Alisa Kleybanova was struck by Hodgkin’s lymphoma in the spring of 2011, at the time her ranking was No.26, and after a brief comeback at Miami last season, the Russian decided to test her chances at smaller tournaments, which would also allow her to keep her protected ranking and thus enter the bigger tournaments, and at the first such small event she entered, the $10,000 Landisville, PA, held from May 13 to May 19, the 23-year-old went from the qualifying all the way to the title.

After three wins in the qualifying, the former world No.20 Kleybanova recorded five victories in the main draw, dropping just one set in the eight matches. In the final she defeated Natalie Pluskota 6-3 6-0. (photo: chascow)

The last Alisa Kleybanova's match prior to her cancer diagnosis was the second round of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome, and now, two years later, the Russian is again reintroducing herself to competitive tennis (she had one comeback in Miami last year, but even though she won the first round, it was too exhausting for her still fragile body), this time at the $10,000 Landisville tournament, the smallest event she has played since the age of 14.

The week the big WTA names of her caliber are competing in Rome, where a victory in just the first round gets you close to $13,000 and 70 ranking points, Kleybanova is playing in Landisville where the champion earns mere 18 ranking points and the prize of $1,440, and not to mention that there are no perks such as ball kids, line judges, chair umpires and electronic scoreboard. But the 23-year-old Kleybanova, who was ranked 26th the moment the disease struck, has her goal in her mind: to maintain her eligibility for a protected ranking.

Having won three qualifying rounds, Kleybanova is now in the main draw, awaiting the match with unranked American Jacqueline Wu.
(source: The New York Times, photo: © Neal Trousdale)

We're always following the latest updates on the comeback of Alisa Kleybanova, who has recovered from the serious illness of Hodgkin’s lymphoma but is yet to make a successful return to tennis. The former Top 20 player is planning to get back to the competitive courts by the middle of 2013.

I don’t know right now if it’s going to be two months or three months or four months, but I’m pretty sure that I’ll start playing before the summer.

Kleybanova's last match before the illness was a second round loss in Rome 2011 (at the time she was ranked No.26) and already in March 2012 she made a victorious comeback in Miami, but the return turned out to be premature and the Russian has since been waiting for her body to be absolutely ready for life on the WTA Tour. In November 2012 she said she could be able to return in February or March 2013, but apparently she will need a few more weeks.

On a similar note, what's up with all these young athletes receiving such dreadful diagnosis? ATP player Ross Hutchins, 27, was also diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma earlier this year. Kleybanova was just 21 and at the height of her still rising career when the cancer threatened her life. (source: The New York Times, photo by our reader Tony)

Alisa Kleybanova survived Hodgkin's lymphoma, a form of cancer, that crept into her life when she was just 21, at the peak of her tennis career, in the year she cracked the Top 20. The Russian was receiving treatment in Italy and was not playing tournaments since Rome in May 2011 until Miami in March 2012. On her return, she did win one match in Miami, but her comeback was just as long, as she realized that it was too early to get back to competitive tennis. Her health was not questionable, but she needed more stamina to keep up with the demanding matches. Now the 23-year-old Russian has told Tennis.com that she will attempt another return in February or March 2013. She's still not able to train every day, but her fitness is improving. Good luck, Alisa! (photo: Johan Rivera)

Thanks to Tennis Info Blog I discovered the lengthy interview of Alisa Kleybanova for the Sovestkiy Sport Magazine, where the 22-year-old revealed that her March comeback from Hodgkin's lymphoma was premature and she should have taken more time before returning to the pro competition.

Remember, less than a year after being diagnosed with cancer, the former world No.20 Kleybanova started playing again and she actually won her opener in Miami. Even though doctors gave her a green light, the young Russian believes she should have waited longer.

Now I know that my comeback to tennis was too early. Of course, I was really happy to win my first-round match, but had no gas in the tank left.

Read more »

Alisa Kleybanova made a stunning comeback from a 10-month recovery from cancer and her return to the tennis courts was victorious, but she stopped at the second hurdle, against fellow Russian Maria Kirilenko in the second round of Miami. It was not a straightforward win for Kirilenko, the first set lasted 80 minutes and eventually the favorite won 7-6(1) 6-3.

We all know that Kleybanova is absolutely fulfilled by the very fact that she's able to compete again, and every match is a win for her. After losing to Kirilenko she said: "For one month of training this was my limit."

She is planning to slowly build her schedule, it's not that she will now play one tournament after the other. However, she did say that Charleston, the event directly following Miami, is on her list. Actually, she said that she will try to play it and then go to Europe. (via WTA Tour, photo: © Neal Trousdale)

"For everyone else it's just the first round, but for me it's very emotional. I'll always remember it - it will always be the first match of my comeback."

After ten months of Hodgkin's lymphoma treatment, healthy Alisa Kleybanova celebrated a victorious return to tennis after a 2-6 6-3 6-2 win over world No.64 Johanna Larsson in the first round of the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami. Motivated and emotional Kleybanova enjoyed every point on the court, even in the set she lost. Read more »

Our last update on Alisa Kleybanova’s recovery from Hodgkin's lymphoma shared that the Russian had one more major medical test awaiting. In her new message to fans, on the WTA Tour's official website, the 22-year-old said that her last tests all turned out positive and that she is now training on the tennis courts again, preparing for the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami for which she has been awarded a wildcard.

I finished my treatments in December and a couple of weeks ago I did my last tests in Italy. The treatments were successful, my doctors are happy with my health and I'm feeling great!

Kleybanova is now in Florida, ecstatic about resuming her tennis career.

I have started to train and right now I'm in Florida playing tennis again!!! It was physically really hard in the beginning, but it was so emotional that I didn't want to get off the court This is just amazing, I'm working out every day now and enjoying it so much more than before!

Good luck with your comeback, Alisa. Looking forward to seeing you play in Miami!

The two-time WTA titlist and former world No.20 Kleybanova was struck by the serious illness in the middle of 2011. The last match she played was in Rome in early May 2011. (photo: © Neal Trousdale)