Nickname: Nicole

Birthdate: April 23, 1989

Birthplace: Nurnberg, Germany

Height: 6'0"

2003 - Debuted on ITF Circuit; won $10K ITF/Plzen-CZE, her only event in 2003.

2004 - First Top 100 finish; qualified for only third Tour main draw at Vancouver, then d. four Top 5 seeds (incl. No.4 seed Granville in final) to become sixth-youngest singles champion in Tour history (15 years, three months, 23 days) and the lowest-ranked player (No.180) and second qualifier (of three) to win a title in 2004; won second title of year at Tashkent (d. Razzano in final), afterwards (October 18), made Top 100 debut at No.74 (youngest player in Top 100); debuted on Tour Rankings on March 1, the same week she reached QF at Acapulco in Tour debut and only fourth pro event; gained direct entry into Acapulco after reaching final at $75K ITF/Midland, MI-USA and winner Craybas turned down ‘feed up’ entry into the Tour event; later in season, reached QF at Tokyo [Japan Open] (d. No.29 Golovin for career-best win; l. to Koukalova); Grand Slam debut at US Open (l. to No.1 Henin-Hardenne 61 64 in 1r after leading 4-1 second set); won ITF/Columbus, OH-USA at start of season.

2005 - Another breakthrough year, highlighted by three-tournament win streak and career-high ranking of No.15 at season’s end; won 18 consecutive matches in last four events of season, winning Seoul (d. Jankovic 75 63 in final), Tokyo [Japan Open] (first Tier III title; Golovin ret. down 76(4) 32 in final w/left Achilles tendonitis; championship match between 16-year-old Vaidisova and 17-year-old Golovin was eighth-youngest final in Open Era) and Bangkok (d. Petrova 61 67(5) 75 in final for second straight Tier III title, fifth overall); became first player since Davenport (2004 Stanford, Los Angeles, San Diego) to win three titles in three weeks, also sixth woman to win five titles before 17th birthday (Austin, Jaeger, Seles, Capriati, Hingis); thereafter, reached first Tier II SF at Philadelphia (l. to eventual champion Mauresmo 75 75); earlier in season, reached first clay court final at Istanbul (l. to V.Williams), SF at Memphis and QF at Hobart, Charleston (d. world No.6 Myskina for career-first Top 10 victory; l. to Schnyder in first Tier I QF) and Toronto [Canadian Open] (d. Dechy en route to second Tier I QF; l. to Henin-Hardenne); debuted at first three majors, reaching 3r at Australian Open (l. to Davenport), 2r at Roland Garros (l. to Schiavone) and 3r at Wimbledon (l. to Kuznetsova in 3s), also 4r in second US Open (l. to Petrova 76(4) 75, having led 5-2 first set); 3r at back-to-back Tier events Indian Wells (l. to Pierce) and Miami (l. to Ivanovic); won first career grass court match at Birmingham (d. Cohen-Aloro 1r, falling 2r to Daniilidou); reduced ranking to one-fifth between beginning and end of season - No.75 in first event at Hobart, Top 50 debut (at No.47) after Miami, Top 20 debut (at No.18) after Tokyo [Japan Open], rising to No.15 at year’s end on November 14; career-first Tour doubles SF at Philadelphia (w/Drake); in Fed Cup play, 1-1 in Czech Republic’s 3-2 win vs. Japan in World Group II 1r, then 2-1 in 3-2 loss vs. Italy in World Group I Play-offs.

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