She was raised by Russia's best and brightest, and the result is the outstanding winner she is today. The two clubs that turned her down at first must be regretting their decisions to this day.
In 2000, she entered the top 20 by winning more than 40 singles matches for second straight year earning over US $600,000. She reached her first Grand Slam semifinal at the US Open losing to Lindsay Davenport becoming the first woman representing Russia to reach a US Open semifinal.
Her reputation earned her the font row, as the Russian Olympic team marched onto the Sydney arena in 2000, where she became the first Russian silver medallist in women's tennis.
2004, Dementieva had a breakthrough year. She opened the season in January at Sydney as world no. 8 and the 6th seed losing the quarterfinal to world no. 5 Lindsay Davenport. Her ranking remained the same at the Australian Open where she was defeated by world no. 79 Jankovic. At Miami, seeded 5th with a first round bye, she eliminated former world no. 1 Venus Williams who was seeded 2nd in the semifinal to face another former world no. 1 top seed two-time defending and eventual champion Serena Williams.
In May 2004, at Roland Garros, seeded 9th, she reached her first Grand Slam final defeating former world no. 1 Lindsay Davenport in straight sets on the way. She lost to compatriot 6th seeded Anastasia Myskina in an unprecedented all-Russian Grand Slam final. It was the first time in the Open Era that three Russian women (Dementieva, Myskina and Sharapova) advanced to a Grand Slam quarterfinal and when she and Myskina reached the semifinals, it was the first time in the Open
Elena was well trained. Her right-handed ground strokes are known for their power. Even Lindsay Davenport once conceded that she could not follow them. But her serves and volleys seem to lack that power. Tennis analysts agree that once she improves upon these points, she will be a perfectly balanced tennis player.
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