Selima Sfar

Selima Sfar (Arabic: سليمة صفر Salima Safar; born 8 July 1977) is a retired Tunisian tennis player.

Selima Sfar
Selima Sfar at the 2009 Open GDF Suez
Country (sports) Tunisia
ResidenceBiarritz, France
Born (1977-07-08) 8 July 1977
Sidi Bou Said, Tunisia
Height1.66 m (5 ft 5 in)
Turned pro1999
Retired2011
PlaysRight (two-handed backhand)
Prize money$876,041
Singles
Career record395–383
Career titles11 ITF
Highest rankingNo. 75 (16 July 2001)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open1R (2002, 2005)
French Open2R (2001, 2008)
Wimbledon2R (2001, 2002, 2005)
US Open2R (2001)
Other tournaments
Olympic Games1R (1996, 2008)
Doubles
Career record238–201
Career titles21 ITF
Highest rankingNo. 47 (28 July 2008)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open2R (2006, 2008)
French Open2R (2005, 2007)
WimbledonQF (2008)
US Open2R (2005, 2006, 2007)

She turned professional in 1999 and has been ranked as high as 75th in the world (16 July 2001). Sfar is the second highest ranked female Tunisian and Arab player. She has experienced most of her success in ITF tournaments, winning 11 singles titles and 21 doubles titles.

Biography

Left Tunis at age 13 to live and train with Nathalie Tauziat in Biarritz, France. The serve-and-volleyer preferred indoor hardcourts; favorite shots were serve, backhand. Father, Moncef, is a physician; mother, Zeineb, is a dermatologist; older sister is Sonia and younger brother is Hassan.

Most memorable experience was qualifying for her favourite tournament, the US Open, in 2000.

Tennis career

Sfar was able to receive wildcards for Middle Eastern tournaments in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. At the Dubai Tennis Championships in 2001, she reached the quarterfinals, beating Silvija Talaja and Barbara Schett before being defeated by Nathalie Tauziat, in three sets.

Sfar played for the Tunisia Fed Cup team, going 41–24. She also competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics, losing in the first round to Brenda Schultz-McCarthy, and the 2008 Summer Olympics, losing in the first round to Caroline Wozniacki. Sfar holds the records for the Tunesian in the Fed Cup with the most wins, the most singles wins, the most doubles wins, the most ties played, and the most years played.[1]

At the 2008 Wimbledon Championships, Sfar and her partner Ekaterina Makarova reached the quarterfinals of the ladies' doubles, before they were defeated by Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur.

In 2011, Sfar announced her retirement from professional tennis. In the meantime, she became a commentator for Qatari sports channel "JSC Sport".

At the 2015 Wimbledon Championships, Sfar teamed with Martina Navratilova for the Invitational Ladies Doubles, and they won all three of their matches in their group.

ITF finals
$100,000 tournaments
$75,000 tournaments
$50,000 tournaments
$25,000 tournaments
$10,000 tournaments

Singles: 19 (11–8)
Outcome No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent Score
Winner 1. 14 August 1994 ITF Carthage, Tunisia Clay Anne-Gaëlle Sidot 5–7, 6–3, 6–4
Winner 2. 26 March 1995 ITF Moulins, France Hard (i) Linda Sentis 3–6, 6–3, 6–2
Winner 3. 26 November 1995 ITF Le Havre, France Clay (i) Émilie Loit 0–6, 6–3, 6–4
Winner 4. 4 February 1996 ITF Dinan, France Clay (i) Virginie Massart 6–4, 7–6(8)
Winner 5. 11 August 1996 ITF Carthage, Tunisia Clay Marielle Bruens 7–5, 6–4
Winner 6. 14 December 1997 ITF Ismailia, Egypt Clay Tzipora Obziler 5–7, 7–5, 6–4
Runner-up 1. 22 June 1998 ITF Sezze, Italy Clay Alice Canepa 5–7, 2–6
Winner 7. 30 April 2000 ITF Bournemouth, United Kingdom Clay Dragana Zarić 7–5, 6–2
Runner-up 2. 17 July 2000 ITF Le Touquet, France Clay Bianka Lamade 5–7, 4–6
Runner-up 3. 31 July 2000 Open Saint-Gaudens, France Clay Elena Tatarkova 4–6, 4–6
Winner 8. 22 September 2002 ITF Glasgow, United Kingdom Hard (i) Anne Keothavong 7–6(5), 2–6, 7–6(8)
Winner 9. 3 November 2002 ITF Nottingham, United Kingdom Hard (i) Lilia Osterloh 6–2, 6–2
Runner-up 4. 26 July 2004 ITF Modena, Italy Clay Anna-Lena Grönefeld 2–6, 4–6
Runner-up 5. 1 November 2004 ITF Sint-Katelijne-Waver, Belgium Hard (i) Yvonne Meusburger 4–6, 3–6
Winner 10. 14 May 2006 ITF Jounieh, Lebanon Clay Anastasiya Yakimova 6–4, 7–5
Runner-up 6. 10 April 2007 Open de Biarritz, France Clay Pauline Parmentier 2–6, 4–6
Winner 11. 13 May 2007 ITF Jounieh, Lebanon Clay Mariya Koryttseva 6–2, 4–6, 7–6(3)
Runner-up 7. 7 April 2008 Open de Biarritz, France Clay Kathrin Wörle 1–6, 3–6
Runner-up 8. 5 July 2009 ITF Mont-de-Marsan, France Clay Anna Gerasimou 5–7, 3–6

Doubles: 33 (21–12)
Outcome No. Date Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
Winner 1. 25 July 1994 ITF La Coruña, Spain Clay Olivia de Camaret Sandra de Rafael
Paula Hermida		 4–6, 6–2, 6–3
Winner 2. 1 August 1994 ITF Casablanca, Morocco Clay Olivia de Camaret Cora Hofmann
Alexandra Seitarth		 4–6, 6–1, 6–0
Runner-up 1. 5 August 1996 ITF Carthage, Tunisia Clay Sandrine Bouilleau Mariëlle Bruens
Bahia Mouhtassine		 w/o
Winner 3. 21 April 1997 ITF Guimarães, Portugal Hard Élodie Le Bescond Kildine Chevalier
Jindra Gabrisová		 6–4, 6–2
Winner 4. 8 December 1997 ITF Ismailia, Egypt Clay Bérangère Karpenschif Bianca Kamper
Nicole Remis		 6–3, 7–6(5)
Runner-up 2. 11 May 1998 ITF Le Touquet, France Clay Élodie Le Bescond Vanina Casanova
Romina Ottoboni		 6–7, 0–1 ret.
Winner 5. 22 June 1998 ITF Sezze, Italy Clay Vanina Casanova Alice Canepa
Alessia Lombardi		 6–3, 6–1
Winner 6. 20 July 1998 ITF Valladolid, Spain Hard Gisela Riera Eva Bes
Rosa María Andrés Rodríguez		 7–6(5), 7–6(3)
Runner-up 3. 27 July 1998 ITF Pamplona, Spain Hard Meike Fröhlich Eva Bes
Amanda Hopmans		 w/o
Winner 7. 10 May 1999 ITF Edinburgh,
United Kingdom		 Clay Jo Ward Surina De Beer
Lorna Woodroffe		 6–4, 6–2
Runner-up 4. 26 July 1999 ITF Pamplona, Spain Hard Jo Ward Hiroko Mochizuki
Ludmila Richterová		 6–2, 4–6, 3–6
Winner 8. 2 August 1999 ITF Perigueux, France Clay Jo Ward Hanna-Katri Aalto
Rika Fujiwara		 6–4, 6–3
Runner-up 5. 6 February 2000 ITF Jersey,
United Kingdom		 Hard (i) Jo Ward Elena Bovina
Anna Zaporozhanova		 3–6, 2–6
Winner 9. 24 April 2000 ITF Bournemouth,
United Kingdom		 Clay Lorna Woodroffe Hannah Collin
Zsófia Gubacsi		 6–1, 6–0
Winner 10. 1 May 2000 ITF Hatfield, United Kingdom Clay Jo Ward Zsófia Gubacsi
Jasmin Wöhr		 7–6(6), 6–2
Runner-up 6. 15 May 2000 ITF Edinburgh,
United Kingdom		 Clay Lorna Woodroffe Natalie Grandin
Nicole Rencken		 6–0, 3–6, 4–6
Runner-up 7. 3 November 2002 ITF Nottingham,
United Kingdom		 Hard (i) Lucie Ahl Kim Grant
Lilia Osterloh		 1–6, 2–6
Winner 11. 20 April 2003 ITF Biarritz, France Clay Lucie Ahl Yuliya Beygelzimer
Anna Zaporozhanova		 6–1, 6–1
Runner-up 8. 18 August 2003 ITF Bronx, United States Hard Mara Santangelo Yuliya Beygelzimer
Tatiana Poutchek		 4–6, 5–7
Winner 12. 13 September 2004 ITF Bordeaux, France Clay Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro Erica Krauth
Jasmin Wöhr		 3–6, 6–3, 6–3
Runner-up 9. 10 October 2004 ITF Joué-lès-Tours, France Clay Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro Květa Peschke
Angelika Rösch		 w/o
Winner 13. 18 October 2004 ITF Saint-Raphaël, France Hard (i) Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro Barbora Strýcová
Galina Voskoboeva		 7–6(3), 2–6, 6–4
Winner 14. 1 November 2004 ITF Sint-Katelijne-Waver,
Belgium		 Hard (i) Virginie Pichet Eva Fislová
Stanislava Hrozenská		 6–1, 7–6(2)
Winner 15. 23 November 2004 ITF Poitiers, France Hard (i) Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro Gabriela Chmelinová
Michaela Paštiková		 7–5, 6–4
Winner 16. 12 April 2005 Open de Biarritz, France Clay Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro Timea Bacsinszky
Aurélie Védy		 6–2, 6–1
Winner 17. 15 November 2005 ITF Deauville, France Clay (i) Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro Alona Bondarenko
Kateryna Bondarenko		 6–3, 6–1
Runner-up 10. 26 March 2007 ITF Latina, Italy Hard Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro Sara Errani
Giulia Gabba		 3–6, 6–1, 6–7(2)
Runner-up 11. 6 April 2008 ITF Torhout, Belgium Hard Stéphanie Cohen-Alor Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Yanina Wickmayer		 4–6, 6–4, [8–10]
Winner 18. 20 July 2009 ITF Pétange, Luxembourg Clay Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro Darija Jurak
Kathrin Wörle		 6–2, 3–6, [10–7]
Winner 19. 12 October 2009 ITF Joué-lès-Tours, France Hard Youlia Fedossova Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro
Aurélie Védy		 4–6, 6–0, [10–8]
Winner 20. 22 February 2010 ITF Biberach, Germany Hard (i) Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro Mona Barthel
Carmen Klaschka		 5–7, 6–1, [10–5]
Runner-up 12. 17 October 2010 ITF Joué-lès-Tours, France Hard (i) Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro Tatjana Malek
Irena Pavlovic		 4–6, 7–5, [8–10]
Winner 21. 24 January 2011 ITF Grenoble, France Hard (i) Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro Iryna Brémond
Aurélie Védy		 6–1, 6–3

References
  1. "Tunisia". Fed Cup teams. ITF. Retrieved 2009-02-21.
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