Country (sports) | Argentina |
---|---|
Residence | Munro, Argentina |
Born |
Pergamino, Argentina |
23 June 1976
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) |
Medal record
|
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 Navratilova–Shriver's 11 straight Slam finals.