DOB: 01.04.1975 Nationality: Bulgarian World Ranking: 14 Australian Open record:  2002 :: fourth round 2001 :: first round 2000 :: first round 1999 :: n/a 1998 :: first round

The star of a documentary which went behind the scenes on the WTA Tour, Maleeva's new-found fame coincided with a return to form on the court in 2002.

After a quiet start to the season, the 27-year-old reached the semi-finals of a tournament in Strasbourg and then made the last 16 at Wimbledon.

But the highlight was her tremendous title win in Moscow when she overcame Venus Williams, Amelie Mauresmo and Lindsay Davenport.

Her best result in a Grand Slam was back in 1992 when she stunned Martina Navratilova before surging into the quarter-finals of the US Open.