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Viktoria Mikhailovna Belinsky (née Milvidskaia, 20 April 1967) is a former professional tennis player from Russia. Her highest WTA rankings were 168 in singles and 145 in doubles.
Early life
Belinsky began playing tennis at the age of seven in Moscow. She played for the famous Spartak tennis club, and her coaches were Alexandra Granaturova and Larisa Preobrazhenskaya.
In 1983, she won the First International Tournament in Moscow which earned her the honour of Master of Sports of the USSR, International Class (equates to international champion).
Professional career
She was a member of the USSR national tennis team (1983–1989) and represented the USSR in many different tournaments around the world. In 1984, she became the youngest USSR national champion.
Belinsky played in all Grand Slam tournaments. She had career wins over Manon Bollegraf, Tami Whitlinger, Sandra Wasserman, Nicole Arendt, Inés Gorrochategui, Lubomira Bacheva, Regina Maršíková, Andrea Strnadová, Sabine Hack, and Radka Bobková, and stopped playing in 1993 due to a knee injury. The same year, she moved to the United States.
Belinsky has an M.A. in physical education from the State Institute of Physical Culture and Sports in Moscow. She received this degree in May 1989.
From 2005 to 2008, Belinsky worked at the Russian NTV PLUS Tennis Channel. Her program was titled Tennis coach – is it nature or nurtured?. She interviewed many famous tennis coaches including: Wayne Bryan, Nick Bollettieri, Bud Collins, Robert Lansdorp, Carlos Rodriguez, Richard Williams. In addition, she has interviewed players such as Serena Williams, Andy Roddick, Anna Kournikova, Marat Safin and Janko Tipsarević. She worked as a sports broadcaster at the Olympic Games in Beijing (2008), and as a tennis analyst at Wimbledon, the US Open, the Davis Cup, and the Federation Cup.
In 2014, Belinsky worked as a coach for the USTA Player Development program in New York City.
In 2015, she moved to Florida and began working as a private coach.
Junior Grand Slam finals
Girls' doubles (1 runner-up)
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1984 | Wimbledon | Grass | Larisa Savchenko | Caroline Kuhlman Stephanie Rehe | 3–6, 7–5, 4–6 |
ITF finals
Singles (1–4)
| $100,000 tournaments |
| $75,000 tournaments |
| $50,000 tournaments |
| $25,000 tournaments |
| $10,000 tournaments |
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | 8 September 1986 | Zagreb, Yugoslavia | Hard | Lilian Kelaidis | 2–6, 7–5, 3–6 |
| Winner | 2. | 30 March 1987 | Bari, Italy | Clay | Aida Halatian | 1–6, 6–1, 7–5 |
| Runner-up | 3. | 14 September 1987 | Sofia, Bulgaria | Clay | Eugenia Maniokova | 1–6, 0–6 |
| Runner-up | 4. | 9 April 1990 | Bari, Italy | Clay | Laura Golarsa | 3–6, 4–6 |
| Runner-up | 5. | 16 July 1990 | Darmstadt, West Germany | Clay | Cristina Tessi | 1–6, 6–7 |
Doubles (14–2)
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 30 December 1986 | Chicago, United States | Hard | Natalia Egorova | Elizabeth Evans Jennifer Prah | 6–1, 6–1 |
| Runner-up | 2. | 6 January 1986 | El Paso, United States | Clay | Natasha Zvereva | Cammy MacGregor Cynthia MacGregor | 6–4, 3–6, 4–6 |
| Winner | 3. | 8 September 1986 | Zagreb, Yugoslavia | Clay | Natalia Egorova | Renata Šašak Karmen Škulj | 6–2, 6–3 |
| Winner | 4. | 15 September 1986 | Sofia, Bulgaria | Clay | Natalia Egorova | Laura Golarsa Marianne van der Torre | 6–0, 6–2 |
| Winner | 5. | 30 March 1987 | Bari, Italy | Clay | Aida Halatian | Karin Moos Sarah Sullivan | 6–2, 2–6, 7–6 |
| Winner | 6. | 20 April 1987 | Monviso, Italy | Clay | Aida Halatian | Hana Fukárková Iwona Kuczyńska | 7–5, 6–3 |
| Winner | 7. | 28 September 1987 | Bol, Croatia | Clay | Elena Brioukhovets | Aida Halatian Eugenia Maniokova | 6–4, 5–7, 6–4 |
| Winner | 8. | 16 November 1987 | Croyden, United Kingdom | Carpet | Paulette Moreno | Eugenia Maniokova Natalia Medvedeva | 6–4, 6–1 |
| Winner | 9. | 12 June 1988 | Modena, Italy | Clay | Eugenia Maniokova | Yayuk Basuki Ei Iida | 6–3, 4–6, 6–0 |
| Winner | 10. | 19 June 1988 | Salerno, Italy | Clay | Eugenia Maniokova | Anne Aallonen Yayuk Basuki | 1–6, 7–5, 6–4 |
| Winner | 11. | 26 June 1988 | Arezzo, Italy | Clay | Eugenia Maniokova | Yayuk Basuki Titia Wilmink | 0–6, 7–5, 6–1 |
| Winner | 12. | 15 August 1988 | Rebecq, Belgium | Clay | Elena Brioukhovets | Ilana Berger Anat Varon | 6–2, 6–2 |
| Winner | 13. | 29 August 1988 | Nivelles, Belgium | Clay | Elena Brioukhovets | Réka Szikszay Amy van Buuren | 1–6, 7–5, 6–1 |
| Winner | 14. | 16 April 1990 | Marsa, Malta | Clay | Anna Mirza | Eva Bes Silvia Ramón-Cortés | 6–2, 7–6 |
| Runner-up | 15. | 30 July 1990 | Rheda-Wiedenbrück, Germany | Clay | Agnese Blumberga | Petra Holubová Sylvia Štefková | 4–6, 4–6 |
| Winner | 16. | 8 July 1991 | Erlangen, Germany | Clay | Maja Živec-Škulj | Louise Stacey Angie Woolcock | 6–4, 6–4 |
Other finals
Singles
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Location | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1984 | USSR Tennis National Championship | Tashkent, Soviet Union | Oksana Lifanova | 6–0, 6–4 |
| Finalist | 1981 | European Junior Championships 14&U | Serramazzoni, Italy | Manuela Maleeva | 2–6, 4–6 |
| Finalist | 1987 | USSR Tennis National Championship | Tallinn, Soviet Union | Natasha Zvereva | 1–6, 2–6 |
| Medal | Date | Tournament | Location | Opponent | Score |
|---|
Doubles
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Location | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1984 | European Championship | Ostend, Belgium | Natalia Egorova | Isabelle Demongeot Nathalie Tauziat | 2–6, 6–3, 6–4 |
| Finalist | 1981 | European Junior Championships 14 & Under | Serramazzoni, Italy | Irina Zvereva | Manuela Maleeva Katerina Maleeva | 3–6, 7–5, 1–6 |
| Outcome | Date | Tournament | Location | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|