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Fond Memories From Zhuhai 2015

Fond Memories From Zhuhai 2015

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

ZHUHAI, China – Not until July 24, the 100-day countdown for the 2016 WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai, did I realize it had been more than eight months since I covered the inaugural edition of the WTA season finale.

Evidently, though, my fond memories of this amazing tournament are as fresh as yesterday.

Despite the lack of tennis tradition in the southern coastal city, the young yet vibrant face of the tournament held in Zhuhai’s Hengqin district intrigued me from the very first moment I stepped out of the shuttle bus after arriving at the Hengqin International Tennis Center.

The 5,000-seat stadium court caught my eye for its spectacular design and then made my jaw-drop in astonishment as I learned it was built in just eight months.

Strolling around the state-of-the-art tennis center, details like replicas of Raphael’s oil paintings hanging from the pillars and the considerate set of screens located around the giant entrance could not fail to impress each and every visitor.

Huafa Group

And for a journalist, who came to work rather than purely enjoying the game, there is no better treatment than having a supportive and approachable media operation team.

What catered to me even better was that the team was formed by a group of acquaintances of mine.

Peter Johnston, the former WTA managing director for Asia-Pacific, chaired an energetic team, which previously served the Shanghai Rolex Masters, as the director of the young tournament.

Zhuhai 

In the modern era of professional tennis, where young stars emerge overnight, the lack of history can sometimes be a positive, helping establish something new and unique without any strings. Such a scenario transpired in Zhuhai.

“I think we’ve done an amazing job to run a great tournament with a unique personality of a comfortable, classy and contemporary taste,” Johnston told me.

“The tournament is stepping up to promote the name and personality of Zhuhai around the world. You need events that will attract attention from outside where you want to make an impact and this tournament just offered that.”

And that notion fitted exactly into the bigger picture the organizers and city governors ambitiously expected hoped to paint when they won the bid to host the event through 2019.

Huafa Group

Zhuhai, a lively coastal city which boasts proximity to Macao and Hong Kong, is striving to enhance its international profile, forging a vibrant image by staging major sports and cultural events.

Having already appeared on the global stage as the host of a grand aviation show and an international circus festival for years, Zhuhai looks set to diversify on that legacy and the Elite Trophy tournament offered a unique opportunity.

“The city will continue to improve its international profile and the quality of cultural life for its residents by introducing more sports and entertainment events,” said Long Guangyan, the deputy mayor. “That’s our goal to enhance the city’s soft power on par with its economic strength.”

And for the event’s sake, it was the players and the audience that it had to please. Obviously, Zhuhai did a good job.

As the last mandatory event on the WTA calendar, Zhuhai attracted 12 high-ranking singles stars and six elite doubles pairs to compete in round-robin groups followed by a knockout phase. The top-level performances and cutting-edge facilities offered the local audience a taste of Grand Slam atmosphere on their doorstep.

Before the kick-off, the organizers also hosted a poolside welcome party for all the players, where they dressed up in banquet suits and enjoyed fine wines as well as live music on roof of the five-star Sheraton hotel.

Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, Karolina Pliskova

And it was a welcome which the players were full of praise for.

“It was another beautiful job, and a nice surprise with the violinist,” seven-time major champion and the eventual tournament winner Venus Williams said of the party. “The enthusiasm for the tournament you can see in the whole city, from the preparation to how everything is set up. It makes the players feel very welcome and appreciated.”

Former World No.1 Jelena Jankovic of Serbia said Zhuhai presented a fitting season finale. “The organization has done a tremendous job. The stadium is so beautiful. The courts and our hotel, everything; I’m really impressed. All of the players are more than satisfied to be here,” said the veteran who was eliminated in the group stage.

Danish former No 1 Caroline Wozniacki also said the compact layout in Zhuhai suited her well, “The fact that everything is close — the players’ lounge, the players dining area, the centre court — is nice, and I like that. We couldn’t ask for anything more.”

Karolina Pliskova, Venus Williams

Chung Mezle, executive director of Huafa Cultural Tourism Industry Development Co., the tournament’s managing company, said: “We just wanted the players to feel comfortable and inspired to play at their best by providing them the best possible facilities, beautiful environment, and warm service.”

It seems everyone is happy.

And for me, I would expect one little thing that they could improve this year – just change the Nespresso capsule coffeemaker into a fresh-ground one at the media lounge.

Oh, never mind.

Sun Xiaochen, China Daily

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10 Things To Know: Montréal

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

MONTRÉAL, Canada – It’s going to be a big week in Canada, as all the major contenders continue to fine-tune their game ahead of the Olympics and US Open. Here are 10 facts to feast on ahead of the visit to one of the oldest stop-offs on tour…

1) The draw is out.
The official draw ceremony took place on Friday night – check out the draw right here!

2) This is the last chance for most to find their game before the Olympics.
For the majority of leading names, Montréal represents the final opportunity for match practice ahead of the Rio Olympics – the tennis competition begins on August 6.

3) Twelve of the Top 14 players in the world are in Toronto.
It’s a Grand Slam-quality field – 13 of the Top 14 players in the world are here, with the only absentees being World No.1 Serena Williams and mother-to-be Victoria Azarenka. Also missing out is defending champion Belinda Bencic (read more here).

4) Serena has never triumphed in Montréal.
Serena Williams has won titles galore at the Rogers Cup. Just not in Montréal. The World No.1 has lifted the trophy three times – 2001, 2011 and 2013 – but each of those triumphs came at the event’s other home, the Rexall Centre in Toronto. Her last visit to Montréal ended in a semifinal defeat at the hands of sister Venus in 2014.

5) And there is some added pressure this time…
Serena has reigned supreme atop the rankings since February 2013, and should she enjoy her usual bountiful summer on cement, the likelihood is that she will break Steffi Graf’s record for most consecutive weeks (186) at No.1. However, should she falter then any one of Angelique Kerber, Garbiñe Muguruza or Agnieszka Radwanska are close enough to overhaul her in the next few months. Should one of the aforementioned trio get on a roll, it could conceivably happen before the US Open.,

6) The leading four seeds all have potential banana skins lying in their path.
After a first-round bye, top seed Serena could meet Monica Puig then Stanford finalist Johanna Konta after that. Kerber will begin against either a qualifier or upset specialist Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, while Muguruza has been paired with the winner of Annika Beck versus Daria Gavrilova. Radwanska, winner the last time the Rogers Cup was held at the Stade Uniprix, opens up against either Jelena Ostapenko or Monica Niculescu.

7) Before then there are plenty of eye-catching first-round match-ups to feast on…
Arguably the pick of the bunch is hometown favorite Eugenie Bouchard’s clash with Lucie Safarova. Also sanding out is Madison Keys’ meeting with recent Wimbledon semifinalist Elena Vesnina.

8) There are contenders throughout the draw.
Rounding out the Top 8 seeds are Simona Halep – last year’s runner-up – Venus Williams, Roberta Vinci and Carla Suárez Navarro. Another former finalist, Dominika Cibulkova, is seeded No.11, while Ekaterina Makarova, Safarova, Barbora Strycova and Sloane Stephens are all lurking in the unseeded contingent.

9) If you’re good enough, you’re old enough.
Twelve months ago, opportunity knocked and Bencic pounced to announce herself to the wider sporting world. Can another precocious youngster do the same this time around? Daria Kasatkina, Daria Gavrilova and Elina Svitolina have all shown glimpses of what they are capable of, or perhaps Madison Keys will rediscover the momentum that took her into the Top 10 earlier this summer?

10) Find out where you can watch the action from Montréal here!

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Konta Conquers Venus For First Title

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

STANFORD, CA, USA – No.3 seed Johanna Konta played one of the best matches of her career to dismiss former No.1 and two-time Bank of the West Classic champion Venus Williams, 7-5, 5-7, 6-2, to capture her first WTA title.

Watch live action from Bastad, Stanford and Washington DC this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

“It’s quite an incredibly humbling experience,” she said after the match when asked about winning her first title. “It’s a validation of all the hard work you’ve already put in and a motivator on the things you want to keep improving on, and the lengths you might go to in order to become that much better at your discipline

Konta kicked off her career-best season with a win over the elder Williams sister in the first round of the Australian Open, going on to become the first British woman to reach semifinals Down Under since Sue Barker in 1977. The top-ranked Brit has only continued to rise since then, making the second week of both Indian Wells and Miami, and finishing in the semifinals of the Aegon International in Eastbourne.

“I’ve played her twice before and knew I’d be playing a magnitude of experience. Venus Williams doesn’t need an introduction, and I knew going into that I’d need to stay focused on myself and to be really grateful for the experience and try to learn from her within the match. I wanted to leave it all out there, but also absorb everything that I could possibly reinvest in my career moving forward.”

Playing Stanford for the first time at 25 years old, Konta overcame a quarterfinal wobble against Zheng Saisai to emphatically defeat No.2 seed Dominika Cibulkova on Saturday, and was on course for a similarly landmark win against Williams on Sunday, surging out to a set and 4-1 lead.

“Credit to her for playing great tennis; she played so well and all of her balls were landing today,” Venus said after the match. “It wasn’t my best day, but I tried to stay in there and fight, and that helped me get an opportunity to win the match.”

Where Konta was making her debut, Venus’ story began in Stanford over 20 years ago, playing her first WTA tournament at the Bank of the West Classic – even winning a match before falling to Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario in three sets. The American has played incredible tennis in her own right this season, and the Wimbledon semifinalist wouldn’t go down without a fight.

“Just because it’s 4-1 doesn’t mean the match is over; it’s not a favorable scoreline if you happen to be down, but it’s not over.”

From the aforementioned deficit, Venus won six of the next seven games to level the match at a set apiece.

“Quite honestly, you’d expect nothing less from a champion,” Konta said. “They don’t give away any match, much less a final. It was her 80th, so you could only imagine the number of different situations that she’s already been in. It was about keeping things in perspective, and understanding there’d be ebbs and flows in the match.”

Konta recovered in surprising fashion in the decider, relying on a fabulous serving day – one in which she hit 12 aces to three from Venus – and an aggressive ground game (42 winners to 39 unforced errord) to shake off a tricky final game to serve out her maiden WTA trophy.

“Every single point was a battle, and I tried to win as many battles as possible.

“The simpler you keep things, the more clarity you have, and the less dumb you play!”

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Insider Podcast: Full Circle Konta

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

STANFORD, CA, USA – We Konta believe it!

Johanna Konta joined the winner’s circle, winning her first WTA title at the Bank of the West Classic. And she did in impressive fashion. To win the title, Konta knocked off the top two seeds in Dominika Cibulkova and Venus Williams and she’ll move to No.14 on Monday.

Hear Jo talk about her meteoric rise over the last 12 months — she was ranked No.126(!) this time last year — and her mouth-watering plans to celebrate her career milestone.

(Spoiler alert: It will be animal style.)

Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn or on any podcast app of your choice to ensure you never miss an episode when they go live. Reviews are always helpful, so if you like what you’ve heard so far, leave us one. You can also get new episode alerts by following us on Twitter @WTA_Insider.

Follow @WTA_Insider

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Daily Insider: Of Bumps and Bruises

Daily Insider: Of Bumps and Bruises

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

– The Carnage Continues: Playing her first match of the 2016 season, Garbiñe Muguruza was forced to retire from a tight second round encounter with American Varvara Lepchenko. Lepchenko had taken the opening set in a thrilling tiebreaker when the World No.3 took a medical timeout to address her left foot, which was later confirmed to be a recurrence of plantar fascia:

– Epic Win: Naomi Broady aspires to be the WTA’s Ivo Karlovic, but mixed raw power with unfiltered drama at the ASB Classic against 18-year-old wildcard Jelena Ostapenko. Down 1-5 in the final set, the Brit won a match that must be seen to be believed. 

– Upset Stomach: Over at the Shenzhen Open, Petra Kvitova had her own woes in the form of an unexpected GI illness that kept her from finishing her first round match against Zheng Saisai. While physically fit, the virus did keep the two-time Wimbledon champion off the practice court.

– Ailing Aussies: Ajla Tomljanovic and Samantha Stosur are both dealing with physical issues early in the season; the former pulled out of the doubles tournament in Brisbane with an abdominal injury, while the 2011 US Open champion underwent an MRI that revealed tendon sheath damage to her right wrist. Both hope to be ready for their home major tournament in two weeks.

– Down, But Not Out: Simona Halep’s tournament may have ended before it began, but the World No.2 is still eager to serve up something major to start the season:

– Making a Racket: One former No.1 enjoying a clean bill of health is Victoria Azarenka; the two-time Australian Open champion eased past lucky loser Ysaline Bonaventure, who acquitted herself well in her second marquee match (The Tennis Island spoke with the Belgian last summer). Meanwhile, Azarenka remained coy about a possible equipment change in press:

– Young Gun: Samantha Crawford’s star looked set to rise in 2012 when she qualified for the US Open main draw and went on to win the girl’s singles title – beating Anett Kontaveit in the final. Injuries have curtailed her progress, but the American is hitting her stride in Brisbane, upsetting Belinda Bencic to reach her first Premier quarterfinal. Learn more about the big-hitting Crawford here.

– Comeback Kid: Tamira Paszek came up in the same cadre of current WTA stars as Azarenka and Caroline Wozniacki, but an adductor injury nearly took her off the tour for good. Now fit, healthy, and back with former coach Andrei Pavel, Paszek has been making waves once again at the ASB Classic, overcoming reknowned battlers Francesca Schiavone and Svetlana Kuznetsova to reach her first WTA quarterfinal since 2012 (Seoul). WTA Insider spoke with the Austrian last fall.

– Dance Off: From the All-Blacks’ stint as ballboys for Caroline Wozniacki, Venus Williams and Bethanie Mattek-Sands. Williams whipped and nae-nae’d her way to a perfect practice with a little help from Julian Savea.

– Out From Under: Andrea Petkovic wasn’t sure if she would even be in Australia last fall, but a detour through the streets of Manhattan brought her back to Brisbane in stunning style; the German is into the quarterfinals after defeating Ekaterina Makarova in straight sets, and put on an even bigger show in the press conference:

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Graf Celebrates 100 Days To Zhuhai

Graf Celebrates 100 Days To Zhuhai

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

ZHUHAI, China – Sunday marked 100 days until the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai, and the tournament rang in the start of an exciting countdown with the help of former World No.1 and Tournament Ambassador, Stefani Graf.

Graf took the role back in May, and couldn’t be more ready to help the WTA stars “Shine in Zhuhai” in what will be the final event of the 2016 season.

Check out the best photos from the event, which feature Tournament Director Peter Johnson unveiling Graf’s video announcement:

WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai 

WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai

WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai

Photos courtesy of the WTA.

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