Svetlána Aleksándrovna Kuznetsóva (born June 27,
1985) is a Russian professional tennis player who is
currently ranked World No. 3. She won the 2004 US
Open singles title and was the runner-up in singles
at the 2006 French Open and the 2007 US Open, losing
both finals to Justine Henin in straight sets.
The surname Kuznetsova (feminine form for Kuznetsov)
has the -tsov, -tsova syllable accented in Russian.
Kuznetsova was born in Leningrad. Her father
Alexandr Kuznetsov has coached five Olympic and
world cycling champions. Her father's protégés
include her mother, Galina Tsareva, a six-time world
champion and holder of 20 world records, and
Svetlana’s brother, Nikolai Kuznetsov, a silver
medalist at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.
Kuznetsova also tried out cycling in her early
years, but it bored her. She focused on tennis
instead and was sent to Spain when she was 13 years
old for better training and coaching.
