By Erik Gudris | Wednesday, April 2, 2014
20-year-old Jana Cepelova earned the biggest win of her career against Serena Williams. Learn more about this rising young player from Slovakia.
Photo Credit: AP
Even Serena Williams admitted she knew little about Jana Cepelova. But the young Slovak made her presence known after upsetting the world No. 1 in Charleston. Find out more about this rising star.
1. Vital Statistics: Cepelova was born on May 29, 1993, in Kosice, Slovakia where she currently resides.
2. Hingis' Hometown: Kosice is also the birthplace of former No. 1 Martina Hingis. Cepelova said that she and Hingis stay in touch with one another. "We know each other a few years, and we speak also about where we grow up and everything."
3. Early Years: On how she got started in tennis -- "I was four years old, my brother, practicing. And also my father and mom was to play with me, and I started like in our city Kosice when I was born. And then my dad joined tennis club when I started playing."
4. From Juniors to Pros: Cepelova won the 2010 European Junior Championships in singles and doubles. She then made her WTA debut at Tashkent as a qualifier in 2011. Cepelova would go on to win five ITF titles from 2011 to 2013.
5. Rankings Rise: Cepelova made her top 100 debut in 2013. She achieved a career high ranking of No. 61 later that summer. Currently, Cepelova is ranked No. 78.
6. Idol Worship: Cepelova's favorite players are Rafael Nadal and Martina Hingis.
7. Favorite Surface: Clay is where Cepelova feels at home. "I really like clay season, and now the second tournament this year, and after this we have Fed Cup competition on hard, but then I will be in preparation for clay season because it's my favorite."
8. On Closing Out Serena: "Yeah, I was 5-3, but Serena was serving and it was 15-30, you know, it was two balls that I can win, but you know, it was tough situation. But I just want to focus for every point, and I would like to also attack her and go for win."
9. Slovakian Success: When asked about the recent success of fellow Slovakians Dominika Cibulkova and Daniela Hantuchova, Cepelova said, "Yeah, because we are on Fed Cup team and we are together, you know. And we support all the girls."
10. Social Savvy: Follow Cepelova on Facebook and her official website.