Shvedova started the year playing qualifying at the Australian Open.
She lost in the first round of qualifying to Bibiane Schoofs in a marathon three-set match.

She then rebounded, qualifying into the main draw at Copa Sony Ericsson Colsanitas defeating Raluca Olaru and Leticia Costas.
In the main draw, Shvedova reached the quarterfinals where she fell to Tímea Babos.
Receiving a wild card to play at the Monterrey Open, she beat countrywoman Sesil Karatantcheva in the first round.
She lost to Mandy Minella in the second round in three sets.
At the Abierto Mexicano Telcel, Shvedova retired due to a left thigh injury in the final round of qualifying to top seed Edina Gallovits-Hall.
Seeded fourth at the $25K event in Irapuato, she reached the final where she lost to sixth seed Kiki Bertens.
Shvedova continued her rise in form at another $25K event in Poza Rica, where she won the title beating Monica Puig in the final.

Shvedova started her clay-court season by playing qualifying at the Family Circle Cup.
Seeded 20th for qualifying, she qualified for the main draw defeating Jessica Pegula and 10th seed Andrea Hlaváčková.
In the main draw, she reached the third round after defeating Alexandra Panova and 12th seed Yanina Wickmayer.
In the third round, she lost to sixth seed Sabine Lisicki.
Seeded seventh for qualifying at the Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem, Shvedova lost in the second round of qualifying to Bianca Botto.
At the Estoril Open, Shvedova was defeated in the first round of qualifying by Bianca Botto.
Due to having a low ranking, Shvedova played qualifying at the French Open.
She qualified into the main draw beating Ajla Tomljanović, CoCo Vandeweghe, and Elena Bogdan.
In the main draw, she defeated Mandy Minella, Sofia Arvidsson, and Carla Suárez Navarro in the first three rounds.
In the fourth round, she upset seventh seed and defending champion Li Na 3–6, 6–2, 6–0 to advance to her second French Open quarterfinal.
This was Shvedova's biggest win of her career in singles.
She lost to fourth seed and reigning Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitová in the quarterfinals only in three sets.
Due to making the quarterfinals at the French Open, Shvedova's ranking went from 142 to 62.
In doubles, she and Vania King reached the quarterfinals where they lost to seventh seeds and eventual finalists Maria Kirilenko/Nadia Petrova.

On 15 June 2012, Shvedova and her partner, Sania Mirza, made a shock first-round exit from the Aegon Classic; they lost to Iveta Benešová/Alla Kudryavtseva in two sets.
At the Wimbledon Championships, Shvedova received a wild card into the main draw.
There, she defeated Chanelle Scheepers and Kiki Bertens to reach the third round where she faced 10th seed Sara Errani and won the fourth "Golden Set" in the history of tennis.
She won all 24 points in the fifteen-minute-long first set, blasting 14 winners and making no unforced errors before losing the first point of the second set to break the sequence.
She went on to win the match in straight sets 6–0, 6–4 reaching the second week of Wimbledon for the first time.
In the fourth round, she was defeated by sixth seed and eventual champion Serena Williams.

Representing Kazakhstan at the 2012 London Olympics, she reached the second round of the women's singles where she lost to 15th seed Sabine Lisicki.
In doubles, she reached the second round with partner Galina Voskoboeva.

As the top seed for qualifying at the Western & Southern Open, Shvedova qualified for the main draw beating wildcard Lauren Davis and 14th seed Anna Tatishvili.
She beat 16th seed Lucie Šafářová in the first round.
In the second round, Shvedova was up against qualifier Urszula Radwańska and won the first set 6–4; Urszula was leading 4–1 in the second set when Shvedova retired due to heat illness.
At the Texas Tennis Open, Shvedova lost in the first round in a tough three set match to second seed and eventual finalist Jelena Janković.
Ranked 45 at the US Open, Shvedova was defeated in the second round by 20th seed and eventual quarterfinalist Roberta Vinci.

At the Toray Pan Pacific O
Shvedova started the year playing qualifying at the Australian Open. She lost in the first round of qualifying to Bibiane Schoofs in a marathon three-set match.
She then rebounded, qualifying into the main draw at Copa Sony Ericsson Colsanitas defeating Raluca Olaru and Leticia Costas. In the main draw, Shvedova reached the quarterfinals where she fell to Tímea Babos. Receiving a wild card to play at the Monterrey Open, she beat countrywoman Sesil Karatantcheva in the first round. She lost to Mandy Minella in the second round in three sets. At the Abierto Mexicano Telcel, Shvedova retired due to a left thigh injury in the final round of qualifying to top seed Edina Gallovits-Hall. Seeded fourth at the $25K event in Irapuato, she reached the final where she lost to sixth seed Kiki Bertens. Shvedova continued her rise in form at another $25K event in Poza Rica, where she won the title beating Monica Puig in the final.
Shvedova started her clay-court season by playing qualifying at the Family Circle Cup. Seeded 20th for qualifying, she qualified for the main draw defeating Jessica Pegula and 10th seed Andrea Hlaváčková. In the main draw, she reached the third round after defeating Alexandra Panova and 12th seed Yanina Wickmayer. In the third round, she lost to sixth seed Sabine Lisicki. Seeded seventh for qualifying at the Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem, Shvedova lost in the second round of qualifying to Bianca Botto. At the Estoril Open, Shvedova was defeated in the first round of qualifying by Bianca Botto. Due to having a low ranking, Shvedova played qualifying at the French Open. She qualified into the main draw beating Ajla Tomljanović, CoCo Vandeweghe, and Elena Bogdan. In the main draw, she defeated Mandy Minella, Sofia Arvidsson, and Carla Suárez Navarro in the first three rounds. In the fourth round, she upset seventh seed and defending champion Li Na 3–6, 6–2, 6–0 to advance to her second French Open quarterfinal. This was Shvedova's biggest win of her career in singles. She lost to fourth seed and reigning Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitová in the quarterfinals only in three sets. Due to making the quarterfinals at the French Open, Shvedova's ranking went from 142 to 62. In doubles, she and Vania King reached the quarterfinals where they lost to seventh seeds and eventual finalists Maria Kirilenko/Nadia Petrova.
On 15 June 2012, Shvedova and her partner, Sania Mirza, made a shock first-round exit from the Aegon Classic; they lost to Iveta Benešová/Alla Kudryavtseva in two sets. At the Wimbledon Championships, Shvedova received a wild card into the main draw. There, she defeated Chanelle Scheepers and Kiki Bertens to reach the third round where she faced 10th seed Sara Errani and won the fourth "Golden Set" in the history of tennis. She won all 24 points in the fifteen-minute-long first set, blasting 14 winners and making no unforced errors before losing the first point of the second set to break the sequence. She went on to win the match in straight sets 6–0, 6–4 reaching the second week of Wimbledon for the first time. In the fourth round, she was defeated by sixth seed and eventual champion Serena Williams.
Representing Kazakhstan at the 2012 London Olympics, she reached the second round of the women's singles where she lost to 15th seed Sabine Lisicki. In doubles, she reached the second round with partner Galina Voskoboeva.
As the top seed for qualifying at the Western & Southern Open, Shvedova qualified for the main draw beating wildcard Lauren Davis and 14th seed Anna Tatishvili. She beat 16th seed Lucie Šafářová in the first round. In the second round, Shvedova was up against qualifier Urszula Radwańska and won the first set 6–4; Urszula was leading 4–1 in the second set when Shvedova retired due to heat illness. At the Texas Tennis Open, Shvedova lost in the first round in a tough three set match to second seed and eventual finalist Jelena Janković. Ranked 45 at the US Open, Shvedova was defeated in the second round by 20th seed and eventual quarterfinalist Roberta Vinci.
At the Toray Pan Pacific O
Yaroslava Shvedova