Sara Errani biography

Synopsis

Italian tennis star Sara Errani was named the best Italian player under 18 when she was 15 years old, and kept that title until she was 18. After nearly a decade of tennis success -- winning several WTA titles, among other honors -- Errani made it to the final round of the French Open, in women's singles, in June 2012. However, she was defeated by 2012 French Open champion Maria Sharapova. Errani competed in the 2012 Wimbledon Championship and lost in the third round.

Early Life

Italian tennis star Sara Errani was born on April 29, 1987, in Bologna, Italy. Errani was named the best Italian player under 18 when she was 15 years old, and kept that title until she was 18. After playing several sports in high school, including football and swimming, Errani found her true niche: tennis. At 12 years old, she was chosen to represent Italy in an international tournament, and then enrolled at the Nick Bolletieri Tennis Academy, based in the United States.

Tennis Star

Errani has won several honors, including two Women's Tennis Association singles titles. Her first WTA title came in 2008, when she beat Mariya Koryttseva in the Internazionali Femminili di Palermo. That same year, she received a second WTA title after championing a match against Anabel Medina Garrigues. Errani also has six WTA doubles titles under her belt.

The years 2009 and 2010 were successful for Errani. She was named the runner-up at two WTA tournaments, as well as the winner of Italy's Fed Cup, in 2009; and was again named the winner of the Fed Cup the following year.

Despite suffering a bout of losses in 2011, including to Daniela Hantuchová in the PTT Pattaya Open, Errani's game began to gradually improve in 2012. In June 2012, she reached the final round of the French Open's women's singles event -- defeating such acclaimed players as Ana Ivanovic, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Melanie Oudin -- but lost to 2012 French Open champion Maria Sharapova.

Errani competed at the 2012 Wimbledon Championship, and while she was deemed one of the tournament's players to watch, she lost to Yaroslava Shvedova in the third round.