The pretty Russian star began 2009 with a bang, amassing a perfect 15-0 record in January and capturing two titles in Auckland and Sydney. And while she hasn't won a trophy since then, she did make the finals in Paris plus six more semis, four times losing to the eventual champion -- at least twice in matches that could easily be considered the biggest highlight of their tournament.


I guess you can argue that if you can't perform under pressure, you don't deserve to play for the title (ahem, Dinara Safina), but without garnering a ton of attention, Elena has become the best tennis player no one knows about. (During the Wimbledon match my co-worker kept calling her "Dementia".) Sure she's won thirteen trophies, including Olympic gold, climbed to a career-high #3 ranking earlier this year, and has beaten players like Williams and Safina on multiple occasions. But most commentators continue to write her off, instead concentrating on players who are far less consistent but perhaps riding a good wave of momentum.
This week Elena is in action in Toronto as the fourth seed at the Rogers Cup. She'll get a bye in the first round but, if she's going to make her tenth Final Four of the year, could face Roland Garros champ Svetlana Kuznetsova -- the only Major champion this year who didn't face Elena on her road to the title. With all top ten players in the draw, she'll have to work to make it any farther, but she's proven she's a fighter.
And hopefully when she puts on a great show, it'll be in the championship match -- and maybe this time she'll come out the winner!
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