Sonya Jeyaseelan
Major Accomplishments
Reached a pinnacle of No. 48 on the singles rankings (December 4, 2000) and No. 40 in doubles (October 16, 2000)
Highest-ranked junior player in Canadian history at world No. 2
Finalist at 1994 Junior French Open
Reached the third round of the 2000 Australian Open and 2000 Wimbledon, defeating a Top 10 player in both events
Doubles quarter-finalist at the 1996 US Open with Rene Simpson
Canadian Fed Cup team member, 1997-2003
Biography
Sonya Jeyaseelan displayed her immense potential at a young age, when as a teenager she hit the No. 2 spot on the ITF world junior rankings and made it to the final of the 1994 Junior French Open before falling to future world No. 1 Martina Hingis.
Her success as a junior translated into the professional world, as Jeyaseelan entered the Top 100 for the first time in 1997 and hit her career-high of No. 48 in 2000. Her tiny five-foot-two stature belied her giant-slaying abilities, as she competed admirably with the best players in the world. In 2000, she posted victories over world No. 8 Nathalie Tauziat at the Australian Open and world No. 4 Conchita Martinez at Wimbledon. She advanced to the third round at both events – her best Slam result. She also took out world No. 6 Venus Williams in 1999 at Amelia Island, securing the match in a thrilling 8-6 second set tiebreak.
As a member of Canada’s Fed Cup team, she holds just seven losses compared to 29 victories and an incredible 17-2 doubles record. With a 6-1 posting alongside Rene Simpson, Jeyaseelan is part of the country’s winningest Fed Cup doubles team as well.
She also was a member of Team Canada at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.
Jeyaseelan and Simpson also took their partnership to Tour events where their best result was a quarter-final appearance at the US Open in 1996. That marks the Toronto native’s top doubles appearance. Her highest ranking in the team game was No. 40.
After retirement, Jeyaseelan entered the coaching world. She has captained both the U16 Junior Fed Cup and U14 World Junior Tennis girls’ team, and remains involved in furthering the game in Canada.