Meghann Shaughnessy (born April 13, 1979) is an American former professional tennis player. She achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 11 in 2001 and won six titles on the WTA Tour. Her best doubles ranking was world No. 4, and she won 17 career doubles titles, including the WTA Championships in 2004. She is best known for her serve, which was one of the most powerful on tour, and has produced as many as 22 aces in a match.
 Shaughnessy at the 2005 German Open | |
| Country (sports) |  United States |
|---|---|
| Residence | Scottsdale, Arizona |
| Born | April 13, 1979 Richmond, Virginia |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Turned pro | 1996 |
| Retired | 2014 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Prize money | $3,975,223 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 378–343 |
| Career titles | 6 |
| Highest ranking | No. 11 (September 10, 2001) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | QF (2003) |
| French Open | 4R (2001) |
| Wimbledon | 4R (2001) |
| US Open | 4R (2003) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 315–185 |
| Career titles | 17 |
| Highest ranking | No. 4 (March 21, 2005) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | SF (2006) |
| French Open | SF (2005) |
| Wimbledon | QF (2004, 2005, 2006) |
| US Open | QF (2002, 2007, 2010) |
| Other doubles tournaments | |
| Tour Finals | W (2004) |
| Mixed doubles | |
| Career record | 22–21 |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| Australian Open | SF (2001) |
| French Open | QF (2007) |
| Wimbledon | QF (2007) |
| US Open | F (2007) |
Shaughnessy was coached and managed by Rafael Font de Mora for most of her career. She is the niece of Dan Shaughnessy, a Boston Globe sports columnist.[1]
Career
editShaughnessy made her debut on the WTA Tour in 1996 in Budapest and broke into the top 100 in 1998. In 2000, she won her first WTA singles title in Shanghai, defeating Iroda Tulyaganova in the final, and breaking into the top 50. In her breakout year of 2001, she achieved a career-high singles ranking of No. 11, won the second singles title of her career in Quebec City, and reached the finals of Hamburg and her home tournament in Scottsdale, Arizona.[2] She also recorded wins over world No. 5 Conchita Martínez, world No. 4 Monica Seles,[3] and world No. 2 Venus Williams.[4]
In 2002, Shaughnessy began the season by reaching the final of Sydney, and recaptured her career-high No. 11 ranking. She also reached the quarterfinals or better of four other tournaments that year,[2] with wins over top five players Jelena Dokić and Serena Williams.[5][6] In 2003, Shaughnessy had another strong year, finishing the season in the top 20 for the second time in her career. She captured her third career singles title in Canberra and also had strong major results. She defeated Nuria Llagostera Vives, Ľudmila Cervanová, Klára Koukalová and Elena Bovina to reach her first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the Australian Open, and she reached the round of 16 at the US Open.[2] Shaughnessy also scored an upset over world No. 2 Venus Williams, in the round of 16 of the NASDAQ-100 Open in Miami. In 2004, she produced sub-par results, finishing just inside of the top 40, with only one top five win, over Anastasia Myskina in Dubai. However, she obtained the best doubles results of her career, winning seven tournaments with partner Nadia Petrova, including the WTA Tour Championships in Los Angeles.[2]
In 2005, Shaughnessy struggled with injuries and consistency. Her year began with a right leg injury, which forced her to withdraw from the Australian Open doubles competition, and from a tournament in Hyderabad, India. However, she showed signs of recovery in February, reaching the final of Memphis, defeating Nicole Vaidišová in the semifinals. The match featured Shaughnessy serving 22 aces in a 7–6, 7–6 win. After Memphis, Shaughnessy struggled with back injuries for the duration of the spring, not reaching another semifinal until June at the Ordina Open in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands.
By July, her ranking had dropped so low that she was forced to qualify for the Palo Alto tournament. She qualified, and then surprised fifth seed Vera Zvonareva in the first round,[7] before losing to Daniela Hantuchová in the second round. A back injury forced her to withdraw from tournaments in Carlsbad and Los Angeles. As a wildcard in New Haven, she defeated No. 9 seed Nathalie Dechy for the first time in ten attempts,[8] before losing to doubles partner Anna-Lena Grönefeld in the second round. In the opening round of the US Open, Shaughnessy led 16-year-old Sesil Karatantcheva 6–3, 5–2 and held two match points, before losing 6–3, 5–7, 5–7.
However, on March 24, 2006, Shaughnessy beat No. 3 seed Justine Henin 7–5, 6–4 in the second round of the NASDAQ-100 Open in Miami. She then won a WTA-level event in Rabat, beating eighth seeded Martina Suchá in three sets. It was her fourth tour title. She became the first American to win a WTA-level title as well as the first to reach a WTA final in 2006. Shaughnessy afterwards reached the second round at Istanbul, beating third seeded Anna Chakvetadze in the first round. She then fell in the first round of the French Open to top-seeded Amélie Mauresmo, 4–6, 4–6.
The next year, she faced the previous year's runner-up, Svetlana Kuznetsova, in the second round of the French Open. Shaughnessy raced into a 5–0 lead in the first set, and in the sixth game held three set points on Kuznetsova's serve. However, Kuznetsova saved them all, won the game and recovered to clinch the set on a tie-break, before winning the second set 6–3.
Shaughnessy then concentrated on doubles, and regularly partnered with fellow American Bethanie Mattek-Sands. The pair reached the doubles finals of the 2011 Indian Wells Open, by successively defeating Alisa Kleybanova & Yan Zi, Raquel Kops-Jones & Abigail Spears, Liezel Huber & Nadia Petrova and Victoria Azarenka & Maria Kirilenko, but lost to Sania Mirza and Elena Vesnina in the finals.
Personal life
editShaughnessy was in a relationship with her coach Rafael Font de Mora; they met when she was 13 and she moved in with him a year later.[9][10][11] Their romantic and coaching relationship ended in 2005. However, she briefly reunited with Font De Mora as her coach during the latter part of 2006.[12]
Shaughnessy was in a relationship with Major League Baseball player Roberto Alomar from 2004 to 2006, whom she alleged had exposed her to HIV. The lawyer of Alomar's ex-wife claimed that Alomar paid $4 million in settlements to Shaughnessy and another ex-girlfriend.[13]
WTA Tour finals
editSingles: 10 (6 titles, 4 runner-ups)
edit| Legend |
|---|
| Grand Slam |
| Tier I |
| Tier II (0–3) |
| Tier III, IV & V (6–1) |
| Result | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1. | Oct 2000 | China Open, Shanghai | Hard (i) | 7–6, 7–5 | |
| Loss | 1. | Mar 2001 | Scottsdale Tennis Classic, US | Hard | 2–6, 3–6 | |
| Loss | 2. | May 2001 | Hamburg European Open, Germany | Clay | 3–6, 0–6 | |
| Win | 2. | Sep 2001 | Tournoi de Québec, Canada | Carpet (i) | 6–1, 6–3 | |
| Loss | 3. | Jan 2002 | Sydney International, Australia | Hard | 2–6, 3–6 | |
| Win | 3. | Jan 2003 | Canberra International, Australia | Hard | 6–1, 6–1 | |
| Loss | 4. | Feb 2005 | National Indoor Championships, US | Hard (i) | 6–7(3–7), 2–6 | |
| Win | 4. | May 2006 | Rabat Grand Prix, Morocco | Clay | 6–2, 3–6, 6–3 | |
| Win | 5. | Aug 2006 | Forest Hills Tennis Classic, US | Hard | 1–6, 6–0, 6–4 | |
| Win | 6. | Jun 2007 | Barcelona Ladies Open, Spain | Clay | 6–3, 6–2 |
Doubles: 33 (17 titles, 16 runner-ups)
edit| Legend (pre/post 2009) |
|---|
| WTA Tour Championships (1–0) |
| Tier I / Premier M & Premier 5 (5–5) |
| Tier II / Premier (6–6) |
| Tier III, IV & V / International (5–5) |
| Result | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1. | May 1999 | Bol Ladies Open, Croatia | Clay | 5–7, 7–6(7–1), 2–6 | ||
| Loss | 2. | May 1999 | Antwerp, Belgium | Clay | 4–6, 2–6 | ||
| Loss | 3. | Oct 2000 | Shanghai Open, China | Hard | 5–7, 1–6 | ||
| Win | 1. | Nov 2000 | Tournoi de Québec, Canada | Hard (i) | 6–3, 6–4 | ||
| Loss | 4. | Jan 2001 | Hard Court Championships, Australia | Hard | 6–7(9–11), 5–7 | ||
| Loss | 5. | Mar 2001 | Scottsdale Tennis Classic, United States | Hard | w/o | ||
| Win | 2. | May 2001 | German Open, Berlin | Clay | 6–4, 6–3 | ||
| Loss | 6. | Oct 2001 | Stuttgart Open, Germany | Hard (i) | 4–6, 7–6(7–4), 5–7 | ||
| Win | 3. | Jan 2002 | Australian Hard Court Championships | Hard | 6–1, 7–6(8–6) | ||
| Loss | 7. | Oct 2002 | Stuttgart Open, Germany | Hard (i) | 2–6, 4–6 | ||
| Win | 4. | Oct 2003 | Kremlin Cup, Russia | Carpet (i) | 6–3, 6–4 | ||
| Loss | 8. | Jan 2004 | Sydney International, Australia | Hard | 5–7, 6–3, 4–6 | ||
| Win | 5. | Apr 2004 | Miami Open, United States | Hard | 6–2, 6–3 | ||
| Win | 6. | Apr 2004 | Amelia Island Championships, US | Clay | 3–6, 6–2, 7–5 | ||
| Win | 7. | May 2004 | German Open | Clay | 6–2, 2–6, 6–1 | ||
| Win | 8. | May 2004 | Italian Open, Rome | Clay | 2–6, 6–3, 6–3 | ||
| Win | 9. | Jul 2004 | Los Angeles Championships, US | Hard (i) | 6–7(2–7), 6–4, 6–3 | ||
| Win | 10. | Aug 2004 | New Haven Open, US | Hard | 6–1, 1–6, 7–6(7–4) | ||
| Win | 11. | Nov 2004 | WTA Finals Los Angeles | Hard | 7–5, 6–2 | ||
| Loss | 9. | Mar 2005 | Indian Wells Open, US | Hard | 6–7(3–7), 1–6 | ||
| Win | 12. | Sep 2005 | Bali Tennis Classic, Indonesia | Hard | 6–3, 6–3 | ||
| Win | 13. | Jan 2006 | Australian Hard Court Championships | Hard | 6–2, 6–3 | ||
| Win | 14. | Mar 2006 | Mexico Open, Acapulco | Clay | 6–1, 6–3 | ||
| Loss | 10. | Mar 2006 | Indian Wells Open, US | Hard | 2–6, 5–7 | ||
| Loss | 11. | Apr 2006 | Charleston Open, US | Hard | 6–3, 1–6, 1–6 | ||
| Loss | 12. | Aug 2006 | San Diego Open, US | Hard | 2–6, 2–6 | ||
| Win | 15. | Jan 2007 | Sydney International, Australia | Hard | 6–3, 3–6, 7–6(7–2) | ||
| Loss | 13. | Feb 2010 | U.S. National Indoor Championships | Hard (i) | 5–7, 2–6 | ||
| Win | 16. | May 2010 | Warsaw Open, Poland | Clay | 6–3, 6–4 | ||
| Loss | 14. | Aug 2010 | New Haven Open, US | Hard | 5–7, 0–6 | ||
| Win | 17. | Feb 2011 | Paris Indoors, France | Hard (i) | 6–4, 6–2 | ||
| Loss | 15. | Mar 2011 | Indian Wells Open, US | Hard | 0–6, 5–7 | ||
| Loss | 16. | Apr 2011 | Charleston Open, US | Clay | 4–6, 4–6 |
References
edit- ^ Wilstein, Steve (September 2, 2000). "Williams survives scare in U.S. Open". Ellensburg Daily Record. Associated Press. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
- ^ a b c d "Meghann Shaughnessy". WTA Tour. Archived from the original on November 4, 2010. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
- ^ Tokarz, Wally (March 4, 2001). "Shaughnessy Upsets Seles". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
- ^ "Tennis: Roundup; Venus Williams Falls to Shaughnessy". The New York Times. July 28, 2001. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
- ^ "Shaughnessy upsets Dokic in Leipzig". CNN Sports Illustrated. September 25, 2002. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
- ^ Dillman, Lisa (January 14, 2002). "Two Cruel Twists of Fate". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
- ^ Curtis, Jake (July 27, 2005). "No. 1,008 loses, but improves". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
- ^ Ulman, Howard (August 23, 2005). "Shaughnessy ends winless streak against Dechy". USA Today. Associated Press. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
- ^ Bricker, Charles (March 26, 2003). "Shaughnessy Frank About Capriati, More". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the original on June 28, 2021. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
- ^ Roberts, Selena (July 1, 2001). "TENNIS; Shaughnessy's Way Works Again". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
- ^ "Meghann Shaughnessy". memim.com. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
- ^ "TennisReporters.net/Groenefeld Tormented by Ex-CoachOn Font de Mora: 'I don't want to go down to his level'". Archived from the original on April 29, 2010. Retrieved September 2, 2009.
- ^ Mike Fish, "Drama follows retired baseball all-star", "ESPN Outside the Lines", August 10, 2011