Eleni Daniilidou
Eleni Daniilidou is a Greek tennis player from the island of Crete.
She is considered as one of the best Greek tennis players of the Open Era, winning five singles titles and three doubles titles on the WTA Tour. In 2003, she reached the mixed-doubles final of the Australian Open, making her the first Greek player to have reached a Grand Slam final. Her highest singles ranking is world No. 14, making her the only female tennis player from Greece to have reached the top 20. No male tennis player had achieved this until Stefanos Tsitsipas reached the 15th place on August 13, 2018. By beating Justine Henin in the first round of the 2005 Wimbledon Championships, she became the first player to defeat a reigning French Open champion in the first round of Wimbledon.
Career summary
Daniilidou began her professional career in 1996, making the final of her first ITF event, having barely turned 14. She achieved her first ranking in 1998, finishing that year as the world No. 294. In 2001, she broke into the top 100 following a third round appearance at the US Open.2002 was the best year of Daniilidou's career, finishing it at No. 22 in the world. She won her first WTA Tour singles title at the Ordina Open, beating Amélie Mauresmo, Elena Dementieva and Henin; and reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time at Wimbledon. At the end of the year, she reached her second WTA final at the Brasil Open, beating Monica Seles en route, but lost to Anastasia Myskina.
Daniilidou started 2003 by winning her second WTA title at the ASB Classic and reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open, results which saw her break into the top 20 for the first time, reaching a career high of No. 14 after the German Open. She also reached the semifinals of the Open Gaz de France and the DFS Classic.
Daniilidou successfully defended her title at the ASB Classic in 2004, her third WTA singles title. She reached the semifinals at the prestigious NASDAQ-100 Open, beating Jennifer Capriati en route. Later that year she equalled her best Grand Slam performance at the US Open by reaching the fourth round.
2005 was a relatively poor year for Daniilidou, becoming the first since 2001 where she did not win a title. She did, however, cause a huge upset at Wimbledon, beating the reigning French Open champion, Justine Henin. It was the first time the French Open champion had ever lost in the first round of Wimbledon. It also brought the end of Henin's 24-match win streak dating back to the beginning of the clay season. Daniilidou eventually lost in the third round, her best Grand Slam performance of the year. She also reached the semifinals of a lower level WTA event in Portoroz, Slovenia.
She recovered slightly in 2006, going back into the top 50 and winning her fourth WTA singles title at the Hansol Korea Open. She also reached the semifinals of the Ordina Open, and remained in the top 50 in 2007 with her best result being a semifinal at the Pilot Pen Tennis, where she beat Dinara Safina in the quarterfinals after saving a match point.
2008 was an injury-plagued season for Daniilidou, missing almost half the year with a right knee injury. She won her fifth – and to date, last – WTA singles title at the Hobart International, but missed several months of events from March. She returned at the Summer Olympics in August, but failed to win a match for the rest of the season, ultimately finishing the year outside the top 100 for the first time since 2000.
Grand Slam finals
Mixed doubles: 1 runner-up
WTA Tour career finals
Singles: 6 (5 titles, 1 runner–up)
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
| Win | 1–0 | 2002 Ordina Open – Women's Singles| | Rosmalen Championships, Netherlands | Tier III | Grass |  Elena Dementieva | 3–6, 6–2, 6–3 |
| Loss | 1–1 | 2002 Brasil Open – Women's Singles| | Brasil Open, Brazil | Tier II | Hard | Anastasia Myskina | 3–6, 6–0, 2–6 |
| Win | 2–1 | 2003 ASB Classic – Singles| | Auckland Open, New Zealand | Tier IV | Hard |  Cho Yoon-jeong | 6–4, 4–6, 7–6 |
| Win | 3–1 | 2004 ASB Classic – Singles| | Auckland Open, New Zealand | Tier IV | Hard |  Ashley Harkleroad | 6–3, 6–2 |
| Win | 4–1 | 2006 Hansol Korea Open – Singles| | Korea Open, South Korea | Tier IV | Hard |  Ai Sugiyama | 6–3, 2–6, 7–6 |
| Win | 5–1 | 2008 Moorilla Hobart International – Singles| | Hobart International, Australia | Tier IV | Hard | Vera Zvonareva | w/o |
Doubles: 12 (3 titles, 9 runner–ups)
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
| Loss | 0–1 | 2003 J&S Cup – Doubles| | Warsaw Open, Poland | Tier II | Clay |  Francesca Schiavone |  Liezel Huber  Magdalena Maleeva | 6–3, 4–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 0–2 | 2004 Proximus Diamond Games – Doubles| | Diamond Games, Belgium | Tier II | Hard |  Myriam Casanova |  Cara Black  Els Callens | 2–6, 1–6 |
| Win | 1–2 | Bank of the West Classic, United States | Tier II | Hard |  Nicole Pratt |  Claudine Schaul  Iveta Benešová | 6–2, 6–4 | |
| Loss | 1–3 | 2005 DFS Classic – Doubles| | Birmingham Classic, Great Britain | Tier III | Grass | Jennifer Russell |  Daniela Hantuchová Ai Sugiyama | 2–6, 3–6 |
| Loss | 1–4 | Gaz de France Stars, Belgium | Tier III | Carpet |  Jasmin Wöhr | Lisa Raymond Samantha Stosur | 2–6, 3–6 | |
| Loss | 1–5 | 2007 Hansol Korea Open – Doubles| | Korea Open, South Korea | Tier IV | Hard | Jasmin Wöhr |  Chuang Chia-jung Hsieh Su-wei | 2–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 1–6 | 2008 Moorilla Hobart International – Doubles| | Hobart International, Australia | Tier IV | Hard | Jasmin Wöhr |  Anabel Medina Garrigues Virginia Ruano Pascual | 2–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 2–6 | 2010 İstanbul Cup – Doubles| | İstanbul Cup, Turkey | International | Hard | Jasmin Wöhr | Maria Kondratieva Vladimíra Uhlířová | 6–4, 1–6, |
| Loss | 2–7 | 2011 Estoril Open – Women's Doubles| | Portugal Open, Portugal | International | Clay |  Michaëlla Krajicek | Alisa Kleybanova  Galina Voskoboeva | 4–6, 2–6 |
| Win | 3–7 | 2011 Tashkent Open – Doubles| | Tashkent Open, Uzbekistan | International | Hard | Vitalia Diatchenko |  Lyudmyla Kichenok Nadiya Kichenok | 6–4, 6–3 |
| Loss | 3–8 | 2013 Gastein Ladies – Doubles| | Gastein Ladies, Austria | International | Clay | Kristina Barrois |  Sandra Klemenschits  Andreja Klepač | 1–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 3–9 | 2013 Baku Cup – Doubles| | Baku Cup, Azerbaijan | International | Hard |  Aleksandra Krunić | Irina Buryachok  Oksana Kalashnikova | 4–6, 7–6, |
ITF Circuit finals
Singles (11–5)
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
| Runner-up | 1. | 30 September 1996 | Thessaloniki, Greece | Hard |  Nóra Köves | 3–6, 2–6 |
| Winner | 1. | 8 August 1998 | Southsea, Great Britain | Grass |  Manisha Malhotra | 7–6, 6–3 |
| Winner | 2. | 15 August 1998 | İstanbul, Turkey | Hard | Riei Kawamata | 6–0, 6–1 |
| Winner | 3. | 24 August 1998 | Skiathos, Greece | Carpet |  Tatiana Poutchek | 6–3, 6–4 |
| Winner | 4. | 31 August 1998 | Xanthi, Greece | Hard |  Lizzie Jelfs | 6–2, 6–0 |
| Winner | 5. | 20 September 1999 | Thessaloniki, Greece | Carpet |  Clarisa Fernández | 6–2, 6–2 |
| Winner | 6. | 21 August 2000 | Kastoria, Greece | Carpet | Jolanda Mens | 6–3, 6–1 |
| Winner | 7. | 2 April 2001 | Dubai, United Arab Emirates | Hard | Anikó Kapros | 6–4, 6–4 |
| Winner | 8. | 30 April 2001 | Taranto, Italy | Clay | Edina Gallovits-Hall | 7–5, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 2. | 15 February 2009 | Midland, United States | Hard | Lucie Hradecká | 3–6, 3–6 |
| Runner-up | 3. | 17 August 2009 | Westende, Belgium | Hard |  Estelle Guisard | 1–6, 2–6 |
| Runner-up | 4. | 28 September 2009 | Athens, Greece | Hard | Jelena Dokic | 2–6, 1–6 |
| Winner | 9. | 3 October 2010 | Athens, Greece | Hard | Laura Pous Tió | 6–4, 6–1 |
| Winner | 10. | 30 May 2011 | Nottingham, Great Britain | Grass | Olga Govortsova | 1–6, 6–4, 6–2 |
| Winner | 11. | 3 July 2011 | Pozoblanco, Spain | Hard | Elitsa Kostova | 6–3, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 5. | 29 October 2012 | Barnstaple, Great Britain | Hard | Annika Beck | 7–6, 2–6, 2–6 |
Doubles (16–13)
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
| Runner-up | 1. | 3 August 1998 | Southsea, Great Britain | Grass | Lucy Wood | Lizzie Jelfs Mareze Joubert | 2–6, 3–6 |
| Winner | 1. | 10 August 1998 | İstanbul, Turkey | Hard |  Nataly Cahana |  Duygu Akşit Oal Gülberk Gültekin | 3–6, 6–3, 6–3 |
| Winner | 2. | 24 August 1998 | Skiathos, Greece | Carpet |  Evagelia Roussi |  Marina Lazarovska Tatiana Poutchek | 3–6, 6–4, 6–2 |
| Winner | 3. | 31 August 1998 | Xanthi, Greece | Hard | Evagelia Roussi |  Dragana Ilić Ljiljana Nanušević | 6–0, 6–3 |
| Winner | 4. | 28 September 1998 | Thessaloniki, Greece | Clay | Christína Papadáki | Ľudmila Cervanová Magdalena Kučerová | 7–6, 4–6, 7–5 |
| Winner | 5. | 20 September 1999 | Thessaloniki, Greece | Carpet | Surina De Beer | Adriana Barna Adrienn Hegedűs | 6–2, 6–3 |
| Winner | 6. | 21 August 2000 | Kastoria, Greece | Carpet | Evagelia Roussi | Sandra Klemenschits Daniela Klemenschits | 6–3, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 2. | 4 September 2000 | Fano, Italy | Clay | Alicia Ortuño | Rosa María Andrés Rodríguez Conchita Martínez Granados | 2–6, 4–6 |
| Winner | 7. | 16 October 2000 | Joué-lès-Tours, France | Hard | Maria Geznenge | Mia Buric Laura Dell'Angelo | 5–3, 4–1, 4–0 |
| Runner-up | 3. | Tipton, Great Britain | Hard | Maria Geznenge | Helen Crook Victoria Davies | 6–2, 4–6, 4–6 | |
| Winner | 8. | 12 February 2001 | Sutton, Great Britain | Hard | Lydia Steinbach | Amanda Hopmans Patty Van Acker | 6–0, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 4. | 25 03 2001 | Cholet, France | Clay | Germana Di Natale | Yuliya Beygelzimer Anastasia Rodionova | 1–6, 6–7 |
| Winner | 9. | 9 April 2001 | Dinan, France | Clay | Caroline Schneider | Vanessa Henke Syna Schmidle | 6–3, 7–6 |
| Runner-up | 5. | 27 March 2009 | La Palma, Spain | Hard | Jasmin Wöhr |  Lu Jingjing Sun Shengnan | 2–6, 7–5, |
| Runner-up | 6. | 5 June 2009 | Nottingham, Great Britain | Grass | Rika Fujiwara | Alexa Glatch Natalie Grandin | 3–6, 6–2, |
| Winner | 10. | 28 September 2009 | Athens, Greece | Hard | Jasmin Wöhr | Timea Bacsinszky Tathiana Garbin | 6–2, 5–7, |
| Winner | 11. | 2 November 2009 | Ismaning, Germany | Carpet | Jasmin Wöhr | Ekaterina Dzehalevich Eva Hrdinová | 6–2, 4–6, |
| Winner | 12. | 13 September 2010 | Sofia, Bulgaria | Hard | Jasmin Wöhr | Sandra Klemenschits Tatjana Maria | 6–3, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 7. | 3 October 2010 | Athens, Greece | Hard |  Petra Martić | Vitalia Diatchenko İpek Şenoğlu | w/o |
| Winner | 13. | 9 June 2012 | Nottingham, Great Britain | Grass | Casey Dellacqua | Laura Robson Heather Watson | 6–4, 6–2 |
| Winner | 14. | 16 September 2013 | Albuquerque, United States | Hard | CoCo Vandeweghe | Melanie Oudin Taylor Townsend | 6–4, 7–6 |
| Runner-up | 8. | 20 December 2013 | Ankara, Turkey | Hard | Aleksandra Krunić | Yuliya Beygelzimer Çağla Büyükakçay | 3–6, 3–6 |
| Runner-up | 9. | 24 March 2014 | Croissy-Beaubourg, France | Hard | Kristina Barrois | Margarita Gasparyan Lyudmyla Kichenok | 2–6, 4–6 |
| Runner-up | 10. | 5 May 2014 | Fukuoka, Japan | Grass | Naomi Broady | Shuko Aoyama Eri Hozumi | 3–6, 4–6 |
| Winner | 15. | 9 March 2015 | Amiens, France | Clay | Ilka Csöregi | Elizaveta Ianchuk Olga Ianchuk | 6–1, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 11. | 21 February 2016 | Antalya, Turkey | Clay |  Arina Folts | Petia Arshinkova  Elena Gabriela Ruse | 6–7, 4–6 |
| Runner-up | 12. | 25 April 2016 | Manisa, Turkey | Hard | Margarita Lazareva | Abbie Myers Melis Sezer | 4–6, 4–6 |
| Winner | 16. | 11 July 2016 | Imola, Italy | Carpet | Lisa Sabino | Martina Di Giuseppe Maria Masini | 4–6, 6–2, |
| Runner-up | 13. | 27 March 2017 | İstanbul, Turkey | Hard | Vlada Ekshibarova | Ekaterina Kazionova Elena Rybakina | 1–6, 3–6 |
Grand Slam performance timelines
Singles
Doubles
Head-to-head records
- Serena Williams 0–8
- Venus Williams 0–2
- Kim Clijsters 0–2
- Lindsay Davenport 0–3
- Jelena Jankovic 0–1
- Nadia Petrova 1–3
- Dinara Safina 2–2
- Justine Henin 2–2
- Maria Sharapova 0–5