Igor Kunitsyn - Tennis Career

Tennis Career

Kunitsyn is arguably best known for two matches against compatriot Marat Safin. The first of which was at the 2007 Tennis Channel Open's round robin stage. Kunitsyn had won the first set 6–4, and had an early break in the 2nd before Safin fought back and then got a 5–3 lead. While serving for the match, Kunitsyn broke Safin and then held to get it to 5–5. The set went to a tiebreaker which Safin won. Kunitsyn was still dangerous, as he won the first 3 games of the 3rd set, before losing the next 4. Kunitsyn performed the same as before, and broke Safin again to get the set on equal terms. At 5–5, Kunitsyn suffered a service break and Safin ultimately won the 3rd set 7–5. The pair met again in the final of the Kremlin Cup, an ATP tournament played in Moscow, which is to date Kunitsyn's only tour final and was Safin's last appearance in an ATP final before his retirement in 2010. In what was a considerable upset, Kunitsyn defeated the former two-time Grand Slam winner and world no. 1 7–6 (6), 6–7 (4), 6–3 for his first and, to date, only professional title.

In August 2008, he made the semifinals of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic, beating Mischa Zverev, Fabio Fognini, and Somdev Devvarman, before losing to Serbia's Viktor Troicki. In June 2009 he lost to Israeli Dudi Sela 6–4, 6–3, at 's-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands in a grass-court tuneup for Wimbledon. In Wimbledon, he lost to Andy Roddick in the second round in four sets, winning the third set.

Heavily favored Russia was hosted by Israel in a Davis Cup quarterfinal tie in July 2009, on indoor hard courts at the Nokia Arena in Tel Aviv. Russia had won the Davis Cup in both 2002 and 2006, and was the top-ranked country in Davis Cup standings. With Israel having won the first two matches, in what proved to be the deciding third match Israelis Andy Ram and Jonathan Erlich beat Kunitsyn and Marat Safin 6–3, 6–4, 6–7 (3), 4–6, 6–4 in front of a boisterous crowd of over 10,000. With the tie clinched for Israel, the reverse singles rubbers were "dead", and instead of best-of-five matches, best-of-three sets were played, with the outcomes of little to no importance. Israel wrapped up a 4–1 victory, as Levy defeated Kunitsyn 6–4, 4–6, 7–6 (2), while Russia won a match as Dudi Sela retired with an injury.

At the 2009 Indianapolis Tennis Championships in July, Kunistyn was beaten in the second round by 23-year-old American Wayne Odesnik, 2–6, 6–1, 6–1.

In Wimbledon 2012, he lost to Go Soeda in the first round match, 3–6, 2–6, 1–6.