Clarisa Fernández

Clarisa Fernández (born 28 August 1981) is an Argentine former professional tennis player.

She is best known for her semifinal appearance at the 2002 French Open, the first Argentine since Sabatini in 1992 to reach that stage. Fernández was ranked 87th in the world at the time of her shocking result. She defeated, in order, Lubomira Bacheva, Jelena Kostanić, Kim Clijsters (No. 4), Elena Dementieva (No. 13), and Paola Suárez, before losing to second-seeded Venus Williams, in straight sets.

Fernández, a crafty left-handed player, turned professional in 1998. She did not have much success before her appearance at the French Open. She has six ITF titles to her name, including one in 2006. Since 2003, Fernández had been plagued with injuries. She suffered from tendinitis in her left shoulder, an injury to her left wrist, and to her right knee. Fernández enjoyed playing on hard and grass courts. She was coached by Leonardo Lerda. Her tennis inspirations were Pete Sampras and Martina Navratilova.

In April 2008, Fernández announced her retirement from professional tennis after a lengthy battle with knee injuries. Provided by Wikipedia