Deniz Khazaniuk

Khazaniuk was born in Ashkelon to parents who had immigrated from Ukraine, with family roots in Lviv.[1] When she was four years old, her family relocated to Netanya, and she began tennis lessons shortly after the move.[2] At age six, she won her first tennis competition, held at a country club in Herzliya.[2]

Her father, Dr. German Khazaniuk, worked as an orthopedist, while her mother, Larisa, imported tennis equipment.[2] In a 2017 interview, Khazaniuk described the heavy financial burden her parents bore throughout her career, saying the national tennis association had not supported her financially and that her parents had funded her development themselves.[2] She said that recouping those expenses would require remaining consistently inside the world's top 100 for several years.[2]

Khazaniuk emerged as one of Israel's leading women's tennis players during the 2010s, building her ranking through the ITF circuit. A 2013 report said she won her third consecutive ITF title, defeating Katya Tur 6–3, 6–3 in the final at Ramat Hasharon after also claiming international titles in Ashkelon during the preceding two weeks.[3]

By June 2015, Khazaniuk was Israel's top-ranked woman at No. 324 in the world.[4] That year she won three of five tournaments and reached the final in the other two.[4] In February 2016, she was ranked No. 305 and was described as a possible addition to a deeper Israeli women's squad.[5] That June, she became Israel's second-ranked woman for the first time, moving to No. 337 ahead of Shahar Pe'er at No. 346, while Yulia Glushko held the top Israeli position at No. 141.[6]

Khazaniuk won the Israeli Singles Championship in December 2016. An eight-game run gave her a one-set and 4–0 lead in the final.[7] Following the title, she was ranked No. 248, and tennis association professional director Shlomo Glickstein described her as talented, committed, and hard-working, expressing confidence that she could reach her goal of entering the world's top 150.[8]

Her first Fed Cup appearance for Israel followed the national championship, by which time Pe'er was no longer on the team.[2] Israel lost to Ukraine, Bulgaria, and Georgia and was relegated to Europe/Africa Zone Group II, but Khazaniuk described representing the country as a source of pride. She said that during the first set she kept thinking about the word "ISRAEL" printed on her shirt.[2]

In April 2017, Khazaniuk claimed her 18th ITF title at a tournament in Irapuato, Mexico. It was her first title at an event with a $25,000 prize fund, and her opponent did not appear for the final; the result was expected to move Khazaniuk ahead of Glushko in the rankings.[9] She later reached a reported career-high world ranking of No. 200.[1]

At the 2018 Israeli championship, Khazaniuk reached the final after defeating defending champion Vlada Ekshibarova 3–6, 6–3, 6–0 in the semifinal. Rain led the semifinal matches to be played indoors at the Haifa tennis center.[10]

Khazaniuk's achievements included the 2016 Israeli Singles Championship[7] and a reported career-high ranking of No. 200.[1] By April 2017, she had won 18 ITF titles.[9]

After leaving professional tennis, Khazaniuk studied at Barry University in Florida and played on the school team that won the 2021 NCAA Division II Women's Tennis Tournament.[1] In 2025, she represented Israel on its women's pickleball team during the country's first participation in the pickleball world championship in the United States. Israel competed alongside 68 other countries at an event involving more than 3,500 players.[11]

After Russia's invasion of Ukraine, golfer Matt Fitzpatrick, who had previously dated Khazaniuk, publicly discussed a phone call in which she described the danger facing members of her family. She reportedly said that her grandmother, who had suffered strokes and could barely walk, was unable to leave, while her uncle was preparing to fight. Fitzpatrick said the conversation led him to reflect on the contrast between the danger faced by her family and his life as a professional athlete.[1]

Khazaniuk's relationship with the Israeli tennis establishment was publicly strained for several years. In a 2012 interview, which she later recalled giving as a teenager, she called Shahar Pe'er a "bluff" and alleged that Pe'er and Yulia Glushko had humiliated her and treated her "like a servant" during the 2012 Fed Cup period.[5][2] Ynet reported that Pe'er later defeated Khazaniuk 6–0, 6–1 in the semifinal of the 2012 Israeli championship in 42 minutes and did not shake her hand afterward. Khazaniuk told Ynet that Pe'er had called her "a disgrace to the State of Israel."[12] The allegations and reported statements are attributed to the participants and were not independently established by the gathered sources.

The dispute preceded Khazaniuk's absence from the Fed Cup team for more than four years.[8] Fed Cup captain Tzipi Obziler declined in 2016 to say whether Khazaniuk might return.[5] In her 2017 interview, Khazaniuk called her earlier words a mistake, said she had been young and disappointed, and noted that she and Glushko had since developed a better relationship.[2]

At the December 2017 Israeli championship final, Khazaniuk retired with her opponent leading 7–6 (5), 5–4, 40–15.[13] Glickstein publicly criticized the decision, calling it a disgrace to the championship and Israeli tennis. He said Khazaniuk had told him she could not remain on her feet.[13] His criticism and account of her explanation are attributed comments, not an independent medical assessment of her condition.