Career

Parkhomenko is the recipient of 1988 Women's Tennis Association Sportsmanship Award. Svetlana Cherneva started playing tennis when she was 8 years old. In 1980 she advanced with the Soviet girls team to the finals of Princess Sofia Cup.

From 1981 she also played for the Soviet Union Federation Cup team

In total between 1981 and 1988 she played 28 rubbers for the Soviet team, mostly in doubles with Larisa Savchenko. From the same year she started playing in international professional tennis tournaments.

They played three times in a row at the Virginia Slims Championships and in March 1986 advanced there to semifinals. In 1987 they reached Wimbledon semifinals after defeating world"s best pair, recent Grand Slam winners Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver.

At the start of 1988 season Svetlana Parkhomenko was ranked as high as 8th in the Women's Tennis Association doubles rankings.

But in 1988 Larisa Savchenko broke with her to play doubles with young Natasha Zvereva. Without Savchenko, Parhomenko struggled to retain her best shape playing with other partners. After having completely missed 1989 season, Parkhomenko returned to play at the end 1990.

In 1991 she was awarded the title of Honoured Master of Sports, becoming one of the last Soviet tennis players who received this title.

In 1992 she returned to the Top 10 of the Russian tennis and remained there for two more years. After finishing her playing career in 1995 she coaches at the Moscow CSKA tennis club

Doubles (14)

= Runner-up (6) =.

Achievements

• She was a winner of the Soviet singles tennis championships in 1985 and 9 times Soviet champion in women"s doubles and mixed doubles. On the international level, she was the winner of the 1983 European amateur championships in women"s and mixed doubles, bronze medalist of the 1983 Universiade in women"s and mixed doubles, and winner of 8 Women's Tennis Association doubles tournaments. Her first coach was the famous pre-war Soviet champion and coach Nina Teplyakova. In 1978 Svetlana won the singles and doubles title at European Junior Championships (she also won doubles titles in the next two years). In 1978 she won the Soviet youth championships in singles, girls" and mixed doubles, and in 1980 in singles and girls" doubles. Starting in 1981 Svetlana (from 1984 playing under her marriage name Parkhomenko) won the senior Sovier doubles championships eight times (twice in 1987). In addition, she became the singles champion in 1985 and mixed doubles champion in 1983. In 1983 Svetlana Cherneva won the European amateur championships in women"s and mixed doubles and took bronze in the same disciplines at the 1983 Summer Universiade. In 1984 whe won her first International Tennis Federation titles is San Antonio and Delray Beach, and at the Wimbledon Championships advanced with Savchenko to quarterfinals after defeating 3rd seeed Kathy Horvath and Virginia Ruzici, as well as Chris Evert and Catherine Tanvier. In the next three years Parkhomenko and Savchenko won seven Virginia Slims tournaments including four in 1987. She won one Women's Tennis Association tournament with Natalia Bykova and twice reached finals with Leila Meskhi, and at the end of the season she received Women's Tennis Association Sportsmanship Award. In 1993 sheplayed three ties for the Russa Federation Cup team, winning her doubles games against Ukrainians and Lithuanians. = Winner (8).