Tsvetana Pironkova

23-year old Bulgarian Beauty Tsvetana Pironkova showed a lot of heart and plenty of talent when she reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon in 2010.  It marked the first time she advanced past the second round in a major.  Although defeated by Vera Zvonareva, Tsvetana became the first Bulgarian man or woman to reach a semi-final in any Grand Slam event.

In 2010, Tsvetana finished in the top 40 for the first time in her career.  Coached by her father, Kiril Enchev, a former canoeing champion, and her mother Radosveta Nikolova, a former swimming champion, Tsvetana turned pro at the age of 15 and won her first ITF tournament in 2002.  In 2003, she won three times and seemed ready for the WTA tour.

As a qualifier, Tsvetana managed to complete 2005 in the top 100.  She failed to qualify in five events but her patience paid off when she made the semi-finals in Palermo and jumped to no. 99 on the rankings.

In addition to her 2010 semi-final appearance at Wimbledon, Tsvetana reached the quarters in Warsaw, but had trouble in qualifying events. At the end of the year, she withdrew from Budapest with a wrist injury.

Tsvetana closed the year ranked at number 35.  Her career won-lost record is 269-153.  Her 2010 record was a respectable 33-23.

Tsvetana is a graceful player with tremendous foot speed and court coverage.  Her improved status in 2010 was proportionate to her increased velocity on her serve.  We expect Tsvetana to rise to new heights in 2011 and take out some unsuspecting players along the way.  It makes a big difference not having to play in the qualifying events.  Keeping an eye on Tsvetana is easy to do!

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