Meghann Shaughnessy

1.1. Junior Career

Shaughnessy began her tennis journey in junior competitions. A notable achievement during her junior career was reaching the final of the 1996 French Open junior girls' singles, where she was defeated by Amélie Mauresmo of France.

1.2. Professional Debut and Early Success

Shaughnessy turned professional in April 1996. She made her debut on the WTA Tour in Budapest that same year. By 1998, she had broken into the top 100 in the world rankings. In 2000, Shaughnessy experienced significant growth in her career. She reached the semifinals of the Auckland tournament in New Zealand at the beginning of the year. In April, she secured victories in two lower-tier circuit tournaments held in West Palm Beach and Sarasota, Florida. Her breakthrough came in October 2000 when she won her first WTA singles title at the China Open in Shanghai, defeating Iroda Tulyaganova in straight sets (7-6, 7-5). This victory propelled her into the top 50, improving her ranking from No. 97 at the end of the previous season to No. 39 by the end of 2000.

The year 2001 marked a further leap in her career. She advanced to the fourth round of both the 2001 French Open and the 2001 Wimbledon Championships. In September, she claimed her second tour title at the Tournoi de Québec in Quebec City, Canada, by defeating Iva Majoli 6-1, 6-3 in the final. Additionally, she reached the finals of the State Farm Women's Tennis Classic in Scottsdale, Arizona, in February and the Hamburg European Open in Germany in April. These performances allowed her to enter the world's top 20 for the first time, achieving a career-high singles ranking of world No. 11 on September 10, 2001.

2.1. Career Titles and Rankings

Shaughnessy won a total of six WTA singles titles throughout her career. Her first title came at the Shanghai Open in October 2000, where she defeated Iroda Tulyaganova 7-6, 7-5. Her second title was at the Tournoi de Québec in September 2001, beating Iva Majoli 6-1, 6-3. In January 2003, she secured her third singles title at the Canberra International in Australia, with a dominant 6-1, 6-1 victory over Francesca Schiavone.

After a period of focusing on doubles, Shaughnessy returned to singles success in 2006, winning her fourth title at the Rabat Grand Prix in May, defeating Martina Suchá 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. She followed this with her fifth title at the Forest Hills Tennis Classic in August 2006, overcoming Anna Smashnova in three sets (1-6, 6-0, 6-4). Her sixth and final singles title was earned at the Barcelona Ladies Open in Spain in June 2007, where she defeated Edina Gallovits 6-3, 6-2. Her career-high singles ranking was world No. 11, achieved on September 10, 2001.

2.2. Notable Performances and Wins

Shaughnessy consistently challenged top-ranked opponents throughout her career. In 2001, her breakout year, she recorded significant wins over world No. 5 Conchita Martínez, world No. 4 Monica Seles, and world No. 2 Venus Williams. In 2002, she reached the final of the Sydney International and recaptured her career-high No. 11 ranking. That year, she also scored wins against top-five players Jelena Dokić and Serena Williams.

The 2003 season was another strong year for Shaughnessy in singles, as she finished in the top 20 for the second time. Beyond her Canberra title, she upset world No. 2 Venus Williams in the fourth round of the NASDAQ-100 Open in Miami. In 2005, despite struggling with injuries, Shaughnessy reached the final of the Memphis tournament. In the semifinals there, she defeated Nicole Vaidišová in a match notable for Shaughnessy serving an impressive 22 aces in a 7-6, 7-6 victory.

On March 24, 2006, Shaughnessy scored a major upset by defeating the world No. 3 seed Justine Henin 7-5, 6-4 in the second round of the NASDAQ-100 Open in Miami. She also beat third-seeded Anna Chakvetadze in the first round of the Istanbul tournament that year. At the 2006 French Open, she faced top-seeded Amélie Mauresmo in the first round, losing 4-6, 4-6. The following year, at the 2007 French Open, she had a strong start against defending runner-up Svetlana Kuznetsova, leading 5-0 in the first set and holding three set points, but ultimately lost the set in a tie-break and the match 4-6, 3-6.

2.3. WTA Tour Singles Finals

3.1. Major Titles and Partnerships

Shaughnessy won 17 career doubles titles on the WTA Tour. Her first doubles title came in November 2000 at the Tournoi de Québec, partnering with Nicole Pratt. She formed a highly successful partnership with Nadia Petrova of Russia, with whom she won seven titles in 2004 alone. These titles included the Miami Open, Amelia Island Championships, German Open in Berlin, Italian Open in Rome, Los Angeles Championships, and New Haven Open. This dominant year culminated in their victory at the WTA Finals in Los Angeles.

Other notable partnerships and titles include:

• With Els Callens: German Open (2001)
• With Justine Henin: Australian Hard Court Championships (2002)
• With Nadia Petrova: Kremlin Cup (2003)
• With Anna-Lena Grönefeld: Bali Tennis Classic (2005), Australian Hard Court Championships (2006), Mexico Open (2006), Sydney International (2007)
• With Virginia Ruano Pascual: Warsaw Open (2010)
• With Bethanie Mattek-Sands: Paris Indoors (2011)

Shaughnessy also reached 16 doubles finals, partnering with players such as Andreea Vanc, Louise Pleming, Rita Grande, Katie Schlukebir, Kim Clijsters, Paola Suárez, Dinara Safina, Vania King, Michaëlla Krajicek, Květa Peschke, Katarina Srebotnik, Vera Dushevina, Ekaterina Makarova, Sania Mirza, and Elena Vesnina. Her career-high doubles ranking of world No. 4 was achieved on March 21, 2005.

3.2. WTA Tour Championships

A significant highlight of Shaughnessy's doubles career was her victory at the WTA Tour Championships in Los Angeles. Partnering with Nadia Petrova, they defeated the formidable team of Cara Black and Rennae Stubbs in the final with a score of 7-5, 6-2, securing one of the most prestigious titles in women's tennis.

3.3. WTA Tour Doubles Finals

4.1. Grand Slam Mixed Doubles Performance

Shaughnessy's most notable performance in mixed doubles was at the US Open in 2007, where she reached the final alongside her partner, Leander Paes of India. They ultimately finished as runners-up, losing to the Belarusian pair of Max Mirnyi and Victoria Azarenka with a score of 4-6, 6-7.

Her other strong mixed doubles results at Grand Slams include reaching the semifinals of the 2001 Australian Open and the quarterfinals of both the 2007 French Open and the 2007 Wimbledon Championships.

5.1. Singles

Shaughnessy's best singles performance at a Grand Slam was reaching the quarterfinals of the 2003 Australian Open. In that tournament, she defeated Nuria Llagostera Vives, Ľudmila Cervanová, Klára Koukalová, and Elena Bovina before falling to the top seed, Serena Williams, 2-6, 2-6 in the quarterfinals. She reached the fourth round of the 2001 French Open and the 2001 Wimbledon Championships. At the US Open, her best result was reaching the fourth round in 2003.

5.2. Doubles

In doubles, Shaughnessy consistently performed well at the Grand Slams. She reached the semifinals of the 2006 Australian Open and the 2005 French Open. At Wimbledon, she made it to the quarterfinals three consecutive times (2004, 2005, 2006). Her best results at the US Open were quarterfinal appearances in 2002, 2007, and 2010.

5.3. Mixed Doubles

Shaughnessy's mixed doubles Grand Slam record includes a runner-up finish at the US Open in 2007. She also reached the semifinals of the 2001 Australian Open and the quarterfinals of both the 2007 French Open and the 2007 Wimbledon Championships.

6.1. Relationships and Coaching

For a significant portion of her career, Meghann Shaughnessy was coached and managed by Rafael Font de Mora. Their relationship extended beyond professional coaching; they were romantically involved. They first met when Shaughnessy was 13 years old, and she moved in with him a year later. Their romantic and coaching relationship concluded in 2005, though she briefly reunited with Font de Mora as her coach in the latter part of 2006.

Shaughnessy is also the niece of Dan Shaughnessy, a prominent sports columnist for The Boston Globe. From 2004 to 2006, she was in a relationship with Major League Baseball player Roberto Alomar.

6.2. Controversies

Her relationship with Roberto Alomar became a subject of controversy when Shaughnessy alleged that Alomar had exposed her to HIV. Alomar's ex-wife's lawyer claimed that Alomar paid 4.00 M USD in settlements to Shaughnessy and another former girlfriend regarding these allegations.