Bethanie Mattek-Sands

Bethanie Lynn Mattek-Sands (born March 23, 1985, in Rochester, Minnesota) is an American professional tennis player who competes on the WTA Tour. She lives in Miami, Florida but trains in Phoenix, Arizona. Mattek has won five singles and three doubles titles on the ITF Circuit, and her best results on the WTA Tour to date are reaching the semifinals of the tournaments in Cincinnati, Ohio in 2005 and Birmingham, United Kingdom in 2008 and the finals of the Bell Challenge in 2008 and 2010. In doubles, she has won nine WTA Tour titles. Mattek also plays for the New York Sportimes for World Team Tennis. As of July 11, 2011, Mattek-Sands is at her career-high singles ranking of World No. 30. She is currently the highest ranked American woman.

Tennis career

In 1999, Mattek played her first WTA Tour event in Philadelphia where she received a wildcard into the qualifying. She fell in the first round of qualifying to Nana Miyagi 6–3, 6–2. It was the only tour match of the year for Mattek. Then in 2000, Mattek received a wildcard into qualifying at the Lipton International Players Championships in Key Biscayne, Florida but fell in the first round to Anca Barna 6–1, 6–2. Later in the year, Mattek played in her first Grand Slam event at the US Open. She was given a wildcard into the qualification rounds, and fell in the first round to 28th-seeded Gisela Riera 5–7, 6–2, 6–2.

In 2001, Mattek again received a wildcard into the qualifying at the Ericsson Open in Key...
Read More