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Paola Suárez

Paola Suárez
Paola Suarez.JPG
Country (sports)  Argentina
Residence Munro, Argentina
Born (1976-06-23) 23 June 1976 (age 40)
Pergamino, Argentina
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Turned pro 1 March 1991
Retired 2007-2011; 2014
Plays Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Prize money $5,217,775
Singles
Career record 371–239
Career titles 4 WTA, 12 ITF
Highest ranking No. 9 (7 June 2004)
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open 4R (2001)
French Open SF (2004)
Wimbledon QF (2004)
US Open QF (2003)
Doubles
Career record 513 - 192
Career titles 44 WTA, 7 ITF
Highest ranking No. 1 (9 September 2002)
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open W (2004)
French Open W (2001, 2002, 2004, 2005)
Wimbledon F (2002, 2003, 2006)
US Open W (2002, 2003, 2004)
Mixed doubles
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results
Australian Open F (2002)
French Open F (2001)
Wimbledon 3R (2000, 2003)
US Open 2R (2000, 2003, 2007)

Paola Suárez (born 23 June 1976) is a retired professional tennis player from Argentina. She was one of the most prominent women's doubles players throughout the early and mid-2000s, winning eight Grand Slam titles, all of them with Virginia Ruano Pascual, and holding the No. 1 doubles ranking for 87 non-consecutive weeks. She was also a singles semifinalist at the 2004 French Open.

Suárez began playing professional tennis at the age of fifteen, in 1991. In 1994, she joined the professional tour as a singles player. It was not until the 2000s, however, that she became an international figure in her sport, by reaching the semi-finals of the French Open.

Suárez won four WTA titles (2004 Canberra, 2003 Vienna, 1998 & 2001 Bogotá) and 12 other minor tournaments. In 2004, Suárez hoped to obtain the French Open title that would become her first grand slam championship, but lost in the semi-finals against Elena Dementieva after defeating 18th seed and future Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova in the quarter-finals. That year, she was ranked number nine in the world among women tennis players by the WTA, which has been her highest ranking as a singles player thus far. By accomplishing that feat, Suárez became the highest-ranked Argentine women's player since Gabriela Sabatini achieved the number three ranking in 1989. Also in 2004, she won the bronze medal at the Summer Olympics in Athens for women's doubles with Patricia Tarabini.

But it was in doubles where she had the best results, playing with Virginia Ruano Pascual of Spain in 32 of her 39 titles. They won several tournaments, including the French Open on four occasions, the US Open three times, the Australian Open in 2004, and many others. With Virginia, they were the No. 1 female couple for 3 consecutive years since 9 September 2002 (WTA Tour Doubles Team of the Year 2002, 2003 and 2004). They also reached nine straight Grand Slam finals, two short of NavratilovaShriver's 11 straight Slam finals.


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