Meghann Shaughnessy

Meghann Shaughnessy (born April 13, 1979) is an American former professional tennis player. She achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 11 in 2001 and won six titles on the WTA Tour. Her best doubles ranking was world No. 4, and she won 17 career doubles titles, including the WTA Championships in 2004. She is best known for her serve, which was one of the most powerful on tour, and has produced as many as 22 aces in a match.

Shaughnessy was coached and managed by Rafael Font de Mora for most of her career. She is the niece of Dan Shaughnessy, a Boston Globe sports columnist.

Career Shaughnessy made her debut on the WTA Tour in 1996 in Budapest and broke into the top 100 in 1998. In 2000, she won her first WTA singles title in Shanghai, defeating Iroda Tulyaganova in the final, and breaking into the top 50. In her breakout year of 2001, she achieved a career-high singles ranking of No. 11, won the second singles title of her career in Quebec City, and reached the finals of Hamburg and her home tournament in Scottsdale, Arizona. She also recorded wins over world No. 5 Conchita Martínez, world No. 4 Monica Seles, and world No. 2 Venus Williams.

In 2002, Shaughnessy began the season by reaching the final of Sydney, and recaptured her career-high No. 11 ranking. She also reached the quarterfinals or better of four other tournaments that year, In 2003, Shaughnessy had another strong year, finishing the season in the top 20 for the second time in her career. She captured her third career singles title in Canberra and also had strong major results. She defeated Nuria Llagostera Vives, Ľudmila Cervanová, Klára Koukalová and Elena Bovina to reach her first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the Australian Open, and she reached the round of 16 at the US Open. before losing to Daniela Hantuchová in the second round. A back injury forced her to withdraw from tournaments in Carlsbad and Los Angeles. As a wildcard in New Haven, she defeated No. 9 seed Nathalie Dechy for the first time in ten attempts, before losing to doubles partner Anna-Lena Grönefeld in the second round. In the opening round of the US Open, Shaughnessy led 16-year-old Sesil Karatantcheva 6–3, 5–2 and held two match points, before losing 6–3, 5–7, 5–7.

However, on March 24, 2006, Shaughnessy beat No. 3 seed Justine Henin 7–5, 6–4 in the second round of the NASDAQ-100 Open in Miami. She then won a WTA-level event in Rabat, beating eighth seeded Martina Suchá in three sets. It was her fourth tour title. She became the first American to win a WTA-level title as well as the first to reach a WTA final in 2006. Shaughnessy afterwards reached the second round at Istanbul, beating third seeded Anna Chakvetadze in the first round. She then fell in the first round of the French Open to top-seeded Amélie Mauresmo, 4–6, 4–6.

The next year, she faced the previous year's runner-up, Svetlana Kuznetsova, in the second round of the French Open. Shaughnessy raced into a 5–0 lead in the first set, and in the sixth game held three set points on Kuznetsova's serve. However, Kuznetsova saved them all, won the game and recovered to clinch the set on a tie-break, before winning the second set 6–3.

Shaughnessy then concentrated on doubles, and regularly partnered with fellow American Bethanie Mattek-Sands. The pair reached the doubles finals of the 2011 Indian Wells Open, by successively defeating Alisa Kleybanova & Yan Zi, Raquel Kops-Jones & Abigail Spears, Liezel Huber & Nadia Petrova and Victoria Azarenka & Maria Kirilenko, but lost to Sania Mirza and Elena Vesnina in the finals.

Personal life Shaughnessy was in a relationship with her coach Rafael Font de Mora; they met when she was 13 and she moved in with him a year later. Their romantic and coaching relationship ended in 2005. However, she briefly reunited with Font De Mora as her coach during the latter part of 2006.

Shaughnessy was in a relationship with Major League Baseball player Roberto Alomar from 2004 to 2006, whom she alleged had exposed her to HIV. The lawyer of Alomar's ex-wife claimed that Alomar paid $4 million in settlements to Shaughnessy and another ex-girlfriend.

WTA Tour finals Singles: 10 (6 titles, 4 runner-ups) Legend Grand Slam Tier I Tier II (0–3)Tier III, IV & V (6–1) ResultNo.DateTournamentSurfaceOpponentScoreWin 1. Oct 2000 China Open, Shanghai Hard (i) Iroda Tulyaganova 7–6, 7–5Loss 1. Mar 2001 Scottsdale Tennis Classic, US Hard Lindsay Davenport 2–6, 3–6Loss 2. May 2001 Hamburg European Open, Germany Clay Venus Williams 3–6, 0–6Win 2. Sep 2001 Tournoi de Québec, Canada Carpet (i) Iva Majoli 6–1, 6–3Loss 3. Jan 2002 Sydney International, Australia Hard Martina Hingis 2–6, 3–6Win 3. Jan 2003 Canberra International, Australia Hard Francesca Schiavone 6–1, 6–1Loss 4. Feb 2005 National Indoor Championships, US Hard (i) Vera Zvonareva 6–7(3–7), 2–6Win 4. May 2006 Rabat Grand Prix, Morocco Clay Martina Suchá 6–2, 3–6, 6–3Win 5. Aug 2006 Forest Hills Tennis Classic, US Hard Anna Smashnova 1–6, 6–0, 6–4Win 6. Jun 2007 Barcelona Ladies Open, Spain Clay Edina Gallovits 6–3, 6–2

Doubles: 33 (17 titles, 16 runner-ups) Legend (pre/post 2009) WTA Tour Championships (1–0) Tier I / Premier M & Premier 5 (5–5) Tier II / Premier (6–6)Tier III, IV & V / International (5–5) ResultNo.DateTournamentSurfacePartnerOpponentsScoreLoss 1. May 1999 Bol Ladies Open, Croatia Clay Andreea Vanc Jelena Kostanić Michaela Paštiková 5–7, 7–6(7–1), 2–6Loss 2. May 1999 Antwerp, Belgium Clay Louise Pleming Laura Golarsa Katarina Srebotnik 4–6, 2–6Loss 3. Oct 2000 Shanghai Open, China Hard Rita Grande Lilia Osterloh Tamarine Tanasugarn 5–7, 1–6Win 1. Nov 2000 Tournoi de Québec, Canada Hard (i) Nicole Pratt Els Callens Kimberly Po 6–3, 6–4Loss 4. Jan 2001 Hard Court Championships, Australia Hard Katie Schlukebir Giulia Casoni Janette Husárová 6–7(9–11), 5–7Loss 5. Mar 2001 Scottsdale Tennis Classic, United States Hard Kim Clijsters Lisa Raymond Rennae Stubbs w/oWin 2. May 2001 German Open, Berlin Clay Els Callens Cara Black Elena Likhovtseva 6–4, 6–3Loss 6. Oct 2001 Stuttgart Open, Germany Hard (i) Justine Henin Lindsay Davenport Lisa Raymond 4–6, 7–6(7–4), 5–7Win 3. Jan 2002 Australian Hard Court Championships Hard Justine Henin Åsa Carlsson Miriam Oremans 6–1, 7–6(8–6)Loss 7. Oct 2002 Stuttgart Open, Germany Hard (i) Paola Suárez Lindsay Davenport Lisa Raymond 2–6, 4–6Win 4. Oct 2003 Kremlin Cup, Russia Carpet (i) Nadia Petrova Anastasia Myskina Vera Zvonareva 6–3, 6–4Loss 8. Jan 2004 Sydney International, Australia Hard Dinara Safina Cara Black Rennae Stubbs 5–7, 6–3, 4–6 Win 5. Apr 2004 Miami Open, United States Hard Nadia Petrova Svetlana Kuznetsova Elena Likhovtseva 6–2, 6–3Win 6. Apr 2004 Amelia Island Championships, US Clay Nadia Petrova Myriam Casanova Alicia Molik 3–6, 6–2, 7–5Win 7. May 2004 German Open Clay Nadia Petrova Janette Husárová Conchita Martínez 6–2, 2–6, 6–1Win 8. May 2004 Italian Open, Rome Clay Nadia Petrova Virginia Ruano Pascual Paola Suárez 2–6, 6–3, 6–3Win 9. Jul 2004 Los Angeles Championships, US Hard (i) Nadia Petrova Conchita Martínez Virginia Ruano Pascual 6–7(2–7), 6–4, 6–3Win 10. Aug 2004 New Haven Open, US Hard Nadia Petrova Martina Navratilova Lisa Raymond 6–1, 1–6, 7–6(7–4)Win 11. Nov 2004 WTA Finals Los Angeles Hard Nadia Petrova Cara Black Rennae Stubbs 7–5, 6–2Loss 9. Mar 2005 Indian Wells Open, US Hard Nadia Petrova Virginia Ruano Pascual Paola Suárez 6–7(3–7), 1–6Win 12. Sep 2005 Bali Tennis Classic, Indonesia Hard Anna-Lena Grönefeld Yan Zi Zheng Jie 6–3, 6–3Win 13. Jan 2006 Australian Hard Court Championships Hard Dinara Safina Cara Black Rennae Stubbs 6–2, 6–3Win 14. Mar 2006 Mexico Open, Acapulco Clay Anna-Lena Grönefeld Shinobu Asagoe Émilie Loit 6–1, 6–3Loss 10. Mar 2006 Indian Wells Open, US Hard Virginia Ruano Pascual Lisa Raymond Samantha Stosur 2–6, 5–7Loss 11. Apr 2006 Charleston Open, US Hard Virginia Ruano Pascual Lisa Raymond Samantha Stosur 6–3, 1–6, 1–6Loss 12. Aug 2006 San Diego Open, US Hard Anna-Lena Grönefeld Cara Black Rennae Stubbs 2–6, 2–6Win 15. Jan 2007 Sydney International, Australia Hard Anna-Lena Grönefeld Marion Bartoli Meilen Tu 6–3, 3–6, 7–6(7–2)Loss 13. Feb 2010 U.S. National Indoor Championships Hard (i) Bethanie Mattek-Sands Vania King Michaëlla Krajicek 5–7, 2–6Win 16. May 2010 Warsaw Open, Poland Clay Virginia Ruano Pascual Cara Black Yan Zi 6–3, 6–4Loss 14. Aug 2010 New Haven Open, US Hard Bethanie Mattek-Sands Květa Peschke Katarina Srebotnik 5–7, 0–6Win 17. Feb 2011 Paris Indoors, France Hard (i) Bethanie Mattek-Sands Vera Dushevina Ekaterina Makarova 6–4, 6–2Loss 15. Mar 2011 Indian Wells Open, US Hard Bethanie Mattek-Sands Sania Mirza Elena Vesnina 0–6, 5–7Loss 16. Apr 2011 Charleston Open, US Clay Bethanie Mattek-Sands Sania Mirza Elena Vesnina 4–6, 4–6