKirilenko at the US Open in 2006 was then setback by an injury in 2004. At the end of 2005 she climbed back up the rankings and won her first title in Beijing. On 12 June 2006, she broke into the world's top 20 for the first time.Kirilenko made her debut for Russia at the nation-based Fed Cup tournament in April 2006 on the World Group Quarter-Final tie against Belgium. Maria lost a singles rubber against 2005 US Open champion Kim Clijsters and won her doubles rubber against multiple major champion Justine Henin and the same Kim Clijsters partnering Dinara Safina. Russia ended up losing 3–2. the 2006 US Open, Kirilenko received the 20th seed of the tournament and reached the 3rd Round, eventually being defeated by Aravane Rezaï.at Wimbledon 2007In January 2007, she advanced to the third round of the 2007 Australian Open, before being defeated by third-seed Svetlana Kuznetsova. She then competed in the 2007 Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, where she advanced to the second round upsetting World number 15 Shahar Pe'er of Israel, before being defeated by Ai Sugiyama. She then competed in the Dubai Tennis Championships in Dubai, where she reached the second round, before losing in a close match to Daniela Hantuchová.
Kirilenko with her mixed doubles partner Igor Andreev at the US Open
At the Acura Classic in San Diego, California, Kirilenko upset second seeded Jelena Janković of Serbia to advance to the quarter-finals, before losing to fellow Russian Elena Dementieva. At the East West Bank Classic in Los Angeles, California she also reached the quarters, upsetting Number 6 seed Marion Bartoli in straight sets.Unseeded at the US Open, she defeated Martina Müller of Germany, and then 22nd seed Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia. She then lost to the unseeded Julia Vakulenko of Ukraine. After the US Open, she appeared in the Sunfeast Open. There, Kirilenko won her second WTA Tour singles title, defeating unseeded Mariya Koryttseva of Ukraine in straight sets. The next week at a tournament in Seoul, Kirilenko, as the Number 4 seed had also reached the finals but lost to top seed Venus Williams of the USA.
* By Alaric Gomes, Senior Reporter, Gulf News
* Published: 00:00 February 16, 2011* Gulf NewsFocused on the game
* Maria Kirilenko returns against Chanelle Scheepers of South Africa during their match on Monday.Image Credit: Hadrian Hernandez/Gulf NewsDubai: Glamour girl Maria Kirilenko feels she still has a lot to give to the game she loves despite yet another first-round exit at the Dubai Duty Free Women's Open here on Monday."I'm still not very old yet. I still have a few years to play for sure," Kirilenko told Gulf News after a fourth straight first round exit in Dubai.After seven appearances in Dubai, Kirilenko has been losing in the first round since 2008. In 2005, she bowed out in the qualifying stages, while her best result came in 2006 where she made it to the quarter-finals only to lose to second seeded Lindsay Davenport.I am trying to find my game again because I feel that there's a little bit too many mistakes. I don't feel what to do," she admitted.And she has not given up on Dubai. "I have very good memories from Dubai because a lot of time I come here just for practice. Especially three, four years ago when I was younger I came here just for two weeks' preparation," she disclosed.Her record of the Tour is not too compelling either, having lost an amazing 36 first rounds since the start of the 2007 season. Now at 26 in the latest rankings released last Monday, Kirilenko's start to the season has not been all that heartening after yet another first round exit at the season-opening Sydney Open.
BackgrounAs a rising teenage star, Kirilenko launched the Stella McCartney tennis attire created especially for her just before the 2006 Australian Open.Seeded No18 at the Australian Open, the 23 year old made it to the second round singles losing to Iveta Benesova. However, it was the doubles that Kirilenko flourished as she teamed up with Victoria Azarenka to reach the final. But in a final that witnessed an amazing turnaround, Kirilenko and Azarenka went down in three sets 6-2, 5-7, 1-6 to the Argentinean-Italian pair of Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta.I think I played well at the beginning of the year, but then I lost in the Australian Open also playing bad," she recollected."However, everything is fine for me and in my mind there is still tennis," Kirilenko
There was a battle of the ages as 19-year old former Wimbledon junior champion Noppawan Lertcheewakarn took on one of the oldest players on the WTA Tour, 36-year old American Jill Craybas. The Thai wild card began well by winning the first six points, but her serve malfunctioned in the third game and that helped Craybas break back for 1-2.Two Chinese players were in action, and both won. Sixth seed Shuai Peng came through what began as a tough battle with Yung-Jan Chan of Taipei, struggling to take the first set in a tiebreak by 10 points to eight but then sweeping the second set 6-0, and Shuai Zhang overcame Slovak Zuzana Kucova 6-4 6-2 to set up a possible second round clash with sixth seed Roberta Vinci.The qualifying rounds were completed on Monday, with Thailand’s Nungnadda Wannasuk, Zarina Diyas and Galina Voskoboeva of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan Republic’s Ksenia Palkina all moving into the main draw.Report by: www.pentanglepromotions.com
Related itemsAlthough ‘Nok’ played well throughout the match, striking some powerful groundstrokes, she failed to find the consistency she need to really place Craybas under sustained pressure. Her serve also continued to let her down at times, and experience won in the end as Craybas moved into the second round with a 6-3 6-3 victory
Maria Kirilenko was the top seeShe broke for 1-5, held for 2-5 while saving three set points, broke again for 3-5 and held for 4-5 saving another set point. But Brianti finally served out the set at her third attempt to claim it 6-4. In the final set, Kirilenko got the breakthrough she needed by breaking for 3-1 and she went on to take the set with ease, 6-2.
“In the second set she was hitting a lot of slice and I had to keep getting down very low. I have a problem with my knee and it began to hurt to I got the trainer to have a look,” Kirilenko explained. äfter that I was able to play betted in action on Monday, and to say her match was unusual and dramatic would be an understatement.PATTAYA, Feb 7 –The third seeded Russian swept the opening set against Italian Alberta Brianti 6-0, but then fell behind 5-0 in the second. Certainly Brianti was much more aggressive in the second set, but at least part of the reason for the huge turnaround was revealed when Kirilenko asked for the trainer. She received attention to her left leg, and when play resumed Kirilenko played her way back into contention.
Maria Kirilenko
Maria Kirilenko
Maria Kirilenko
Maria Kirilenko
Maria Kirilenko
Maria Kirilenko
Maria Kirilenko
Maria Kirilenko
Maria Kirilenko
Maria Kirilenko
Maria Kirilenko
Maria Kirilenko
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