Elena Baltacha, former British No. 1, dies from liver cancer at 30

Elena Baltacha, retired at the end of the 2013 season after 16 years on the WTA Tour. (Julian Finney/Getty Images) Former British No. 1 Elena Baltacha died

Courtney Nguyen | May 4, 2014

Elena Baltacha, former British No. 1, dies from liver cancer at 30 /

Elena Baltacha, retired at the end of the 2013 season after 16 years on the WTA Tour. (Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Former British No. 1 Elena Baltacha died Sunday morning after a battle with cancer. She was 30.

Baltacha, who reached a career-high No. 49, retired at the end of the 2013 season after 16 years on the WTA Tour. She was the British No. 1 for 132 weeks from 2009 to 2012 and won 11 ITF singles titles. Baltacha was diagnosed with liver cancer in January, weeks after marrying her longtime coach, Nino Severino. She died at her home in England surrounded by friends and family.

“We are heartbroken beyond words at the loss of our beautiful, talented and determined Bally," Severino said in a statement. "She was an amazing person and she touched so many people with her inspirational spirit, her warmth and her kindness.”

Rally For Bally

Published May 4, 2014

COURTNEY NGUYEN

Contributor, SI.com Nguyen is a freelance writer for SI.com, providing full coverage of professional tennis both on and off the court. Her content has become a must-read for fans and insiders to stay up-to-date with a sport that rarely rests. She has appeared on radio and TV talk shows all over the world and is one of the co-hosts of No Challenges Remaining, a weekly podcast available on iTunes. Nguyen graduated from the University of California, Irvine in 1999 and received a law degree from the University of California, Davis in 2002. She lives in the Bay Area.