Yelena Likhovtseva

Yelena Likhovtseva was a Russian tennis player who played professionally from 1992 to 2008. Likhovtseva specialised as a doubles player, won two Grand Slam mixed doubles titles and was ranked #3 in the world in September 2004. She briefly represented Kazakhstan at the start of her pro career before playing for Russia and retired with more than $6.2 million in prize money.

Likhovtseva won her first doubles title on the ITF Circuit in January 1992 in Bamberg, Germany, with Dutch partner Dorien Wamelink. She worked her way up to the WTA Tour, winning 27 doubles titles with a plethora of partners including Ai Sugiyama, Cara Black, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Vera Zvonaryova, and Anastasiya Myskina.

From 2000 to 2004 Likhovtseva reached four Grand Slam doubles finals, one with Cara Black, and three with Svetlana Kuznetsova, but ended up on the losing team each time. She had better success in the mixed doubles, however, winning two titles, the first at Wimbledon in 2002 with India’s Mahesh Bhupathi, and the second at the 2007 Australian Open with Daniel Nestor of Canada.

Likhovtseva competed at three consecutive Olympic Games; 1996 Atlanta, 2000 Sydney, and 2004 Athína. Unsurprisingly her best performances came in the doubles where she reached the second round at the 2000 and 2004 Games.