Clarisa Fern�ndez is a retired Argentine tennis player who is best known for her semi-final appearance at the 2002 French Open, the first Argentine since Sabatini in 1992 to reach that stage. Fern�ndez was ranked 87th in the world at the time of her shocking result. She defeated, in order: Lubomira Bacheva, 7?5, 6?1; Jelena Kostani?, 6?3, 6?4; Kim Clijsters, 6?4, 6?0; Elena Dementieva, 3?6, 6?2, 6?3; Paola Su�rez, 2?6, 7?6, 6?1; before losing to Venus Williams, 6?1, 6?4. Fern�ndez is a crafty left-handed player. She turned professional in 1998, and did not have much success before her appearance at the French Open. She has six ITF titles to her name, including one in 2006. Since 2003, Fern�ndez has been plagued with injuries. She has suffered from tendinitis in her left shoulder, an injury to her left wrist, and to her right knee. Fern�ndez is now trying to get her career back-on-track with a healthy start. Fern�ndez enjoys playing on hard and grass courts. She was coached by Leonardo Lerda. Her tennis inspirations are Pete Sampras and Martina Navratilova. In April 2008, Fern�ndez announced her retirement from professional tennis after a lengthy battle with knee injuries. 

August 28th, 1981 in Córdoba (Age 42)