# Alina Jidkova

Alina Vladimirovna Jidkova (Алина Владимировна Жидкова; born 18 January 1977) is a former professional tennis player from Russia. Throughout her career, she found success in both singles and doubles. Jidkova reached her career-high singles ranking of world No. 51 in March 2005, achieving strong singles performances against top players. She defeated several high-ranked opponents, including Serena Williams at Generali Linz in 2004, and also claimed wins over Mary Pierce, Jelena Janković, and Samantha Stosur.
In doubles, she won a WTA title at the Mexican Open 2005 and reached three other WTA finals, including the Memphis Open 2003, Québec Open 2006, and Cincinnati Open 2007. Her doubles ranking peaked at No. 50 in August 2003.

## Career

In 2004, she reached the quarterfinals of Generali Ladies Linz after beating Serena Williams in straight sets. Aside from Williams, she has career victories against Jelena Janković, Mary Pierce, Samantha Stosur, Alicia Molik, Chanda Rubin, Amanda Coetzer, Brenda Schultz-McCarthy, Amy Frazier, Petra Martić, Mirjana Lučić-Baroni, Vera Dushevina and other notable players. In 2005, she won her single WTA Tour event, the Mexican Open doubles title in Acapulco, partnering with Tatiana Perebiynis. She has also finished runner-up on three other occasions.

### Retirement and coaching career

She retired from professional tennis at the beginning of the 2011 season. Her last official singles match played was against Monica Puig, 2016 Olympic champion at the end of 2010 season. Being a PTA Certified Tennis Coach, she worked as a coach for Galina Voskoboeva, Ksenia Pervak and Kaia Kanepi.
As a coach, Jidkova was part of the 2012 Olympics, coaching Galina Voskoboeva, who represented Team Kazakhstan. In 2017, she also coached Kaia Kanepi to reach the quarterfinals of the US Open.
Alongside her work with established athletes, she mentors young players, helping them reach the skill level needed for potential recruitment by top college tennis programs.

### ITF World Tennis Masters Tour (seniors' circuit)

As of 2024, Jidkova has been playing doubles on the ITF World Tennis Masters Tour, now representing the United States of America. Partnering Julie Thu, she won both tournaments she entered so far, an MT1000 in Houston and an MT700 in Austin, Texas.

## Personal life

Nicknamed “Alinka”, Alina Jidkova was born in Moscow, then part of the Soviet Union, into an athletic family. Her father, Vladimir, was an engineer and former weightlifter, while her mother, Lina, was a sprinter before becoming a school teacher. She grew up training at the Spartak Moscow Tennis Club and later the Spartak Tennis Academy.
Seeking further development, Jidkova moved to the United States to train at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy. She now resides in The Woodlands, Texas with her husband, entrepreneur Sascha Ghods. The couple married on 18 December 2010 in Vienna, Austria, and have two children. Their son, currently training under Jidkova’s guidance, is also pursuing a career in tennis.

## WTA Tour Finals
### Doubles: 4 (1 title, 3 runner-ups)

| Result | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
| Loss | 1. | Feb 2003 | U.S. National Indoors | Hard (i) | Bryanne Stewart | Saori Obata Akiko Morigami | 1–6, 1–6 |
| Win | 2. | Feb 2005 | Mexican Open | Clay | Tatiana Perebiynis | Rosa María Andrés Rodríguez Conchita Martínez Granados | 7–5, 6–3 |
| Loss | 3. | Oct 2006 | Tournoi de Québec, Canada | Hard | Jill Craybas | Carly Gullickson Laura Granville | 3–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 4. | Jul 2007 | Cincinnati Open, U.S. | Hard | Tatiana Poutchek | Bethanie Mattek Sania Mirza | 6–7$^{(4)}$, 5–7 |

## ITF finals

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

### Singles: 17 (9–8)

| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
| Winner | 1. | 27 October 1997 | ITF Culiacán, Mexico | Hard | Petya Marinova | 6–3, 6–0 |
| Runner-up | 2. | 11 May 1998 | ITF Poza Rica, Mexico | Hard | Vanessa Menga | 2–6, 7–6, 1–6 |
| Winner | 3. | 18 May 1998 | ITF Coatzacoalcos, Mexico | Hard | Adria Engel | 6–3, 6–1 |
| Runner-up | 4. | 4 January 1999 | ITF San Antonio, United States | Hard | Holly Parkinson | 6–3, 4–6, 3–6 |
| Winner | 5. | 17 January 1999 | ITF Miami, United States | Hard | Helen Crook | 6–2, 7–5 |
| Runner-up | 6. | 31 January 1999 | ITF Clearwater, United States | Hard | Miroslava Vavrinec | 0–6, 6–7 |
| Winner | 7. | 19 July 1999 | ITF Peachtree, United States | Hard | Erika deLone | 6–7, 7–6, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 8. | 16 July 2000 | ITF Peachtree, United States | Hard | Sandra Cacic | 0–6, 2–4 ret. |
| Winner | 9. | 11 September 2000 | ITF Hopewell Junction, United States | Hard | Jennifer Hopkins | 6–3, 6–0 |
| Winner | 10. | 9 October 2000 | ITF Miramar, United States | Clay | Rossana de los Ríos | 1–6, 7–6, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 11. | 27 November 2000 | ITF Tucson, United States | Hard | Katalin Marosi | 7–6, 4–6, 3–6 |
| Runner-up | 12. | 29 January 2001 | ITF Clearwater, United States | Hard | Anikó Kapros | 3–6, 2–6 |
| Runner-up | 13. | 29 January 2001 | ITF Fresno, United States | Hard | Marissa Irvin | 2–6, 1–6 |
| Winner | 14. | 5 November 2001 | ITF Pittsburgh, United States | Hard (i) | Marie-Ève Pelletier | 6–4, 6–1 |
| Winner | 15. | 23 July 2002 | ITF Louisville, United States | Hard | Saori Obata | 6–3, 6–4 |
| Winner | 16. | 9 January 2007 | ITF Tampa, United States | Hard | Olga Vymetálková | 6–2, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 17. | 5 June 2007 | ITF Madrid, Spain | Clay | Carla Suárez Navarro | 2–6, 1–6 |

### Doubles: 30 (9–21)

| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
| Runner-up | 1. | 21 February 1994 | ITF Amadora, Portugal | Hard | Anna Linkova | Teodora Nedeva Antoaneta Pandjerova | 3–6, 1–6 |
| Runner-up | 2. | 29 January 1996 | Open de Saint-Malo, France | Hard (i) | Pavlina Bartůňková | Ariadne Katsouli Bérangère Quillot | 2–6, 2–6 |
| Runner-up | 3. | 4 August 1996 | ITF Catania, Italy | Clay | Teodora Nedeva | Katia Altilia Laura Fodorean | 6–1, 4–6, 3–6 |
| Winner | 4. | 6 October 1996 | ITF Langenthal, Switzerland | Carpet (i) | Helena Vildová | Caecilia Charbonnier Andrea Schwarz | 6–4, 6–4 |
| Winner | 5. | 23 March 1997 | ITF Victoria, Mexico | Hard | Paola Arrangoiz | Karin Palme Graciela Vélez | 5–7, 6–0, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 6. | 27 October 1997 | ITF Culiacán, Mexico | Hard | Paola Arrangoiz | Lucila Becerra Isabela Petrov | 5–7, 0–6 |
| Runner-up | 7. | 19 January 1998 | ITF Miami, U.S. | Hard | Aliénor Tricerri | Lilia Osterloh Zuzana Valeková | 4–6, 4–6 |
| Winner | 8. | 4 May 1998 | ITF Tampico, Mexico | Hard | Adria Engel | Paula Cabezas Vanessa Menga | 7–6, 7–5 |
| Runner-up | 9. | 11 May 1998 | ITF Poza Rica, Mexico | Hard | Adria Engel | Paula Cabezas Vanessa Menga | 6–3, 2–6, 2–6 |
| Runner-up | 10. | 18 May 1998 | ITF Coatzacoalcos, Mexico | Hard | Adria Engel | Paula Cabezas Vanessa Menga | 3–6, 2–6 |
| Winner | 11. | 23 November 1998 | ITF Culiacán, Mexico | Clay | Renata Kolbovic | Zsófia Gubacsi Aliénor Tricerri | 6–3, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 12. | 4 January 1999 | ITF San Antonio, U.S. | Hard | Holly Parkinson | Kylie Hunt Julie Thu | 6–7, 4–6 |
| Runner-up | 13. | 8 February 1999 | ITF Rockford, U.S. | Hard (i) | Holly Parkinson | Lilia Osterloh Katie Schlukebir | 6–7, 2–6 |
| Winner | 14. | 19 September 1999 | ITF Hopewell, U.S. | Hard | Li Fang | Dawn Buth Kim Grant | 6–3, 6–3 |
| Runner-up | 15. | 1 May 2001 | ITF Dothan, U.S. | Clay | Gabriela Voleková | Marissa Irvin Janet Lee | 0–6, 2–6 |
| Winner | 16. | 14 October 2001 | ITF Hallandale Beach, U.S. | Clay | Jessica Steck | Erica Krauth Vanesa Krauth | 4–6, 6–2, 6–3 |
| Winner | 17. | 12 November 2001 | ITF Hattiesburg, U.S. | Hard | Abigail Spears | Rika Hiraki Nana Miyagi | 6–3, 6–1 |
| Runner-up | 18. | 3 December 2001 | ITF West Columbia, U.S. | Hard | Abigail Spears | Amanda Augustus Jennifer Embry | 6–0, 3–6, 3–6 |
| Runner-up | 19. | 3 December 2002 | ITF Boynton Beach, U.S. | Clay | Lina Krasnoroutskaya | Katalin Marosi Samantha Reeves | 2–6, 6–7 |
| Runner-up | 20. | 19 October 2003 | ITF Sedona, U.S. | Clay | Rossana de los Ríos | Yan Zi Zheng Jie | 6–7$^{(2)}$, 6–7$^{(3)}$ |
| Runner-up | 21. | 10 November 2003 | ITF Eugene, U.S. | Hard | Tatiana Poutchek | Teryn Ashley Shenay Perry | 6–3, 2–6, 4–6 |
| Runner-up | 22. | 1 December 2003 | ITF Palm Beach Gardens, U.S. | Clay | Tatiana Panova | Melinda Czink Erica Krauth | 1–6, 2–6 |
| Runner-up | 23. | 2 June 2008 | Internazionale di Roma, Italy | Clay | Marie-Ève Pelletier | Klaudia Jans Alicja Rosolska | 3–6, 1–6 |
| Winner | 24. | 18 January 2009 | ITF Boca Raton, U.S. | Clay | Darya Kustova | Kimberly Couts Sharon Fichman | 6–4, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 25. | 8 February 2009 | ITF Rancho Mirage, U.S. | Hard | Darya Kustova | Natalie Grandin Courtney Nagle | 2–6, 6–7$^{(6)}$ |
| Runner-up | 26. | 27 April 2009 | Charlottesville Open, U.S. | Hard | Angela Haynes | Carly Gullickson Nicole Kriz | 5–7, 6–3, [7–10] |
| Runner-up | 27. | 10 October 2009 | ITF Mexico City | Hard | Karen Castiblanco | María Fernanda Álvarez Terán Frederica Piedade | 3–6, 4–6 |
| Runner-up | 28. | 8 March 2010 | Clearwater Open, U.S. | Hard | Laura Siegemund | Xu Yifan Zhou Yimiao | 4–6, 4–6 |
| Winner | 29. | 19 April 2010 | ITF Dothan Pro, U.S. | Clay | Anastasiya Yakimova | María Irigoyen Teodora Mirčić | 6–4, 6–2 |
| Runner-up | 30. | 11 October 2010 | Classic of Troy, U.S. | Hard | Laura Siegemund | Madison Brengle Asia Muhammad | 2–6, 4–6 |