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Rogers & Jurak Capture Mylan WTT Trophy

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

FOREST HILLS, NY, USA – Led by WTA stars Shelby Rogers and Darija Jurak, the San Diego Aviators took home the Billie Jean King Trophy with a 25-14 (1-1 in Extended Play) win over Nicole Gibbs and Alla Kudryavtseva’s Orange County Breakers in the Mylan World TeamTennis Final.

Rogers and Jurak are in the midst of career-best seasons in singles and doubles, respectively, and helped the Aviators win three of the five sets played in women’s singles, doubles, and mixed to help their team clinch victory at the West Side Tennis Club on Friday.

A French Open quarterfinalist back in May, Rogers was set to make her Mylan WTT debut a year ago, but a debilitating knee injury not only kept that from happening, but essentially derailed her entire 2015 season. 

“Having this be my first full season of World TeamTennis, I couldn’t have asked for a better team,” Rogers told WTA Insider after the Final. “I couldn’t have asked for a better result. The memories and friends I’ve made will last forever. Everything was perfect; you get the nerves from your team and want to perform well for them. That was really cool tonight; I’m glad we could come through, and this is such a great moment for us.”

The young American will head into the US Open just shy of the career-high ranking of No.50 that she earned last week; defeating Gibbs 5-2 in women’s singles and partnered with Jurak to win the women’s doubles set by the same score, Rogers hopes to take some of the tactics she learned from Billie Jean King’s co-ed professional league into her WTA matches.

“World TeamTennis is great at helping you learn to play the big points well, and teaches you to not be so distracted by little things. You have to play through whatever, and the crowds are great. They really get into it and give us energy that helps us through the tough times. Our home matches in San Diego were the best; our fans were so loyal and it’s been a blast.”

Jurak joined the league as a substitute back in 2013, and credited new WTA partner Anastasia Rodionova – who helped the Kastles to many of their record-setting six straight Mylan WTT trophies – with inspiring her to new heights in her second season with the Aviators.

“Nastya said a lot of things about World TeamTennis,” the doubles specialist said of her co-winner in Eastbourne and co-finalist in Stanford. “She’s a four-time champion – and she set a good example; I learned from her a lot because she’s been playing this league and on the WTA tour for so long and I’m fortunate that I can play with her.

“I can’t explain how happy I am that we won today. This team effort is amazing, and I’m really happy that we have such good chemistry, which is almost everything here. Without that, it’s impossible to win, because we have to really be a team.”

Finishing a close second to the Aviators, Gibbs and Kudryavtseva had another season to remember in Mylan World TeamTennis, reaching their second straight final with two different teams. Rookie of the Year in 2015, Kudryavtseva paired Gibbs to become top women’s doubles team in the league and win seven straight matches to reach the championship match in New York City.

“It was really fun to have the chance to develop what we had done last year and progress as team,” said Gibbs, who was awarded Female MVP after combining her doubles prowess with the second highest winning percentage in women’s singles.

“I always give all the credit to Alla in the doubles. She’s the one telling me what to do and I’m just kind of occupying space out there, and letting her do her thing.”

“And that’s why I like to play with her, obviously,” Kudryavtseva added with a laugh. “She gives me all the credit; even when she’s over there hitting aces, she’ll say, ‘Well done! You gave me good direction!'”

The 41st season of Mylan World TeamTennis came to a close with the spirit of King’s vision of men and women working together in harmonious equality completely on display within both teams not only on display, but also standing in stark contrast to the increasingly polarized climate in which the league presently exists.

“It’s always a privilege to get to play in a league founded by Billie Jean King and really delivers her message,” Gibbs said. It’s really special for both of us, especially as individuals who are vocal about equality; we’re walking the talk by playing World TeamTennis and making ourselves available in this part of the year.

“We’re in the midst of a contentious election in the US, and so people are probably more vocal than normal about some of these topics. I just hope that equality is something pushed as an agenda item.”

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News | WTA Tennis English

News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Kristina Mladenovic was one of the best players yet to win a WTA title. The French star had already taken home major titles in women’s and mixed doubles, but success on the singles court eluded her – that is, until she arrived at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy.

Mladenovic roared through the draw in Russia, ousting Australian Open finalist Venus Williams and defending champion Roberta Vinci en route to the final, where she hit a stunning 62 winners to survive an inspired Yulia Putintseva in what will likely go down as one of the best matches of the season.

“I feel just amazing,” she told WTA Insider in her Champions Corner interview. “That was my first title. I lost three finals before that, always playing well but had a better opponent. It’s also a Premier event, so it’s even more special.

“The wait was definitely worth it and if you asked me whether to change the past or something I would probably not because this tournament as a first title is absolutely insane. I’m not saying that because I won it, but I think the atmosphere, the show, the organization, it’s just an amazing event. It’s probably the best WTA event during the season, really. They’re treating us so well and everything is super nice. So to hold this trophy here and have it as my first title, for sure it’s going to stay forever in my best memories heart for my career and maybe more.”

Her breakthrough month continued at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, where she stunned good friend and reigning Qatar Total Open winner Karolina Pliskova in the opening round, and ended on another high after reaching the final of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel.

“I’m really a hard worker. I guess all the players are on tour. It’s no secret that to achieve such a high level and get the results, you have to. I’m just very positive, working very hard every day, and having this fighting spirit it helps me to go through these tough moments.”

Looking to build on her career-high ranking of No.26, Mladenovic is your Breakthrough Player of the Month!

Kristina Mladenovic

Final Results for February’s WTA Breakthrough Performance Of The Month

1. Kristina Mladenovic (56%)
2. Elina Svitolina (26%)
3. Ashleigh Barty (12%) 
4. CiCi Bellis (6%)

2017 Breakthrough Performance Of The Month Winners

January: CoCo Vandeweghe

How it works:

Finalists are selected by wtatennis.com
Winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com

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RTS Update: Radwanska Boosts Hopes

RTS Update: Radwanska Boosts Hopes

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Traditionally the Connecticut Open is a time for dotting i’s and crossing t’s, providing a stage for its invariably impressive cast of performers to fine tune their game ahead of the year’s final major, the US Open.

Agnieszka Radwanska grasped the opportunity with both hands, strolling through that draw and to the 19th title of her career. The result elevated her to fourth place on the Road To Singapore leaderboard and closer to qualifying for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, which she so famously won last autumn.

With many of the other leading contenders for Singapore resting up or travelling early to New York, other movement was restricted to lower down the leaderboard. Elina Svitolina produced some of her best tennis of 2016 to reach the final, a result that took her from No.30 to No.20.

One of Radwanska’s victims, another former WTA Finals champion Petra Kvitova, was rewarded for her semifinal run with a jump from No.33 to No.25 on the leaderboard, while Elena Vesnina is up to No.14 from her previous position of No.15.

The campaign’s final major usually has a significant say in who will be Singapore-bound, with Garbiñe Muguruza, Radwanska and Simona Halep all hoping secure their spot alongside the first two qualifiers, Serena Williams and Angelique Kerber.

RTS Ranking Movers

Petra Kvitova: No.33 to No.25 (+8)
Elina Svitolina: No.30 to No.20 (+10)
Elena Vesnina: No.15 to No.14 (+1)
Agnieszka Radwanska: No.5 to No.4 (+1)

WTA Road To Singapore Leaderboard

Click here to see the full Road To Singapore leaderboard standings following New Haven.

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Kvitova Wins Ostapenko Opener

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

NEW YORK, NY, USA – No.11 seed Petra Kvitova overcame a losing head-to-head record against 19-year-old Jelena Ostapenko to win 7-5, 6-3 in her opening round match at the US Open.

Kicking off the day’s action on Court 12, the two-time Wimbledon champion was dealt a tricky opening match against the young Latvian. Ostapenko has defeated Kvitova twice already in 2016, notching three-set wins at Doha and Birmingham.

“I knew that I had to return better, especially on her second serve, which I did today at the end of the match,” Kvitova explained in post-match press. “I was struggling a little bit at the beginning, kind of tight and couldn’t really move. I know that she hits big and fast, and I was trying to eliminate that.”

Ostapenko has been on the rise all year: she started out the season ranked No.84 and now at No.36, she just narrowly missed out on getting a US Open seeding. And against Kvitova, whose bronze medal at the Olympic tennis event has been the highlight of an otherwise quiet season, the Latvian’s big hitting always spells out big trouble.

Ostapenko kept to the script out on Court 12 today as well, breaking Kvitova twice to power ahead to a 3-0 lead. The Czech rallied to grab a break back, playing consistent tennis to force the errors to leak from the 19-year-old’s backhand wing. Kvitova finally leveled the set at 5-5, and rattled off the next two games to take the opening set.

Kvitova continued her romp into set two, where she tamped down three of Ostapenko’s break opportunities to roll to a straight sets victory. The Czech hit just six winners to five unforced errors during the match, but overall kept her margins cleaner than Ostapenko’s four winners and 11 unforced errors.

“I feel like I had a breakthrough here at the US Open,” Kvitova said. I didn’t really like it before; I don’t know why, but I feel the courts aren’t as fast as I wish they’d be. But I made a great success last year, and I hope it’s not the end. I know how difficult it is with the air and the humidity is not the best for me, but today I played good and didn’t have any troubles with that.”

She’ll face Turkey’s No.66 Cagla Buyukakcay in the second round, who recorded the first win of the day when she knocked out No.75 Irina Falconi in her US Open main draw debut.

“I haven’t played her yet, but it’s nice that someone is making stories like she is,” Kvitova said of the Turkish trailblazer. “It’s nice that she’s showing her tennis to Turkish people so more people play there.”

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – Johanna Konta made a successful comeback from the left foot injury that kept her out of the Middle East Swing with a 6-4, 6-4 win over fellow Brit Heather Watson at the BNP Paribas Open.

“I think it’s definitely challenging to adapt to these conditions,” she said  the air is a bit drier and the ball travels a bit quicker. When the wind picks up, that can also complicate things. But it’s a beautiful center court to play on, so I hope to extend my stay here as long as possible!”

Konta had been forced to sit out of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships due to what she described as an “irritated nerve” after a strong start to the season – winning her second career title at the Apia International Sydney and reaching a second straight Australian Open quarterfinal – and had to shake off the rust early on against Watson, who earned a hard-fought win over Nicole Gibbs earlier in the week.

“I think there is definitely an adjustment period,” she added in her post-match press conference. “I hadn’t played a tour match since the Australian Open and Fed Cup was about three weeks ago. It’s not that long of a time, but in terms of the tour, it’s a bit of time.

“I think there were definitely some moments there I will definitely try to get better and better at as the tournament goes on, and hopefully I will get more opportunities to get more and more match fit.”

The countrywoman recently paired up to lead Great Britain into Fed Cup’s World Group II Play-Offs in February, but were all business in the California desert on Friday, trading blows from the back of the court throughout the 94 minute affair.

“We get along great off court. We actually recently spent quite a bit of time together because of Fed Cup. We had a great Fed Cup in Estonia. We had a little bit great experiences quite recently together.

“I think both of us went with the intention of giving our best and trying to do what we can to come through in the end. I was fortunate enough to come out on top today.”

The typically aggressive Konta maintained a fairly clean stat sheet – 20 winners to 21 unforced errors – and held on for a tense ending after Watson threatened to come back from 5-1 in the second set.

Up next for the British No.1 is No.21 seed Caroline Garcia, who ende the run of lucky loser Evgeniya Rodina, 6-3, 6-3.

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Halep Flies Into Second Round

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

NEW YORK, NY, USA – No.5 seed Simona Halep got her US Open campaign off to a flying start, dropping just two games in her dominating hour-long romp over Kirsten Flipkens, 6-0, 6-2.

“It was a tough match, because for me the first round of a tournament is always tough,” Halep said. “I started pretty well, I played my game today. I had enough time to do what I wanted.”

“I’d give it less than a 9,” she added, a joking nod to the legendary Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci who watched on from her box.

Despite the humble self-evaluation, the numbers revealed just how dominant her performance was. Halep won almost double the points that Flipkens did – 60 to 35 – and twice as many winners, 22 to Flipkens’ 11. She also won 80% of the points at the net, and converted six of her 10 break point chances, against Flipkens’ one of three.

Halep had all the answers to Flipkens’ tricky all court game and backhand slice during the 61-minute encounter. She credited the insight from her coach, Darren Cahill, as a key in her game plan.

“When we found out that I play against Flipkens, he had a very good slice and he trained me very well,” she said. “So today it was very easy to play against this slice.”

Flipkens avoided the dreaded double bagel by grabbing a late break at 6-0, 5-0 to get on board in the second set. She took advantage of a couple of nervy points from the Romanian as her opponent’s nerves crept into her game.

“I played pretty well ’til the end, but you know, sometimes even if you have experience you are too nervous to finish the match. I just tried to stay focused,” Halep told ESPN’s Rennae Stubbs after the match.

The Romanian righted the ship in the end and coasted into the second round with ease. She’ll play French Open finalist Lucie Safarova next, after the Czech scored a 6-4, 6-4 win over Daria Gavrilova.

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Insider Doubles Take: US Open

Insider Doubles Take: US Open

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

NEW YORK, NY, USA – Main draw action begins for the US Open women’s doubles event on Wednesday; in the first major not to feature Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza playing as a pair since last year’s Australian Open, which teams are ones to watch in the final Grand Slam of the season? 

French Connection In Sync After Santina Split: French Open winners Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic are top seeds in the doubles event, opening against alternates Kurumi Nara and Naomi Osaka.

“It feels great; it’s not every day that you get to see your name as the top seed,” Mladenovic said after her win over Nao Hibino. “For Caroline and I, it’s a bonus to play doubles and compete at such a great level.”

Ranked No.3 and No.4, respectively (and No.2 on the Road to Singapore leaderboard), Garcia and Mladenovic lead the field following the surprising split of Hingis and Mirza, who announced their plans to play apart after a quarterfinal loss at the Rogers Cup.

Kristina Mladenovic, Caroline Garcia

“I think everyone was surprised,” Garcia said after her first round singles win over Pauline Parmentier. “But of course everyone wants results, and when you don’t have any more results, you want to change. But still, now there’s two big teams.”

Indeed, doubles teams don’t merely divide; they multiply. Hingis and Mirza were in the final of their very next WTA event, though the Western & Southern Open served as the stage for their newest permutations. Hingis is seeded No.6 with CoCo Vandeweghe and opens against Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Kveta Peschke, and Mirza at No.7 with Barbora Strycova, opening against American wildcards Jada Hart and Ena Shibahara. Mirza comes into the US Open as the sole No.1 in doubles with back-to-back titles in Cincinnati and New Haven, the latter with Monica Niculescu.

Speaking in press on Tuesday, Mladenovic mused on whether her and Garcia’s back-to-back wins over Santina in Stuttgart and Madrid marked the beginning of the end for a team that road a 41-match winning streak into the start of the season.

Caroline Garcia, Kristina Mladenovic

“I know both of them, and they’re both great champions and perfectionists. Maybe it started against us when they didn’t keep on winning, and maybe they were expecting way too much from themselves. I’m not sure about their reasons, but maybe they just wanted to split for some time and maybe come back together.

“It was probably the right decision for both of them. I think they made great moves with partners that they chose because they complement each others’ game.”

Garcia and Mladenovic were the Queens of Clay in 2016, winning 15 matches of their own and four titles in Charleston, Stuttgart, Madrid, and Paris for their home Grand Slam. Even with singles as the main priority, early losses at Wimbledon and the Olympic tennis event will likely leave the French pair eager for redemption in New York.

“It’s a long way until the end, but the first match will be very important to get confidence,” Garcia said. “We know we can do it, but we have to play our best every single match.”

Timea Babos, Yaroslava Shvedova

Fire & Ice: No.2 seed Chan Yung-Jan and Chan Hao-Ching anchor the bottom half of the draw; set to begin their US Open campaign against Hsieh Su-Wei and Christina McHale, the Chans could face No.3 seeds Timea Babos and Yaroslava Shvedova in the semifinal. Babos and Shvedova were a late addition to the doubles landscape, starting at the BNP Paribas Open after successful seasons with Mladenovic and Casey Dellacqua in 2015. But the pair nonetheless had some history, playing just once in 2013 to win a title in Tashkent.

“We didn’t know each other that well there,” Shvedova said after her win over Lara Arruabarrena. “I knew she was a great, aggressive, and strong player. She knew I had some good success. But it was just kind of an accident; we won that week and weren’t even thinking of continuing together.”

Babos remembered the week just as well, and relished the opportunity to reunite after discussing the possibility of pairing up in Australia.

“It all worked out that she asked me while I was debating what I should do,” Babos said after beating Barbara Haas. The Hungarian began the year trading partners with Garcia’s 2015 partner Katarina Srebotnik, but the two split after the Australian Open. 

“We decided to try in Indian Wells, and we made the semifinals already, then the finals of Miami and Wimbledon. We’ve had many, many good results, and so we’re definitely in the race, and I’m really hoping to be in Singapore again.”

Timea Babos, Yaroslava Shvedova

Shvedova and Dellacqua were the third team to qualify for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global a year ago, but Dellacqua’s concussion in Beijing left the Kazah without a partner and out of the race.

“I went to Singapore, and as soon as I landed she decided she couldn’t come,” Shvedova said. “So I was there for a day and half. I know we qualified and deserved to be there; we proved that we’re a very good team, and a successful team. From my side, it was more important how she was feeling. Tennis goes to the side when health is involved.”

The most memorable doubles teams have blended a contrast in styles, but Babos and Shvedova play such similar games that they both stood on the backhand side with previous partners. But Babos sees a clear contrast.

“She brings experience and calm. I’m more the energy and emotion. Sometimes, it happens where I have a match and I can’t put one ball in the court; she’s there for me then. Other times the roles reverse and I’m there for her. We complement each other emotionally.

Babos and Shvedova play American wildcards Catherine Bellis and Julia Boserup in their first round.

Ekaterina Makarova, Elena Vesnina

Better Together: No.5 seeds Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina take a nine-match winning streak into the US Open, having won the Rogers Cup and the gold medal at the Olympic tennis event. Though the pair of four years only reunited at the Mutua Madrid Open, Makarova and Vesnina are already No.3 on the Road to Singapore leaderboard, and a spot in the WTA Finals is high on their mind in Flushing.

“We’re really aiming to qualify for Singapore, especially after last year, and the year before we went with my shoulder injury,” she told WTA Insider on Tuesday. “We’ve never been healthy together at the WTA Finals, so I was laughing with Katya before saying, ‘We have to be healthy together at Singapore,’ because we really love it there. It’s an amazing tournament, amazing city, the hotel, and everything around; it’s such a nice place to be at the end of the year.”

The 2014 US Open champions are already into the second round when Germans Laura Siegemund and Mona Barthel were forced to retire in the second set, and Vesnina credits doubles with helping sharpen her competitive instincts on a weekly basis.

Ekaterina Makarova, Elena Vesnina

“I played singles and doubles in Montréal, for example. I was ranked No.24, and I played Madison Keys, who is Top 10, in the first round. I lost easily – she just killed me the whole match – and she went on to make the final. But I won the doubles with Katya; it’s a big tournament. So it’s great because even when you lose, you’re still ‘in.’

“You can practice your singles game in between, and you have some time for that. But at the same time, you’re still in the tournament, and you’re competing. It’s challenging, and you’re fighting for a title, and it’s always great to have one in your hands at the end of the week.”

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.

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