H2H data updated: 2026-09-01 00:00 UTC

Tsvetana Pironkova vs Serena Williams H2H: 1-6

Serena Williams holds a 6–1 lead over Tsvetana Pironkova in their WTA head-to-head. Across 7 main-draw meetings, Serena Williams leads 4–0 on hard courts, while they are tied 1–1 on clay. Most recently, Serena Williams won the 2021 Yarra Valley Classic third round 6-1 6-4.

Bulgaria Age 38 Right-Handed 180 cm / 5'11"
H2H
1 6
7 main draw meetings
USA Age 44 Right-Handed 175 cm / 5'9"

H2H Match Log

PlayerScorePlayerMatch DataDateRoundTournamentCategorySurface
Serena Williams #11 6-1 6-4 Tsvetana Pironkova #137 Match data Feb 4, 2021* R16 Yarra Valley Classic WTA 500 Hard
Tsvetana Pironkova #157 (w/o) Serena Williams #9 Match data Sep 30, 2020* R64 Roland Garros Grand Slam Clay
Serena Williams #8 4-6 6-3 6-2 Tsvetana Pironkova Match data Sep 10, 2020* QF US Open Grand Slam Hard
Serena Williams #1 7-5 6-3 Tsvetana Pironkova #42 Match data Aug 20, 2015* R32 Cincinnati Open Premier 5 modern equivalent WTA 1000 Hard
Serena Williams #1 6-2 6-3 Tsvetana Pironkova #51 Match data Oct 2, 2014* R32 China Open Premier Mandatory modern equivalent WTA 1000 Hard
Serena Williams #26 1-6 6-3 6-4 Tsvetana Pironkova #34 Match data Jun 16, 2011* R32 Eastbourne Open Premier modern equivalent WTA 500 Grass
Serena Williams #8 5-7 6-1 6-1 Tsvetana Pironkova #91 Match data May 29, 2007* R128 Roland Garros Grand Slam Clay

Estimated match date where the exact historical date is unavailable. Arrows show an edition's recorded category and documented modern equivalent; unresolved editions keep their recorded category. Asterisked totals include editions mapped from documented historical predecessor categories. Mapping details.

Career Comparison

Player Current Peak Pts Elo W L Win % GS Olympics 1000 including documented historical predecessor categories Finals 500 including documented historical predecessor categories 250 including documented historical predecessor categories Titles
Tsvetana Pironkova #1,170 #31 1,805 1,774 172 226 43.2% 0 0 0 0 1 0 1
Serena Williams #320 #1 13,615 2,399 837 172 83.0% 23 1 23 6 18 2 73

Career Progression by Age

Seasons are aligned by the age each player spent most of that calendar year. GS and Titles are cumulative career totals through that season.

Age Tsvetana Pironkova Serena Williams
YrW-LWin %RankEloGSTitles YrW-LWin %RankEloGSTitles
15 1997 3–2 60.0% #101 1,582 0 0
16 1998 26–11 70.3% #20 1,893 0 0
17 2005 6–3 66.7% #86 1,598 0 0 1999 38–7 84.4% #4 2,189 1 5
18 2006 15–16 48.4% #64 1,661 0 0 2000 37–8 82.2% #6 2,184 1 8
19 2007 7–15 31.8% #95 1,595 0 0 2001 40–7 85.1% #6 2,237 1 11
20 2008 16–18 47.1% #44 1,635 0 0 2002 57–5 91.9% #1 2,339 4 19
21 2009 9–20 31.0% #97 1,549 0 0 2003 36–3 92.3% #3 2,365 6 23
22 2010 16–15 51.6% #35 1,625 0 0 2004 39–11 78.0% #7 2,225 6 25
23 2011 13–22 37.1% #46 1,646 0 0 2005 21–9 70.0% #11 2,101 7 26
24 2012 20–24 45.5% #42 1,663 0 0 2006 12–4 75.0% #95 2,063 7 26
25 2013 9–21 30.0% #108 1,562 0 0 2007 34–10 77.3% #7 2,077 8 28
26 2014 17–19 47.2% #38 1,598 0 1 2008 44–9 83.0% #2 2,126 9 32
27 2015 18–21 46.2% #59 1,628 0 1 2009 50–13 79.4% #1 2,120 11 35
28 2016 11–14 44.0% #64 1,663 0 1 2010 25–4 86.2% #4 2,158 13 37
29 2017 6–10 37.5% #165 1,638 0 1 2011 22–4 84.6% #12 2,182 13 39
30 2012 54–6 90.0% #3 2,302 15 46
31 2013 77–5 93.9% #1 2,382 17 57
32 2020 6–2 75.0% #136 1,712 0 1 2014 52–10 83.9% #1 2,272 18 64
33 2021 3–6 33.3% #252 1,690 0 1 2015 50–6 89.3% #1 2,292 21 69
34 2016 38–6 86.4% #2 2,208 22 71
35 2017 8–1 88.9% #22 2,200 23 72
36 2018 18–7 72.0% #16 2,112 23 72
37 2019 25–8 75.8% #10 2,093 23 72
38 2020 16–5 76.2% #11 2,045 23 73
39 2021 12–6 66.7% #41 1,994 23 73
40 2022 3–4 42.9% #320 1,926 23 73
44 2026 0–1 0.0% #320 23 73

Surface Results by Age

Seasons are aligned by the age each player spent most of that calendar year. Results cover completed main-draw matches. Bold green marks the higher win percentage when both players have at least 5 matches on that surface at the aligned age.

Age Tsvetana Pironkova Serena Williams
Yr HardClayGrassCarpet Yr HardClayGrassCarpet
W L M Win % W L M Win % W L M Win % W L M Win % W L M Win % W L M Win % W L M Win % W L M Win %
15 1997 3 2 5 60.0%
16 1998 16 7 23 69.6% 6 2 8 75.0% 4 2 6 66.7%
17 2005 0 1 1 0.0% 6 2 8 75.0% 1999 27 4 31 87.1% 6 3 9 66.7% 5 0 5 100.0%
18 2006 7 9 16 43.8% 4 4 8 50.0% 3 2 5 60.0% 1 1 2 50.0% 2000 29 5 34 85.3% 0 1 1 0.0% 5 1 6 83.3% 3 1 4 75.0%
19 2007 5 6 11 45.5% 1 6 7 14.3% 1 2 3 33.3% 0 1 1 0.0% 2001 32 5 37 86.5% 4 1 5 80.0% 4 1 5 80.0%
20 2008 6 10 16 37.5% 10 6 16 62.5% 0 2 2 0.0% 2002 28 3 31 90.3% 18 2 20 90.0% 7 0 7 100.0% 4 0 4 100.0%
21 2009 8 9 17 47.1% 1 9 10 10.0% 0 1 1 0.0% 0 1 1 0.0% 2003 13 0 13 100.0% 12 3 15 80.0% 7 0 7 100.0% 4 0 4 100.0%
22 2010 7 10 17 41.2% 4 4 8 50.0% 5 1 6 83.3% 2004 23 6 29 79.3% 10 4 14 71.4% 6 1 7 85.7%
23 2011 5 11 16 31.3% 4 8 12 33.3% 4 2 6 66.7% 0 1 1 0.0% 2005 16 5 21 76.2% 2 2 4 50.0% 2 1 3 66.7% 1 1 2 50.0%
24 2012 10 14 24 41.7% 5 6 11 45.5% 4 3 7 57.1% 1 1 2 50.0% 2006 12 4 16 75.0%
25 2013 2 10 12 16.7% 1 7 8 12.5% 6 3 9 66.7% 0 1 1 0.0% 2007 24 6 30 80.0% 6 3 9 66.7% 4 1 5 80.0%
26 2014 16 14 30 53.3% 1 3 4 25.0% 0 2 2 0.0% 2008 27 5 32 84.4% 11 3 14 78.6% 6 1 7 85.7%
27 2015 10 14 24 41.7% 4 4 8 50.0% 4 3 7 57.1% 2009 36 8 44 81.8% 4 4 8 50.0% 7 0 7 100.0% 3 1 4 75.0%
28 2016 4 10 14 28.6% 5 2 7 71.4% 2 2 4 50.0% 2010 10 1 11 90.9% 8 3 11 72.7% 7 0 7 100.0%
29 2017 1 5 6 16.7% 1 2 3 33.3% 4 3 7 57.1% 2011 18 2 20 90.0% 4 2 6 66.7%
30 2012 26 4 30 86.7% 15 2 17 88.2% 13 0 13 100.0%
31 2013 46 4 50 92.0% 28 0 28 100.0% 3 1 4 75.0%
32 2020 4 1 5 80.0% 2 1 3 66.7% 2014 41 6 47 87.2% 9 3 12 75.0% 2 1 3 66.7%
33 2021 3 4 7 42.9% 0 1 1 0.0% 0 1 1 0.0% 2015 30 3 33 90.9% 13 3 16 81.3% 7 0 7 100.0%
34 2016 20 5 25 80.0% 11 1 12 91.7% 7 0 7 100.0%
35 2017 8 1 9 88.9%
36 2018 9 5 14 64.3% 3 1 4 75.0% 6 1 7 85.7%
37 2019 16 5 21 76.2% 3 2 5 60.0% 6 1 7 85.7%
38 2020 15 4 19 78.9% 1 1 2 50.0%
39 2021 8 2 10 80.0% 4 3 7 57.1% 0 1 1 0.0%
40 2022 3 3 6 50.0% 0 1 1 0.0%
44 2026 0 1 1 0.0%
Career 88 128 216 40.7% 49 65 114 43.0% 33 27 60 55.0% 2 6 8 25.0% 533 103 636 83.8% 174 47 221 78.7% 107 17 124 86.3% 23 5 28 82.1%

Performance Progression by Age

Seasons are aligned by the age each player spent most of that calendar year. Detailed serve and return statistics available for 329/389 of Tsvetana Pironkova's and 633/768 of Serena Williams's main draw matches. Sample is shown as matches with detailed serve and return statistics / total main draw matches. Bold green marks the stronger value when both stat samples contain at least 5 matches; lower is better for DFs/M.

Age Tsvetana Pironkova Serena Williams
Yr Sample Aces/M DFs/M 1st Sv% 1st Pts% 2nd Pts% BP Saved% BP Conv% Svc Pts% Ret Pts% Yr Sample Aces/M DFs/M 1st Sv% 1st Pts% 2nd Pts% BP Saved% BP Conv% Svc Pts% Ret Pts%
18 2006 15/31 1.1 2.3 61.1% 60.2% 48.4% 46.9% 54.3% 55.8% 43.4% —/—
19 2007 16/22 2.0 2.6 55.4% 63.2% 46.9% 49.4% 39.0% 56.0% 38.1% —/—
20 2008 30/34 1.5 1.7 60.1% 61.2% 44.7% 47.9% 49.0% 54.6% 46.4% —/—
21 2009 29/29 2.2 1.6 59.9% 59.9% 39.9% 46.7% 44.8% 51.7% 45.5% 2003 13/39 3.9 2.1 61.7% 74.0% 52.8% 63.9% 58.8% 66.1% 51.8%
22 2010 27/31 2.9 2.3 54.7% 65.0% 47.7% 51.2% 45.0% 57.3% 43.6% 2004 16/50 6.4 2.6 61.3% 73.3% 51.5% 64.8% 54.6% 64.9% 49.7%
23 2011 34/35 2.0 2.1 55.8% 64.2% 44.9% 51.3% 52.0% 55.8% 43.1% 2005 14/30 5.9 2.6 61.2% 74.1% 52.5% 68.0% 48.3% 65.1% 47.5%
24 2012 35/44 2.6 2.8 54.1% 63.0% 46.1% 47.9% 45.3% 55.3% 43.0% 2006 15/16 6.3 2.9 59.3% 74.2% 47.4% 54.7% 58.2% 63.1% 46.9%
25 2013 23/30 2.5 2.3 56.7% 63.3% 43.2% 55.8% 52.5% 54.8% 39.6% 2007 42/44 6.1 2.6 59.4% 69.2% 48.1% 58.2% 57.3% 60.8% 46.0%
26 2014 31/36 2.5 1.7 59.2% 63.8% 41.8% 46.1% 49.7% 55.1% 44.9% 2008 44/53 6.8 2.7 61.4% 73.4% 45.2% 60.0% 47.6% 62.7% 47.7%
27 2015 35/39 2.7 2.0 58.5% 61.9% 48.0% 49.0% 53.4% 56.1% 43.2% 2009 57/63 6.2 2.8 60.8% 75.0% 50.7% 54.5% 48.2% 65.3% 46.2%
28 2016 22/25 1.4 1.9 59.6% 62.1% 47.0% 43.8% 48.9% 56.0% 45.0% 2010 29/29 8.6 2.9 62.3% 77.4% 47.5% 66.0% 51.5% 66.4% 46.8%
29 2017 16/16 1.8 1.9 61.3% 60.2% 44.4% 54.9% 55.7% 54.5% 42.8% 2011 25/26 8.0 2.5 59.0% 79.5% 53.0% 67.2% 50.8% 68.7% 46.9%
30 —/— 2012 48/60 8.2 2.3 59.0% 78.7% 54.8% 66.6% 53.2% 68.8% 49.8%
31 —/— 2013 74/82 6.1 2.2 63.0% 76.5% 53.5% 60.3% 56.0% 68.1% 52.4%
32 2020 7/8 2.3 1.1 56.4% 72.4% 51.5% 63.1% 55.5% 63.4% 45.6% 2014 56/62 7.7 3.5 59.3% 76.5% 51.6% 64.4% 52.8% 66.3% 48.9%
33 2021 9/9 1.7 0.8 56.1% 58.9% 41.4% 54.4% 52.1% 50.9% 39.2% 2015 50/56 9.5 3.5 59.9% 76.7% 55.9% 67.3% 54.5% 68.4% 47.8%
34 —/— 2016 41/44 7.9 2.8 62.3% 77.4% 51.9% 58.8% 50.6% 68.0% 49.0%
35 —/— 2017 9/9 7.9 3.9 55.9% 79.6% 46.7% 57.9% 51.3% 65.7% 46.5%
36 —/— 2018 24/25 7.1 3.4 59.2% 74.2% 48.5% 55.3% 51.9% 63.9% 44.0%
37 —/— 2019 31/33 6.6 2.8 59.2% 76.5% 50.4% 50.4% 45.6% 65.5% 46.7%
38 —/— 2020 20/21 8.9 2.7 61.3% 73.3% 50.7% 71.0% 49.7% 64.3% 44.9%
39 —/— 2021 17/18 5.1 2.6 57.4% 72.6% 48.9% 43.6% 49.4% 62.4% 46.2%
40 —/— 2022 7/7 8.0 4.7 65.0% 68.0% 35.4% 62.0% 45.8% 56.6% 40.5%
44 —/— 2026 1/1 7.0 7.0 79.0% 62.7% 45.0% 54.6% 27.3% 59.0% 38.5%
Career 329/398 2.2 2.0 57.7% 62.6% 45.1% 49.5% 49.3% 55.3% 43.4% 633/1,009 7.2 2.8 60.6% 75.5% 50.9% 60.9% 52.1% 65.8% 48.0%

Advanced Statistics Comparison by Age

Seasons are aligned by the age each player spent most of that calendar year. Metrics are precomputed from eligible main-draw results; point-stat values use the available detailed sample. Bold green marks the stronger value when both underlying samples are sufficient. Lower is better for Schedule because a negative value means a tougher schedule. Career Schedule is normalized per 100 matches.

Age Tsvetana Pironkova Serena Williams
Yr Elo P+ Serve+ Return+ PD TPW% Hard Elo Clay Elo Grass Elo Set Win % Set Margin Dec. Set Tiebreak Pressure+ Schedule Yr Elo P+ Serve+ Return+ PD TPW% Hard Elo Clay Elo Grass Elo Set Win % Set Margin Dec. Set Tiebreak Pressure+ Schedule
15 1997 1582 144.0 +42 54.5% +0.82 1–0 1–1 -0.18
16 1998 1893 158.1 -62 -201 -189 64.6% +1.29 8–5 (62%) 2–3 (40%) -1.19
17 2005 1599 115.2 +76 55.6% -0.39 2–0 2–0 -1.06 1999 2189 178.2 +12 -418 80.2% +2.10 8–5 (62%) 6–0 (100%) -2.69
18 2006 1662 128.0 +0.23 -0.30 0.983 49.4% -89 +15 -33 48.6% -0.16 4–4 (50%) 3–2 (60%) -1.93 2000 2185 168.9 +24 -372 80.6% +2.43 6–1 (86%) 4–3 (57%) +0.57
19 2007 1595 110.6 +0.26 -3.72 0.866 47.2% -8 -16 +24 34.0% -1.34 3–3 (50%) 7–3 (70%) -0.77 2001 2238 172.8 +36 -434 -326 79.2% +2.45 7–4 (64%) 5–5 (50%) -2.79
20 2008 1636 132.0 +0.57 +1.97 1.023 50.3% -49 +36 48.7% +0.09 3–7 (30%) 5–6 (45%) -1.40 2002 2339 173.4 +18 -278 -232 87.1% +2.70 9–3 (75%) 11–1 (92%) -2.86
21 2009 1549 125.5 -2.40 +1.22 0.943 48.7% +82 -36 36.8% -0.81 3–7 (30%) 3–5 (38%) -0.39 2003 2365 170.4 +7.11 +5.95 1.527 58.7% +80 -218 -130 86.0% +2.74 6–2 (75%) 2–0 -1.67
22 2010 1626 127.4 +1.40 +0.29 1.021 50.4% -41 -62 +77 52.2% -0.10 2–5 (29%) 4–1 (80%) +1.48 2004 2226 163.6 +6.68 +4.43 1.416 56.9% +107 -101 +86 74.8% +1.90 9–4 (69%) 4–3 (57%) -0.38
23 2011 1646 133.0 +0.53 +0.21 0.976 49.6% -79 -82 +146 41.0% -0.56 2–8 (20%) 2–2 (50%) -0.71 2005 2101 150.6 +5.70 +2.41 1.360 56.0% +157 -3 +122 70.0% +1.48 8–0 (100%) 1–6 (14%) -0.26
24 2012 1664 127.1 -0.33 -0.08 0.964 49.3% -52 -52 +136 44.3% -0.48 6–5 (55%) 6–3 (67%) +0.41 2006 2064 147.1 +4.12 +2.38 1.272 54.9% +120 69.4% +1.75 3–1 (75%) 0–3 (0%) -0.43
25 2013 1562 112.6 -0.51 -2.67 0.876 47.5% -70 -49 +254 36.2% -0.75 2–7 (22%) 1–4 (20%) -0.24 2007 2077 165.4 +4.80 +3.80 1.173 53.4% +88 +12 +155 78.3% +1.84 6–4 (60%) 9–3 (75%) -2.31
26 2014 1599 135.7 -0.20 +1.20 1.001 50.0% +6 -85 49.4% -0.10 2–7 (22%) 3–3 (50%) +1.35 2008 2126 164.9 +6.89 +4.29 1.280 55.0% +42 -33 +130 80.0% +2.11 9–4 (69%) 5–2 (71%) -1.00
27 2015 1628 130.3 -1.32 +2.13 0.984 49.7% -36 -94 +134 48.4% -0.22 6–11 (35%) 9–6 (60%) -0.47 2009 2120 165.8 +9.20 +3.92 1.332 55.3% +59 -117 +157 75.6% +1.76 11–6 (65%) 8–8 (50%) -2.33
28 2016 1664 130.4 +0.33 +0.75 1.022 50.5% -82 -18 +117 47.3% +0.02 1–4 (20%) 2–2 (50%) -1.29 2010 2159 157.0 +8.78 +3.86 1.393 56.1% +37 -163 +212 79.1% +2.01 6–3 (67%) 10–2 (83%) -1.14
29 2017 1638 116.2 -0.02 -0.71 0.940 49.2% -88 -17 +149 44.7% -0.37 1–5 (17%) 1–1 -0.52 2011 2182 160.3 +9.93 +4.56 1.499 57.5% +57 +125 78.9% +2.33 6–1 (86%) 3–2 (60%) -0.27
30 2012 2302 168.5 +11.57 +6.33 1.597 58.7% -26 -157 +62 88.2% +2.98 6–1 (86%) 3–2 (60%) -2.18
31 2013 2383 177.8 +12.05 +8.21 1.643 59.9% -2 -40 +41 89.7% +3.22 10–4 (71%) 3–3 (50%) -0.69
32 2020 1713 134.0 +3.11 +2.53 1.245 54.3% -59 70.6% +1.23 1–2 (33%) 0–1 +0.15 2014 2273 171.7 +9.98 +6.05 1.454 57.3% +55 +1 +33 83.6% +2.37 7–3 (70%) 8–0 (100%) -0.53
33 2021 1691 123.6 -1.78 -0.45 0.800 45.6% +6 33.3% -1.24 2–1 (67%) 1–1 -0.94 2015 2293 165.1 +9.57 +5.97 1.514 57.9% +37 -12 +16 81.3% +2.24 17–2 (89%) 7–2 (78%) -0.61
34 2016 2208 161.7 +10.55 +5.23 1.529 57.9% +31 +121 +136 83.0% +2.39 4–2 (67%) 8–2 (80%) -0.68
35 2017 2201 137.8 +4.48 +1.79 1.354 56.0% +39 89.5% +2.32 0–1 1–0 -0.09
36 2018 2112 148.0 +5.23 +2.07 1.220 53.7% +22 +268 +229 71.2% +1.29 3–1 (75%) 3–0 (100%) -0.74
37 2019 2094 156.8 +7.34 +3.63 1.352 55.6% +42 +282 +271 77.3% +2.05 7–1 (88%) -0.12
38 2020 2046 143.2 +4.70 +1.29 1.259 54.8% +19 70.6% +1.55 7–4 (64%) 4–3 (57%) +0.57
39 2021 1994 145.6 +4.15 +2.90 1.229 53.9% +132 +333 68.6% +1.54 3–0 (100%) 2–2 (50%) -0.19
40 2022 1926 119.5 +0.06 -0.90 0.934 48.7% +144 47.1% -0.35 1–2 (33%) 2–1 (67%) +0.04
Career 1774 133.8 -0.16 +0.34 0.971 49.4% -36 -26 +128 45.1% -0.37 40–76 (34%) 49–40 (55%) 96.5 -1.60 2399 174.6 +8.46 +4.79 1.403 56.6% +43 -85 +34 79.6% +2.21 168–64 (72%) 112–57 (66%) 111.1 -2.45

Career Rivalries

Each player's five most-played main-draw opponents. The current matchup is highlighted when it appears in a player's top five.