Selima Sfar

Selima Sfar (Template:Langx ; born 8 July 1977) is a Tunisian former tennis player.

She turned professional in 1999 and has been ranked as high as 75th in the world (16 July 2001). Sfar is the second highest ranked female Tunisian and Arab player. She has experienced most of her success in tournaments of the ITF Women's Circuit, winning 11 singles titles and 21 doubles titles.

Biography

Sfar started playing tennis at age 8 at the Tennis Club of Carthage. She left Tunis at age 12 to live and train with Nathalie Tauziat under coach Régis de Camaret in Biarritz, France. The serve-and-volleyer preferred indoor hardcourts; favorite shots were serve, backhand. Father, Moncef, is a physician; mother, Zeineb, is a dermatologist; older sister is Sonia and younger brother is Hassan. She is a granddaughter of Habib Cheikhrouhou who founded the press group Dar Assabah in 1951.

Tennis career

As a junior, Sfar won the Arab Junior Singles in 1992 and reached the quarter-finals of the junior tournament at French Open. In 1994, she was African junior champion. She turned professional in 1999. In 2000, she qualified for the US Open, to become the first Tunisian to achieve this feat. In the meantime, she was able to receive wildcards for Middle Eastern tournaments in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. At the Dubai Tennis Championships in 2001, she reached the quarterfinals, beating Silvija Talaja and Barbara Schett before being defeated by Nathalie Tauziat, in three sets. In that year, she became the first Arab woman to break into the top 100 of the WTA rankings.

Sfar played for the Tunisia Fed Cup team, going 41–24. She also competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics, losing in the first round to Brenda Schultz-McCarthy, and the 2008 Summer Olympics, losing in the first round to Caroline Wozniacki. Sfar holds the records for the Tunesian in the Fed Cup with the most wins, the most singles wins, the most doubles wins, the most ties played, and the most years played.

At the 2005 African Cup of Nations in Tunis, Sfar won the gold medal at both the singles and mixed teams' competitions.

At the 2008 Wimbledon Championships, Sfar and her partner Ekaterina Makarova reached the quarterfinals of the ladies' doubles, before they were defeated by Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur.

In 2011, Sfar announced her retirement from professional tennis. In the meantime, she became a commentator for Qatari sports channel, beIN Sports.

At the 2015 Wimbledon Championships, Sfar teamed with Martina Navratilova for the Invitational Ladies Doubles, and they won all three of their matches in their group.

Post-retirement

On 28 August 2023, Sfar had an interview with L'Équipe in which she accused her coach, Régis de Camaret, of rape and sexual abuse, when she was 12 and a half years old. The same coach was accused by Isabelle Demongeot of similar misconduct and later jailed for 8 years in 2012.

ITF finals

$100,000 tournaments

$75,000 tournaments

$50,000 tournaments

$25,000 tournaments

$10,000 tournaments

Singles: 19 (11–8)

Result	No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Win	1.	14 August 1994	ITF Carthage, Tunisia	Clay	Template:Flagicon Anne-Gaëlle Sidot	5–7, 6–3, 6–4
Win	2.	26 March 1995	ITF Moulins, France	Hard (i)	Template:Flagicon Linda Sentis	3–6, 6–3, 6–2
Win	3.	26 November 1995	ITF Le Havre, France	Clay (i)	Template:Flagicon Émilie Loit	0–6, 6–3, 6–4
Win	4.	4 February 1996	ITF Dinan, France	Clay (i)	Template:Flagicon Virginie Massart	6–4, 7–6(8)
Win	5.	11 August 1996	ITF Carthage, Tunisia	Clay	Template:Flagicon Marielle Bruens	7–5, 6–4
Win	6.	14 December 1997	ITF Ismailia, Egypt	Clay	Template:Flagicon Tzipora Obziler	5–7, 7–5, 6–4
Loss	1.	22 June 1998	ITF Sezze, Italy	Clay	Template:Flagicon Alice Canepa	5–7, 2–6
Win	7.	30 April 2000	ITF Bournemouth, United Kingdom	Clay	Template:Flagicon Dragana Zarić	7–5, 6–2
Loss	2.	17 July 2000	ITF Le Touquet, France	Clay	Template:Flagicon Bianka Lamade	5–7, 4–6
Loss	3.	31 July 2000	Open Saint-Gaudens, France	Clay	Template:Flagicon Elena Tatarkova	4–6, 4–6
Win	8.	22 September 2002	GB Pro-Series Glasgow, UK	Hard (i)	Template:Flagicon Anne Keothavong	7–6(5), 2–6, 7–6(8)
Win	9.	3 November 2002	ITF Nottingham, United Kingdom	Hard (i)	Template:Flagicon Lilia Osterloh	6–2, 6–2
Loss	4.	26 July 2004	ITF Modena, Italy	Clay	Template:Flagicon Anna-Lena Grönefeld	2–6, 4–6
Loss	5.	1 November 2004	ITF Sint-Katelijne-Waver, Belgium	Hard (i)	Template:Flagicon Yvonne Meusburger	4–6, 3–6
Win	10.	14 May 2006	ITF Jounieh, Lebanon	Clay	Template:Flagicon Anastasiya Yakimova	6–4, 7–5
Loss	6.	10 April 2007	Open de Biarritz, France	Clay	Template:Flagicon Pauline Parmentier	2–6, 4–6
Win	11.	13 May 2007	ITF Jounieh, Lebanon	Clay	Template:Flagicon Mariya Koryttseva	6–2, 4–6, 7–6(3)
Loss	7.	7 April 2008	Open de Biarritz, France	Clay	Template:Flagicon Kathrin Wörle	1–6, 3–6
Loss	8.	5 July 2009	ITF Mont-de-Marsan, France	Clay	Template:Flagicon Anna Gerasimou	5–7, 3–6

Doubles: 33 (21–12)

Result	No.	Date	Tournament	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Win	1.	25 July 1994	ITF La Coruña, Spain	Clay	Template:Flagicon Olivia de Camaret	Template:Flagicon Sandra de Rafael Template:Flagicon Paula Hermida	4–6, 6–2, 6–3
Win	2.	1 August 1994	ITF Casablanca, Morocco	Clay	Template:Flagicon Olivia de Camaret	Template:Flagicon Cora Hofmann Template:Flagicon Alexandra Seitarth	4–6, 6–1, 6–0
Loss	1.	5 August 1996	ITF Carthage, Tunisia	Clay	Template:Flagicon Sandrine Bouilleau	Template:Flagicon Mariëlle Bruens Template:Flagicon Bahia Mouhtassine	w/o
Win	3.	21 April 1997	ITF Guimarães, Portugal	Hard	Template:Flagicon Élodie Le Bescond	Template:Flagicon Kildine Chevalier Template:Flagicon Jindra Gabrisová	6–4, 6–2
Win	4.	8 December 1997	ITF Ismailia, Egypt	Clay	Template:Flagicon Bérangère Karpenschif	Template:Flagicon Bianca Kamper Template:Flagicon Nicole Remis	6–3, 7–6(5)
Loss	2.	11 May 1998	ITF Le Touquet, France	Clay	Template:Flagicon Élodie Le Bescond	Template:Flagicon Vanina Casanova Template:Flagicon Romina Ottoboni	6–7, 0–1 ret.
Win	5.	22 June 1998	ITF Sezze, Italy	Clay	Template:Flagicon Vanina Casanova	Template:Flagicon Alice Canepa Template:Flagicon Alessia Lombardi	6–3, 6–1
Win	6.	20 July 1998	ITF Valladolid, Spain	Hard	Template:Flagicon Gisela Riera	Template:Flagicon Eva Bes Template:Flagicon Rosa María Andrés Rodríguez	7–6(5), 7–6(3)
Loss	3.	27 July 1998	ITF Pamplona, Spain	Hard	Template:Flagicon Meike Fröhlich	Template:Flagicon Eva Bes Template:Flagicon Amanda Hopmans	w/o
Win	7.	10 May 1999	ITF Edinburgh, United Kingdom	Clay	Template:Flagicon Jo Ward	Template:Flagicon Surina De Beer Template:Flagicon Lorna Woodroffe	6–4, 6–2
Loss	4.	26 July 1999	ITF Pamplona, Spain	Hard	Template:Flagicon Jo Ward	Template:Flagicon Hiroko Mochizuki Template:Flagicon Ludmila Richterová	6–2, 4–6, 3–6
Win	8.	2 August 1999	ITF Perigueux, France	Clay	Template:Flagicon Jo Ward	Template:Flagicon Hanna-Katri Aalto Template:Flagicon Rika Fujiwara	6–4, 6–3
Loss	5.	6 February 2000	ITF Jersey, United Kingdom	Hard (i)	Template:Flagicon Jo Ward	Template:Flagicon Elena Bovina Template:Flagicon Anna Zaporozhanova	3–6, 2–6
Win	9.	24 April 2000	ITF Bournemouth, United Kingdom	Clay	Template:Flagicon Lorna Woodroffe	Template:Flagicon Hannah Collin Template:Flagicon Zsófia Gubacsi	6–1, 6–0
Win	10.	1 May 2000	ITF Hatfield, United Kingdom	Clay	Template:Flagicon Jo Ward	Template:Flagicon Zsófia Gubacsi Template:Flagicon Jasmin Wöhr	7–6(6), 6–2
Loss	6.	15 May 2000	ITF Edinburgh, United Kingdom	Clay	Template:Flagicon Lorna Woodroffe	Template:Flagicon Natalie Grandin Template:Flagicon Nicole Rencken	6–0, 3–6, 4–6
Loss	7.	Template:Dts	ITF Nottingham, United Kingdom	Hard (i)	Template:Flagicon Lucie Ahl	Template:Flagicon Kim Grant Template:Flagicon Lilia Osterloh	1–6, 2–6
Win	11.	Template:Dts	Open de Biarritz, France	Clay	Template:Flagicon Lucie Ahl	Template:Flagicon Yuliya Beygelzimer Template:Flagicon Anna Zaporozhanova	6–1, 6–1
Loss	8.	Template:Dts	Bronx Open, United States	Hard	Template:Flagicon Mara Santangelo	Template:Flagicon Yuliya Beygelzimer Template:Flagicon Tatiana Poutchek	4–6, 5–7
Win	12.	13 September 2004	ITF Bordeaux, France	Clay	Template:Flagicon Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro	Template:Flagicon Erica Krauth Template:Flagicon Jasmin Wöhr	3–6, 6–3, 6–3
Loss	9.	10 October 2004	Open de Touraine, France	Clay	Template:Flagicon Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro	Template:Flagicon Květa Peschke Template:Flagicon Angelika Rösch	w/o
Win	13.	18 October 2004	ITF Saint-Raphaël, France	Hard (i)	Template:Flagicon Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro	Template:Flagicon Barbora Strýcová Template:Flagicon Galina Voskoboeva	7–6(3), 2–6, 6–4
Win	14.	1 November 2004	ITF Sint-Katelijne-Waver, Belgium	Hard (i)	Template:Flagicon Virginie Pichet	Template:Flagicon Eva Fislová Template:Flagicon Stanislava Hrozenská	6–1, 7–6(2)
Win	15.	23 November 2004	ITF Poitiers, France	Hard (i)	Template:Flagicon Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro	Template:Flagicon Gabriela Chmelinová Template:Flagicon Michaela Paštiková	7–5, 6–4
Win	16.	12 April 2005	Open de Biarritz, France	Clay	Template:Flagicon Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro	Template:Flagicon Timea Bacsinszky Template:Flagicon Aurélie Védy	6–2, 6–1
Win	17.	15 November 2005	ITF Deauville, France	Clay (i)	Template:Flagicon Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro	Template:Flagicon Alona Bondarenko Template:Flagicon Kateryna Bondarenko	6–3, 6–1
Loss	10.	26 March 2007	ITF Latina, Italy	Hard	Template:Flagicon Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro	Template:Flagicon Sara Errani Template:Flagicon Giulia Gabba	3–6, 6–1, 6–7(2)
Loss	11.	6 April 2008	ITF Torhout, Belgium	Hard	Template:Flagicon Stéphanie Cohen-Alor	Template:Flagicon Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova Template:Flagicon Yanina Wickmayer	4–6, 6–4, [8–10]
Win	18.	20 July 2009	ITF Pétange, Luxembourg	Clay	Template:Flagicon Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro	Template:Flagicon Darija Jurak Template:Flagicon Kathrin Wörle	6–2, 3–6, [10–7]
Win	19.	12 October 2009	Open de Touraine, France	Hard	Template:Flagicon Youlia Fedossova	Template:Flagicon Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro Template:Flagicon Aurélie Védy	4–6, 6–0, [10–8]
Win	20.	22 February 2010	Biberach Open, Germany	Hard (i)	Template:Flagicon Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro	Template:Flagicon Mona Barthel Template:Flagicon Carmen Klaschka	5–7, 6–1, [10–5]
Loss	12.	17 October 2010	Open de Touraine, France	Hard (i)	Template:Flagicon Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro	Template:Flagicon Tatjana Malek Template:Flagicon Irena Pavlovic	4–6, 7–5, [8–10]
Win	21.	24 January 2011	Open de l'Isère, France	Hard (i)	Template:Flagicon Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro	Template:Flagicon Iryna Brémond Template:Flagicon Aurélie Védy	6–1, 6–3

External links

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