Israeli tennis star Anna Smashnova is to drop her distinctive name after marrying her coach and former Italian Davis Cup player Claudio Pistolesi in Rome this week.
Smashnova, who will be playing in the ASB Classic in Auckland from Sunday, met Pistolesi, nine years her senior, in 2000 when she went
to Milan to train at the Vavassori academy where he was coaching at the time.
She has decided to take her husband's name, relinquishing one of tennis' most distinctive names.
The 26-year-old Belarus-born Israeli is one of the sport's toughest competitors.
She claimed four tournament titles in four finals this year, climbing from No 87 in the rankings at the start of the season to a career high rank of No 16 and qualifying for the WTA Tour Championships for the first time.
Smashnova crossed the $US1 million ($NZ1.95m) mark in career tournament earnings in June to become the highest-ranked Israeli to ever play professional tennis.
An accomplished tennis player in his own right, Pistolesi concluded the 1985 season as the top-ranked junior in the world.
Three years later he scored a victory over Mats Wilander at Monte Carlo and reached his highest world ranking of 71.
Pistolesi was Monica Seles' hitting partner in 1996 when she won the Australian Open after her two-year break from tennis and is widely regarded as a top tactical mind in the sport.
Smashnova will continue to represent Israel on the tennis tour and in international competition.
The 1.58m, 53kg Israeli will begin the new year by defending her WTA Tour titles in Auckland and Canberra.
- NZPA
