Kateryna Bondarenko - 2009

2009

Bondarenko began the year with first round losses at 2009 Brisbane International to eventual champion Victoria Azarenka and at 2009 Moorilla Hobart International losing to Magdaléna Rybáriková. At the 2009 Australian Open Bondarenko upset No.9 Agnieszka Radwańska in the first round before losing to Jie Zheng in the third round. However, she followed it up with 3 straight losses at the first round of 2009 Dubai Tennis Championships, 2009 BNP Paribas Open, and 2009 Sony Ericsson Open.

She then claimed her first victory in 2 months over Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová at the 2009 MPS Group Championships before losing to sister Alona in the second round. She then made a good run on clay considering her low ranking by reaching the third round of both the 2009 MPS Group Championships and the 2009 French Open, as well as the second round of the 2009 Warsaw Open. She then reached the second round at the grass tournaments 2009 Ordina Open, where she lost to Daniela Hantuchová, and the 2009 Wimbledon Championships, where she lost to Venus Williams.

She then reached the quarterfinals of the 2009 ECM Prague Open losing to Francesca Schiavone, after beating her sister Alona in the first round, and the second rounds of 2009 GDF SUEZ Grand Prix and the 2009 Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open losing to Serena Williams. She then upset Venus Williams in the second round of the 2009 Rogers Cup before losing to Agnieszka Radwańska in the following round.

In the first round of the 2009 U.S. Open, Bondarenko upset Ana Ivanović in a tight three-set match, defending a match point 2–6, 6–3, 7–6. She then made quick work of Shenay Perry and Anastasia Rodionova in the following rounds, defeating them in straight sets. In the fourth round, she crushed Gisela Dulko 6–0, 6–0, who had defeated her sister in the second round, to reach her first Grand Slam quarterfinal where she lost to Yanina Wickmayer 5–7, 4–6. She was the first Ukrainian female tennis player to reach a Grand Slam Quarterfinal.

Bondarenko had some success in the Toray Pan Pacific Open. She won her opening round match, defeating Anna-Lena Grönefeld 6–3, 6–1 before causing a big upset in the 2nd round where she defeated 3rd seed Elena Dementieva 6–2, 6–7, 6–1. In the third round she lost to Li Na in a close three setter 6–2, 5–7, 3–6.