Irina Zvereva

Irina Zvereva (born 11 April 1967) is a former professional tennis player who represented the Soviet Union and the Commonwealth of Independent States. She competed in the doubles event at the 1990 Moscow Ladies Open, a tournament on the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour, losing her opening match to Denisa Krajčovičová and Alice Noháčová while partnering with compatriot Elena Pogorelova.[2] Zvereva was ranked as high as No. 4 in her country, and was known for her one-handed backhand.[3]

Irina Zvereva

Country (sports)	Soviet Union Commonwealth of Independent States
Residence	Hamburg, Germany
Born	11 April 1967[1] Sochi, USSR
Plays	Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
Prize money	$10,605
Singles
Career record	47–25 (65.3%)
Career titles	0 WTA, 1 ITF
Highest ranking	No. 380 (13 September 1993)
Doubles
Career record	10–12 (45.5%)
Career titles	0 WTA, 1 ITF
Highest ranking	No. 466 (19 April 1993)

Zvereva resides in Germany and has German citizenship. Her husband Alexander Mikhailovich Zverev is a former Soviet professional tennis player. Her sons Mischa Zverev and Alexander Zverev are both German professional tennis players.[3]

Tennis career

Zvereva's career was limited while living in the Soviet Union. The government restricted when Zvereva and her husband could leave the country to compete in international tournaments. In particular, they were not allowed to leave the country at the same time.[3] After leaving the Soviet Union to go to Germany in 1991, Zvereva began representing the Commonwealth of Independent States and had more opportunity to enter events on the ITF Women's Circuit. She reached five singles finals on the circuit, winning one title against German Anja Franken in Germany. Three of the five singles finals were in Germany, while the other two were in Greece. Her last runner-up came against Julia Apostoli, a fellow Soviet emigrant as well as the mother of Stefanos Tsitsipas, a rival of her son Alexander Zverev.[4]

ITF finals

Singles: 5 (1 title, 4 runner-ups)

Legend $10,000 tournaments

Result	W–L	Date	Tournament	Tier	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	0–1	Aug 1991	Munich, Germany	$10,000	Clay	Eva-Maria Schürhoff	4–6, 2–6
Loss	0–2	Apr 1993	Athens, Greece	$10,000	Clay	Claudia Chabalgoity	6–2, 4–6, 6–3
Loss	0–3	Aug 1993	Paderborn, Germany	$10,000	Clay	Olga Hostáková	0–6, 0–6
Win	1–3	Aug 1993	Bergisch, Germany	$10,000	Clay	Anja Franken	6–1, 5–7, 6–4
Loss	1–4	Apr 1994	Athens, Greece	$10,000	Clay	Julia Apostoli	0–6, 3–6

Doubles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up)

Result	W–L	Date	Tournament	Tier	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Win	1–0	Aug 1991	Munich, Germany	$10,000	Clay	Janette Husárová	Ivana Havrlikova Pavlína Rajzlová	7–5, 6–2
Loss	1–1	Aug 1992	Bad Nauheim, Germany	$10,000	Clay	Agata Werblinksa	Heike Roloff Michaela Seibold	2–6, 4–6

National championships finals

Doubles: 1 (0–1)

Outcome	No.	Year	Tournament	Location	Partner	Opponents	Score
Runner-up	1.	1990	USSR Tennis National Championship	Kiev, Ukrainian SSR	Elena Pogorelova	Svetlana Komleva Maria Chirikova	3–6, 2–6

References

1. "Irina Zvereva". ITF Tennis. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
2. "Moscow 1990". ITF Tennis. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
3. "Can Alexander Zverev become the world's best tennis player?". The Economist. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
4. "Irina Zvereva Matches". WTA Tennis. Retrieved 23 November 2019.

External links

• Irina Zvereva at the Women's Tennis Association
• Irina Zvereva at the International Tennis Federation