Katerina Maleeva


Katerina Maleeva is a former top 10 Bulgarian tennis player. She played in the WTA Tour, competing in singles, doubles and mixed doubles between 1984 and 1997. Her best position in the WTA singles ranking was No. 6 in 1990.

Biography

Born in Sofia, Maleeva was the second oldest of the three children of Georgi Maleev and Yuliya Berberyan. Her mother came from an Armenian family, which found refuge in Bulgaria after the 1896 Armenian massacres in the Ottoman Empire, was the best Bulgarian tennis player in the 1960s. After she retired from professional tennis in the 1970s, Berberyan started a coaching career. She was the coach of her three daughters, Katerina, Manuela and Magdalena, each of whom eventually became WTA top 10 players.
Throughout her professional career, Maleeva has won a total of 11 WTA singles titles and two titles in doubles. In July 1990, she achieved her career-high ranking of 6th. She has a record of 369 singles wins and 210 losses. In 1994, she married Georgi Stoimenov. The couple have two children and currently live in Sofia.

Major finals

Grand Slam tournaments

Doubles: 1 runner-up

WTA career finals

Singles: 20 (11–9)

OutcomeNo.DateTournamentSurfaceOpponentScore
Winner1.1 April 1985Seabrook Island, USAClay Virginia Ruzici6–3, 6–3
Runner-up1.22 April 1985Orlando, USAClay Martina Navratilova1–6, 0–6
Winner2.4 November 1985Hilversum, NetherlandsCarpet Carina Karlsson6–3, 6–2
Winner3.13 April 1987Tokyo, JapanHard Barbara Gerken6–2, 6–3
Winner4.5 October 1987Athens, GreeceClay Julie Halard6–0, 6–1
Runner-up2.29 February 1988San Antonio, USAHard Steffi Graf4–6, 1–6
Runner-up3.25 July 1988Hamburg, West GermanyClay Steffi Graf4–6, 2–6
Winner5.24 October 1988Indianapolis, USAHard Zina Garrison6–3, 2–6, 6–2
Winner6.24 July 1989Båstad, SwedenClay Sabine Hack6–1, 6–3
Runner-up4.31 July 1989Sofia, BulgariaClay Isabel Cueto2–6, 6–7
Winner7.16 October 1989Bayonne, FranceHard Conchita Martínez6–2, 6–2
Winner8.30 October 1989Indianapolis, USAHard Raffaella Reggi6–4, 6–4
Winner9.26 March 1990Houston, USAClay Arantxa Sánchez Vicario6–1, 1–6, 6–4
Runner-up5.16 April 1990Tampa, USAClay Monica Seles1–6, 0–6
Runner-up6.30 July 1990Montreal, CanadaHard Steffi Graf1–6, 7–6, 3–6
Runner-up7.5 August 1991Toronto, CanadaHard Jennifer Capriati2–6, 3–6
Runner-up8.19 August 1991Washington, USAHard Arantxa Sánchez Vicario2–6, 5–7
Winner10.11 November 1991Indianapolis, USAHard Audra Keller7–6, 6–2
Runner-up9.1 November 1993Quebec, CanadaHard Nathalie Tauziat4–6, 1–6
Winner11.31 October 1994Quebec, CanadaCarpet Brenda Schultz6–3, 6–3

Doubles: 10 (2–8)

OutcomeNo.DateTournamentSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Winner1.22 July 1985Indianapolis, USAClay Manuela Maleeva :fr:Penny Barg|Penny Barg
Paula Smith
3–6, 6–3, 6–4
Runner-up1.8 September 1986Tokyo, JapanCarpet Manuela Maleeva Bettina Bunge
Steffi Graf
1–6, 7–6, 2–6
Runner-up2.14 September 1987Tokyo, JapanCarpet Manuela Maleeva Anne White
Robin White
1–6, 2–6
Runner-up3.11 July 1988Brussels, BelgiumClay Raffaella Reggi Mercedes Paz
Tine Scheuer-Larsen
6–7, 1–6
Runner-up4.8 August 1988Sofia, BulgariaHard Sabrina Goleš Conchita Martínez
Barbara Paulus
6–1, 1–6, 4–6
Runner-up5.24 July 1989Båstad, SwedenClay Sabrina Goleš Mercedes Paz
Tine Scheuer-Larsen
2–6, 5–7
Winner2.3 February 1992Essen, GermanyCarpet Barbara Rittner Sabine Appelmans
Claudia Porwik
7–5, 6–3
Runner-up6.4 May 1992Rome, ItalyClay Barbara Rittner Monica Seles
Helena Suková
1–6, 2–6
Runner-up7.1 November 1993Quebec, CanadaHard Nathalie Tauziat Katrina Adams
Manon Bollegraf
4–6, 4–6
Runner-up8.29 August 1994US OpenHard Robin White Jana Novotná
Arantxa Sánchez Vicario
3–6, 3–6

ITF Circuit finals: 3 (2–1)

Singles: 2 (1–1)

OutcomeNo.DateTournamentSurfaceOpponentScore
Winner1.11 June 1984Lyon, FranceClay Mercedes Paz7–6, 3–6, 6–2
Runner-up1.16 July 1984Cava Tirr, ItalyClay Laura Garrone1–6, 5–7

Doubles: 1 (1–0)

OutcomeNo.DateTournamentSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Winner1.23 September 1985Sofia, BulgariaClay Manuela Maleeva Yvona Brzáková
Hana Fukárková
6–1, 6–2

Fed Cup

Katerina Maleeva debuted for the Bulgaria Fed Cup team in 1984. Since then she has a 20–9 singles record and a 9–13 doubles record.

Singles (20–9)

Doubles (9–13)