# Karen Cross

Karen Cross (born 19 February 1974) is a left-handed British former tennis player who competed at eight Wimbledon Championships during the 1990s and early 2000s, as well as for the Great Britain Fed Cup team in both 1994 and 1998. During the course of her career Cross won six titles on the ITF circuit (3 in singles and 3 in doubles) and she achieved her highest Women's Tennis Association singles ranking of world number 134 on 22 June 1998. She is currently a part-time tennis coach at the Roehampton Club and since retirement from the professional circuit she has regularly competed on the ITF senior circuit, reaching a career-high ranking of world no.4 in the women's over-35's age group.
At the Grand Slams, Cross's best result came at Wimbledon in 1997 when she won three matches to qualify before defeating Linda Wild and María Sánchez Lorenzo to reach the third round where she was defeated by the reigning French Open champion, Iva Majoli, in three close sets.
Cross gained victories over a number of players who would go on to achieve (or had already experienced) great success on the WTA tour, the most notable being future two-time Australian Open champion and world number 2 Li Na (in December 1999) and future multiple Grand Slam doubles champion and doubles world number 1, Roberta Vinci (in July 2000). Other notable defeated opponents included future two-time WTA titlist and world number 19 Sybille Bammer, future world number 32 Jelena Kostanić, future one-time WTA titlist and world number 48 Milagros Sequera and former one-time WTA titlist and world number 56, Monique Javer.

## ITF circuit finals
### Singles (3–0)

* Finals by category
* $100,000 tournaments (0/0)
* $75,000 tournaments (0/0)
* $50,000 tournaments (0/0)
* $25,000 tournaments (0/0)
* $10,000 tournaments (3/0)
* Finals by surface
* Hard (0/0)
* Clay (2/0)
* Grass (1/0)
* Carpet (0/0)
| Result | Date | Category | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
| Winner | 26 July 1993 | ITF $10,000 | Istanbul, Turkey | Clay | Gülberk Gültekin | 4–6, 7–5, 7–6$^{(7–4)}$ |
| Winner | 8 May 1995 | ITF $10,000 | Lee-on-Solent, Great Britain | Clay | Jo Durie | 6–4, 6–4 |
| Winner | 8 July 1997 | ITF $10,000 | Felixstowe, Great Britain | Grass | Surina De Beer | 6–1, 7–5 |

### Doubles (3–3)

* Finals by category
* $100,000 tournaments (0/0)
* $75,000 tournaments (0/0)
* $50,000 tournaments (0/0)
* $25,000 tournaments (1/0)
* $10,000 tournaments (2/3)
* Finals by surface
* Hard (1/1)
* Clay (1/1)
* Grass (1/1)
* Carpet (0/0)
| Result | Date | Category | Tournament | Surface | Partnering | Opponents | Score |
| Runner-up | 24 April 1995 | ITF $10,000 | Edinburgh, United Kingdom | Clay | Lizzie Jelfs | Robyn Mawdsley Lorna Woodroffe | 3–6, 1–6 |
| Winner | 8 May 1995 | ITF $10,000 | Edinburgh, United Kingdom | Clay | Lizzie Jelfs | Kaye Hand Claire Taylor | 3–6, 6–3, 6–0 |
| Winner | 7 August 1995 | ITF $10,000 | Southsea, United Kingdom | Grass | Jane Wood | Nataly Cahana Oshri Shashua | 6–4, 7–5 |
| Runner-up | 14 July 1997 | ITF $10,000 | Frinton, United Kingdom | Grass | Natalia Egorova | Joanne Ward Lorna Woodroffe | 4–6, 6–2, 0–6 |
| Runner-up | 29 September 1997 | ITF $10,000 | Nottingham, United Kingdom | Hard (i) | Lizzie Jelfs | Lucie Ahl Joanne Ward | 6–7$^{(8–6)}$, 2–6 |
| Winner | 12 April 1999 | ITF $25,000 | Cagnes-sur-Mer, France | Hard | Amanda Grahame | Louise Pleming Catherine Tanvier | 6–4, 3–6, 7–6$^{(8–6)}$ |

## Performance timelines

Key :
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |

### Singles

| Tournament | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | W–L | SR |
| Grand Slam tournaments ||||||||||||
| Australian Open | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Q1 | Absent | Absent | 0–0 | 0 / 0 |
| French Open | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Q3 | Q1 | Q1 | A | 0–0 | 0 / 0 |
| Wimbledon | 1R | 1R | 1R | Q1 | 3R | 2R | 2R | 1R | 2R | 5–8 | 0 / 8 |
| US Open | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Q1 | Q1 | Q1 | Absent | Absent | 0–0 | 0 / 0 |
| Win–loss | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 5–8 | 0 / 8 |
| Year-end ranking | 325 | 295 | 241 | 305 | 146 | 162 | 198 | 311 | UNR |

### Doubles

| Tournament | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | W–L | SR |
| Grand Slam tournaments |||||||||||||
| Australian Open | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | 0–0 | 0 / 0 |
| French Open | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | 0–0 | 0 / 0 |
| Wimbledon | Q2 | A | Q2 | Absent | Absent | Q1 | A | 1R | 1R | Q1 | 0–2 | 0 / 2 |
| US Open | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | 0–0 | 0 / 0 |
| Win–loss | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 0 / 2 |

### Mixed doubles

| Tournament | 1999 | W–L | SR |
| Grand Slam tournaments ||||
| Australian Open | A | 0–0 | 0 / 0 |
| French Open | A | 0–0 | 0 / 0 |
| Wimbledon | 1R | 0–1 | 0 / 1 |
| US Open | A | 0–0 | 0 / 0 |
| Win–loss | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0 / 1 |

### Fed Cup

1994 Federation Cup Europe/Africa Zone :
| Date | Venue | Surface | Round | Opponents | Final match score | Match | Opponent | Rubber score |
| 20 Apr 1994 | Bad Waltersdorf | Clay | RR | Russia | 2–1 | Doubles(with Julie Pullin) | Lutrova/Panova | 5–7, 5–7 (L) |
| 1998 Federation Cup Europe/Africa Zone |||||||||
| 14–16 Apr 1998 | Murcia | Clay | RR | Portugal | 1–2 | Singles | Sofia Prazeres | 6–2, 2–6, 4–6 (L) |
| 14–16 Apr 1998 | Murcia | Clay | RR | Poland | 1–2 | Singles | Magdalena Grzybowska | 1–6, 2–6 (L) |
| 14–16 Apr 1998 | Murcia | Clay | RR | Madagascar | 3–0 | Singles | Faratiana Rasoarilalao | 6–1, 6–3 (W) |