Kristina Brandi

Kristina Brandi (born March 29, 1977) is a Puerto Rican former tennis player. She was the first tennis player representing Puerto Rico to win a singles match in an Olympic tennis tournament.

Some of Brandi's career highlights: She achieved her best ranking in singles of number 27 on 4 December 2000, and her highest rank for doubles of number 246 in June 1995. Brandi won one career singles title, in 1999 on grass at 's Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands.

Career

Early years

Brandi was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where she became interested in the sport of tennis at an early age. She made her professional debut in 1995 when she was 17 years old.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Her father is Joe Brandi, who coached Pete Sampras.

USTA Circuit

In 2003, Brandi won the most titles of any woman on the "USTA Circuit".Template:Citation needed She took home trophies from six events. Brandi was a member of the 2003 Puerto Rican Fed Cup team where she captured the singles championship at the $75k event in Albuquerque, New Mexico, plus the $50k event in Troy, Alabama and the $25k event in Peachtree City, Georgia.<ref name="SI">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

2004 Olympics

Brandi represented Puerto Rico in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. She became the first tennis player representing Puerto Rico to win a singles match in an Olympic tournament when she beat Jelena Kostanić from Croatia (7–5, 6–1). She lost in the second round to Russian Anastasia Myskina.<ref>Template:Cite Sports-Reference</ref>

Later years

Kristina Brandi resides in Tampa, Florida and continued to be active on the WTA Tour for many years after the 2004 Olympic Games.

Brandi defended her ITF-Surbiton title, defeating Laura Granville from the U.S. Brandi's grass-court season for 2006 at the WTA Tour level included the main draw of the Birmingham tournament, as well as the qualifying tournament at Eastbourne, before heading to compete in the Wimbledon Championships main draw.

Brandi, who has since retired, is the niece of Andy Brandi who played for the Trinity Tigers men's tennis team in NCAA Division I competition.<ref name=jenkins8221984>Paul Jenkins, "Gators hire new women's tennis coach," The Gainesville Sun, pp. 1D & 4D (August 22, 1984). Retrieved June 16, 2011.</ref>

WTA career finals

Singles: 1 (1 title)

Result	Date	Tier	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Win	20 June 1999	Tier III	Rosmalen Championships, Netherlands	Grass	Template:Flagicon Silvija Talaja	6–0, 3–6, 6–1

ITF Circuit finals

Singles: 25 (16 titles, 9 runner-ups)

Legend $100,000 tournaments $75,000 tournaments $50,000 tournaments $25,000 tournaments $10,000 tournaments

Finals by surface Hard (13–8) Clay (0–0) Grass (3–1) Carpet (0–0)

Result	No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Win	1.	4 July 1994	ITF Indianapolis, United States	Hard	Template:Flagicon Mashona Washington	6–1, 6–3
Loss	2.	25 July 1994	ITF Roanoke, United States	Hard	Template:Flagicon Keiko Nagatomi	6–7, 3–6
Loss	3.	9 October 1995	ITF Sedona, United States	Hard	Template:Flagicon Tami Whitlinger	4–6, 4–6
Loss	4.	6 April 1997	ITF Phoenix, United States	Hard	Template:Flagicon Li Fang	1–6, 2–6
Win	5.	26 January 1998	ITF Clearwater, United States	Hard	Template:Flagicon Mashona Washington	6–1, 6–2
Win	6.	5 April 1998	ITF Phoenix, United States	Hard	Template:Flagicon Lilia Osterloh	6–0, 6–4
Win	7.	20 July 1998	ITF Peachtree City, United States	Hard	Template:Flagicon Anne Kremer	6–3, 6–3
Loss	8.	2 August 1998	ITF Salt Lake City, United States	Hard	Template:Flagicon Mariaan de Swardt	2–6, 2–6
Win	9.	1 November 1998	ITF Austin, United States	Hard	Template:Flagicon Meilen Tu	3–6, 6–3, 6–4
Win	10.	1 August 1999	ITF Salt Lake City, United States	Hard	Template:Flagicon Li Fang	6–4, 6–3
Loss	11.	30 April 2000	ITF Sarasota, United States	Hard	Template:Flagicon Meghann Shaughnessy	1–6, 3–6
Loss	12.	4 June 2001	ITF Surbiton, United Kingdom	Grass	Template:Flagicon Rika Fujiwara	3–6, 3–6
Win	13.	13 May 2003	ITF Charlottesville, United States	Clay	Template:Flagicon Christina Wheeler	4–6, 6–4, 6–2
Win	14.	8 June 2003	ITF Surbiton, United Kingdom	Grass	Template:Flagicon Cho Yoon-jeong	6–1, 6–3
Win	15.	8 July 2003	ITF College Park, United States	Hard	Template:Flagicon Lioudmila Skavronskaia	6–1, 6–1
Win	16.	28 July 2003	ITF Louisville, United States	Hard	Template:Flagicon Shenay Perry	3–6, 6–4, 6–4
Win	17.	14 September 2003	ITF Peachtree City, United States	Hard	Template:Flagicon Allison Bradshaw	6–0, 6–1
Win	18.	22 September 2003	ITF Albuquerque, United States	Hard	Template:Flagicon Milagros Sequera	6–2, 6–2
Win	19.	5 October 2003	ITF Troy, United States	Hard	Template:Flagicon Maria Elena Camerin	7–6(7), 6–3
Loss	20.	19 October 2003	ITF Sedona, United States	Hard	Template:Flagicon Samantha Reeves	5–7, 6–1, 4–6
Win	21.	4 June 2005	ITF Surbiton, United Kingdom	Grass	Template:Flagicon Laura Granville	6–3, 6–1
Loss	22.	2 October 2005	ITF Ashland, United States	Hard	Template:Flagicon Napaporn Tongsalee	4–6, 6–2, 4–6
Win	23.	16 October 2005	ITF San Francisco, United States	Hard	Template:Flagicon Lilia Osterloh	5–7, 6–4, 6–4
Win	24.	10 June 2006	ITF Surbiton, United Kingdom	Grass	Template:Flagicon Laura Granville	7–5, 6–0
Loss	25.	19 September 2006	ITF Albuquerque, United States	Hard	Template:Flagdeco Ahsha Rolle	2–6, 4–6

Doubles: 6 (1 title, 5 runner-ups)

$100,000 tournaments

$75,000 tournaments

$50,000 tournaments

$25,000 tournaments

$10,000 tournaments

Result	No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	1.	20 June 1994	ITF Hilton Head, United States	Clay	Template:Flagicon Karin Miller	Template:Flagicon Angela Lettiere Template:Flagicon Stacy Sheppard	6–4, 2–6, 6–7
Win	2.	4 July 1994	ITF Indianapolis, United States	Hard	Template:Flagicon Karin Miller	Template:Flagicon Angela Lettiere Template:Flagicon Vera Vitels	6–2, 4–6, 7–6
Loss	3.	25 July 1994	ITF Roanoke, United States	Hard	Template:Flagicon Karin Miller	Template:Flagicon Gail Biggs Template:Flagicon Claudine Toleafoa	6–4, 3–6, 5–7
Loss	4.	1 February 1998	ITF Clearwater, United States	Hard	Template:Flagicon Karin Miller	Template:Flagicon Maureen Drake Template:Flagicon Renata Kolbovic	6–4, 3–6, 4–6
Loss	5.	10 September 2002	ITF Peachtree City, United States	Hard	Template:Flagicon Allison Baker	Template:Flagicon Jennifer Russell Template:Flagicon Christina Wheeler	2–6, 6–7(3)
Loss	6.	8 July 2003	ITF College Park, United States	Hard	Template:Flagicon Kim Grant	Template:Flagicon Jennifer Russell Template:Flagicon Lisa McShea	2–6, 6–4, 5–7

See also

• List of Puerto Ricans
• Corsican immigration to Puerto Rico
• History of women in Puerto Rico
• Sports in Puerto Rico

External links

• Template:WTA
• Template:ITF
• Template:Fed Cup player
• Template:Wimbledon player
• Template:ESPN Tennis
• Template:Olympedia
• Template:Olympics.com profile