 | Born: 27/4/72 Nationality: Italian Seeded: 15 World ranking: 16 French Open best:
4th round (2002, 2001) Recent record:
2003: 3rd round
2002: 4th round
2001: 4th round |
The Italian is making steady progress towards the heady heights of the top 10 after a stop-start year in 2003. Injuries to her back and right leg meant Farina Elia played only two thirds of her normal number of matches last year.
The 32-year-old made a strong start to 2004, losing to Paola Suarez in the Canberra final before making the last 16 at the Australian Open where she ran into Kim Clijsters.
Impressive runs to the last eight in Paris and the final in Antwerp were halted again by Clijsters as Farina Elia became a regular in the latter stages of tournaments.
Indeed, it has taken the likes of Amelie Mauresmo, Jennifer Capriati or in-form Svetlana Kuznetsova to stop the Italian elsewhere this year.
She has only one Grand Slam quarter-final appearance to her name, surprisingly at Wimbledon, but the clay-courter could match that effort at Roland Garros this time.
MMIX
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