MOSCOW – Russian tennis star Anna Chakvetadze was tied up by masked robbers who broke into her home Tuesday and stole money and goods worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, her father said.
Chakvetadze, ranked No. 6 and a U.S. Open semifinalist in 2007, was bound for 30 minutes in her home outside Moscow but not seriously hurt, NTV television reported.
"Anna is holding up quite well," Russia tennis coach Shamil Tarpishchev told the ITAR-Tass news agency.
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Six assailants approached the home before dawn, tied up a maid in another building and forced her to hand over a remote control enabling them to enter the house through the garage, Dzhamal Chakvetadze told NTV.
"They started to beat me, and I resisted. They hit me over the head with, I think, a pistol butt. It was dark," he said, taking off his cap to show his bruised scalp. "They took out a pistol and told me my child was at home — reminded me — and they told me to hand everything over. I did."
Police and Tarpishchev said the assailants tied up Chakvetadze and her parents, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported. Tarpishchev said the 20-year-old player "tried to resist but it was useless."
Chakvetadze's nine-year-old brother, Roman, was asleep in the house during the break-in and was not touched, Tarpishchev said.
NTV said the robbers took about C$110,000 in cash, as well as jewelry and other goods worth about $200,000.
Moscow region police did not answer phone calls seeking comment.
Chakvetadze reached a career-high ranking of No. 5 in September, following her first run to a Grand Slam semifinal. She won four singles titles and about $1.4 million in prize money in 2007, her best season since turning pro in 2003.
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