Virginia Ruano Pascual and Paola Suarez

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There is something unique about this doubles team.
And it is not only their ability to consistently beat the best doubles teams in the World...
What's different? Watch them play and you will clearly see how much fun they  have during a match.
You are much more likely to see one of them laughing too hard to play than throwing a tantrum or a racquet.
They clearly like doing what they do - and they do it incredibly well.

 

Virginia ("Vivi") Ruano Pascual was born on September 21, 1973 in Madrid, Spain. Her father Juan Manuel works for Iberia Airlines and mother Virginia is a housewife. Her brother Juan Ramon is a tennis pro in Madrid and has helped Vivi throughout her career. She turned pro in January 1992. A doubles specialist, Vivi has also enjoyed success as a singles player and reached a career high ranking of 28 in April 1999.

Paola ("Poly") Suarez was born on June 23, 1976 in Pergamino, Argentina. Her father Orlando is a clerk and mother Rosa is a housewife. Poly turned pro in March 1994. Also a talented singles player, she ended 2003 with a world ranking of 14. In her spare time she likes to listen to music - especially Latin - and she enjoys Salsa dancing, shopping, gymnastics and beach volleyball.
     

 

 

Vivi and Poly met in 1995 at a clay court tournament in Houston, Texas. They signed up to play doubles together and lost badly in the first round of Qualifying. "I couldn't believe it when they told me they wanted to play together again" recalls Daniel Pereya, Poly's coach at the time. Nearly 10 years later they have become one of the most successful doubles teams in tennis history. The 2004 Australian Open provided their eighth consecutive Grand Slam final which they won - beating Svetlana Kuznetsova and Elena Likhovseva 6-4 6-3. They have captured 5 Grand Slam titles including the the French Open in 2001 and 2002 and the US Open in 2002 and 2003 as well as numerous other titles.

 
 
 

The secret of their success? Even in an intense Grand Slam final they always seem able to stay relaxed and enjoy their time together on the court.  It is a joy to watch. The only one who often can't watch a final is coach Pereya - now coaching both players!

And how long can they continue to enjoy each other's company? When asked at the post-match press conference in Australia, Vivi answered without hesitation "Until the end"....
 
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