Klára Koukalová


Klára Koukalová is a retired Czech tennis player. She was born and still lives in Prague.
After the 2014 Miami Masters, she switched back to her maiden name, Koukalová, since she divorced from her husband, Jan Zakopal.

Career

2003–2009

Koukalová made her Grand Slam debut at the 2003 Australian Open, defeating fellow qualifier and Grand Slam debutante Maria Sharapova in the first round before going on to upset sixth-seed Monica Seles. Koukalová's run ended in the third round.
In January 2006, she played comeback player Martina Hingis, at the WTA tournament in Gold Coast, where she lost in the second round. Koukalová was seeded 29th at the Australian Open, but lost in the first round to Ekaterina Bychkova. In that year, she had ten first-round losses in singles and failed to win a doubles match.
In 2008, Koukalová reached the final of the inaugural Cachantun Cup in Chile. She played the top seed Flavia Pennetta, but was forced to retire due to a sprained ankle. This also forced her to withdraw from the next tournament in Bogotá, where she had made the quarterfinals in 2007.
Koukalová's biggest win came at the 2009 Andalucia Tennis Experience in Marbella, Spain. She defeated world No. 1 and ten-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams in three sets. Williams was also her first round opponent at the French Open, Koulalová this time lost.

2010

Koukalová gained another good win over a top-5 player, defeating Dinara Safina in the first round of the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open.
In the first round of the Polsat Warsaw Open, Koukalová caused a big upset by defeating fourth seed and world No. 14 Marion Bartoli. She was then defeated by world No. 205 Gréta Arn in the second round.
At the Wimbledon Championships, Koukalová advanced to the fourth round for the first time at a Grand Slam. She scored upset wins over 18th seed Aravane Rezaï and tenth seed Flavia Pennetta, before falling to qualifier Kaia Kanepi.
Koukalová made the final at the Danish Open, where she lost to then world No. 3 Caroline Wozniacki. She defeated Rossana de los Rios, Tatjana Malek, Sorana Cîrstea, and Li Na en route to the final. After this tournament, she could not match her performance as she went on to do poorly in her last four tournaments, only advancing to the second round at Linz, where she lost to Patty Schnyder.

2011

Koukalová started her 2011 season at the Moorilla Hobart International. Seeded fifth, she lost in her semifinal match to sixth seed and eventual champion Jarmila Groth. At the Australian Open, Koukalová was defeated in the second round by thirty-first seed Lucie Šafářová.
Playing in Paris at the Open GDF Suez, Koukalová lost in the second round to seventh seed Yanina Wickmayer.
Koukalová was seeded 31st for the French Open, her first seeding at a Grand Slam since 2006. She was upset in the first round by Taiwanese qualifier Chan Yung-jan.
After her defeat at Roland Garros, Koukalová traveled to Copenhagen to defend her finalist points from the year before. Seeded second, she was upset in the first round by German Kathrin Wörle.
Koukalová then returned to the site of her greatest Grand Slam accomplishment, Wimbledon. Unseeded, she came from a set down to defeat British wildcard Emily Webley-Smith in the first round. In the second round, she avenged her Australian Open loss by upsetting 31st seed Lucie Šafářová in three sets. In the third round, Koukalová fell to eventual finalist Maria Sharapova.
After Wimbledon, Koukalová made the semifinals in Budapest, where she lost to the eventual champion Roberta Vinci, and then made the quarterfinals in Palermo, where she lost to eventual finalist Polona Hercog.

2013

2014

Koukalová began her year at the Shenzhen Open. Despite being the third seed and last year finalist, she lost in the second round to Patricia Mayr-Achleitner. In doubles, Koukalová and Niculescu won the title defeating Lyudmyla Kichenok/Nadiia Kichenok in the final. Seeded seventh at the Hobart International, Koukalová reached the final where she was defeated by qualifier Garbiñe Muguruza. However, in doubles, Koukalová and Niculescu won the title defeating Lisa Raymond/Shuai Zhang in the final. At the Australian Open, Koukalová lost in the first round to seventeenth seed Sam Stosur.
In Paris at the Open GDF Suez, Koukalová was defeated in the second round by fourth seed and 2012 champion Angelique Kerber. During the Fed Cup tie against Spain, Koukalová won her first rubber over María Teresa Torró Flor, but she lost her second rubber to Carla Suárez Navarro. In the end, the Czech Republic defeated Spain 3–2. At the Qatar Total Open, Koukalová upset ninth seed Ana Ivanovic in the second round. She was defeated in the third round by sixth seed and eventual finalist Angelique Kerber. As the top seed at the first edition of the Rio Open, Koukalová made it to the final where she lost to fifth seed Kurumi Nara. Seeded third at the Brasil Tennis Cup, Koukalová won the tournament beating second seed Garbiñe Muguruza in the final; this was her third WTA singles title. Seeded twenty-eighth at the BNP Paribas Open, Koukalová was defeated in the second round by compatriot Karolína Plíšková. Seeded twenty-seventh at the Sony Open Tennis, Koukalová lost her second-round match to Caroline Garcia. Seeded fifth at the BNP Paribas Katowice Open, Koukalová made it to the quarterfinal round where she was defeated by fourth seed and eventual champion Alizé Cornet. In doubles, she and Niculescu reached the final where they lost to Yuliya Beygelzimer/Olga Savchuk.
Koukalová began her clay-court season at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. She lost in the first round to eighth seed Sara Errani. At the Mutua Madrid Open, Koukalová was defeated in the first round by eighth seed and eventual champion Maria Sharapova. Seeded second at the Sparta Prague Open, Koukalová lost in the first round to eventual champion Heather Watson. Seeded third at the Nürnberger Versicherungscup, her final tournament before the French Open, Koukalová was defeated in the first round by Polona Hercog. Seeded thirtieth at the French Open, Koukalová lost in the first round to María Teresa Torró Flor.
Seeded sixth at the Aegon Classic, Koukalová reached the quarterfinal round where she was defeated by top seed and eventual champion Ana Ivanovic. Seeded eighth at the Topshelf Open, Koukalová advanced to the semifinal round where she lost to qualifier and eventual champion Coco Vandeweghe. Seeded thirty-first at the Wimbledon Championships, Koukalová was defeated in her second-round match by Madison Keys.
Seeded third at the first edition of the BRD Bucharest Open, Koukalová lost in the first round to Monica Niculescu. Seeded third at the İstanbul Cup, Koukalová was defeated in the second round by Kristina Mladenovic.
In Montreal at the Rogers Cup, Koukalová lost in the second round to eleventh seed and 2010 champion Caroline Wozniacki. At the Western & Southern Open, Koukalová was defeated in the first round by American qualifier Taylor Townsend. Competing at the Connecticut Open, Koukalová lost in the first round to sixth seed Flavia Pennetta. At the US Open, Koukalová was defeated in the first round by Petra Cetkovská.
Seeded third at the Korea Open, Koukalová lost in the second round to Maria Kirilenko. Playing at the first edition of the Wuhan Open, Koukalová was defeated in the first round by qualifier Zarina Diyas. In Beijing at the China Open, Koukalová lost in the first round to Zarina Diyas. At the Generali Ladies Linz, Koukalová was defeated in the second round by Marina Erakovic. Koukalová played her final tournament of the season at the Kremlin Cup. She retired during her first-round match against fifth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova due to illness.
Koukalová ended the year ranked 41.

2015

Koukalová began the season at the Shenzhen Open. Seeded fifth, she lost in the first round to Anna Karolína Schmiedlová. As the sixth seed and last year finalist at the Hobart International, Koukalová was defeated in the first round by Kurumi Nara. At the Australian Open, Koukalová beat Australian wildcard Storm Sanders in the first round. In the second round, she lost to Julia Görges.
In Antwerp, Belgium at the Diamond Games, Koukalová was defeated in the first round by qualifier Francesca Schiavone. Koukalová lost in the first round of qualifying at the Qatar Total Open to Hsieh Su-wei. In Dubai at the Dubai Tennis Championships, Koukalová fell in the first round to Tsvetana Pironkova. Seeded fifth at the Malaysian Open, Koukalová was defeated in the second round by Carina Witthöft. In Indian Wells at the BNP Paribas Open, Koukalová defeated Daniela Hantuchová in her first-round match. In the second round, she lost to sixteenth seed Madison Keys. At the Miami Open, Koukalová was defeated in the first round by Kristina Mladenovic. In Poland at the Katowice Open, Koukalová lost in her quarterfinal match to top seed and home crowd favorite Agnieszka Radwańska.
Seeded third at the Empire Slovak Open, Koukalová was defeated in the first round by eventual champion Danka Kovinić. At the Italian Open, Koukalová lost in the first round of qualifying to Anna Karolína Schmiedlová. In Germany at the Nürnberger Versicherungscup, Koukalová was defeated in the second round by second seed Angelique Kerber. Competing at the second Grand Slam tournament of the year, the French Open, Koukalová lost in the first round to Danka Kovinić.
Beginning her grass-court season at the Topshelf Open, Koukalová was defeated in the second round by Annika Beck. Getting through the qualifying rounds at the Aegon Classic, Koukalová lost in the third round to top seed Simona Halep. In Eastbourne at the Aegon International, Koukalová was defeated in the final round of qualifying by Lauren Davis. At the Wimbledon Championships, Koukalová lost in the first round to Ajla Tomljanović.
In Contrexéville at the Lorraine Open 88, Koukalová was defeated in the first round by Kristína Kučová. At the Swedish Open, Koukalová lost in her quarterfinal match to Yulia Putintseva. Playing in Austria at the Gastein Ladies, Koukalová was defeated in the second round by second seed and eventual champion Sam Stosur. Seeded third at the first edition of the Advantage Cars Prague Open, Koukalová lost in the first round to Laura Pous Tió.
Playing in New York at the US Open, Koukalová was defeated in the first round by nineteenth seed Madison Keys.
Seeded fifth at the Engie Open de Biarritz, Koukalová reached the semifinal round where she lost to sixth seed and eventual champion Laura Siegemund. In Korea at the Korea Open, Koukalová retired from her first-round match against Magdaléna Rybáriková due to injury. At the Tashkent Open, Koukalová was defeated in the first round by qualifier Kateryna Kozlova. Coming through qualifying at the Generali Ladies Linz, Koukalová lost in the first round to Denisa Allertová. Entering the Kremlin Cup as a qualifier, Koukalová was defeated in the second round by eventual champion Svetlana Kuznetsova. Koukalová played her final tournament of the season at the Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge. Seeded second, she made it to the final where she lost to sixth seed Çağla Büyükakçay.
Koukalová ended the year ranked 106.

2016

Koukalová started her 2016 season at the Hobart International. She lost in the first round of qualifying to Jana Fett. At the Australian Open, Koukalová was defeated in the first round by qualifier Nicole Gibbs.
Getting past qualifying at the St. Petersburg Ladies' Trophy, Koukalová lost in the first round to fifth seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. In Qatar at the Qatar Total Open, Koukalová was defeated in the first round of qualifying by Jana Čepelová. At the Malaysian Open, Koukalová lost in her first-round match to Naomi Broady. Playing in Indian Wells at the BNP Paribas Open, Koukalová was defeated in the first round of qualifying by Verónica Cepede Royg. At the Katowice Open, Koukalová lost in her first-round match to qualifier Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Beginning her clay-court season at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, Koukalová was defeated in the first round of qualifying to Laura Robson. Competing in her home country at the J&T Banka Prague Open, Koukalová lost in the first round of qualifying to Amandine Hesse. At the French Open, Koukalová reached the final round of qualifying where she was defeated by Çağla Büyükakçay.
In Birmingham at the Aegon Classic Birmingham, Koukalová lost in the second round of qualifying to Kateryna Bondarenko. Competing in London at the Wimbledon Championships, Koukalová was defeated in the first round of qualifying by Stephanie Vogt.
On September 26, 2016, Koukalová announced her retirement from tennis.

Personal life

On 6 June 2006, Klára married Czech footballer Jan Zakopal, but they divorced in January 2014. From June 2006 to March 2014, she used her married name Zakopalová while competing, switching back to Koukalová in April 2014.

WTA finals

Singles (3–12)

OutcomeNo.DateTournamentSurfaceOpponentScore
Runner-up1.20 May 2001Belgian Open, AntwerpClay Barbara Rittner3–6, 2–6
Runner-up2.14 July 2002Grand Prix SAR, CasablancaClay Patricia Wartusch7–5, 3–6, 3–6
Runner-up3.2 August 2003Idea Prokom Open, Sopot Clay Anna Smashnova2–6, 0–6
Runner-up4.19 June 2004Rosmalen Grass Court Championships, 's-HertogenboschGrass Mary Pierce6–7, 2–6
Runner-up5.14 August 2004Idea Prokom Open, Sopot Clay Flavia Pennetta5–7, 6–3, 3–6
Winner1.18 June 2005Rosmalen Grass Court Championships, 's-HertogenboschGrass Lucie Šafářová3–6, 6–2, 6–2
Runner-up6.24 July 2005Internazionali Femminili di Palermo, PalermoClay Anabel Medina Garrigues4–6, 0–6
Winner2.25 September 2005Slovenia Open, PortorožHard Katarina Srebotnik6–2, 4–6, 6–3
Runner-up7.17 February 2008Cachantún Cup, Viña del MarClay Flavia Pennetta4–6, 4–5 ret.
Runner-up8.8 August 2010Danish Open, CopenhagenCarpet Caroline Wozniacki2–6, 6–7
Runner-up9.26 September 2010Korea Open, SeoulHard Alisa Kleybanova1–6, 3–6
Runner-up10.6 January 2013Shenzhen Open, ShenzhenHard Li Na3–6, 6–1, 5–7
Runner-up11.11 January 2014Hobart International, HobartHard Garbiñe Muguruza4–6, 0–6
Runner-up12.23 February 2014Rio Open, Rio de JaneiroClay Kurumi Nara1–6, 6–4, 1–6
Winner3.1 March 2014Brasil Tennis Cup, FlorianópolisHard Garbiñe Muguruza4–6, 7–5, 6–0

Doubles (4–6)

OutcomeNo.DateTournamentSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Runner-up1.17 September 2001Bell Challenge, Quebec CityCarpet Alena Vašková Samantha Reeves
Adriana Serra Zanetti		5–7, 6–4, 3–6
Runner-up2.25 July 2009Slovenia Open, PortorožHard Camille Pin Julia Görges
Vladimíra Uhlířová		4–6, 2–6
Runner-up3.24 October 2009Kremlin Cup, MoscowHard Maria Kondratieva Maria Kirilenko
Nadia Petrova		2–6, 2–6
Winner1.18 June 2011UNICEF Open, 's-HertogenboschGrass Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová Dominika Cibulková
Flavia Pennetta		1–6, 6–4,
Runner-up4.16 July 2011Internazionali Femminili di PalermoClay Andrea Hlaváčková Sara Errani
Roberta Vinci		5–7, 1–6
Runner-up5.22 June 2013Eastbourne InternationalGrass Monica Niculescu Nadia Petrova
Katarina Srebotnik		3–6, 3–6
Winner2.21 July 2013Swedish Open, BåstadClay Anabel Medina Garrigues Alexandra Dulgheru
Flavia Pennetta		6–1, 6–4
Winner3.4 January 2014Shenzhen OpenHard Monica Niculescu Lyudmyla Kichenok
Nadiia Kichenok		6–3, 6–4
Winner4.11 January 2014Hobart InternationalHard Monica Niculescu Lisa Raymond
Zhang Shuai		6–2, 6–7,
Runner-up6.13 April 2014Katowice OpenHard Monica Niculescu Yuliya Beygelzimer
Olga Savchuk		4–6, 7–5,

ITF finals

Singles (7–5)

Career performance timelines

Singles

1 At the 2012 BNP Paribas Open, Vera Zvonareva withdrew from her third-round match against Koukalová.
2 Koukalová had to withdraw from the 2016 Miami Open due to a shoulder injury.
3 Koukalová had to retire from her first-round match at the 2013 Mutua Madrid Open against Maria Kirilenko due to asthma problems.

Doubles