Introduction
Donna Vekić ([ʋěːkitɕ]; born 28 June 1996) is a Croatian professional tennis player. She has won two singles titles on the WTA Tour: the 2014 Malaysian Open and the 2017 Nottingham Open. She has also won five singles titles and one doubles title on the ITF Women's Circuit. Her best performance in a Grand Slam singles event was a fourth-round appearance at the 2018 Wimbledon Championships and the 2019 French Open. On 10 June 2019, she achieved her career-high singles ranking of world No. 22.
Professional career
Born in Osijek, Vekić is a member of the Croatia Fed Cup team. In February 2012, she played three rubbers at the tournament, including helping her country to a 2–0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
2012–2013: First WTA Tour finals
At the 2012 Tashkent Open, Vekić made it to her first finalon the WTA Tour. It was her first main-draw appearance at a WTA tournament, and she was the youngest player in six years to make it to the final of a WTA event. She was defeated by Irina-Camelia Begu in straight sets.
Vekić started her year off by entering the main draw of the 2013 Australian Open. She defeated Andrea Hlaváčková in the first round 6–1, 6–2. In the second round, Vekić fell to the tenth seed and former world No. 1, Caroline Wozniacki, 1–6, 4–6.
Seeded 16th for qualifying at the Sony Open Tennis, Vekić qualified for the main draw by defeating Marta Sirotkina and Valeria Savinykh. In the first round, she beat fellow qualifier Yulia Putintseva 7–6, 6–0. In the second round, she lost to the 29th seed Elena Vesnina. At the Monterrey Open, Vekić defeated Julia Cohen in the first round. In the second round, she lost to seventh seed Urszula Radwańska. Vekić won the 50K tournament in Istanbul defeating Elizaveta Kulichkova in the final. Vekic ended the 2013 season ranked No. 86, her first top 100 season.
2014: First WTA title
Vekić's 2014 season began with first-round losses in Shenzhen, the Australian Open and the Pattaya Open. At this point, her last tour win was at the 2013 Tashkent Open.
Vekić was awarded a wild card for the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, where she defeated qualifier Olivia Rogowska in the first round before losing to 12th seed Dominika Cibulková. At the Sony Open in Miami, she came through qualifying with wins over Alla Kudryavtseva and Johanna Larsson, and then beat fellow qualifier Kimiko Date-Krumm in straight sets in round one of the main draw. In the second round, Vekić beat Svetlana Kuznetsova, also in straight sets, before losing to Petra Kvitová in round three. At the Monterrey Open, Vekić beat Garbiñe Muguruza in the first round in two tie-breaking sets, but lost to Karolína Plíšková in the second round in three sets.
At the Malaysian Open, Vekić won her first career WTA title and had one of the biggest wins of her career when she defeated the world No. 10 Cibulková in a third set tie-breaker in the final. On her way to the final, she won three of her four matches after losing the first set (against Chan Yung-jan, Kristýna Plíšková and Zhang Shuai). She ended the season ranked No. 84.
2015: Fourth WTA final and French Open third round
Vekić began her year as the world No. 81. After a bad start to the 2015 season, she beat Louisa Chirico at Indian Wells but lost in the second round to Zarina Diyas. After her ranking dropped to No. 177, she entered the ITF event in Istanbul as the top seed, but lost in the quarterfinals to the sixth seed, Margarita Gasparyan. She lost in the first round in the WTA tournament in Marrakesh, and in the second round in the Madrid Open.
In the French Open she claimed her first top-40 victory in the season when she beat Caroline Garcia, and also defeated Bojana Jovanovski before bowing out to Ana Ivanovic. After the French Open she continued her bad form from the first half of the season by failing to qualifying for Wimbledon or the US Open. In Tashkent, she reached the final with three-set wins over Kiki Bertens, Carina Witthöft and Anna-Lena Friedsam and a two-set victory over Evgeniya Rodina, but lost 2–6, 2–6 to Nao Hibino. She ended the season ranked No. 105.
2016
Vekić began the season ranked 103. At the Australian Open, she lost 3–6, 2–6 in the first round to Japanese qualifier Naomi Osaka. She reached the quarterfinals of the San Antonio Open, with wins over Aliaksandra Sasnovich and Kiki Bertens, before losing to Tsvetana Pironkova. She lost in the first round of ten consecutive WTA tournaments from February to August, including the French Open, where she lost to Madison Keys, and Wimbledon, where she took Venus Williams to a first-set tie-break but lost in straight sets.
At the Cincinnati Masters in August, Vekić had victories over Varvara Lepchenko and Mariana Duque-Marino in qualifying, and defeated world No. 25 Ana Ivanovic 6–4, 6–2 in the first round, before losing to tenth seed Johanna Konta in the second round. She failed to progress through qualifying for the US Open. In September, she reached the final of the ITF tournament in Saint Petersburg, with wins over Olga Doroshina, Anastasiya Komardina, Vesna Dolonc and Aryna Sabalenka, before losing the final to Natalia Vikhlyantseva in straight sets. In Tashkent, she lost in the first round to Kateryna Kozlova. In Tianjin, after her victory over Zhang Kailin, she lost to the second seed Svetlana Kuznetsova.
In October, at the ITF Sharm El Sheikh, she had victories over Laura Pigossi, Jaqueline Cristian (walkover) and Arantxa Rus, before she beat Maria Sakkari in three sets in the semifinals to reach her second ITF final of the year. In the final, she defeated Sara Sorribes Tormo 6–2, 6–7, 6–3, to win the fifth ITF title of her career. In Poitiers, she lost in the first round to Lauren Davis, while in Limoges she reached the third round, where she lost in three sets to world No. 24 and top-seed Caroline Garcia. Vekić ended the season ranked No. 101.
2017
She reached the second round at the Australian Open, where she lost 3–6, 1–6 to Caroline Wozniacki. Vekić won her second WTA title at the Nottingham Open in June, defeating Johanna Konta in three sets. Two weeks later, in the second round of the Wimbledon Championships, she lost to Konta 6–7, 6–4, 8–10. At the US Open, she reached the third round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time since the 2015 French Open, losing 2–6, 3–6 to Anastasija Sevastova. Vekić broke into the world top 50 for the first time in July, reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 45 on 25 September, and ended the season ranked No. 56.
2018
In September, Vekić reached the semifinals in Tokyo by defeating top-10 players Sloane Stephens and Caroline Garcia. She ended the season ranked No. 34, her first year-end top 50 ranking.
WTA finals
Singles: 8 (2 titles, 6 runners-up)
| Finals by surface |
|---|
| Legend |
| Grand Slam tournaments (0–0) |
| Tour Championships (0–0) |
| Premier Mandatory & Premier 5 (0–0) |
| Premier (0–1) |
| International (2–5) |
| Finals by surface |
| Hard (1–4) |
| Clay (0–0) |
| Grass (1–2) |
| Carpet (0–0) |
| Grand Slam tournaments (0–0) |
| Tour Championships (0–0) |
| Premier Mandatory & Premier 5 (0–0) |
| Premier (0–1) |
| International (2–5) |
| Hard (1–4) |
| Clay (0–0) |
| Grass (1–2) |
| Carpet (0–0) |
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | Sep 2012 | Tashkent Open, Uzbekistan | International | Hard | Irina-Camelia Begu | 4–6, 4–6 | |
| Loss | Jun 2013 | Birmingham Classic, Great Britain | International | Grass | Daniela Hantuchová | 6–7, 4–6 | |
| Win | Apr 2014 | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | International | Hard | Dominika Cibulková | 5–7, 7–5, 7–6 | |
| Loss | Sep 2015 | Tashkent Open, Uzbekistan | International | Hard | Nao Hibino | 2–6, 2–6 | |
| Win | Jun 2017 | Nottingham Open, Great Britain | International | Grass | Johanna Konta | 2–6, 7–6, 7–5 | |
| Loss | Aug 2018 | Washington Open, United States | International | Hard | Svetlana Kuznetsova | 6–4, 6–7, 2–6 | |
| Loss | Feb 2019 | St. Petersburg Ladies' Trophy, Russia | Premier | Hard (i) | Kiki Bertens | 6–7, 4–6 | |
| Loss | Jun 2019 | Nottingham Open, Great Britain | International | Grass | Caroline Garcia | 6–2, 6–7, 6–7 |
ITF finals
Singles (5–8)
| Finals by surface |
|---|
| Legend |
| $100,000 tournaments |
| $75,000 tournaments |
| $50,000 tournaments |
| $25,000 tournaments |
| $15,000 tournaments |
| $10,000 tournaments |
| Finals by surface |
| Hard (5–7) |
| Clay (0–1) |
| Grass (0–0) |
| Carpet (0–0) |
| $100,000 tournaments |
| $75,000 tournaments |
| $50,000 tournaments |
| $25,000 tournaments |
| $15,000 tournaments |
| $10,000 tournaments |
| Hard (5–7) |
| Clay (0–1) |
| Grass (0–0) |
| Carpet (0–0) |
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | 18 April 2011 | Hvar, Croatia | Clay | Ema Burgić | 5–7, 6–7 |
| Winner | 1. | 25 July 2011 | Chiswick, United Kingdom | Hard | Bojana Bobusic | 3–6, 6–3, 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 2. | 15 August 2011 | Westende, Belgium | Hard | Lu Jiajing | 4–6, 6–7 |
| Runner-up | 3. | 22 October 2011 | Lagos, Nigeria | Hard | Elina Svitolina | 4–6, 3–6 |
| Runner-up | 4. | 29 October 2011 | Lagos, Nigeria | Hard | Tamaryn Hendler | 4–6, 5–7 |
| Winner | 2. | 24 March 2012 | Bangalore, India | Hard | Andrea Koch Benvenuto | 6–2, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 5. | 21 April 2012 | Namangan, Uzbekistan | Hard | Olga Puchkova | 6–3, 3–6, 2–6 |
| Winner | 3. | 20 May 2012 | Fergana, Uzbekistan | Hard | Nadiia Kichenok | 6–2, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 6. | 22 July 2012 | Campos do Jordão, Brazil | Hard | María Irigoyen | 5–7, 0–6 |
| Runner-up | 7. | 29 July 2012 | Wrexham, United Kingdom | Hard | Carina Witthöft | 2–6, 7–6, 2–6 |
| Winner | 4. | 28 April 2013 | Istanbul, Turkey | Hard | Elizaveta Kulichkova | 6–4, 7–6 |
| Runner-up | 8. | 23 September 2016 | Saint Petersburg, Russia | Hard (i) | Natalia Vikhlyantseva | 1–6, 2–6 |
| Winner | 5. | 23 October 2016 | Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt | Hard | Sara Sorribes Tormo | 6–2, 6–7, 6–3 |
Doubles (1–0)
| Finals by surface |
|---|
| Legend |
| $100,000 tournaments |
| $75,000 tournaments |
| $50,000 tournaments |
| $25,000 tournaments |
| $10,000 tournaments |
| Finals by surface |
| Hard (1–0) |
| Clay (0–0) |
| Grass (0–0) |
| Carpet (0–0) |
| $100,000 tournaments |
| $75,000 tournaments |
| $50,000 tournaments |
| $25,000 tournaments |
| $10,000 tournaments |
| Hard (1–0) |
| Clay (0–0) |
| Grass (0–0) |
| Carpet (0–0) |
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1. | 20 August 2011 | Westende, Belgium | Hard | Alexandra Walker | Anouk Delefortrie Déborah Kerfs |
6–4, 6–3 |
Grand Slam performance timelines
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Singles
| Tournament | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | W–L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | 2R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 2R | 2R | 4–7 |
| French Open | A | 1R | 1R | 3R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 4R | 6–7 |
| Wimbledon | A | 1R | 2R | Q2 | 1R | 2R | 4R | 1R | 5–6 |
| US Open | Q3 | 2R | 1R | Q2 | Q3 | 3R | 1R | 3–4 | |
| Win–Loss | 0–0 | 2–4 | 1–4 | 2–2 | 0–3 | 4–4 | 5–4 | 4–3 | 18–24 |
Doubles
| Tournament | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | W–L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | 1R | 2R | A | A | 2R | 1R | 2–4 |
| French Open | A | 1R | A | A | 1R | 2R | A | 1–3 |
| Wimbledon | A | 1R | A | 1R | 1R | 1R | A | 0–4 |
| US Open | 1R | 1R | A | A | 1R | A | 0–3 | |
| Win–Loss | 0–1 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–3 | 2–3 | 0–1 | 3–14 |
Fed Cup participation
Singles
| Edition | Stage | Date | Location | Against | Surface | Opponent | W/L | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group I |
R/R | 2 February 2012 | Eilat, Israel | Poland | Hard | Urszula Radwańska | L | 3–6, 3–6 |
| P/O | 4 February 2012 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Anita Husarić | W | 6–2, 6–0 | |||
| 2013 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group I |
R/R | 6 February 2013 | Eilat, Israel | Austria | Hard | Yvonne Meusburger | W | 6–1, 6–3 |
| 7 February 2013 | Georgia | Margalita Chakhnashvili | W | 6–0, 6–1 | ||||
| 8 February 2013 | Belarus | Ilona Kremen | W | 6–1, 7–6 | ||||
| P/O | 9 February 2013 | Poland | Agnieszka Radwańska | L | 3–6, 2–6 | |||
| 2014 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group I |
R/R | 4 February 2014 | Budapest, Hungary | Netherlands | Hard (i) | Kiki Bertens | L | 2–6, 4–6 |
| 5 February 2014 | Luxembourg | Anne Kremer | W | 6–1, 6–2 | ||||
| 7 February 2014 | Belgium | Yanina Wickmayer | L | 3–6, 2–6 | ||||
| P/O | 9 February 2014 | Turkey | Melis Sezer | W | 6–2, 6–1 | |||
| 2015 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group I |
R/R | 4 February 2015 | Budapest, Hungary | Israel | Hard (i) | Julia Glushko | W | 6–2, 6–7, 7–5 |
| 5 February 2015 | Latvia | Jeļena Ostapenko | L | 3–6, 1–6 | ||||
| P/O | 7 February 2015 | Serbia | Aleksandra Krunić | L | 1–6, 1–6 | |||
| 2017 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group I |
R/R | 8 February 2017 | Tallinn, Estonia | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Hard (i) | Jelena Simić | W | 6–2, 6–1 |
| 10 February 2017 | Hungary | Dalma Gálfi | W | 6–2, 6–0 | ||||
| P/O | 11 February 2017 | Great Britain | Heather Watson | L | 2–6, 4–6 | |||
| 2019 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group I |
R/R | 6 February 2019 | Bath, Great Britain | Turkey | Hard (i) | Pemra Özgen | W | 7–6, 6–3 |
| 8 February 2019 | Serbia | Aleksandra Krunić | W | 1–6, 7–5, 6–1 |
Doubles
| Edition | Stage | Date | Location | Against | Surface | Partner | Opponents | W/L | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group I |
R/R | 2 February 2012 | Eilat, Israel | Poland | Hard | Ani Mijačika | Magda Linette Alicja Rosolska |
L | 5–7, 5–7 |
Wins over top-10 players
| # | Player | Rank | Event | Surface | Rd. | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | ||||||
| 1. | Dominika Cibulková | No. 10 | Malaysian Open | Hard | F | 5–7, 7–5, 7–6 |
| 2017 | ||||||
| 2. | Johanna Konta | No. 8 | Nottingham Open, Great Britain | Grass | F | 2–6, 7–6, 7–5 |
| 2018 | ||||||
| 3. | Sloane Stephens | No. 4 | Wimbledon, Great Britain | Grass | 1R | 6–1, 6–3 |
| 4. | Sloane Stephens | No. 9 | Pan Pacific Open, Japan | Hard (i) | 1R | 6–4, 6–4 |
| 5. | Caroline Garcia | No. 4 | Pan Pacific Open, Japan | Hard (i) | QF | 6–3, 6–4 |
| 2019 | ||||||
| 6. | Kiki Bertens | No. 9 | Brisbane International, Australia | Hard | 2R | 7–6, 1–6, 7–5 |
| 7. | Petra Kvitová | No. 2 | St. Petersburg Ladies' Trophy, Russia | Hard | QF | 6–4, 6–1 |