Alisa Kleybanova

3.1. Early career (2003-2007)

Kleybanova made her senior tennis debut in August 2003 at the age of 14, entering the qualifying draw for a $10,000 ITF event in Mollerusa, Spain. She successfully navigated all three qualifying rounds without dropping a set, then proceeded to win the main draw title on her first attempt, ceding only one set in the entire tournament. By the end of 2004, after playing six tournaments, her ranking reached No. 364.

In March 2005, Kleybanova received a wildcard into the main draw at Indian Wells for the second consecutive year, though she lost in the first round. Her ranking fluctuated significantly, dropping to No. 730 before she began to rebuild. She secured her second career $25,000 ITF title in Moscow in August, defeating fellow Russian Vasilisa Bardina in the final. The following October, she won her third $25,000 ITF title in Makinohara, Japan, without dropping a set. In November, she claimed her fourth ITF tournament victory, another $25,000 title in Sutama, Japan, defeating Shiho Hisamatsu in the final without losing a single set. She finished 2005 ranked No. 244 with a 28-8 win-loss record.

The 2006 season saw Kleybanova attempting to qualify for WTA Tour events. She was awarded a wildcard into the main draw at Miami, but lost in the first round. In May, she returned to the $25,000 ITF level in Italy, reaching the final in Caserta and winning the title at Campobasso, where she defeated Mandy Minella to secure her fourth $25,000 title. These results propelled her into the top 200 for the first time. In July, she successfully qualified for a WTA main draw for the first time at the Tier IV event in Budapest. By the end of 2006, her ranking was No. 262, with a 20-10 record.

Kleybanova's 2007 season saw her continue to advance through the ITF Circuit. She reached the quarterfinals of a $25,000 event in Minsk and two semifinals in Moscow. In July, she claimed her fifth career $25,000 title in Monteroni d'Arbia, Italy, defeating Margit Rüütel in the final. She then reached her career-first $75,000 main-draw quarterfinal at Rimini, Italy. In September, she reached her first $50,000 ITF final in Mestre, Italy, though she lost to Rossana de los Ríos. This performance lifted her ranking to 195th. The same month, she won her sixth $25,000 title in Lecce, Italy, defeating Marta Marrero in the final. In October, she secured her seventh $25,000 title in Augusta, United States. She concluded 2007 ranked No. 156, having achieved a strong 41-13 win-loss record and broken new ground at higher levels of competition.

3.2. Breakthrough and WTA Titles (2008-2010)

Kleybanova's 2008 season began with her qualifying for the WTA Tier III tournament in Gold Coast, Australia, marking her second WTA main draw appearance. In January, she qualified for her first Grand Slam main draw at the Australian Open, where she defeated Peng Shuai in the first round before losing to Anna Chakvetadze in the second. Her performance earned her enough points to reach a new personal best ranking of 112th. In February, she qualified for the Tier II tournament in Antwerp, Belgium, where she stunned world No. 18 Ágnes Szávay and defeated Kateryna Bondarenko to reach her first WTA-level quarterfinal, ultimately falling to world No. 1 Justine Henin. This result propelled her into the top 100, reaching world No. 82. In March, she successfully qualified for the Tier I event in Miami, where she defeated world No. 15 Nicole Vaidišová to reach the third round, losing to Vera Zvonareva. This performance elevated her to a new career high of 70. At the Wimbledon Championships in June, Kleybanova achieved her career-best Grand Slam singles result by reaching the fourth round, defeating tenth seed Daniela Hantuchová and Ai Sugiyama before losing to defending champion Venus Williams.

The 2009 season saw Kleybanova continue her ascent. At the Australian Open, seeded 29th, she reached the fourth round, notably stunning fifth seed and former finalist Ana Ivanovic in the third round before her run ended against Australian wildcard Jelena Dokić. In April, Kleybanova partnered with Ekaterina Makarova to win her first WTA doubles title at the Morocco Open. Following a quarterfinal appearance with Makarova at the 2009 Wimbledon Championships doubles, she won her second doubles title at the Budapest Grand Prix with Monica Niculescu. Kleybanova and Makarova continued their strong doubles form by reaching the semifinals of the US Open, where they were defeated by the formidable Williams sisters, Venus and Serena. In October, she secured her third WTA doubles title, and first Premier 5 title, at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, partnering with Francesca Schiavone.

In 2010, Kleybanova secured her first WTA singles title at the Malaysian Open in February, defeating her compatriot, world No. 7 Elena Dementieva, in straight sets in the final. Her strong form continued at the Indian Wells Open, where, as the 23rd seed, she reached the quarterfinals, overcoming former world No. 1 and 2009 US Open champion Kim Clijsters and Carla Suárez Navarro before losing to Jelena Janković. In September, she won her second WTA singles title at the Korea Open in Seoul, defeating Klára Zakopalová in the final. She also reached the final of the WTA Tournament of Champions in November, where she was runner-up to Ana Ivanovic.

3.3. Illness and Comeback (2011-2013)

Kleybanova's 2011 season began with a doubles title at the Brisbane International alongside Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, marking her fourth WTA doubles title. She also reached the semifinals of the Sydney International, defeating Francesca Schiavone and María José Martínez Sánchez before losing to Kim Clijsters. At the Indian Wells Open, she reached the fourth round, falling to world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki. However, her season was cut short due to illness, leading to her withdrawal from the French Open and Wimbledon.

On July 14, 2011, it was publicly announced that Alisa Kleybanova had been diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin's lymphoma. She underwent treatment in Italy, with her last tournament appearance of 2011 being in Rome.

On February 29, 2012, Kleybanova announced that she had successfully completed her treatment for Hodgkin's lymphoma and had begun training in Florida. She made her return to the professional circuit at the Miami Open as a wildcard, where she defeated Johanna Larsson in the first round for her first win in eight months, but then lost to Maria Kirilenko in the second round. This was her only tournament appearance in 2012.

Kleybanova's official comeback occurred in 2013, as she felt more prepared after her limited appearance in Miami the previous year. In May, she won a $10,000 ITF singles title in Landisville, Pennsylvania, winning eight matches in total (three in qualifying and four in the main draw). She then reached the semifinals of another $10,000 ITF event in Buffalo, New York, extending her unbeaten streak to twelve matches before losing in the final to Alexandra Mueller. In July, she competed at a $50,000 ITF event in Sacramento.

Alisa made her return to the WTA Tour at the Rogers Cup in Toronto, Canada, playing under a protected ranking, where she lost in the first round to Eugenie Bouchard. At the Western & Southern Open, she defeated Sofia Arvidsson in a thrilling three-set match lasting almost three hours, but lost in the second round to Angelique Kerber despite holding match points. She played her first Grand Slam tournament since recovering from cancer at the US Open. In the first round, she achieved her biggest victory of the year against Monica Puig in a marathon three-set match, though she ultimately lost in the second round to former world No. 1 Jelena Janković. This performance lifted her ranking to No. 248. In October, she competed at her home tournament, the WTA Premier Kremlin Cup in Moscow, as a main-draw wildcard, defeating Varvara Lepchenko in the first round.

3.4. Later Career (2014-2017)

In 2014, Kleybanova continued her post-illness career. At the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, she recorded her first top-ten victory in over three years, upsetting former Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitová in straight sets in the second round. This significant win marked her return to the WTA's top 100 rankings for the first time since 2011.

In 2015, Kleybanova made a comeback at a $10,000 ITF tournament in Antalya, where she won the title, beating top seed Lina Gjorcheska in the final. She continued to compete primarily on the ITF Circuit in the following years. In 2017, she reached the final of a $25,000 ITF event in Hua Hin, Thailand, and won another $25,000 ITF title in Lubbock, United States, defeating Victoria Duval in the final.

4.1. Performance Timelines

The following sections provide an overview of Alisa Kleybanova's year-by-year performance across major tournaments.

4.2. Significant Finals

Alisa Kleybanova competed in several significant finals throughout her career, including a year-end championship and a Premier Mandatory & 5 event.

4.3. WTA Tour Finals

Alisa Kleybanova reached a total of three singles finals and six doubles finals on the WTA Tour, securing two singles titles and five doubles titles.

4.4. ITF Finals

Alisa Kleybanova had a successful run on the ITF Circuit, reaching numerous finals in both singles and doubles.

4.5. Junior Grand Slam Finals

Alisa Kleybanova excelled in junior Grand Slam doubles competitions, securing three titles.

4.6. Top 10 Wins

Alisa Kleybanova recorded a total of 10 victories against players ranked in the top 10 worldwide during her career.