Selima Sfar

Selima Sfar

Selima Sfar at the 2009 Open GDF Suez
Country (sports)	Tunisia
Residence	Biarritz, France
Born	(1977-07-08) 8 July 1977 (age 44) Sidi Bou Said, Tunisia
Height	1.66 m (5 ft 5 in)
Turned pro	1999
Retired	2011
Plays	Right (two-handed backhand)
Prize money	$876,041
Singles
Career record	395–383
Career titles	11 ITF
Highest ranking	No. 75 (16 July 2001)
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open	1R (2002, 2005)
French Open	2R (2001, 2008)
Wimbledon	2R (2001, 2002, 2005)
US Open	2R (2001)
Other tournaments
Olympic Games	1R (1996, 2008)
Doubles
Career record	238–201
Career titles	21 ITF
Highest ranking	No. 47 (28 July 2008)
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open	2R (2006, 2008)
French Open	2R (2005, 2007)
Wimbledon	QF (2008)
US Open	2R (2005, 2006, 2007)

Selima Sfar (Arabic: سليمة صفر Salima Safar; born 8 July 1977) is a retired Tunisian tennis player.

She turned professional in 1999 and has been ranked as high as 75th in the world (16 July 2001). Sfar is the second highest ranked female Tunisian and Arab player. She has experienced most of her success in ITF tournaments, winning 11 singles titles and 21 doubles titles.

Biography[]

Left Tunis at age 13 to live and train with Nathalie Tauziat in Biarritz, France. The serve-and-volleyer preferred indoor hardcourts; favorite shots were serve, backhand. Father, Moncef, is a physician; mother, Zeineb, is a dermatologist; older sister is Sonia and younger brother is Hassan.

Most memorable experience was qualifying for her favourite tournament, the US Open, in 2000.

Tennis career[]

Sfar was able to receive wildcards for Middle Eastern tournaments in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. At the Dubai Tennis Championships in 2001, she reached the quarterfinals, beating Silvija Talaja and Barbara Schett before being defeated by Nathalie Tauziat, in three sets.

Sfar played for the Tunisia Fed Cup team, going 41–24. She also competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics, losing in the first round to Brenda Schultz-McCarthy, and the 2008 Summer Olympics, losing in the first round to Caroline Wozniacki. Sfar holds the records for the Tunesian in the Fed Cup with the most wins, the most singles wins, the most doubles wins, the most ties played, and the most years played.^[1]

At the 2008 Wimbledon Championships, Sfar and her partner Ekaterina Makarova reached the quarterfinals of the ladies' doubles, before they were defeated by Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur.

In 2011, Sfar announced her retirement from professional tennis. In the meantime, she became a commentator for Qatari sports channel "JSC Sport".

At the 2015 Wimbledon Championships, Sfar teamed with Martina Navratilova for the Invitational Ladies Doubles, and they won all three of their matches in their group.

ITF finals[]

Singles: 19 (11–8)[]

Outcome	No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Winner	1.	14 August 1994	ITF Carthage, Tunisia	Clay	Anne-Gaëlle Sidot	5–7, 6–3, 6–4
Winner	2.	26 March 1995	ITF Moulins, France	Hard (i)	Linda Sentis	3–6, 6–3, 6–2
Winner	3.	26 November 1995	ITF Le Havre, France	Clay (i)	Émilie Loit	0–6, 6–3, 6–4
Winner	4.	4 February 1996	ITF Dinan, France	Clay (i)	Virginie Massart	6–4, 7–6(8)
Winner	5.	11 August 1996	ITF Carthage, Tunisia	Clay	Marielle Bruens	7–5, 6–4
Winner	6.	14 December 1997	ITF Ismailia, Egypt	Clay	Tzipora Obziler	5–7, 7–5, 6–4
Runner-up	1.	22 June 1998	ITF Sezze, Italy	Clay	Alice Canepa	5–7, 2–6
Winner	7.	30 April 2000	ITF Bournemouth, United Kingdom	Clay	Dragana Zarić	7–5, 6–2
Runner-up	2.	17 July 2000	ITF Le Touquet, France	Clay	Bianka Lamade	5–7, 4–6
Runner-up	3.	31 July 2000	Open Saint-Gaudens, France	Clay	Elena Tatarkova	4–6, 4–6
Winner	8.	22 September 2002	ITF Glasgow, United Kingdom	Hard (i)	Anne Keothavong	7–6(5), 2–6, 7–6(8)
Winner	9.	3 November 2002	ITF Nottingham, United Kingdom	Hard (i)	Lilia Osterloh	6–2, 6–2
Runner-up	4.	26 July 2004	ITF Modena, Italy	Clay	Anna-Lena Grönefeld	2–6, 4–6
Runner-up	5.	1 November 2004	ITF Sint-Katelijne-Waver, Belgium	Hard (i)	Yvonne Meusburger	4–6, 3–6
Winner	10.	14 May 2006	ITF Jounieh, Lebanon	Clay	Anastasiya Yakimova	6–4, 7–5
Runner-up	6.	10 April 2007	Open de Biarritz, France	Clay	Pauline Parmentier	2–6, 4–6
Winner	11.	13 May 2007	ITF Jounieh, Lebanon	Clay	Mariya Koryttseva	6–2, 4–6, 7–6(3)
Runner-up	7.	7 April 2008	Open de Biarritz, France	Clay	Kathrin Wörle	1–6, 3–6
Runner-up	8.	5 July 2009	ITF Mont-de-Marsan, France	Clay	Anna Gerasimou	5–7, 3–6

Doubles: 33 (21–12)[]

Outcome	No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Winner	1.	25 July 1994	ITF La Coruña, Spain	Clay	Olivia de Camaret	Sandra de Rafael Paula Hermida	4–6, 6–2, 6–3
Winner	2.	1 August 1994	ITF Casablanca, Morocco	Clay	Olivia de Camaret	Cora Hofmann Alexandra Seitarth	4–6, 6–1, 6–0
Runner-up	1.	5 August 1996	ITF Carthage, Tunisia	Clay	Sandrine Bouilleau	Mariëlle Bruens Bahia Mouhtassine	w/o
Winner	3.	21 April 1997	ITF Guimarães, Portugal	Hard	Élodie Le Bescond	Kildine Chevalier Jindra Gabrisová	6–4, 6–2
Winner	4.	8 December 1997	ITF Ismailia, Egypt	Clay	Bérangère Karpenschif	Bianca Kamper Nicole Remis	6–3, 7–6(5)
Runner-up	2.	11 May 1998	ITF Le Touquet, France	Clay	Élodie Le Bescond	Vanina Casanova Romina Ottoboni	6–7, 0–1 ret.
Winner	5.	22 June 1998	ITF Sezze, Italy	Clay	Vanina Casanova	Alice Canepa Alessia Lombardi	6–3, 6–1
Winner	6.	20 July 1998	ITF Valladolid, Spain	Hard	Gisela Riera	Eva Bes Rosa María Andrés Rodríguez	7–6(5), 7–6(3)
Runner-up	3.	27 July 1998	ITF Pamplona, Spain	Hard	Meike Fröhlich	Eva Bes Amanda Hopmans	w/o
Winner	7.	10 May 1999	ITF Edinburgh, United Kingdom	Clay	Jo Ward	Surina De Beer Lorna Woodroffe	6–4, 6–2
Runner-up	4.	26 July 1999	ITF Pamplona, Spain	Hard	Jo Ward	Hiroko Mochizuki Ludmila Richterová	6–2, 4–6, 3–6
Winner	8.	2 August 1999	ITF Perigueux, France	Clay	Jo Ward	Hanna-Katri Aalto Rika Fujiwara	6–4, 6–3
Runner-up	5.	6 February 2000	ITF Jersey, United Kingdom	Hard (i)	Jo Ward	Elena Bovina Anna Zaporozhanova	3–6, 2–6
Winner	9.	24 April 2000	ITF Bournemouth, United Kingdom	Clay	Lorna Woodroffe	Hannah Collin Zsófia Gubacsi	6–1, 6–0
Winner	10.	1 May 2000	ITF Hatfield, United Kingdom	Clay	Jo Ward	Zsófia Gubacsi Jasmin Wöhr	7–6(6), 6–2
Runner-up	6.	15 May 2000	ITF Edinburgh, United Kingdom	Clay	Lorna Woodroffe	Natalie Grandin Nicole Rencken	6–0, 3–6, 4–6
Runner-up	7.	3 November 2002	ITF Nottingham, United Kingdom	Hard (i)	Lucie Ahl	Kim Grant Lilia Osterloh	1–6, 2–6
Winner	11.	20 April 2003	ITF Biarritz, France	Clay	Lucie Ahl	Yuliya Beygelzimer Anna Zaporozhanova	6–1, 6–1
Runner-up	8.	18 August 2003	ITF Bronx, United States	Hard	Mara Santangelo	Yuliya Beygelzimer Tatiana Poutchek	4–6, 5–7
Winner	12.	13 September 2004	ITF Bordeaux, France	Clay	Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro	Erica Krauth Jasmin Wöhr	3–6, 6–3, 6–3
Runner-up	9.	10 October 2004	ITF Joué-lès-Tours, France	Clay	Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro	Květa Peschke Angelika Rösch	w/o
Winner	13.	18 October 2004	ITF Saint-Raphaël, France	Hard (i)	Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro	Barbora Strýcová Galina Voskoboeva	7–6(3), 2–6, 6–4
Winner	14.	1 November 2004	ITF Sint-Katelijne-Waver, Belgium	Hard (i)	Virginie Pichet	Eva Fislová Stanislava Hrozenská	6–1, 7–6(2)
Winner	15.	23 November 2004	ITF Poitiers, France	Hard (i)	Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro	Gabriela Chmelinová Michaela Paštiková	7–5, 6–4
Winner	16.	12 April 2005	Open de Biarritz, France	Clay	Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro	Timea Bacsinszky Aurélie Védy	6–2, 6–1
Winner	17.	15 November 2005	ITF Deauville, France	Clay (i)	Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro	Alona Bondarenko Kateryna Bondarenko	6–3, 6–1
Runner-up	10.	26 March 2007	ITF Latina, Italy	Hard	Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro	Sara Errani Giulia Gabba	3–6, 6–1, 6–7(2)
Runner-up	11.	6 April 2008	ITF Torhout, Belgium	Hard	Stéphanie Cohen-Alor	Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova Yanina Wickmayer	4–6, 6–4, [8–10]
Winner	18.	20 July 2009	ITF Pétange, Luxembourg	Clay	Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro	Darija Jurak Kathrin Wörle	6–2, 3–6, [10–7]
Winner	19.	12 October 2009	ITF Joué-lès-Tours, France	Hard	Youlia Fedossova	Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro Aurélie Védy	4–6, 6–0, [10–8]
Winner	20.	22 February 2010	ITF Biberach, Germany	Hard (i)	Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro	Mona Barthel Carmen Klaschka	5–7, 6–1, [10–5]
Runner-up	12.	17 October 2010	ITF Joué-lès-Tours, France	Hard (i)	Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro	Tatjana Malek Irena Pavlovic	4–6, 7–5, [8–10]
Winner	21.	24 January 2011	ITF Grenoble, France	Hard (i)	Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro	Iryna Brémond Aurélie Védy	6–1, 6–3

References[]

External links[]

• Selima Sfar at the Women's Tennis Association
• Selima Sfar at the International Tennis Federation
• Selima Sfar at the Billie Jean King Cup