Personal

Coached by Fernando Garcia Lleo...A baseline player who prefers grass courts; has a strong serve...Given name is Maria Luisa, but prefers nickname Magui...Mother, Concepcion Barrera Godoy, is a housewife; father, Ulpiano Serna Ramirez, is a businessman; has two older brothers, Ulpi and Raul, and an older sister, Palmira...Enjoys visiting Rome for its culture...Has been studying sports management in Barcelona since 1998...Self-described as a little bit shy and happy...Admires Pete SamprasÆ game...Favorite movie is Jerry Maguire; favorite actors are Tom Cruise, Chris OÆDonnell, Meg Ryan and Julia Roberts; favorite singers are Madonna and Jennifer Lopez...Other sports interests include basketball and football...Relaxes by swimming and playing golf.

Career Highlights

SINGLES
Winner (3): 2003 - Estoril, Budapest; 2002 - Estoril; 1996 - ITF/Valladolid-ESP, ITF/Wahlscheid-GER, ITF/Athens-GRE 3; 1995 - ITF/Mallorca-ESP 4; 1994 - ITF/Gaborone-BOT, ITF/Harare-ZIM.
Finalist (3): 2002 - Porto; 2001 - Porto, Eastbourne.
Semifinalist (2): 2000 - Knokke-Heist; 1999 - Birmingham.

DOUBLES
Winner (2): 2004 - Eastbourne (w/Molik); 2001 - Knokke-Heist (w/Ruano Pascual).
Finalist (4): 2003 - Eastbourne (w/Capriati), New Haven (w/Molik); 2002 - Porto (w/Boogert); 2000 - Rome (w/Sanchez-Vicario).
Semifinalist (13): 2004 - Paris [Indoors] (w/Vento-Kabchi), New Haven (w/Molik); 2003 - Paris [Indoors], Warsaw (both w/Boogert), Zurich (w/Molik); 2002 - Australian Open (w/Martinez), Brussels (w/Ruano Pascual), Luxembourg (w/Boogert); 2001 - Gold Coast (w/Schnyder), Madrid (w/Arendt), Basel (w/Hantuchova), Moscow (w/Montalvo); 1999 - Leipzig (w/Nagyova).

ADDITIONAL
Spanish Fed Cup Team 1997-2000, 2002-03. Spanish Olympic Team 2000, 2004.

Career in Review

1993 - Played first two ITF Circuit events

1994 - Won first two ITF singles titles consecutively at ITF/Gaborone-BOT and ITF/Harare-ZIM

1995 - Reached four ITF Circuit finals, winning ITF/Mallorca 4-ESP

1996 - Won ITF/Athens 3-GRE; ranking jumped 219 spots to finish at No. 138

1997 - Played all four Grand Slams for first time, reaching 3r of Australian Open, Roland Garros, and Wimbledon and 4r US Open; made Fed Cup singles debut for Spain in 1r tie vs. Belgium; finished ranked No. 41, up 97 spots in 12 months

1998 - Ranked No. 52, earned biggest win to date at Hilton Head, ousting world No. 3 Novotna; recorded second Top 10 win in Moscow, d. world No. 9 Schnyder to reach QF; reached QF at Eastbourne and 4r at Wimbledon; d. world No. 7 Graf in straight sets to reach Canadian Open QF; won two singles and a doubles rubber to lead Spain to 3-2 win over Germany in Fed Cup 1r

1999 - Reached career-first SF at Birmingham (l. to No. 1 seed Tauziat in 3s)

2000 - Reached first Grand Slam QF at Wimbledon, upsetting No. 3 seed Pierce for second time in a Grand Slam (1998 Roland Garros); win over world No. 3 Pierce in 2r marked earliest exit at Wimbledon of a reigning Roland Garros champion and equaled her career-best win; reached 4r at US Open; reached career-first Tour doubles final at Rome (w/Sanchez-Vicario)

2001 - Reached first two Tour singles finals of career (Porto and Eastbourne) and won first doubles title (Knokke-Heist w/Ruano Pascual); reached career-high No. 21 on April 16

2002 - Season highlighted by career-first Tour singles title; after falling to compatriot Montolio 75 third set in Porto final, followed up the next week by claiming Estoril crown, losing one set en route (d. An. Barna in final); played Fed Cup singles in World group 1r win over Hungary and in final loss to Slovakia (replacing injured Sanchez-Vicario on opening day); in doubles, runner-up at Porto (w/Boogert) and three-time semifinalist, incl. Australian Open (w/C. Martinez)

2003 - Seventh consecutive Top 50 finish and highest-ever at No. 22 (one spot below career-high of 2001); won back-to-back titles at Estoril (as defending champion; d. Schruff in final) and Budapest (d. Molik in final in 3s); also reached QF at Canberra, Paris [Indoors], Warsaw and New Haven (d. world No. 11 Mag. Maleeva for second straight week, following 2r win at Canadian Open) and 4r at Indian Wells and Roland Garros; scored in doubles, runner-up at Eastbourne (WC team w/Capriati) and New Haven (w/Molik)

2004 - Injury-interrupted season, and first non-Top 100 finish in eight years after ranking Top 20 in January; started with QF finish at Gold Coast, afterwards (January 12), breaking into Top 20 at career-high No.19; also made QF at Vienna (l. to Smashnova) and 3r at Miami and Wimbledon (d. No.30 seed Daniilidou, l. to top seed S.Williams); after Wimbledon, did not win consecutive matches for rest of season; in doubles (w/Molik), won second career title at Eastbourne, also SF at New Haven, and Paris [Indoors] (w/Vento-Kabchi); l. in singles 1r at Olympics; withdrew from Estoril, Warsaw, Berlin, Stanford, Los Angeles, San Diego, Montreal and Sopot with left shoulder injury.

2005 - Reached first Tour QF since Vienna in 2004 at Pattaya City; defeated Czink in 1r and advanced to QF when No.2 seed Bartoli retired with acute stomach illness but fell to No.8 seed Ruano Pascual in next match; fell 1r at both Australian Open (l. to No.22 seed Maleeva) and Miami (qualified but fell to Irvin in 1r).