Els Callens (born 20 August 1970) is a former professional female tennis player from Belgium.

Els Callens
Els Callens at the 2003 Rogers Cup
Country (sports) Belgium
ResidenceAntwerp, Belgium
Born (1970-08-20) 20 August 1970 (age 53)
Antwerp
Height1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Turned pro1990
Retired2011
PlaysRight-handed (two-handed backhand)
Prize money$1,666,023
Singles
Career record358–309
Career titles0 WTA, 11 ITF
Highest rankingNo. 43 (17 February 1997)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open3R (2000)
French Open2R (1995, 1998, 1999, 2000)
Wimbledon3R (2002)
US Open3R (1996)
Doubles
Career record315–224
Career titles10 WTA, 10 ITF
Highest rankingNo. 12 (14 May 2001)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian OpenQF (2000)
French OpenQF (1999)
WimbledonQF (1997, 1998)
US OpenSF (2000)
Team competitions
Fed CupW (2001)
Record 26–13
Medal record
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 2000 Sydney Doubles

Callens became professional in January 1990. Her biggest achievement came in 2000 during the Summer Olympic Games in Sydney where she won the bronze medal in women's doubles, partnering Dominique Van Roost-Monami.

She retired on 26 October 2005, after losing her second-round match at the Gaz de France Stars tournament in Hasselt. She startet a comeback, and finally retired from professional tennis in 2011.

Nowadays, she works as sports commentator for the Belgian public broadcast Eén.

WTA career finals edit

Singles: 1 (runner-up) edit

Legend
Tier I (0–0)
Tier II (0–0)
Tier III (0–1)
Tier IV & V (0–0)
Result No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent Score
Loss 1. 27 October 1996 Tournoi de Québec, Canada Carpet (i)   Lisa Raymond 4–6, 4–6

Doubles: 22 (10 titles, 12 runner-ups) edit

Legend
Tier I (1–0)
Tier II (3–3)
Tier III (3–3)
Tier IV & V (3–6)
Result No. Date Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win 1. 6 January 1996 Auckland Open, New Zealand Clay   Julie Halard-Decugis   Jill Hetherington
  Kristine Kunce
6–1, 6–0
Loss 1. 19 May 1996 Welsh Open, Wales Clay   Laurence Courtois   Katrina Adams
  Mariaan de Swardt
0–6, 4–6
Win 2. 14 June 1998 Birmingham Classic, England Grass   Julie Halard-Decugis   Lisa Raymond
  Rennae Stubbs
2–6, 6–4, 6–4
Win 3. 22 November 1998 Pattaya Open, Thailand Hard   Julie Halard-Decugis   Rika Hiraki
  Aleksandra Olsza
3–6, 6–2, 6–2
Win 4. 13 August 2000 Los Angeles Championships, U.S. Hard   Dominique Van Roost   Kimberly Po
  Anne-Gaëlle Sidot
6–2, 7–5
Loss 2. 5 November 2000 Tournoi de Québec, Canada Carpet (i)   Kimberly Po   Nicole Pratt
  Meghann Shaughnessy
3–6, 4–6
Win 5. 13 May 2001 German Open Clay   Meghann Shaughnessy   Cara Black
  Elena Likhovtseva
6–4, 6–3
Win 6. 19 May 2001 Belgian Open Clay   Virginia Ruano Pascual   Kristie Boogert
  Miriam Oremans
6–3, 3–6, 6–4
Loss 3. 16 September 2001 Waikoloa Championships, U.S. Hard   Nicole Pratt   Tina Križan
  Katarina Srebotnik
2–6, 3–6
Loss 4. 28 October 2001 Linz Open, Austria Hard (i)   Chanda Rubin   Jelena Dokić
  Nadia Petrova
1–6, 4–6
Loss 5. 3 February 2002 Toyota Princess Cup, Japan Carpet (i)   Roberta Vinci   Lisa Raymond
  Rennae Stubbs
1–6, 1–6
Loss 6. 7 April 2002 Sarasota Clay Court Classic, U.S. Clay   Conchita Martínez   Jelena Dokić
  Elena Likhovtseva
7–6(7–5), 3–6, 3–6
Win 7. 16 June 2002 Birmingham Classic, England Grass   Shinobu Asagoe   Kimberly Po
  Nathalie Tauziat
6–4, 6–3
Win 8. 15 June 2003 Birmingham Classic, England Grass   Meilen Tu   Alicia Molik
  Martina Navratilova
7–5, 6–4
Loss 7. 10 August 2003 Los Angeles Classic, U.S. Hard   Elena Bovina   Mary Pierce
  Rennae Stubbs
3–6, 3–6
Loss 8. 2 November 2003 Tournoi de Québec, Canada Carpet (i)   Meilen Tu   Ting Li
  Sun Tiantian
3–6, 3–6
Loss 9. 16 January 2004 Hobart International, Australia Hard   Barbara Schett   Shinobu Asagoe
  Seiko Okamoto
6–2, 4–6, 3–6
Win 9. 22 February 2004 Diamond Games Antwerp, Belgium Hard (i)   Cara Black   Myriam Casanova
  Eleni Daniilidou
6–2, 6–2
Loss 10. 11 April 2004 Casablanca Grand Prix, Morocco Clay   Katarina Srebotnik   Marion Bartoli
  Émilie Loit
4–6, 2–6
Loss 11. 15 August 2004 Vancouver Open, Canada Hard   Anna-Lena Grönefeld   Bethanie Mattek
  Abigail Spears
3–6, 3–6
Loss 12. 7 November 2004 Tournoi de Québec, Canada Hard (i)   Samantha Stosur   Carly Gullickson
  María Emilia Salerni
5–7, 5–7
Win 10. 20 February 2005 Diamond Games Antwerp, Belgium Hard (i)   Cara Black   Anabel Medina Garrigues
  Dinara Safina
3–6, 6–4, 6–4

ITF Circuit finals edit

$100,000 tournaments
$75,000 tournaments
$50,000 tournaments
$25,000 tournaments
$10,000 tournaments

Singles: 14 (11–3) edit

Outcome No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent Score
Winner 1. 19 February 1990 ITF Manchester, United Kingdom Carpet (i)   Sandra Begijn 6–1, 6–0
Winner 2. 7 May 1990 ITF Cascais, Portugal Clay   Claire Wegink 6–1, 6–1
Winner 3. 21 January 1991 ITF Bergen, Norway Carpet (i)   Magdalena Feistel 6–4, 6–3
Runner-up 1. 11 February 1991 ITF Danderyd, Sweden Carpet (i)   Catarina Lindqvist 4–6, 6–4, 2–6
Winner 4. 18 February 1991 ITF Croydon, United Kingdom Carpet (i)   Sara Gomer 6–1, 6–0
Winner 5. 21 October 1991 ITF Swindon, United Kingdom Carpet (i)   Cecilia Dahlman 3–6, 7–5, 6–4
Winner 6. 19 October 1992 ITF Moulins, France Hard (i)   Petra Holubová 5–7, 6–2, 6–3
Winner 7. 31 October 1993 ITF Poitiers, France Hard (i)   Lea Ghirardi 6–0, 6–1
Winner 8. 21 March 1994 ITF Brest, France Hard (i)   Dally Randriantefy 6–4, 6–3
Runner-up 2. 14 December 1997 ITF Bad Gögging, Germany Carpet (i)   Nathalie Dechy 4–6, 1–6
Runner-up 3. 22 August 1999 Bronx Open, United States Hard   Erika deLone 1–6, ret.
Winner 9. 24 October 1999 ITF Southampton, UK Carpet (i)   Patricia Wartusch 6–3, 6–3
Winner 10. 30 October 2001 ITF Bolton, United Kingdom Hard (i)   Bahia Mouhtassine 4–6, 6–4, 6–1
Winner 11. 26 November 2002 ITF Minneapolis, United States Hard (i)   Stanislava Hrozenská 7–5, 6–3

Doubles: 17 (10–7) edit

Outcome No. Date Tournament Surface Partner Opponents Score
Winner 1. 26 February 1990 ITF Wigan, United Kingdom Hard (i)   Caroline Wuillot   Jenny Thielmann
  Claire Wegink
7–5, 6–0
Winner 2. 11 June 1990 ITF Cascais, Portugal Clay   Caroline Wuillot   Ingelise Driehuis
  Louise Pleming
2–6, 6–4, 7–6(6)
Winner 3. 6 August 1990 ITF Rebecq, Belgium Clay   Caroline Wuillot   Ruxandra Dragomir
  Irina Spîrlea
6–4, 6–2
Runner-up 1. 10 September 1990 ITF Eastbourne, United Kingdom Hard   Tanja Hauschildt   Maria Lindström
  Heather Ludloff
6–7(6), 1–6
Runner-up 2. 11 November 1991 ITF Swindon, United Kingdom Carpet (i)   Michèle Strebel   Ilana Berger
  Tessa Price
2–6, 5–7
Winner 4. 12 April 1992 ITF Limoges, France Carpet (i)   Michèle Strebel   Lubomira Bacheva
  Sylvia Štefková
4–6, 6–1, 6–4
Runner-up 3. 14 September 1992 ITF Madeira, Portugal Hard   Julia Jehs   Karin Ptaszek
  Marianne Vallin
1–6, 3–6
Winner 5. 22 November 1992 ITF Nottingham, United Kingdom Carpet (i)   Elena Pampoulova   Ruxandra Dragomir
  Irina Spîrlea
7–6(3), 6–4
Runner-up 4. 31 October 1993 ITF Poitiers, France Hard (i)   Nancy Feber   Olga Lugina
  Elena Pampoulova
4–6, 6–3, 3–6
Winner 6. 27 March 1994 ITF Brest, France Hard (i)   Karin Ptaszek   Susanna Attili
  Elena Savoldi
6–4, 6–1
Winner 7. 29 March 1997 ITF Woodlands, United States Hard   Liezel Horn   Nathalie Dechy
  Lea Ghirardi
6–4, 6–2
Winner 8. 21 September 1998 ITF Seattle, United States Hard   Liezel Horn   Lilia Osterloh
  Mashona Washington
6–2, 3–6, 6–3
Winner 9. 18 October 1998 ITF Southampton, United Kingdom Carpet (i)   Laurence Courtois   Amélie Cocheteux
  Émilie Loit
6–2, 6–2
Runner-up 5. 13 August 2001 Bronx Open, United States Hard   Kristie Boogert   Clarisa Fernández
  Rika Fujiwara
6–2, 6–7(3), 4–6
Winner 10. 26 November 2002 ITF Minneapolis, United States Hard (i)   Shinobu Asagoe   Rika Hiraki
  Nana Smith
7–6(3), 7–6(3)
Runner-up 6. 9 November 2004 ITF Pittsburgh, United States Hard (i)   Samantha Stosur   Teryn Ashley
  Laura Granville
6–2, 3–6, 4–6
Runner-up 7. 4 July 2011 ITF Brussels, Belgium Clay   Nancy Feber   Marcella Koek
  Eva Wacanno
5–7, 6–3, [5–10]

External links edit