HUBER REGAINS WTA DOUBLES TOP RANKING

Written by: Staff on 12th September 2011

HUBER REGAINS WTA DOUBLES TOP RANKING

Lisa Raymond of the US (L) and Liezel Huber of the US (R) hold the championship trophy after defeating Vania King of the US and Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan in the women's doubles final match on the fourteenth day of the 2011 US Open Tennis Championship at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA 11 September 2011. The US Open has been extended due to weather for the fourth year in a row and the men's final will now be played on 12 September 2011. EPA/MATT CAMPBELL |

American Liezel Huber will reclaim the WTA doubles World No.1 ranking on Monday, September 12, 2011, following today’s victory in the US Open doubles final. Huber returns to No.1 for the third time in her career on the heels of winning her fifth Grand Slam doubles title with compatriot Lisa Raymond. She replaces the joint No.1 doubles team of Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik, who held the top ranking for ten weeks following their Wimbledon title in July.

“I am so happy to become the No.1 doubles player again. It’s even sweeter to win the US Open to get back to No.1 and I couldn’t have done it without my partner, Lisa,” Huber said.

Only one of six players in WTA history to hold the doubles No.1 ranking for more than 100 weeks, Huber will increase her total number of weeks at the top to at least 148, through the week of September 12. Only Martina Navratilova (237) and Cara Black (163) have held the doubles No.1 ranking for more weeks than Huber.

After holding the joint No.1 doubles ranking with Black from November 12, 2007, to April 18, 2010 (127 weeks), Huber became the stand-alone No.1 after capturing the title at the 2010 Family Circle Cup in Charleston (with Nadia Petrova). Huber remained at the top of the rankings for an additional seven weeks, bringing her total to 134 consecutive weeks, before relinquishing the top spot to Venus and Serena Williams. After an eight-week hiatus, Huber returned to No.1 for 13 weeks (August 2 to October 31, 2010).

Huber has won 46 career doubles titles, including three so far this year: the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships (with Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez), the Rogers Cup (Toronto) and the US Open (both with Raymond). She also finished runner-up four times in 2011.

Huber now owns five Grand Slam doubles titles (2005 Wimbledon, 2007 Australian Open, 2007 Wimbledon and 2008 US Open, with Black; and 2011 US Open, with Raymond) and two WTA Championship titles (2007-2008, with Black). A proud member of the US Fed Cup, she was a key member of the US team that won back-to-back finals in 2009-2010.

Awarded the WTA’s Humanitarian of the Year award in 2005 and 2007, Huber started her own foundation, Liezel’s Cause, which provides everyday necessities and assistance to victims of Hurricane Katrina and Rita, helping families get back on their feet.