Kristof Vliegen

Born on June 22, 1982, Belgian player Kristof Vliegen began playing tennis at the young age of six at the same club where fellow Belgian Kim Clijster also played at. The two pros grew up together and attended the same school located in the same Finish part of Belgium. When Vliegen reached eleven he moved to the Federation's training center located in Antwerp to undergo more training. He spent the next eight years living, studying and training here before turning pro in 2001 and moving to Brussels after finishing his studies.

The right-handed pro was a semi finalist in Chennai and reached the finals in Adelaide where he went up and lost to Nikolay Davydenko. He also reached the finals at the BMW Open held in Munich, a win to that led to the first-ever all-Belgian singles finals match and had Vliegen competing against Olivier Rochus. Unfortunately, although Vliegen was doing well in the beginning sets, Rochus managed to take control of the match with a late break in the second set. Vliegen never regained his footing and Rochus emerged the winner after scoring multiple sets.

The Belgian player, who prefers hardcourts better than any other playing surface, is known for his serve although he can often be seen mixing his shots with occasional volleys.

Vliegen currently holds no career titles and has a record of 25-25. He achieved a career-high rank of 49 on June 11, 2007 in doubles and a career-high ranking of 30 on October 30, 2006.

He also has a career record of 10-7 in the Davis Cup, with 5-3 in singles. He is currently coached by Philippe Dehaes.