Tatjana Ječmenica


Tatjana Ječmenica-Jevtić is a Serbian former professional tennis player. Since 2014 she is the captain of Serbia Fed Cup team, which is her second stint at the helm, having previously led the team between 2005–2007.
Ječmenica won six singles and three doubles titles on the ITF tour in her career. On 24 June 1996, she reached her best singles ranking of world No. 72. On 29 July 1996, she peaked at world No. 88 in the doubles rankings.
At Grand Slams her best result was reaching the second round at the US Open in 1995 and at the French Open in 1996.

Career

Ječmenica started playing tennis in her hometown of Novi Sad at the age of 7 and attended the same school and played in the same tennis club as Monica Seles.

Juniors

In 1993, as a 2nd seed Ječmenica reached the final of Orange Bowl 16s, where she was defeated by 5th seed Stephanie Halsell, who avenged previous years loss to Ječmenica in the quarterfinals of Junior Orange Bowl 14s. She won Port Washington 14s. In 1994, she lost in the first round of Junior French Open, but won German Junior Open, a Grade 1 event, without losing a set in the tournament.
Junior Grand Slam results - Singles:
Australian Open: –

French Open: 1R

Wimbledon: –

US Open: –

Junior Grand Slam results - Doubles:
Australian Open: –

French Open: 2R

Wimbledon: –

US Open: –

Professional

As a very perspective youth she enrolled at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy. Her career high in WTA rankings was No. 72 in singles on 24 June 1996 and No. 88 in doubles on 29 July 1996. She won six tournaments in singles and three in doubles on the ITF Circuit. At Grand Slams her best result was reaching the second round at the US Open in 1995 and at the French Open in 1996.
After her longtime coach, Dragan Ćirić Šeki, who coached her since she was 9, died in a car accident on 10 October 1997, Ječmenica didn't play for five months after being unable to find a new coach. She also briefly trained at the Nikola Pilić Tennis Academy before retiring in 1998 at the age of 20.
In 2001, she played her first doubles tournament in over three years and over the next several years would play two more doubles tournaments, reaching one final in 2004, before retiring for good in 2005.

Coaching

Following her playing career, Ječmenica became a tennis coach and in 2004 founded a tennis school "Ječmenica" in her hometown of Novi Sad for children aged 5 to 20, with some being ranked in the top 10 in the country.
She served as the captain of Serbia Fed Cup team from 2005 until her resignation on 20 February 2007.
On 5 November 2014, Ječmenica was named the captain of Serbia's Fed Cup team for the second time.

ITF finals: 16 (9–7)

Singles: 9 (6–3)

OutcomeNo.DateCategoryTournamentSurfaceOpponentScore
Runner-up1.4 April 1993$10,000Marsa, MaltaClay Stefania Indemini2–6, 6–2, 2–6
Runner-up2.13 June 1993$10,000Murska, SloveniaClay Rita Kuti-Kis2–6, 3–6
Winner1.12 September 1993$10,000Varna, BulgariaClay Antoaneta Pandjerova6–2, 3–6, 6–2
Winner2.30 January 1994$10,000Austin, United StatesHard Tatiana Panova6–4, 6–7, 7–6
Winner3.19 June 1994$10,000Maribor, SloveniaClay Zdeňka Málková6–1, 6–7, 6–3
Winner4.3 July 1994$25,000Vaihingen, GermanyClay Svetlana Komleva6–3, 7–6
Runner-up3.20 November 1994$25,000Bad Gögging, GermanyCarpet Silke Meier6–4, 4–6, 3–6
Winner5.11 June 1995$25,000Novi Sad, FR YugoslaviaClay Andrea Glass7–6, 6–1
Winner6.6 August 1995$25,000Budapest, HungaryClay Barbara Mulej6–3, 6–2

Doubles: 7 (3–4)

OutcomeNo.DateCategoryTournamentSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore
Runner-up1.30 October 1994$25,000Poitiers, FranceHard Svetlana Krivencheva Ludmila Richterová
Helena Vildová
6–7, 1–6
Winners1.20 November 1994$25,000Bad Gögging, GermanyCarpet Cătălina Cristea Kateřina Kroupová
Jana Pospíšilová
3–6, 6–3, 6–2
Runner-up2.10 June 1995$25,000Novi Sad, FR YugoslaviaClay Antoaneta Pandjerova Laura Montalvo
Larissa Schaerer
7–5, 1–6, 1–6
Runner-up3.9 July 1995$25,000Vaihingen, GermanyClay Elena Tatarkova Henrieta Nagyová
Radka Zrubáková
3–6, 6–7
Winners2.6 August 1995$25,000Budapest, HungaryClay Svetlana Krivencheva Magdalena Feistel
Helena Vildová
6–4, 6–3
Winners3.17 May 1998$10,000Novi Sad, FR YugoslaviaClay Dragana Zarić Antoaneta Pandjerova
Desislava Topalova
6–2, 7–5
Runner-up4.24 July 2004$10,000Palić, Serbia and MontenegroClay Ana-Maria Zubori Karolina Jovanović
Nataša Zorić
1–6, 4–6