Svetlana Alexandrovna Kuznetsova (born June 27, 1985) is a Russian professional tennis player who is currently ranked World No. 8. She won the 2004 US Open singles title and was the runner-up in singles at the 2006 French Open and the 2007 US Open. The surname Kuznetsov and its feminine form, Kuznetsova, are pronounced in Russian with the stress on the syllable with the "o". Kuznetsova was born in Leningrad. Kuznetsova has a powerful build and strong legs thanks to her parents. Her father, Alexander Kuznetsov has coached five Olympic and world cycling champions. Her father`s protégés include her mother, Galina Tsareva, a six-time world champion and holder of 20 world records, and Svetlana`s brother, Nikolai Kuznetsov, a silver medalist at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Kuznetsova also tried out cycling in her early years, but it bored her. She focused on tennis instead and was sent to Spain when she was 13 years old for better training and coaching. Despite training in Barcelona, the Spanish Tennis Federation did not see Kuznetsova as a possible future champion. However, in 2004 she became the first Russian woman to win the US Open and has risen as high as No. 2 on the WTA rankings.