Aleksandra Krunić

Aleksandra Krunić (Serbian Cyrillic: Александра Крунић; born 15 March 1993) is a Serbian professional tennis player, who is, as of October 03 2011, ranked No. 213.^[2] Krunić has won six ITF events — five in singles and one in doubles.^[3][4]

On 25 April 2009 Krunić debuted for Serbia Fed Cup team in a doubles match versus Spain. She partnered with Ana Jovanović against Lourdes Domínguez Lino and Nuria Llagostera Vives, but the match was cancelled.^[5] Krunić was the runner–up of 2009 Australian Open in Girls' Doubles, along with Sandra Zaniewska. She made her WTA Tour debut at 2010 Banka Koper Slovenia Open, playing doubles with World No. 2 Jelena Janković.^[6] Krunić made her WTA singles debut at the Poli-Farbe Budapest Grand Prix.

Personal life

Aleksandra Krunić was born to Bratislav and Ivana Krunić, Serbian immigrants to Russia, and has a sister named Anastasia.^[7] She was born on 15 March 1993 in Moscow, Russia, where she currently resides.^[7] Krunić speaks Serbian, Russian and English fluently.

Tennis career

Junior career

Krunić picked up a tennis racquet aged seven.^[7] She began training tennis at the Spartak Moscow club,^[8] which spanned numerous tennis stars such as Anna Kournikova, Anastasia Myskina, Marat Safin, Igor Andreev and others. Since then Krunić has been coached by Edouard Safonov.^[7][8][9] In 2006 Krunić reached the semifinals of Junior Kremlin Cup, losing to Bulgarian Dalia Zafirova 6–7(10) 6–3 6–1, who eventually fell to Ksenia Kirillova in the final.^[10] The following year she won three junior events, in Podgorica, Livorno and Maia.^[10] In 2008 Krunić reached the quarterfinals of European Junior Championships in Moscow and won the junior event in Budapest. She also played at the junior event in Kramfors, however withdrew from the final match against Croatian Silvia Njirić due to injury by a score of 6–3, 6–1 for Njirić.^[11]

In 2009 she played the second round of 2009 Australian Open in Girls' Singles, and the final of Girls' Doubles event, partnering with Sandra Zaniewska. The two lost to Christina McHale and Ajla Tomljanović 6–1, 2–6, 10–4. She reached the second round of both Girls' Singles and Doubles at the 2009 French Open, and lost in the first round of Girls' Singles at the 2009 Wimbledon Championships. Krunić also partnered with Tamara Čurović at the Girls' Doubles event, however they lost in the first round to Tímea Babos and Ajla Tomljanović. In April 2009 she reached her highest junior ranking when she was ranked World No. 17.^[12]

Although she had decided not to play juniors anymore, Krunić took part in the European Championships organized by both ITF and Tennis Europe, along with Bojana Jovanovski and Doroteja Erić in the team of Serbia.^[1]

Professional career

As a member of TK Red Star, Krunić won the national club championships in 2008.^[1] She was awarded with a wild card for tennis event in Prokuplje, Serbia, organized by the International Tennis Federation. On 6 July 2008 Krunić won the tournament and became the youngest ITF title winner in 2008 by winning the Prokuplje event.^[8][10][13] In October 2008 she also played two ITF events in Dubrovnik.^[3]

Krunić was invited by Serbia Fed Cup team coach Dejan Vraneš to join the team for the 2009 Fed Cup World Group Play-offs versus Spain. Serbia won 4–0, with two singles victories of Jelena Janković and Ana Ivanović against Anabel Medina Garrigues and María José Martínez Sánchez.^[14] Krunić debuted in a doubles match played on 25 April 2009, along with Ana Jovanović against Nuria Llagostera Vives and Lourdes Domínguez Lino. Llagostera Vives and Domínguez Lino were leading 6–2, 1–0 when the match was canceled due to rain.^[5] In July, Krunić was awarded with a wild card for the Prokuplje ITF event and failed in defending her title from 2008. She was defeated by Dalia Zafirova 6–3, 7–6(3) in the final. However, partnering with Ema Polić in doubles, Krunić won her first ITF doubles title. They defeated Aleksandra Josifoska and Cristina Tancu in the final with 6–2, 7–6(3).^[3] In August 2009 Krunić qualified the ITF event in La Marsa, and lost in the second round to Italian Francesca Mazzali 6–3, 6–2.^[3] She then played in Velenje, Slovenia, and won her second ITF singles title, defeating Nika Ožegović 6–3, 6–1 in the final.^[3] On 14 September 2009 Krunić broke into the WTA Singles Ranking List, when she was ranked number 795,^[1][4] and on 18 October Krunić won her third ITF title in Dubrovnik, Croatia.^[15]

In January 2010, Krunić won her fourth ITF tournament in Quanzhou, China, defeating domestic player Zhou Yi-Miao 6–3, 7–5 in the final.^[16] In May, she won a singles title in Moscow and was the doubles runner–up. Krunić made her WTA Tour debut at 2010 Banka Koper Slovenia Open, playing doubles with World No. 2 Jelena Janković.^[6] The two defeated Sesil Karatantcheva and Anna Tatishvili 6–3, 4–6, [10–8], and the fourth seeds Eleni Daniilidou and Jasmin Wöhr 4–6, 6–4, [10–6], but then had to withdraw from their semifinals match against Maria Kondratieva and Vladimíra Uhlířová due to an injury of Janković.

In February 2011, Krunić was once again invited for the Serbia Fed Cup team in the World Group II rubber against Canada. She played along with Bojana Jovanovski, Ana Jovanović and Tamara Čurović against Rebecca Marino, Aleksandra Wozniak, Marie-Ève Pelletier and Sharon Fichman in Novi Sad, Serbia.^[17] She lost her debut singles match against World No. 84 Marino with 6–3, 3–6, 7–5. Krunić played the final doubles match with Bojana Jovanovski, beating Fichman and Pelletier 7–6(5), 6–4 to guarantee Serbia the spot in the World Group Play Offs.^[18] She will join Jelena Janković, Ana Ivanović and Bojana Jovanovski in the World Group Play Offs match against Slovakia Fed Cup team of Dominika Cibulková, Daniela Hantuchová, Magdaléna Rybáriková and Jana Čepelová in Bratislava, Slovakia.^[19] Serbia won with 3–2, after Krunić and Janković won a dramatic doubles match against Hantuchová and Rybáriková with 2–6, 7–5, 9–7. After this win, Serbia qualified for the 2012 Fed Cup World Group.

In May 2011, Krunić qualified for the ITF tournament Sparta Prague Open, but lost to World No. 19 Petra Kvitová 6–4, 6–2 in the semifinals. On 16 May, she reached her career-high ranking of World No. 208.^[2] She then played qualifications for the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, but was defeated by Maria Elena Camerin 6–2, 6–1 in the first round. Krunić then went on to defeat Natalie Grandin, Teodora Mirčić and Olga Puchkova to qualify for her first WTA singles event, 2011 Poli-Farbe Budapest Grand Prix.^[20] She was leading in the first round match against Nina Bratchikova 7–5, 1–0, in the first round, when Bratchikova retired. Krunić lost her following match to the third seed Klára Zakopalová 7–5, 7–5.^[21]

Awards

• 2007 — Tennis Europe Silver Medal for Player of the Year U–14^[22][23]

Career statistics

ITF singles finals (5–1)

ITF doubles finals (1–1)

Grand Slam girls' doubles finals (0–1)

Fed Cup singles performances (0–1)

Fed Cup doubles performances (2–1)

See also

• Serbia Fed Cup team

References

External links

• Aleksandra Krunić at the WTA Tour's official website
• Profiles for Aleksandra Krunić at ITF's home page:
  • Junior profile
  • Senior profile
• Aleksandra Krunić at the Fed Cup