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#2 Anastasia Myskina
Anastasia Myskina owns a number of famous firsts in Russian tennis history – she was the first Russian woman to win the home Kremlin Cup, the first to crack the Top 3 in the rankings and most significantly, the first ever Russian woman to capture a Grand Slam title.
That famous victory at the 2004 French Open ignited the Russian revolution in women’s tennis. Myskina would hold her nerve to save match points in the quarter final victory over countrywoman Svetlana Kuznetsova before seeing off former world number 1s Venus Williams and Jennifer Capriati in the ensuing rounds to set up a meeting with compatriot Elena Dementieva in the final.
Dementieva would be dispatched off in emphatic fashion (6-1,6-2) and Myskina would collect the prestigious Coupe Suzanne Lenglen to announce the advent of the Russians to women’s tennis forefront. She would reach a career high ranking of Number 2 soon after.
Myskina would spearhead Russia’s Fed Cup campaign that season, winning 8 out of 9 matches she played. The Muscovite would win both her singles matches in straight sets in the final before teaming up with Vera Zvonareva to triumph in the decisive doubles match as Russia would edge France 3-2 to record their first ever title.
She would have mixed fortunes in the following years.Despite helping Russia to another Fed Cup triumph in 2005,injuries would force her off the court in 2007.
She has made a return to tennis as the Captain of the Russian Fed Cup team and has already led the team to the final where they would meet the Czech Republic on November 2015.
