After some up-and-down results their first few years as a pairing, California residents Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears proved to be a team to be reckoned with in the summer and fall of 2012.

Five-time winners on the ITF Women's Circuit between 2008 and 2009, Kops-Jones and Spears captured their first WTA title at Estoril in 2009. However, it would be over two years before they were victorious again - at Québec City in 2011. They secured their first Premier title in July 2012 at Carlsbad, highlighted by a semifinal upset of then-World No.1s Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond.

"The win over Liezel and Lisa was huge for us - they're No.1 and everybody's looking to beat them," Spears said. "Whenever you can beat the No.1 team in the world, it makes you feel pretty good."

During the 2012 Asian swing, Kops-Jones and Spears were triumphant in consecutive weeks at Seoul and Tokyo, then were victorious again a couple of weeks later in Osaka.

"We were trying to contain ourselves after we won - we kind of wanted to dance," Kops-Jones said after the Tokyo final. "It's not a Grand Slam, but for us it's pretty close. We put in a lot of work this year and it's our biggest win ever."

Kops-Jones and Spears are known as one of the WTA's more aggressive duos.

"When I was little I would serve and volley because I had no patience and always wanted to finish the point," Spears said. "Some learn it at an early age and some learn it kind of later, but both of us have always played aggressively. We both like to come into the net in singles, too. We have fun with it."

Kops-Jones and Spears ended up falling just one win short of qualifying for the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships - Istanbul 2012.

TEAM STATS
2013 Record: 8-12
Career Record: 92-71
Career Record On Hard: 58-42
Career Record On Clay: 16-20
Career Record On Grass: 12-8
Career Record On Carpet: 6-1
Career Grand Slam Record: 15-15

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
WON (6): 2012 - Carlsbad, Seoul, Tokyo, Osaka; 2011 - Québec City; 2009 - Estoril; R-Up (4): 2012 - Brisbane, Doha; 2011 - Carlsbad; 2009 - Birmingham

KOPS JONES' INDIVIDUAL DOUBLES STATS
Titles: 8
Career-High Ranking: No.13

SPEARS' INDIVIDUAL DOUBLES STATS
Titles: 10
Career-High Ranking: No.14