Iveta Benešová
Iveta Benešová is a Czech former tennis player. She began playing tennis at age of seven and turned professional in 1998. She won two WTA Tour singles and 14 doubles tournaments, and one Grand Slam title in mixed doubles, partnering with Jürgen Melzer at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships. On 14 September 2012, she married Melzer and adopted his family name. She announced her retirement from professional tennis on 13 August 2014.
Career
2005–2008
Benešová was the first player to be beaten by Ana Ivanovic in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament, at the 2005 Australian Open.At the 2006 Australian Open, for the first time, she reached the third round of a Grand Slam championship by beating fifth seed Mary Pierce. She lost in the next round to former world No. 1 Martina Hingis.
Entering as a qualifier in the 2008 French Open, she reached the third round, beating 15th seed and compatriate Nicole Vaidišová in the first round, but lost to Petra Cetkovská.
2009
Benešová started the year by playing the first edition of the Brisbane International. She lost in the first round to qualifier Sesil Karatantcheva. A week later, Benešová lost in the final of the tournament in Hobart to fellow-Czech Petra Kvitová. At the Australian Open, she lost in the second round to eventual semifinalist and fourth-seeded Elena Dementieva.Immediately after Australian, Benešová played in front of her home crowd in the Fed Cup tie against Spain. Despite losing her singles rubber to Nuria Llagostera Vives, the Czech team advanced to the semifinals after winning the tie 4–1.
At the Open GdF Suez in Paris, she lost in the first round to world No. 1 Serena Williams. Benešová then reached the semifinals of the tournament in Acapulco, a clay-court event. In the quarterfinals, she beat Mathilde Johansson before losing in the semifinals to defending champion Flavia Pennetta.
On 6 April 2009, Benešová achieved her career-high singles ranking of world No. 25.
Seeded 6th at the first edition of the Monterrey Open, she beat fellow Czech Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová in the quarterfinals before losing in the semifinals to unseeded Li Na.
Benešová fell to Ana Ivanovic in the third round of the French Open.
At Wimbledon, she beat Britain's Katie O'Brien, before falling to Jelena Janković in the second round.
2010
In singles, she defeated Romanian Simona Halep in the final of Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem to win her first WTA Tour trophy since 2004.In doubles, she has won three titles. Along with Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová, she grabbed the titles in Paris as their opponents Cara Black and Liezel Huber withdrew and Monterrey defeating Anna-Lena Grönefeld and Vania King. Partnering with Anabel Medina Garrigues, Benešová won Fes, making her winning both singles and doubles in the tournament.
2011
Benešová reached the fourth round of the Australian Open, but was defeated by second seed Vera Zvonareva.Along with Záhlavová-Strýcová she won four titles in doubles.
At the Wimbledon Championships, she won the mixed doubles title with partner and later husband Jürgen Melzer.
2012
Benešová once again reached the fourth round of the Australian Open, being defeated by eventual champion Victoria Azarenka in straight sets.On 29 April 2012 she won her last title at the Stuttgart doubles, again with Záhlavová-Strýcová.
She paused from playing tournaments until February 2014, mainly due to shoulder problems.
2014
In her first tournament as Iveta Melzer, she and her partner Petra Cetkovská reached the final of the Acapulco doubles which they lost in the third set.At the French Open she played the mixed doubles with her husband Jürgen, they lost in the first round against top seeded Alexander Peya and Abigail Spears. It was their last Grand Slam mixed appearance together, at the Wimbledon mixed doubles Jürgen Melzer partnered Anabel Medina Garrigues.
Iveta Melzer ended her career on 15 August 2014, as shoulder problems prevented her from playing her best tennis.
Personal life
On 14 September 2012 she married Austrian tennis player Jürgen Melzer in Austria at Laxenburg Castle. The relationship ended in 2015 and Iveta changed her name back to Benešová.Grand Slam finals
Mixed doubles: 1 title
WTA career finals
Singles: 8 (2 titles, 6 runner-ups)
| Outcome | No. | Date | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
| Runner-up | 1. | 18 October 2002 | WTA Bratislava | Hard |  Maja Matevžič | 0–6, 1–6 |
| Winner | 1. | 7 March 2004 | Abierto Mexicano TELCEL, Acapulco | Clay |  Flavia Pennetta | 7–6, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 2. | 20 April 2004 | Portugal Open, Estoril | Clay |  Émilie Loit | 5–7, 6–7 |
| Runner-up | 3. | 28 August 2004 | Forest Hills, Queens | Hard |  Elena Likhovtseva | 3–6, 2–6 |
| Runner-up | 4. | 16 January 2006 | Moorilla Hobart International | Hard |  Michaëlla Krajicek | 1–6, 2–6 |
| Runner-up | 5. | 20 May 2008 | Portugal Open, Estoril | Clay | Maria Kirilenko | 4–6, 2–6 |
| Runner-up | 6. | 16 January 2009 | Moorilla Hobart International | Hard |  Petra Kvitová | 5–7, 1–6 |
| Winner | 2. | 1 May 2010 | Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem, Fes | Clay |  Simona Halep | 6–4, 6–2 |
Doubles: 26 (14 titles, 12 runner-ups)
| Outcome | No. | Date | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
| Runner-up | 1. | 18 July 2004 | Bank of the West Classic, Stanford | Hard |  Claudine Schaul |  Eleni Daniilidou  Nicole Pratt | 2–6, 4–6 |
| Winner | 1. | 13 February 2005 | Open Gaz de France, Paris | Carpet | Květa Peschke |  Anabel Medina Garrigues Dinara Safina | 6–2, 2–6, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 2. | 24 April 2005 | Family Circle Cup, Charleston | Clay | Kveta Peschke | Conchita Martínez Virginia Ruano Pascual | 1–6, 4–6 |
| Runner-up | 3. | 18 June 2005 | Ordina Open, 's-Hertogenbosch | Grass | Nuria Llagostera Vives | Anabel Medina Garrigues Dinara Safina | 6–4, 2–6, 7–6 |
| Runner-up | 4. | 15 October 2006 | Kremlin Cup, Moscow | Carpet | Galina Voskoboeva | Francesca Schiavone Květa Peschke | 4–6, 7–6, 1–6 |
| Runner-up | 5. | 6 January 2007 | Gold Coast, Queensland | Hard | Galina Voskoboeva | Dinara Safina Katarina Srebotnik | 3–6, 4–6 |
| Winner | 2. | 30 September 2007 | Fortis Championships Luxembourg, Luxembourg City | Hard |  Janette Husárová |  Victoria Azarenka  Shahar Pe'er | 6–4, 6–2 |
| Winner | 3. | 23 February 2008 | Copa Colsanitas, Bogotá | Clay |  Bethanie Mattek |  Jelena Kostanić Tošić  Martina Müller | 6–3, 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 6. | 1 March 2008 | Abierto Mexicano Telcel, Acapulco | Clay | Petra Cetkovská | Nuria Llagostera Vives María José Martínez Sánchez | 2–6, 4–6 |
| Runner-up | 7. | 18 May 2008 | Internazionali BNL d'Italia, Rome | Clay | Janette Husárová |  Chuang Chia-jung  Chan Yung-jan | 6–7, 3–6 |
| Winner | 4. | 3 August 2008 | Nordea Nordic Light Open, Stockholm | Hard | Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová | Petra Cetkovská Lucie Šafářová | 7–5, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 8. | 2 March 2009 | Monterrey Open | Hard | Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová | Mara Santangelo Nathalie Dechy | 3–6, 4–6 |
| Runner-up | 9. | 13 July 2009 | ECM Prague Open | Clay | Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová |  Kateryna Bondarenko Alona Bondarenko | 1–6, 2–6 |
| Runner-up | 10. | 29 August 2009 | Pilot Pen Tennis, New Haven | Hard | Lucie Hradecká | Nuria Llagostera Vives María José Martínez Sánchez | 2–6, 6–7 |
| Winner | 5. | 25 October 2009 | BGL Luxembourg Open, Luxembourg City | Hard | Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová | Vladimíra Uhlířová Renata Voráčová | 6–1, 0–6, |
| Winner | 6. | 14 February 2010 | Open Gaz de France, Paris | Hard | Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová |  Cara Black Liezel Huber | w/o |
| Winner | 7. | 7 March 2010 | Monterrey Open | Hard | Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová | Anna-Lena Grönefeld Vania King | 3–6, 6–4, |
| Winner | 8. | 1 May 2010 | Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem, Fes | Clay | Anabel Medina Garrigues | Lucie Hradecká Renata Voráčová | 6–3, 6–1 |
| Winner | 9. | 2 October 2010 | Toray Pan Pacific Open, Tokyo | Hard | Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová | Shahar Pe'er  Peng Shuai | 6–4, 4–6, |
| Runner-up | 11. | 24 October 2010 | BGL Luxembourg Open, Luxembourg City | Hard | Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová |  Timea Bacsinszky Tathiana Garbin | 4–6, 4–6 |
| Winner | 10. | 14 January 2011 | Medibank International Sydney | Hard | Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová | Květa Peschke Katarina Srebotnik | 4–6, 6–4, |
| Winner | 11. | 6 March 2011 | Monterrey Open | Hard | Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová | Anna-Lena Grönefeld Vania King | 6–7, 6–2, |
| Winner | 12. | 1 May 2011 | Barcelona Ladies Open | Clay | Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová |  Natalie Grandin Vladimíra Uhlířová | 5–7, 6–4, |
| Winner | 13. | 25 October 2011 | BGL Luxembourg Open, Luxembourg City | Hard | Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová | Lucie Hradecká Ekaterina Makarova | 7–5, 6–3 |
| Winner | 14. | 29 April 2012 | Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, Stuttgart | Clay | Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová | Julia Görges Anna-Lena Grönefeld | 6–4, 7–5 |
| Runner-up | 12. | 2 March 2014 | Abierto Mexicano Telcel, Acapulco | Hard | Petra Cetkovská | Kristina Mladenovic  Galina Voskoboeva | 3–6, 6–2, |