Varvara Lepchenko

Varvara Lepchenko (ukr. Варвара Петрiвна Лепченко); born May 21, 1986, Tashkent, Uzbekistan) is an American professional tennis player of Ukrainian descent. As of February 29, 2016, she is ranked No. 51 in the world. She has won eleven ITF singles titles during her career.

Lepchenko was born into a Ukrainian family residing in Tashkent in 1986 and started playing tennis at age seven; her father Petr became her coach. She reached a junior career high of no. 244 on January 5, 2004. She turned pro in 2001.

2006–2011

In 2006, she reached the second round of the US Open, and later that year she reached her career high of no. 84 on October 2, 2006. She has won eleven ITF titles in her career, all in the United States. Her most recent title came in 2011 in Kansas City, Missouri.

In the 2009 MPS Group Championships, as a lucky loser, she upset the 4th seed Patty Schnyder in the first round. She also reached the final of an ITF tournament in Cuneo this year.

Lepchenko reached the second rounds of the French Open and Wimbledon in 2010. She lost to Dominika Cibulková and Alona Bondarenko respectively. In 2011, Lepchenko recorded the biggest win of her career by defeating 18th seed Flavia Pennetta in the first round of the French Open.

2012

Lepchenko serving at the 2012 Australian Open

Varvara started the year failing to qualify at Auckland and Sydney. She lost in the first round of the 2012 Australian Open to 20th seed Daniela Hantuchová 6–4, 3–6, 2–6. At the Qatar Total Open, Lepchenko advanced to the 3rd round where she lost to World Number 6 Agnieszka Radwańska 7–5, 6–1, after holding set points in the first set. Her next tournament was the Memphis International where she made the quarterfinals and lost to Italian Alberta Brianti 7–5, 6–3. After qualifying for the main draw at the Mutua Madrid Open she beat 2010 French Open champion Francesca Schiavone in three sets 6–4, 6–7, 6–3 in the first round. She then defeated Shahar Pe'er 7–6, 6–4 and Anabel Medina 6–1, 6–7, 6–3. Lepchenko's run was ended by Agnieszka Radwańska 6–4, 6–4. After the tournament she rose to a career high number 59.

French Open breakthrough: Varvara started her 2012 French Open with a 6–2, 6–7, 6–4 win over the also unseeded Ksenia Pervak. In round 2 she upset 19 seed and former world number one Jelena Janković 7–6, 4–6, 6–4. In round 3 she defeated 14th seed 2010 French Open champion and defending finalist Francesca Schiavone 3–6, 6–3, 8–6. In round 4, she lost to 4th seed and 2011 Wimbledon Champion Petra Kvitová, 6–2, 6–1, however it was a breakthrough tournament for Lepchenko as she had never advanced further than the 2nd round of a Grand Slam tournament previously.

Her next tournament was the 2012 Wimbledon Championships, where in the first round she defeated Austrian Patricia Mayr-Achleitner 6–2 6–3. In the second round she defeated 31 seed and former top twenty player Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7–6 6–4. Lepchenko's next match was against defending champion Petra Kvitová, where she lost in straight sets, 6–1, 6–0. Varvara Lepchenko advanced to the second round of the Mercury Insurance Open after defeating Nicole Gibbs ( 6–3, 6–1 ). She lost in the quarterfinals to Nadia Petrova, 4–6 6–2 6–7(5).

Lepchenko then advanced to the third round of the 2012 U.S. Open, where she was defeated in straight sets by defending champion Samantha Stosur.

2013

Lepchenko began 2013 by playing at the 2013 Brisbane International where she lost in the 1st round to Serena Williams 6-2,6-1; who went on to win the tournament without dropping a set. In the 2013 Australian Open Vavara defeated Slovenian Polona Hercog in the first round and lost to Elena Vesnina from Russia in the second. However she reached the semifinal of the women's doubles competition with Chinese partner Zheng Saisai. At the French Open she won the first and second rounds in straight sets to Mirjana Lučić-Baroni and Elina Svitolina. Lepchenko lost in a tough three set match to world number 8 Angelique Kerber in the third round.

At Wimbledon 2013, she lost in the first round to qualifier Eva Birnerová 6–2, 4–6, 6–4.

In September 2007, it was revealed that Lepchenko had become a U.S. citizen and that she would represent the United States in WTA and ITF tournaments. Lepchenko and her family, whose Russian–Ukrainian heritage allegedly made them a target of persecution in their homeland, were granted political asylum by the United States. They had lived in the U.S. for more than five years when Lepchenko began representing the United States. Lepchenko represented the United States at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Lepchenko currently resides in Allentown, Pennsylvania and trains with the USTA in New York City.

Singles: 1 (1 runner-up)

Outcome	No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Runner-up	1.	21 September 2014	Kia Korea Open, Seoul, South Korea	Hard	Karolína Plíšková	3–6, 7–6(7–5), 2–6

Singles: 22 (11–11)

Outcome	No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Runner-up	1.	29 July 2002	Harrisonburg, Virginia, United States	Hard	Vilmarie Castellvi	2–6 0–6
Runner-up	2.	24 May 2004	Houston, Texas, United States	Hard	Cory-Ann Avants	1–6 4–6
Runner-up	3.	7 June 2004	Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States	Hard	Diana Ospina	4–6 2–6
Runner-up	4.	5 April 2005	Tunica Resorts, Mississippi, United States	Hard	Edina Gallovits	3–6 6–4 3–6
Winner	1.	12 April 2005	Jackson, Mississippi, United States	Clay	Ahsha Rolle	6–3 6–2
Runner-up	5.	19 April 2005	Dothan, Alabama, United States	Clay	Milagros Sequera	6–2 2–6 4–6
Runner-up	6.	10 May 2005	Charlottesville, Virginia, United States	Clay	Carly Gullickson	6–4 6–4
Winner	2.	7 June 2005	Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States	Hard	Lindsay Lee-Waters	7–6 (7–3) 6–4
Runner-up	7.	18 April 2006	Dothan, Alabama, United States	Clay	Yuliana Fedak	6–4 4–6 2–6
Winner	3.	13 June 2006	Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States	Hard	Carly Gullickson	6–1 6–4
Winner	4.	4 July 2006	College Park, Maryland, United States	Hard	Camille Pin	6–3 7–5
Winner	5.	10 July 2007	Boston, United States	Hard	Kelly Liggan	6–2 5–7 5–0 ret.
Runner-up	8.	25 September 2007	Ashland, Kentucky, United States	Hard	Melinda Czink	1–6 6–2 4–6
Runner-up	9.	22 April 2008	Dothan, Alabama, United States	Clay	Bethanie Mattek	2–6 6–7 (3–7)
Winner	6.	23 September 2008	Ashland, Kentucky, United States	Hard	Carly Gullickson	5–7 6–0 6–2
Runner-up	10.	7 October 2008	Pittsburgh, United States	Hard	Melinda Czink	2–6 6–3 1–6
Runner-up	11.	30 June 2009	Cuneo, Italy	Clay	Polona Hercog	1–6 2–6
Winner	7.	10 November 2009	Phoenix, Arizona, United States	Hard	Sacha Jones	6–0 6–0
Winner	8.	28 September 2010	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Hard	Sorana Cîrstea	6–2 6–2
Winner	9.	2 November 2010	Grapevine, Texas, United States	Hard	Jamie Hampton	7–6 (7–1) 6–4
Winner	10.	9 November 2010	Phoenix, Arizona, United States	Hard	Melanie Oudin	6–3 7–6 (7–5)
Winner	11.	4 October 2011	Kansas City, Missouri, United States	Hard	Romina Oprandi	6–4 6–1
Runner-up	11.	11 October 2011	Troy, Alabama, United States	Hard	Romina Oprandi	1–6 2–6

Doubles: 11 (1–10)

Outcome	No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Runner-up	1.	21 April 2003	Dothan, Alabama, United States	Clay	Julie Ditty	Milagros Sequera Christina Wheeler	7–5 1–6 2–6
Winner	1.	31 May 2004	Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, United States	Hard	Cory-Ann Avants	Tanner Cochran Jaslyn Hewitt	6–2 3–6 6–3
Runner-up	2.	7 June 2004	Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States	Hard	Cory-Ann Avants	Angela Haynes Diana Ospina	0–6 2–6
Runner-up	3.	5 April 2005	Tunica Resorts, Mississippi, United States	Clay	Edina Gallovits	Tatiana Poutchek Anastasia Rodionova	2–6 4–6
Runner-up	4.	18 April 2006	Dothan, Alabama, United States	Clay	Edina Gallovits	Monique Adamczak Soledad Esperón	4–6 6–3 4–6
Runner-up	5.	25 July 2006	Lexington, Kentucky, United States	Hard	Akgul Amanmuradova	Chin-Wei Chan Abigail Spears	1–6 1–6
Runner-up	6.	31 July 2006	Washington, D.C., United States	Hard	Akgul Amanmuradova	Chin-Wei Chan Tetiana Luzhanska	2–6 6–1 0–6
Runner-up	7.	18 September 2007	Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States	Hard	Līga Dekmeijere	Melinda Czink Angela Haynes	5–7 4–6
Runner-up	8.	1 July 2008	Boston, United States	Hard	Yulia Fedossova	Chin-Wei Chan Natalie Grandin	4–6 3–6
Runner-up	9.	27 September 2011	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Hard	Melanie Oudin	Alexa Glatch Mashona Washington	4–6 2–6
Runner-up	10.	11 October 2011	Troy, Alabama, United States	Hard	Mashona Washington	Elena Bovina Valeria Savinykh	6–7 (6–8) 3–6