Alicia Molik

Alicia Molik (born 27 January 1981) is an Australian former professional tennis player. She reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 8 and a career-high doubles ranking of world No. 6.

Molik won a bronze medal in singles for Australia at the 2004 Summer Olympics by upsetting the then-world No. 3 and reigning French Open champion Anastasia Myskina. She also won the 2004 Zurich Open, defeating Maria Sharapova in the final, and reached the quarterfinals of the 2005 Australian Open. Molik won Grand Slam doubles titles at the 2005 Australian Open with Svetlana Kuznetsova, and at the 2007 French Open with Mara Santangelo. She also reached the finals of three mixed doubles major tournaments: at the 2004 Wimbledon Championships, the 2004 US Open, and the 2007 Wimbledon Championships.

Shortly after the 2005 Australian Open, Molik contracted an inner-ear infection. The infection developed into vestibular neuronitis, which kept her out of competition until May 2006. Molik was never able to replicate her pre-ailment singles results, even though she returned to the top 60 a year later. She retired in August 2008, but she returned a year later in September 2009. Her last match was a second-round loss at the 2011 Australian Open to Nadia Petrova.

She won her first Grand Slam doubles title at the 2005 Australian Open with partner Svetlana Kuznetsova. She reached the top ten of the WTA rankings for the first time in early 2005 following her first Grand Slam quarterfinal singles appearance, at the Australian Open, where she lost 7–9 in the final set to Lindsay Davenport.

Molik won the bronze medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens in the singles competition, beating then world No. 3, Anastasia Myskina, in straight sets.

She won the Zurich Open, a Tier I tournament, defeating Maria Sharapova in a three-set final.

Molik began 2005 by partnering Mark Philippoussis in the Hopman Cup. She played in the Sydney International, defeating unseeded players the entire way through the tournament before taking the title over compatriot Samantha Stosur in the final, 6–7, 6–4, 7–5. Molik played in the Australian Open as the 10th seed. She defeated Anabel Medina Garrigues in the first round, Aiko Nakamura in the second round and Tatiana Panova in the third round to set up a meeting with eighth seed Venus Williams in the fourth round. Molik defeated Williams in straight sets 7–5, 7–6 to become the first Australian woman to reach the Australian Open quarterfinals since 1988. Molik played in her first ever Grand Slam quarterfinal against top seed Lindsay Davenport. Davenport defeated Molik in a marathon three-set match, 6–4, 4–6, 9–7. Molik won her first Grand Slam doubles title with Svetlana Kuznetsova. After the Australian Open, Molik rose into the top 10 in singles for the first time in her career, at No. 10.

Molik played in the Proximus Diamond Games in Antwerp, making the semifinals before losing to Amélie Mauresmo 6–3, 7–6. However, she defeated Mauresmo in the Tier II Qatar Ladies Open semifinals 7–6, 6–1 to set up a meeting with second seed Maria Sharapova. Sharapova defeated Molik in the final in three sets. Molik rose to No. 8 after the tournament.