# Jana Čepelová

Jana Čepelová (Slovak pronunciation:; born 29 May 1993) is a Slovak former professional tennis player.
Čepelová won seven singles and three doubles titles on the ITF Women's Circuit. On 12 May 2014, she reached her best singles ranking of world No. 50. On 18 May 2015, she peaked at No. 158 in the doubles rankings.
Her best result at a major event was the third round of the 2012 and 2016 Wimbledon Championships. As a junior, she won the girls' doubles at the 2010 Australian Open with Chantal Škamlová.
Following the birth of the daughter in 2020, Čepelová took a break from her tennis career. In 2023, she made a "quick comeback, just to say good bye and play the final Grand Slam tournaments".

## Personal life

Čepelová was born in Košice to Peter and Jarmila and was coached by Martin Zathurecký.

## Career
### Junior career

Jana Čepelová and Chantal Škamlová won the girls' doubles at 2010 Australian Open. They also won silver medals in doubles at 2010 Summer Youth Olympics. At the same event, Čepelová won the bronze medal in singles.

### 2012: Coming onto the WTA Tour

Čepelová spent most of her 2012-year on the ITF Circuit. Her best achievement on the WTA Tour was at the Wimbledon Championships. She qualified for the main draw by defeating Alla Kudryavtseva, Chanel Simmonds and Ekaterina Bychkova. In round one, she beat fellow qualifier Kristina Mladenovic in three sets. In the second round, she upset 26th seed Anabel Medina Garrigues before she lost to world No. 2, Victoria Azarenka.

### 2014: First WTA Tour final

At the Family Circle Cup in Charleston, Čepelová scored the biggest win of her career, defeating world No. 1 Serena Williams in the second round. Čepelová would go on to reach her first WTA tournament final with victories over Elena Vesnina, Daniela Hantuchová, and Belinda Bencic. Her run ended there as she lost to Andrea Petkovic.

### 2015

Čepelová started the year at the Auckland Open. She lost in the first round to third seed, last year finalist, and eventual champion Venus Williams. At the Hobart International, Čepelová was defeated in the first round by Annika Beck.
Playing at the Indian Wells Open, Čepelová lost in the first round to qualifier Lucie Hradecká. At Miami, she was defeated in the first round by Julia Görges. Seeded second at The Oaks Club Challenger in Florida, Čepelová fell in the first round to Laura Siegemund.
Last year finalist at the Family Circle Cup, Čepelová lost in the second round to fourth seed Sara Errani. At the Prague Open, she was defeated in the first round by Elena Vesnina. Competing at the Slovak Open, Čepelová lost in the first round to Tereza Smitková. Seeded eighth at the Open Saint-Gaudens, she reached the final where she was defeated by María Teresa Torró Flor. At the French Open, Čepelová lost in the second round of qualifying to Kateryna Bondarenko. At the Open Féminin de Marseille, she was defeated in the second round by sixth seed Denisa Allertová.
At the Nottingham Open, Čepelová's first grass-court tournament of the season, she lost in the first round of qualifying to Donna Vekić. At the Birmingham Classic, she was defeated in the first round of qualifying by Mariana Duque Mariño. Coming into Wimbledon ranked 106 in the world, Čepelová upset third seed Simona Halep in the first round. She lost in the second round to Monica Niculescu.

### 2016

At Wimbledon in 2016, Čepelová defeated Garbiñe Muguruza in the second round, her third top-three win, before losing to Lucie Šafářová in an epic three-set match.

### 2020

Beginning the season at the Australian Open, Čepelová withdrew from her first round of qualifying match against Kurumi Nara.
At the Qatar Ladies Open, she lost in the final round of qualifying to Jil Teichmann. Playing at the first edition of the Lyon Open, Čepelová was defeated in the first round of qualifying by Margot Yerolymos.

### 2023: Comeback and retirement

In June 2023, Čepelová announced her retirement from professional tour, with her last tournament being the 2023 US Open.

## Grand Slam performance timeline

Key :
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | P# | DNQ | A | Z# | PO | G | S | B | NMS | NTI | P | NH |

### Singles

| Tournament | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | SR | W–L | !Win % |
| Australian Open | Q1 | 2R | 1R | A | Q2 | 1R | 1R | Q1 | Q1 | A | 0 / 4 | 1–4 | 20% |
| French Open | Q1 | 2R | 1R | Q2 | Q2 | 1R | A | A | Q1 | A | 0 / 3 | 1–3 | 25% |
| Wimbledon | 3R | 2R | 1R | 2R | 3R | 1R | Q1 | Q3 | NH | A | 0 / 6 | 6–6 | 50% |
| US Open | Q3 | 1R | 2R | Q2 | Q3 | 1R | A | 1R | A | A | 0 / 4 | 1–4 | 20% |
| Win–loss | 2–1 | 3–4 | 1–4 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–4 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 / 17 | 9–17 | 35% |
| WTA 1000 ||||||||||||
| Dubai / Qatar Open | A | A | 3R | A | 1R | A | A | A | Q2 | A | 0 / 2 | 2–2 | 50% |
| Indian Wells Open | A | Q1 | 1R | 1R | Q2 | A | Q2 | A | NH | NH | 0 / 2 | 0–2 | 0% |
| Miami Open | A | 1R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 3R | Q2 | A | NH | A | 0 / 5 | 2–5 | 29% |
| Madrid Open | A | A | Q2 | A | A | A | A | A | NH | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – |
| Italian Open | A | A | Q1 | A | A | Q1 | A | A | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – |
| Canadian Open | 2R | 1R | A | A | A | Q1 | A | Q1 | NH | | 0 / 2 | 1–2 | 33% |
| Cincinnati Open | Q1 | 1R | A | Q2 | A | A | A | A | A | | 0 / 1 | 0–1 | 0% |
| China Open | A | A | A | A | Q1 | A | A | A | NH | | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – |
| Win–loss | 1–1 | 0–3 | 2–3 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 / 12 | 5–12 | 29% |
Notes
* ↑ The first Premier 5 event of the year has switched back and forth between the Dubai Tennis Championships and the Qatar Ladies Open since 2009. Dubai was classified as a Premier 5 event from 2009 to 2011 before being succeeded by Doha for the 2012–2014 period. In 2015, Dubai regained its Premier 5 status while Doha was demoted to Premier status. The two tournaments have since alternated status every year.

## WTA Tour finals
### Singles: 1 (runner–up)

* Legend
* Grand Slam tournaments
* Premier M & Premier 5
* Premier (0–1)
* International
* Finals by surface
* Hard (0–0)
* Clay (0–1)
* Grass (0–0)
* Carpet (0–0)
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
| Loss | 0–1 | Apr 2014 | Charleston Open, United States | Premier | Clay (green) | Andrea Petkovic | 5–7, 2–6 |

## ITF Circuit finals
### Singles: 13 (7 titles, 6 runner–ups)

* Legend
* $100,000 tournaments (1–1)
* $75,000 tournaments (1–0)
* $50,000 tournaments (0–1)
* $25,000 tournaments (3–2)
* $10,000 tournaments (2–2)
* Finals by surface
* Hard (3–4)
* Clay (4–2)
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
| Loss | 0–1 | Feb 2010 | ITF Eilat, Israel | 10,000 | Hard | Janina Toljan | 1–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 0–2 | Oct 2010 | ITF Monastir, Tunisia | 10,000 | Hard | Martina Borecká | 5–7, 1–6 |
| Win | 1–2 | Oct 2010 | ITF Monastir, Tunisia | 10,000 | Hard | Diāna Marcinkēviča | 6–2, 6–2 |
| Win | 2–2 | Jan 2011 | ITF Stuttgart, Germany | 10,000 | Hard (i) | Nina Zander | 6–4, 6–4 |
| Win | 3–2 | Jue 2011 | ITF Kristinehamn, Sweden | 25,000 | Clay | Alexandra Cadanțu | 6–4, 3–6, 6–4 |
| Loss | 3–3 | Jun 2011 | ITF Ystad, Sweden | 25,000 | Clay | Dia Evtimova | 3–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 4–3 | Aug 2011 | ITF Prague-Neride, Czech Republic | 25,000 | Clay | Bibiane Schoofs | 7–6$^{(6)}$, 6–4 |
| Loss | 4–4 | Nov 2011 | ITF Helsinki, Finland | 25,000 | Hard (i) | Tímea Babos | 3–6, 1–6 |
| Win | 5–4 | Nov 2013 | Dubai Tennis Challenge, UAE | 75,000 | Hard | Maria Elena Camerin | 6–1, 6–2 |
| Loss | 5–5 | May 2015 | Open Saint-Gaudens, France | 50,000 | Clay | María Teresa Torró Flor | 1–6, 0–6 |
| Win | 6–5 | Jul 2017 | Budapest Ladies Open, Hungary | 100,000 | Clay | Danka Kovinić | 6–4, 6–3 |
| Loss | 6–6 | Oct 2018 | Suzhou Ladies Open, China | 100,000 | Hard | Zheng Saisai | 5–7, 1–6 |
| Win | 7–6 | Sep 2020 | ITF Prague, Czech Republic | 25,000 | Clay | Renata Zarazúa | 6–4, 7–6$^{(4)}$ |

### Doubles: 8 (3 titles, 5 runner–ups)

* Legend
* $100,000 tournaments (0–1)
* $75,000 tournaments (0–1)
* $50,000 tournaments (0–1)
* $25,000 tournaments (3–1)
* $10,000 tournaments (0–1)
* Finals by surface
* Hard (1–1)
* Clay (2–4)
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
| Loss | 0–1 | Jan 2011 | ITF Stuttgart, Germany | 10,000 | Hard (i) | Michaela Pochabová | Daniëlle Harmsen Marina Melnikova | 6–3, 4–6, [12–14] |
| Loss | 0–2 | Aug 2011 | Empire Slovak Open, Slovakia | 50,000 | Clay | Lenka Wienerová | Janette Husárová Renata Voráčová | 6–7$^{(2)}$, 1–6 |
| Loss | 0–3 | Aug 2011 | ITF Prague-Neride, Czech Republic | 25,000 | Clay | Katarzyna Piter | Iveta Gerlová Lucie Kriegsmannová | 7–6$^{(8)}$, 1–6, [8–10] |
| Win | 1–3 | Oct 2011 | ITF Sant Cugat del Vallès, Spain | 25,000 | Clay | Katarzyna Piter | Leticia Costas Inés Ferrer Suárez | 6–3, 2–6, [10–6] |
| Win | 2–3 | Feb 2012 | ITF Rabat, Morocco | 25,000 | Clay | Réka Luca Jani | Anastasia Grymalska Ilona Kremen | 6–7$^{(4)}$, 6–1, [10–4] |
| Win | 3–3 | Mar 2012 | ITF Poza Rica, Mexico | 25,000 | Hard | Lenka Wienerová | Maria Elena Camerin Mariya Koryttseva | 7–5, 2–6, [10–3] |
| Loss | 3–4 | May 2013 | Empire Slovak Open, Slovakia | 75,000 | Clay | Anna Karolína Schmiedlová | Mervana Jugić-Salkić Renata Voráčová | 1–6, 1–6 |
| Loss | 3–5 | May 2016 | Open de Marseille, France | 100,000 | Clay | Lourdes Domínguez Lino | Hsieh Su-wei Nicole Melichar | 6–1, 3–6, [3–10] |

## Junior Grand Slam tournament finals
### Girls' doubles: 1 (title)

| Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
| Win | 2010 | Australian Open | Hard | Chantal Škamlová | Tímea Babos Gabriela Dabrowski | 7–6$^{(1)}$, 6–2 |

## Head-to-head record
### No. 1 wins

| # | Player | Event | Surface | Rd | Score | Result |
| 1. | Serena Williams | 2014 Family Circle Cup, United States | Clay | 2R | 6–4, 6–4 | Final |

### Top 10 wins

| # | Player | Rank | Event | Surface | Rd | Score |
| 2014 |||||||
| 1. | Serena Williams | No. 1 | Family Circle Cup, United States | Clay | 2R | 6–4, 6–4 |
| 2015 |||||||
| 2. | Simona Halep | No. 3 | Wimbledon, United Kingdom | Grass | 1R | 5–7, 6–4, 6–3 |
| 2016 |||||||
| 3. | Garbiñe Muguruza | No. 2 | Wimbledon, United Kingdom | Grass | 2R | 6–3, 6–2 |