Casey Dellacqua

Casey Dellacqua

Country (sports)  Australia
Residence Sydney, Australia
Born (1985-02-11) 11 February 1985
Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Height 165 cm (5 ft 5 in)[1]
Turned pro 2002
Plays Left-handed (two-handed backhand)
Prize money $ 3,819,081
Singles
Career record 348–214
Career titles 0 WTA, 22 ITF
Highest ranking No. 26 (29 September 2014)
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open 4R (2008, 2014)
French Open 3R (2008)
Wimbledon 3R (2008, 2015)
US Open 4R (2014)
Doubles
Career record 301-167
Career titles 4 WTA, 23 ITF
Highest ranking No. 3 (1 February 2016)
Current ranking No. 273 (7 November 2016)
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open F (2013)
French Open F (2008, 2015)
Wimbledon F (2013)
US Open F (2013, 2015)
Mixed doubles
Career titles 1
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results
Australian Open QF (2015)
French Open W (2011)
Wimbledon QF (2014)
US Open 2R (2008)
Team competitions
Fed Cup 15–9
Hopman Cup RR (2009, 2015)
Last updated on: 6 July 2016.

Casey Dellacqua (born 11 February 1985) is an Australian professional tennis player of Italian and Irish descent[2] who is currently ranked World No. 247 in singles and World No. 17 in doubles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA). Dellacqua's best singles results to date have been semi-final appearances at the 2012 Texas Tennis Open and 2014 Aegon Classic, a quarterfinal finish at the 2014 BNP Paribas Open and fourth round appearances at the 2008 Australian Open, 2014 Australian Open and the 2014 US Open.

Dellacqua's career highlights however, have all come in doubles. To date, she has won four WTA doubles titles and one grand slam mixed doubles title at the 2011 French Open. While she is yet to win a grand slam title in women's doubles, she has reached the finals of all four grand slam events in this discipline, finishing as the runner-up at the 2008 French Open with Italian Francesca Schiavone and 2013 Australian Open, 2013 Wimbledon Championships and 2013 US Open with compatriot, Ashleigh Barty. Dellacqua won her biggest title to date at the Premier Mandatory 2015 Mutua Madrid Open winning the title with Yaroslava Shvedova. Dellacqua achieved her career high singles ranking of No. 26 in September 2014, and career high doubles ranking of No. 3 in February 2016.

Early life

Dellacqua lived in Woodvale, Western Australia. She attended Woodvale Primary School from kindergarten to Year 7 and then Woodvale Senior High School, before moving to Canberra to train with the Australian Institute of Sport at the age of sixteen. Throughout her early life she was an active member of local tennis clubs and teams.

Personal life

In August 2013, her partner, Amanda Judd gave birth to their first child, a boy named Blake Benjamin.[3][4][5] Dellacqua supports the Carlton Football Club.[6] Dellacqua announced on 11 March 2016 that her partner Amanda is 30 weeks pregnant and the couple are expecting another child in early May. On April 27, Dellacqua announced the birth of her daughter, Andie.

Career

Early career: 2003–2007

From 2003 to 2007 Dellacqua won 11 ITF singles titles and 13 ITF doubles titles. Most of these titles were $25k tournaments spread out across Australia. She also won a $50k title in The Bronx in August 2007. At the 2007 US Open she won her first grand slam main draw match against Yaroslava Shvedova before losing to defending champion Maria Sharapova in the second round. She finished the 2007 season ranked 78 in singles and 123 in doubles.

2008: Breakthrough

Dellacqua began the year by reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open and upset 15th-seeded Patty Schnyder and former champion and World No. 1 Amélie Mauresmo but eventually lost to third seed Jelena Janković. The performance meant she surpassed Alicia Molik to become the highest ranked Australian female tennis player.

The French Open again showed Dellacqua's improved ability as she defeated the 9th-seeded Marion Bartoli and Nathalie Dechy in the first two rounds but she was knocked out in straights sets by Carla Suárez Navarro in the third round. The doubles proved to be a highlight for Dellacqua as she teamed with Italian Francesca Schiavone to reach the final despite being unseeded. The pair lost in three sets to Spaniards Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual in a match that lasted two-and-a-half hours.

For the first round of the Wimbledon Championships, Dellacqua faced the 12th-seeded Swiss Patty Schnyder, who Dellacqua had already beaten earlier this year in the second round of the Australian Open. Although she lost the first set to her again, Dellacqua had a convincing win against Schnyder. In Dellacqua's second round match against French player Pauline Parmentier, Dellacqua won a tight three set match. Dellacqua faced Nicole Vaidišová in the third round but lost in straight sets. In the women's doubles event, Dellacqua partnered with Nathalie Dechy of France who she already partnered with at the 2008 International Women's Open at Eastbourne. They started by defeating British wildcards Anna Fitzpatrick and Anna Elizabeth Hawkins in the first round. They had an easy second round match easily beating Tatiana Perebiynis and Alicja Rosolska. They won their third round match over American qualifiers Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears and won a tight quarterfinal match against Nuria Llagostera Vives and María José Martínez Sánchez. Their Wimbledon run ended when they lost to Venus Williams and Serena Williams in two sets. In the mixed doubles event, Dellacqua partnered with American Scott Lipsky. Dellacqua and Lipsky won their first round match against Marta Domachowska and Fernando Verdasco. In the second round, they upset seventh-seeds Mark Knowles and Yan Zi. They eventually lost to 9th-seeded Andy Ram and Nathalie Dechy.

At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Dellacqua represented Australia in the singles event along with Alicia Molik and Samantha Stosur. Dellacqua had an easy first round match against Gisela Dulko. In the second round, she lost to 12th-seeded Belarusian Victoria Azarenka. In the women's doubles event, Dellacqua partnered with fellow Australian Molik. In their first round match, they lost to the Italian team of Flavia Pennetta and Francesca Schiavone in straight sets.

At the 2008 US Open

Dellacqua had a bad start at the US Open after losing both of her first round matches in singles and women's doubles. In the singles, she was beaten by a French qualifier Julie Coin in two tiebreaks. In the doubles event, Dellacqua entered the competition seeded 9th with Nathalie Dechy, one of the defending champions of the event. They lost to Klaudia Jans and Alicja Rosolska of Poland in three sets. In the mixed doubles event, she played alongside fellow Australian Jordan Kerr. They lost in the second round against Jonas Björkman and Nadia Petrova.

2009: Injury troubles

Casey Dellacqua started her year in a disappointing performance at the 2009 Hopman Cup. Representing Australia alongside Lleyton Hewitt, she only won one of her matches, defeating American Meghann Shaughnessy

She then participated at the Medibank International in Sydney where she lost her first round singles match against Italian's Sara Errani. She found better success in the doubles event where she partnered with Nathalie Dechy who she had played with in previous doubles matches last year. They had not lost a set coming into the semi-finals, where they beat the third seeds Květa Peschke and Lisa Raymond. They then reached the finals winning against the world No. 1's and top seeds Cara Black and Liezel Huber. However, Dellacqua and Dechy lost to Peng Shuai and Hsieh Su-wei.

In the first round of the Australian Open, Dellacqua lost to 19th seeded Slovakian Daniela Hantuchová in straight sets. She was singled out for criticism by Australian coach Roger Rasheed for carrying excess weight and not being in match condition.[7] She found better success in the doubles event, partnering with Francesca Schiavone with whom she reached the finals at last year's French Open. Coming to the event seeded they won their first round match against Petra Cetkovská and Carla Suárez Navarro. They then beat Alla Kudryavtseva and Ekaterina Makarova. They had a walkover in their third round match against Maria Kirilenko and Flavia Pennetta. In the Quarter-final, Dellacqua and Schiavone managed to win after having a bad first set against Patty Schnyder and Anna-Lena Grönefeld. They lost their semi-final against Venus Williams and Serena Williams in just 58 minutes. Reaching the semi-final was the furthest Dellacqua has gone at the Australian Open. After the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, Dellacqua and coach Nicole Pratt decided to go separate ways.

Dellaqua underwent shoulder surgery in February 2009 and was off the court until mid-2009.[8] On her website, Casey stated that the surgery and rehab went really well. She had stated in an interview that she would return to the WTA tour at the start of the 2010 Season. In December 2009, Dellacqua competed in the Australian Open Wildcard Playoff and won a wildcard entry into the main draw. She went undefeated in the round robin stage of the tournament, and in the elimination rounds. In the quarterfinals she played 2nd seeded Queenslander Shannon Golds, scraping through in three sets. In the semifinals she faced sixth seed, Sally Peers, winning in straight sets. She overcame Victorian Olivia Rogowska in the final, saving three match points and eventually coming back to win in three sets.

2010: Second surgery

Dellacqua received a wildcard to the Brisbane International, but lost in the first round to Sesil Karatantcheva.

She received a wildcard to the Medibank International tournament in Sydney, but lost in the first round to Vera Dushevina.

In the first round of the Australian Open, she defeated Anastasiya Yakimova. She faced a tougher opponent in her second round match against Karolina Šprem, but eventually won through in two tiebreaks. She was eliminated in two sets in the third round by sixth seed Venus Williams.

After representing Australia at the Federation Cup with Samantha Stosur, Alicia Molik and Rennae Stubbs, Dellacqua entered a $25,000 ITF tournament in Mildura, which she won in both singles and doubles (with Jessica Moore).

Her next tournament was a $25,000 ITF tournament in Sydney. She was defeated in the second round in singles, but won the doubles title with compatriot Jessica Moore.

Dellacqua's next tournament was Wimbledon, where she used her protected ranking to gain direct entry into the main draw. She was beaten in the opening round by Bojana Jovanovski.

Dellacqua took the rest of the tour year off and missed the 2011 Australian Open due to another surgery.

2011: French Open mixed doubles title

Dellacqua came into 2011 having not played since the 2010 Wimbledon Championships because of injury. Her first tournament back from injury was the doubles at the $25,000 Burnie, Tasmania tournament partnering Isabella Holland. The pair reached the second round. Dellacqua then played another four $25,000 tournaments in Australia. Playing singles in the last three. In her first singles match back from injury in Mildura she was beaten by compatriot and doubles partner Olivia Rogowska. Dellacqua again losing first round the next week to Sacha Jones in Ipswich. In her final of the five straight $25,000 Australian tournaments, although having a bad start, Dellacqua defeated country woman Viktorija Rajicic. This was her first singles win in over a year. Dellacqua grew a lot confidence from this win and went on to win the tournament defeating doubles partner Olivia Rogowska in the final in straight sets. Dellacqua had major success in the doubles in these tournaments. Her and partner Olivia Rogowska went on a 16 match winning streak and won four straight tournaments.

Her next tournament was her first WTA maindraw since the 2010 Wimbledon, in Estoril as a player under protected ranking. Her first round opponent was Zhang Shuai, whom she defeated in two sets. This was her first WTA main draw match win since the 2010 Australian Open. Dellacqua lost to fellow Australian Jarmila Gajdošová in the second round. Dellacqua lost in the first round of qualifying for the Madrid Open to Anastasia Rodionova. Retired Australian Doubles great Rennae Stubbs came out of retirement to help former top 10 doubles player Dellacqua on her comeback from injury and played with her in numerous tournament up until the 2011 US Open . Their first tournament together was in the Madrid Open. They reached the semi-finals defeating fourth seeds Lisa Raymond and Liezel Huber in straight sets along the way. This result put Dellacqua back in the top 120 doubles players.

After failing to qualify in the Rome Masters, and Dellacqua and Stubbs unable to pack up their good doubles form from Madrid, her next tournament was the 2011 Brussels Open. In this tournament, Dellacqua used her protected ranking to avoid qualifying for a spot in the main draw. This move paid off as Dellacqua caused a big upset to world no. 20 and fifth seed Shahar Pe'er in the first round. This was Dellacqua's sixth victory against a top 20 player in her career. Dellacqua lost in the second round in three sets to Ayumi Morita.

Dellacqua received a wildcard into Roland Garros. She lost in the first round to 32nd seed Tsvetana Pironkova. In women's doubles, Dellacqua partnered with Australian Rennae Stubbs and reached the third round, where they lost to fourth seeds, Liezel Huber and Stubbs's last year doubles partner Lisa Raymond. This result put Dellacqua back in the worlds top 100 doubles player. Dellacqua partnered with American Scott Lipsky for the 2011 French Open Mixed Doubles Championship. They had a great tournament and caused a major upset, winning the championship by defeating defending champions Katarina Srebotnik and Nenad Zimonjić in a super tiebreak, despite being unseeded.[9] The winners split a check of $145,000.[9] This was Dellacqua's second time in a major final, but her first win in a major (singles or doubles).

Dellacqua reached the second round of a Wimbledon warm up tournament at the Aegon Classic. She disappointingly lost in the first round of qualifying in singles and the main draw first round doubles at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships. To warm up for the US Open, Dellacqua played a $100,000 tournament in Bronx. She qualified and made the second round losing in three sets. In her final two tournaments before the US Open, she both times lost in the second round of qualifying. Dellacqua received a wildcard into the 2011 US Open and even though receiving a good draw avoiding a seed, she lost in the first round to Alizé Cornet.

Dellacqua returned to Australia to play six straight $25,000 tournaments to end her year. Dellacqua went on a giant run winning all six tournaments, losing just three sets in 30 matches. These wins gained her entry back into the worlds top 150. She played doubles in three of these tournaments with Olivia Rogowska. Although they suffered a shock semi-final loss in their first tournament, they went on to win the next two tournaments. That meant that Dellacqua and Rogowska won six $25,000 tournaments together in 2011. Dellacqua's final tournament of the year was the "Australian Open Wildcard Playoff" where Casey was the hot favourite to win after her 30 match winning streak. Dellacqua was stunned in her first round-robin match by then 15-year-old Ashleigh Barty in straight sets. Barty went on a giant killing run to win the tournament. Dellacqua did recover from the first loss and won her next two round-robin matches comfortably but was unable to reach the semi-finals because of the first loss. Dellacqua was rewarded from her good year though and was given a direct entry wildcard into the tournament. Dellacqua finished 2011 ranked 156 in singles and 56 in doubles.

2012: Return to Top 100

Dellacqua had a better year in 2012, she played in the main draw of every slam, consistently represented Australia in Fed Cup, went to the Olympics and reached her first WTA Tour semi-final.

Dellacqua started her year at the 2012 Brisbane International losing in the first round. She partnered with Ashleigh Barty in the doubles event. They knocked out the first seeds in the first round and eventually made the semi-finals. She then played at the 2012 Moorilla Hobart International and reached the second round. At the 2012 Australian Open she played singles, doubles and the mixed with Chanelle Scheepers and Matthew Ebden respectively. In the singles, she defeated Bojana Jovanovski in the first round after losing to her two weeks prior in Brisbane. She then faced eventual champion Victoria Azarenka in her second round match and fell in straight sets. She lost in the first round of the women's doubles and second round of the mixed doubles. Dellacqua and Jelena Dokić won their doubles tie in the Fed Cup against Switzerland.

In her next tournament, Dellacqua was only a matter of points away from defeating top 30 player Maria Kirilenko in a WTA even in Thailand. She eventually lost in three sets. Dellacqua then played two WTA premier tournaments in the Middle-East.. A qualifying loss in Dubai and making the second round in Doha. Dellacqua lost in the doubles first rounds in both these tournaments with Samantha Stosur. Dellacqua then headed to Kuala Lumper and crushed Bojana Jovanovski. Dellacqua had a disspointing second round loss to Su-Wei Hsieh. Dellacqua made the semi-final of the doubles with Jarmila Gajdošová. Dellacqua then qualified for 2012 BNP Paribas Open but lost in the first round. Dellacqua and doubles partner Samantha Stosur made the Quarterfinals going down in a close three set match.

After heading to Germany to play Fed Cup. Which Australia was successful getting back into the world group, Dellacqua headed to Japan to play two $50,000 events. The first she was a shock exit in the second round on a hard court. The second, which was on a grass court, was a lot better for Dellacqua who went on to win the tournament. The Western Australian tweeted that it was tennis great Roger Federer who inspired her throughout her time in Fukuoka, the reason she altered her racquet string configuration during the week. The win in Fukuoka meant Dellacqua would rise into the WTA top 100 singles rankings for the first time since 2009.[10] She then played her final French open warm up tournament at a $100,000 tournament in Prague. This was her first tournament on clay this year. Although the Fed Cup ties were on clay. Dellacqua had a good first round match but lost in the second round. She did make the doubles final with Akgul Amanmuradova though. They went down to Alizé Cornet and Virginie Razzano. A week before the French Open she played doubles with Anastasia Rodionova in Belgium and made the semi-finals. At the 2012 French Open she only entered in the singles and the doubles in which she partnered Russia's Alexandra Panova. Despite being the defending champion in the mixed, she did not gain entry, though her partner Scott Lipsky did participate partnering Vladimíra Uhlířová. In the singles, she drew 21st seed and eventual finalist Sara Errani in the first round. After taking the first set, she succumbed in 3 tight sets. She reached the second round in the doubles, before losing to compatriots and 14th seeds Jarmila Gajdošová and Anastasia Rodionova in three sets.

Dellacqua had a disappointing result at a $75,000 in Nottingham, although winning the doubles event with Eleni Daniilidou. Dellacqua then made the third round of a WTA event in Birmingham but had to withdraw from the third round after falling ill. At the 2012 Wimbledon Championships she participated in the singles and the doubles. In the first round she drew another seed in the 9th seed Marion Bartoli she fell in two sets. In the women's doubles she partnered Samantha Stosur in what would be a slight rehearsal for the Olympic Games. They reached the second round before falling to the number one seeds Huber and Raymond in three tight sets.

A month later Dellacqua returned to London and SW19 for the 2012 Summer Olympics. She was only entered in the Women's Doubles alongside Samantha Stosur, they lost to the 8th seeds Nuria Llagostera Vives and María José Martínez Sánchez in the first round. Dellacqua stated that the Olympics was the highlight of her year, despite playing just the one match.

Dellacqua started her US Hard Court season at a $50,000 tournament in Bronx and lost in three sets in the second round. She then headed to Cincinnati to play the 2012 Western & Southern Open. Dellacqua beat two tall left handers in straight sets to qualify for the main draw but had a loss to fellow qualifier Johanna Larsson. Dellacqua's hard court season got a lot better the next week in Dallas where she qualified and made the semi-finals. Along the way defeating fourth seed and top 30 player Yanina Wickmayer. She almost caused another major upset in the semi-final against second seed Jelena Janković but went down in two sets. This was Dellacqua's first WTA main draw semi-final. The result also got Dellacqua back in the worlds top 65. Taking loads of confidence into the 2012 US Open she cruised past qualifier Lesia Tsurenko. Dellacqua's draw got a lot tougher though in the second round, drawing the number nine seed Li Na, who had won the big warm up tournament in Cincinnati and also the 2011 French Open. Dellacqua played some of her best tennis, but went down in two sets. In the doubles event Dellacua and partner Eleni Daniilidou almost took down first seeds Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond but eventually going down in three sets.

Dellacqua struggled through her Asian swing making qualifying exits in China, Japan and again in China. It got slightly better making the second round of a tournament in Osaka after the high ranking meaning she didn't have to qualify. She finished her year at a $75,000 tournament in Japan where she lost in the quarterfinal in three sets. She went on to win the doubles event with country woman Ashleigh Barty. They didn't drop a set all tournament and won the final in straight sets. She finished 2012 ranked 88 in singles and 67 in doubles. With her singles ranking being well inside the top 100, it meant for the first time since 2008 Dellacqua would not have to play the Australian Open Wildcard Playoff.

2013: Doubles success

Dellacqua was scheduled to play at the 2013 Hopman Cup but had to withdraw due to an injury. Ashleigh Barty took her place. She was awarded a wildcard into the 2013 Apia International Sydney but had a first round loss to Kimiko Date-Krumm. Dellacqua was given a tricky draw at the 2013 Australian Open where she had to play young American Madison Keys who was bringing form and confidence into the match. Dellacqua fought hard but went down in two sets. The doubles however, was a different story. Dellacqua partnered fellow Australian Ashleigh Barty who was only 16 years old. They opened the tournament by cruising past Francesca Schiavone and Polona Hercog. They stunned the 3rd seeded team of Maria Kirilenko and Lisa Raymond and then 14th seeded team of Natalie Grandin and Vladimíra Uhlířová to reach the Quarterfinals. The duo then reached the semi-final by defeating Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Lucie Šafářová. Their semi-final was played on Rod Laver Arena and Dellacqua and Barty reached the final by defeating Zheng Saisai and Varvara Lepchenko becoming the first Australian duo to reach the women's doubles final of the Australian open since 1977. Despite their best efforts they were defeated by top seeds Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci in the final. They dropped the opening set in just 29 minutes, but gained composure in the second. In the final set, the Italians won the match and took home the title after being defeated the previous year.

Dellacqua then headed to Thailand to play the 2013 PTT Pattaya Open where she was a direct entry into the main draw. She played Luksika Kumkhum in the first round where she was defeated. She also played doubles with Kimiko Date-Krumm, finally winning her first WTA level doubles title. Dellacqua then travelled to the Czech Republic to play in the Fed Cup World Group, where Australia was defeated 4–0 by the Czech Republic. Casey participated in the doubles alongside Ashleigh Barty, they were defeated by Czech pair Hlaváčková and Hradecká. After taking a two-week break, she then played in Malaysia at the 2013 Malaysian Open. She lost in the opening round to eventual champion Karolína Plíšková. She did not participate in the doubles.

Dellacqua then participated in the 2013 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells. She breezed through qualifying defeating Sirotkina and Burnett. Although in the first round she was defeated convincingly by Anabel Medina Garrigues. In the doubles she partnered alongside Japan's Date-Krumm once again, having just previously won in Thailand. They reached the semi-finals but were defeated by the 4th seeds Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina in a tight three set match. After Indian Wells, she travelled to Miami to compete in the 2013 Sony Open Tennis. She drew 3rd seed Lauren Davis in the opening round of qualifying. Despite leading 6–1, 3–1, she was defeated in three sets. In the doubles, she again partnered Kimiko Date-Krumm, they were given a tough draw against the top seeds Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci in the opening round. They put up a good fight, but succumbed in a third set tiebreak.

Dellacqua took some time off in April. She travelled to Switzerland for Fed Cup, but didn't participate because it was a dead rubber. She played two ITF's also, losing the second and first rounds respectively. She then travelled to Paris for the 2013 French Open. In the Women's Singles draw she need to gain entry through the qualifying draw. She won her first match against Ana Vrljić but lost to 21st seed Irina Falconi in a tough 3-set match. In the Women's Doubles she again played alongside Ashleigh Barty, they were seeded 14th. But they lost in the opening round in 3-sets. In the mixed doubles, she partnered defending champion Mahesh Bhupathi. They also lost in the first round.

Dellacqua then headed to Birmingham for the 2013 Aegon Classic and the start of her grass court season. She gained entry to the main draw via the qualifying draw. She was seeded 11th and defeated Vera Dushevina and Caroline Garcia in straight sets. She drew Daniela Hantuchová in the opening round and lost in straight sets. In the doubles she partnered Barty once again and they were seeded 3rd and were the eventual champions. This was Dellacqua's second WTA doubles title and Barty's first. Casey then travelled to Wimbledon for the Championships. In the Ladies' singles qualifying rounds, despite defeating the top seed Paula Ormaechea in the second round, she lost in the final round to Carina Witthöft. She was seeded 12th in the doubles alongside Ashleigh Barty, and made it to the final, losing in 2 sets. In the mixed doubles, she partnered American Scott Lipsky with whom she won the 2011 French Open Mixed title. They were seeded 13th and lost in the third round.

Casey Dellacqua at Wimbledon 2013

After Wimbledon, Dellacqua headed home to Australia to train and spend time with her family in preparation for the US Open. At the 2013 US Open she entered in the Women's Singles, Women's Doubles and Mixed Doubles. In the Women's Singles, Casey had to first go through the qualifying draw to reach the final. Seeded 27th in the Qualifying draw she defeated Hsu, Feuerstein and Pervak all in straight sets to reach the main draw. In the main draw she was defeated by fellow qualifier Ajla Tomljanovic in three tight sets of the opening round. After this, she had the Women's Doubles and Mixed Doubles. She partnered Ashleigh Barty and Scott Lipsky respectively. Dellacqua and Lipsky lost in the opening round of the Mixed Doubles. However, seeded eighth Barty and Dellacqua had a bit more luck in the Women's Doubles. Breezing through to the Quarterfinals, along the way defeating Cîrstea & Wickmayer, Cetkovská & Flipkens and ninth seeds Huber & Llagostera Vives. In the Quarterfinals they took on the second seeded Russian pairing of Ekaterina Makarova & Elena Vesnina. They defeated them in straight sets. The continued on in the semi-finals and defeated tenth seeds Sania Mirza & Zheng Jie in straight sets. Taking Ashleigh Barty & Casey Dellacqua to their second consecutive and third of the season Grand Slam final. They would meet Grand Slam Champions Andrea Hlaváčková & Lucie Hradecká. They lost in three tight sets, despite a strong opening set. This meant Casey had now reached at least the final of each grand slam. It was at the 2013 US Open Dellacqua announced the birth of her son Blake with her partner Amanda.

Dellacqua took two weeks off, before heading to Tokyo to participate in a WTA Premier 5 level event. In the Singles, she gained entry through the qualifying draw and in the main draw she lost to sixteenth seed Dominika Cibulková. She also participated in the Doubles alongside Barty once again, hoping to gain enough points to reach the WTA Tour Championships. They were seeded second and lost in the opening round. She then travelled to Beijing to in the Premier Mandatory event. She only participated in the doubles with Barty. They were seeded third and lost in the second round. This meant that Barty & Dellacqua were no longer within reach of qualifying for the 2013 WTA Tour Championships.

In late October, Casey competed in the $50K back-to-back tournaments in Bendigo, Victoria. She had a successful two weeks, winning both singles tournaments back to back, defeating Noppawan Lertcheewakarn & Tammi Patterson respectively. Casey Dellacqua finished the year ranked 131 in singles and 10 in doubles. Casey alongside Ashleigh Barty was nominated for the Newcombe Medal, a prestigious Australian Tennis Award, awarded to the most successful Australian tennis player of the year. But they unfortunately lost out to Lleyton Hewitt. Casey finished the year at the 2013 December Showdown (2014 Australian Open WC Playoff). As the top seed, Casey went on to win the tournament, defeating Maddison Inglis, Monique Adamczak, Tammi Patterson & Arina Rodionova along the way. Earning herself a ticket to the main draw of the 2014 Australian Open.

2014: Career high singles ranking and continued Doubles success

Dellacqua began her 2014 season at the Brisbane International where she was awarded a wildcard into the singles main draw.[11] She defeated Galina Voskoboeva in the opening round in three sets[12] before losing to world No. 2 Victoria Azarenka in straight sets.[13] Dellacqua alongside Barty, were seeded third in the women's doubles. After winning their first round over Varvara Lepchenko and Raluca Olaru, they had to withdraw in the quarterfinals due to Barty's left adductor injury. Dellacqua then headed to Tasmania for the Hobart International. Dellacqua defeated qualifier Alison Van Uytvanck in the opening round in straight sets, but lost in the second round to Alison Riske in three sets.[14][15]

At the 2014 Australian Open, Dellacqua entered the women's singles draw as a wildcard after winning the 2014 Australian Open Wildcard playoff.[16] Dellacua defeated former World No. 2 Vera Zvonareva[17] and eighteenth seed Kirsten Flipkens[18] to reach the third round of a grand slam for the first time since 2010, where she defeated former Australian Open semi-finalist Zheng Jie[19] to reach the fourth round where she lost to thirtieth seed Eugenie Bouchard in three sets.[20] In the women's doubles, Dellacqua and Barty competed as the fifth seeds but lost in the second round to Tímea Babos and Petra Martić. In the mixed doubles, Dellacqua partnered Ross Hutchins of Great Britain. They were defeated by the fourth seeded team of Andrea Hlaváčková and Max Mirnyi in the opening round. After the tournament, Dellacqua rose to World No. 80 in singles, but dropped to World No. 15 in doubles.

Delacqua remained on Australian soil, to participate in Australia's 2014 Fed Cup World Group tie against Russia in Hobart. In the opening rubber, Dellacqua defeated Irina Khromacheva in straight sets.[21] After two more singles wins from Samantha Stosur, Australia advanced to the Fed Cup World Group semi-finals for the first time since 1993. Dellacqua and Ashleigh Barty closed the tie by winning their doubles match in straight sets, which secured Australia a 4–0 victory over the Russians.[22]

Dellacqua's first event outside of Australia for 2014 was the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. Seeded fourth in the qualifying draw, Dellacqua defeated Anna Tatishvili and Johanna Konta to qualify for the main draw.[23] Dellacqua then defeated Christina McHale[24] nineteenth seed Kirsten Flipkens[25] and thirteenth seed Roberta Vinci before receiving a walkover Lauren Davis in the fourth round. In the quarterfinals, Dellacqua lost to sixth seed Simona Halep in straight sets. This was Dellacqua's best singles performance to date.[26] She also reached the quarterfinals of the doubles event with Ashleigh Barty but the pair lost in straight sets to the top seeds, Su-Wei Hsieh and Peng Shuai. She was due to meet Halep again in the second round of the Sony Open, but the Romanian withdrew from the tournament due to injury; instead, Dellacqua faced lucky loser Jana Čepelová, and won in three sets, thus setting up a meeting with twenty-ninth seed and former World No. 1 Venus Williams;[27] Dellacqua lost in three sets.[28] In the doubles event, Dellacqua and Barty lost in the first round in three sets to Alla Kudryavtseva and Anastasia Rodionova.

Dellacqua chose not to compete in the Mutua Madrid Open and instead began her clay court season at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome. Seeded third in the qualifying draw, Dellacqua defeated Marina Shamayko and Paula Ormaechea to progress to the main draw[29] where she overcame Magdaléna Rybáriková in three sets[30] to reach the second round for the first time where she lost in straight sets to World No. 2, Li Na.[31] Dellacqua also reached the quarterfinals of the doubles event with Klaudia Jans-Ignacik, defeating Katarzyna Piter/Chanelle Scheepers and Monica Niculescu/Zhang Shuai en route before losing in straight sets to Anabel Medina Garrigues and Yaroslava Shvedova. Dellacqua's final event prior to the French Open was the Internationaux de Strasbourg where she upset the fifth seed Elena Vesnina in the first round in three sets[32] before losing to Christina McHale in the second round in straight sets.[33] However, Dellacqua won the doubles event with Barty defeating Tatiana Búa and Daniela Seguel in the final in three sets, coming back from 6–4, 5–1 and three championship points down.[34] At the French Open, Dellacqua defeated Lourdes Domínguez Lino in straight sets[35] to reach the second round for the first time since 2008 where she lost to twenty-third seed Lucie Šafářová in three sets.[36] She and Barty also reached the quarterfinals of the doubles event, defeating Polona Hercog/Paula Ormaechea, Jana Čepelová/Stefanie Vögele and twelfth seeds Kristina Mladenovic and Flavia Pennetta en route before losing to the second seeds and eventual finalists, Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci in straight sets.

Dellacqua began her grass court season at the 2014 Aegon Classic where she competed as the sixteenth seed in singles and defending champion and second seed in doubles with Ashleigh Barty. Dellacqua defeated Urszula Radwańska[37] and Varvara Lepchenko[38] in straight sets to reach the third round where she upset her second seeded compatriot and former US Open champion Samantha Stosur in three sets[39] to reach the quarterfinals where she defeated Kimiko Date-Krumm in a match lasting just 48 minutes[40] before losing in the semi-finals to eventual runner-up, Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová.[41] As a result of her strong singles performance, Dellacqua ascended to a new career high singles ranking of World No. 36 following the event.[42] Dellacqua also reached the final of the doubles event, defeating Tímea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic; Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond and Caroline Garcia and Zhang Shuai en route before losing to the third seeds, Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears in straight sets. At the Wimbledon Championships, Dellacqua defeated qualifier Anett Kontaveit in three sets after having been match point down[43] before falling to fourth seed Agnieszka Radwańska in the second round.[44] Seeded sixth in the women's doubles event alongside Barty, the pair defeated Eugenie Bouchard and Heather Watson; Kimiko Date-Krumm and Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová and twelfth seeds Anabel Medina Garrigues and Yaroslava Shvedova all in straight sets before losing to the second seeds and eventual champions, Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci in three sets.[45] In the mixed doubles event, Dellacqua competed alongside Jamie Murray as the tenth seeds. After a first round bye, the pair defeated Andreja Klepač and Jesse Huta Galung and sixth seeds Sania Mirza and Horia Tecău to reach the quarterfinals where they fell to the fourteenth seeds and eventual finalists, Max Mirnyi and Chan Hao-ching.

Dellacqua began her north-American hard court season at the 2014 Rogers Cup.[46] This was her first appearance at the Canadian Open and she made the second round. At the US Open, Dellacqua made the fourth round before losing to Flavia Pennetta, equaling her best rest at a Grand Slam. She continued her good form by reaching the quarterfinals of the 2014 Toray Pan Pacific Open defeating an in-form Sabine Lisicki and Marina Erakovic in the first and second round respectively, before falling to Garbiñe Muguruza despite being up a set. At the 2014 Wuhan Open, Dellacqua reached the third round by defeating Roberta Vinci and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, but ultimately lost to Caroline Wozniacki.

2015: Career high doubles ranking & grand slam success

Dellacqua commenced the season at the 2015 Hopman Cup, losing all three rubbers to Agnieszka Radwańska, Alizé Cornet and Heather Watson. She then played the 2015 Hobart International where she is the No.1 seed for the first time at a WTA Tour event.[47] She lost in the second round. Casey then played at the 2015 Australian Open as the 29th seed. She defeated Yvonne Meusburger in straight sets before losing to eventual semi-finalist Madison Keys. She also played in the Women's doubles as the 15th seed with Kimiko Date-Krumm. They lost in the second round. She then traveled to Stuttgart for the 2015 Fed Cup World Group where she played in the doubles, losing to the partnership of Görges/Lisicki. Dellacqua next played the 2015 Dubai Tennis Championships losing in the secound round to Lucie Šafářová despite winning the first set. She then traveled to the 2015 Qatar Total Open where she lost in the first round to Venus Williams again after taking the first set. She next played at the 2015 Malaysian Open as the 3rd seed but lost in the first round to eventual semi-finalist Hsieh Su-wei. Dellacqua then withdrew from the 2015 BNP Paribas Open where she was defending Quarter-finalist points. This saw her fall down to 42nd in the WTA Rankings. Despite this she was the 32nd seed at the 2015 Miami Open where she lost in the second round (after having a first round bye) to Belinda Bencic in three sets.

Dellacqua started her clay season at the 2015 Family Circle Cup where she again drew Bencic in the first round, she then lost in straight sets. She had better luck in the doubles partnering Darija Jurak, where they reached the final but lost to the partnership of Sania Mirza/Martina Hingis. Dellacqua then played the Premier Mandatory Mutua Madrid Open causing an upset over former French Open Champion Francesca Schiavone in straight sets. She then lost to World number 9 Agnieszka Radwańska in straight sets. Dellacqua had better success in the Doubles partnering Yaroslava Shvedova. The pair defeated the 6th seeds Garcia/Srebotnik in straight sets and backed this up with a win over Chen/Marosi. They then defeated the 4th seeds Su-wei/Pennetta for a spot in the Semifinals where they defeated the 7th seeds and reigning Australian Open champion pairing of Mattek-Sands/Šafářová. They then played in the final against third seeds Muguruza/Suárez Navarro and won the title in three sets. This was Dellacqua's first Premier Mandatory title and her 4th doubles title overall. Dellacqua then withdrew from the 2015 Internazionali BNL d'Italia and 2015 Internationaux de Strasbourg. She then played at the 2015 French Open singles where she lost in the first round to fellow Aussie Ajla Tomljanović. Dellacqua partnered again with Yaroslava Shvedova where they reached their first Grand Slam final as a team. They defeated Chan/Davis, Cornet/Linette, and 8th seeds Garcia/Srebotnik to reach the quarterfinals. They followed this up with straight sets wins over 13th seeds Krajicek//Strýcová and 2nd seeds Makarova/Vesnina to reach the final. The pair then lost in three sets to the reigning Australian Open champions Mattek-Sands/Šafářová.

Dellacqua began her grass court season at the 2015 Aegon Open Nottingham where she was the 6th seed. She defeated Sesil Karatantcheva in the first round before losing to eventual champion Ana Konjuh. Her next tournament was the Premier level 2015 Aegon Classic where she defeated Lauren Davis in the first round. She next faced former World Number 1 Jelena Janković and lost in straight sets. Dellacqua next played at Eastbourne where she defeated Anna Karolina Schmiedlova in the first round before losing to 8th seed Karolína Plíšková. Dellacqua then played at Wimbledon where she defeated former Wimbledon Quarter-finalist Tamira Paszek in straight sets. She then caused a big upset over 17th seed and recent French Open Quarter-finalist Elina Svitolina to reach the third round and equal her best Wimbledon performance.[48] She then played former Wimbledon finalist and 13th seed Agnieszka Radwańska and despite leading 4-0 in the 2nd set, she lost in straight sets. She also contested the Women's Doubles with Yaroslava Shvedova as the 9th seeds. They lost in the Quarterfinals to Hingis/Mirza, 7-5,6-3.

Dellacqua began her summer hard court season participating the qualifying event at the 2015 Rogers Cup, but fail to get to the main round. In first round, she teamed with Yaroslava Shvedova but lost to all-rising-stars pair Kristina Mladenovic and Karolína Plíšková. Her next event was 2015 Western & Southern Open. She successfully qualified to the main round, but lost to Mona Barthel in the first round. In doubles event, she and Shvedova reached the final, where they lost to the sisters pair Hao-Ching Chan and Yung-Jan Chan. At the 2015 Connecticut Open, she and Shvedova lost in the quarterfinals. At the US Open, she lost in the first round to qualifier Anett Kontaveit in the singles competition. However, she teamed with Yaroslava Shvedova to reach their second grand slam final of the year in the doubles competition. Once again, they finished runner-up, this time to top seeded pair Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis, which means Dellacqua's Grand slam final record in Women's doubles event fell to 0-6.

Career statistics

References

  1. ↑ "Casey Dellacqua". london2012.olympics.com.au. Australian Olympic Committee. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
  2. ↑ Irish Times, 25 June 2008
  3. ↑ Baynes, Valkerie (28 August 2013). "Motherhood a motivation for Australian tennis ace Casey Dellacqua". Herald Sun. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  4. ↑ Pearce, Linda (28 August 2013). "Casey Dellacqua out of US Open, but doubles – and motherhood – remain". The Age. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  5. ↑ Baynes, Valkerie (28 August 2013). "Motherhood a motivation for Australian tennis ace Casey Dellacqua". Fox Sports. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  6. ↑ Casey Dellacqua profile, Tennis Australia
  7. ↑ Women Players Carrying "Excess Baggage", Says Top Coach Yahoo! Sports, 21 January 2009
  8. ↑ Dellacqua to Undergo Surgery WTATour.com, 26 February 2009
  9. 1 2 "2011 French Open: Scott Lipsky, Casey Dellacqua win mixed doubles; Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan lose in doubles semifinals". ESPN. 2 June 2011. Retrieved 4 July 2011.
  10. ↑ http://www.tennis.com.au/news/2012/05/14/dellacqua-channels-federer-to-win-in-fukuoka
  11. ↑ "Dellacqua plays her wildcard". Brisbane International. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
  12. ↑ "Casey Dellacqua's 'lucky charm' works its magic again to set up match against Victoria Azarenka". Courier Mail. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
  13. ↑ "Victoria Azarenka beats Australia's Casey Dellacqua 6–3, 6–1 to advance to Brisbane quarters". ABC News. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
  14. ↑ "Casey Dellacqua through to second round at Hobart International". FOX Sports. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
  15. ↑ "Australia's Casey Dellacqua loses second round match at Hobart International". The Mercury. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
  16. ↑ "Casey Dellacqua wins wildcard playoff to earn place in Australian Open draw". FOX Sports. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
  17. ↑ "Casey Dellacqua through, Jarmila Gajdosova bounced at Melbourne Park". The Australian. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
  18. ↑ "Dellacqua wins through to third round of Australian Open". Tennis Australia. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
  19. ↑ "Casey Dellacqua powers into Australian Open fourth round". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
  20. ↑ "Australian Open: Casey Dellacqua loses to Eugenie Bouchard to exit in fourth round". ABC News. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
  21. ↑ "Sam Stosur and Casey Dellacqua give Australia 2–0 Fed Cup lead over Russia". ABC Grandstand Sport. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
  22. ↑ "Australia into Fed Cup semis with win over Russia". The Australian. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
  23. ↑ "Dellacqua, Rogowska qualify for Indian Wells". Tennis Australia. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
  24. ↑ "Dellacqua continues winning ways". Tennis Australia. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
  25. ↑ "Dellacqua continues mastery of Flipkens". Tennis Australia. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
  26. ↑ "Dellacquas indian wells run comes to an end". Tennis Australia. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  27. ↑ Dellacqua advances in Miami, Tennis Australia, 22 March 2014
  28. ↑ "Venus Williams defeats Casey Dellacqua in Miami". NBC Sports. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  29. ↑ "Stosur, Dellacqua in action in Rome". Tennis Australia. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  30. ↑ "Stosur, Dellacqua advance in Rome". Tennis Australia. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  31. ↑ "Li outguns Casey Dellacqua in Rome". Sportal. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  32. ↑ "Dellacqua makes good start in Strasbourg". Tennis Australia. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  33. ↑ "Dellacqua, Barty out of Strasbourg". Tennis Australia. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  34. ↑ "Barty and Dellacqua return to winner's circle". Tennis Australia. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  35. ↑ "Casey Dellacqua eases through to French Open second round". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  36. ↑ "Casey Dellacqua exits French Open despite stirring comeback against Lucie Šafářová". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  37. ↑ "Dellacqua wins opener in Birmingham". Tennis World. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  38. ↑ "Marinko Mateosevic cruises into third round at Queen's, Samantha Stosur to face Dellacqua". Courier Mail. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  39. ↑ "Dellacqua downs Stosur in Birmingham". Yahoo Sport. Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  40. ↑ "Casey Dellacqua beats Kimiko Date-Krumm to make Birmingham Open semi-finals". abc.net.au. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  41. ↑ "Casey Dellacqua suffers surprise defeat to Babora Zahlavova Strycova in AEGON Classic semi-final". Courier Mail. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  42. ↑ "Aussie tennis star Casey Dellacqua climbs to careerbest world ranking of No. 36". Courier Mail. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  43. ↑ "Wimbledon wins for Dellacqua, Gajdosova". Tennis Australia. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  44. ↑ "Casey Dellacqua bows out of Wimbledon's second round". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  45. ↑ "Wimbledon Women's Doubles Draw" (PDF). Wimbledon.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 August 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  46. ↑ "Rogers Cup WTA Entry List". rogerscup.com. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  47. ↑ "10 THINGS TO KNOW: SYDNEY & HOBART". www.wtatennis.com. 11 January 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  48. ↑ "Wimbledon: Sam Groth beats James Duckworth, Casey Dellacqua beats Elina Svitolina". www.abc.net.au. 3 July 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
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