Brisbane: Petkovic vs Pereira
Andrea Petkovic takes on Teliana Pereira in the first round of the Brisbane International.
Andrea Petkovic takes on Teliana Pereira in the first round of the Brisbane International.
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!
SINGAPORE – Dominika Cibulkova was riding high off the biggest title of her career on Monday, going through the media rounds to discuss her stunning run to the title at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. Less than 24 hours after the win, the new World No.5 was still on Cloud 9 after beating No.1 Angelique Kerber 6-3, 6-4 to win the WTA Finals and finish off an incredible comeback season.
WTA Insider caught up with Cibulkova to reflect on her Singapore win and her evolution as a gritty on-court battler:
WTA Insider: What are you most proud of that you accomplished here?
Cibulkova: That after the two losses I had, I didn’t get down on myself. They talk about me as a fighter and I proved that I am really a big fighter, because it wasn’t easy to go out there after two losses and to play against Halep in the situation it was. So this is [what] I’m really proud about. And, of course, the way I played in the final – it was really high-level tennis.
WTA Insider: Was the final your best match all week?
Cibulkova: I think I also played really well against Halep, but I think against Angie was the best match I played the whole week.
WTA Insider: You told reporters after your match that you believe in yourself now. Why? Why didn’t you believe in yourself before?
Cibulkova: Because I was never that kind of player that came on tour and was winning tournaments. I always needed, you know, proof. I needed to beat a Top 20 player, a Top 10 player – I was taking small steps to get where I am now. And I always thought that winning a Grand Slam was something unreal, it’s impossible. But by winning this, I want to achieve another dream, and that’s winning a Grand Slam.
WTA Insider: Did it mean more to win yesterday than to reach the Australian Open final a couple of years ago?
Cibulkova: Oh yes. To play finals is an amazing feeling. But to win the whole thing, you cannot compare these two things.
WTA Insider: You’ve had good results everywhere. Which major do you think you have the best chance of making a charge?
Cibulkova: We’ll see. I dunno, we’ll see. As you said, I can play on all the surfaces. [I’m most comfortable at] Roland Garros, or maybe Australian Open, too. But hard court and clay court for me is the top. The grass it’s like for one tournament I made the quarterfinals, and that’s amazing. This year is the breaking year in my career, if you know what I mean. Before every tournament you feel your form, how you feel the court and everything has to come together to win such a big event.
WTA Insider: Typically, a player of your size would rely on speed and defense to win matches. Obviously you’re an offensive-minded player. Has anyone ever tried to convince you to play with more feel, rather than your power game?
Cibulkova: No, it was actually it was the other way around. When I was little, or younger, it was always I was just a defensive player; I was just running to the fence and putting the balls back. I think I had a lot of coaches in my career and every single coach taught me something different that now I use now. I remember it was maybe five or six years ago, I had a coach who pushed me to play really aggressive. And since then I’ve known this is the way I’m going to play. This coach I’m with right now, we’ve been together more than three years and I’d say he’s the best coach I ever had in my career.
WTA Insider: How hard was it to buy into this aggressive strategy?
Cibulkova: It was a really hard, but it was a long process. You know, it was maybe 10 years or longer, and inside of me I’m was never a killer on the court, I was never the one that was winning. Now I’m the one that’s going to kill you on the court. This is something I had to learn and this is something that put me in the Top 5. I learned this killer instinct and I just went for it, because in the important moments before I was always afraid to go for my shots, or I wanted the opponent to make a mistake. And this is not how champions play.
WTA Insider: Do you believe that the big titles nowadays go to the big-hitters?
Cibulkova: Yes, of course I believe that. I mean Aga Radwanska she’s a defensive player and she also won WTA Finals, but I see it this way: if a big-hitting girl is playing her best tennis, no one can do anything. You see me playing great yesterday and I didn’t let Angie into the match.
WTA Insider: What prompted you to hire a mental coach?
Cibulkova: My coach. He convince me. He said, ‘You know, Dominika, it’s not only about how many hours you spend on the court but for you the most important thing is how many hours you spend thinking about tennis off the court,’ Because I always thought that I was working more than 100% on the court, and then it’s over for me. But he told me that I needed my head to be there and to be strong. It wasn’t easy convincing me, because sometimes I can be stubborn, but after a while I really started to believe in it and now it’s a part of me and I can’t imagine to play tennis without this thing.
WTA Insider: Do you talk to you mental coach just about what’s going through your mind during those tight moments?
Cibulkova: Yes, exactly, and for me the most important thing is to hold my emotions together, because I’m really emotional on the court. So when I get angry or miss something, I cannot live in the past. This is the biggest change. I handle these situations now. Even this week, you could see against Halep, I survived so many tight moments. I think in the past I couldn’t handle a match like this, even yesterday after the two match points I missed…
WTA Insider: You smiled after you missed those first three match points…
Cibulkova: This is something we also tried to work on. I was so frustrated; this was like my worst moment on the court, I couldn’t describe how bad I felt on the court in that moment when I missed the forehand. This isn’t happening! I didn’t miss a forehand like that in the whole match. But I knew I had to hold it together, I had to forget, leave it in the past and think about what I had to do next.
WTA Insider: I assume the thing you want to do next is to relax. You’re going on vacation next. So you’re going to just chill out?
Cibulkova: You can ask my husband. I’m the laziest person in the world. Really, I just can do nothing. I have my book and I’m just lying there in the shade saying, ‘This is good, this is good!’ I think because I spend so much time working that when I’m off, it’s nothing.
The three biggest names at the Shenzhen Open – Agnieszka Radwanska, Petra Kvitova and Eugenie Bouchard – shone at the player party. See all the best pics right here.
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!”
Believe it @JoKonta91! ? #BOTWC pic.twitter.com/qO3pqpmmtO
— WTA (@WTA) July 24, 2016
ZHUHAI, China – No.12 seed and wildcard Zhang Shuai rang in the start of the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai in impressive style, defeating No.6 seed Timea Bacsinszky, 6-1, 6-1, to take the early lead in the Camellia Group.
“I am very happy to win, actually just to play in my home country and win the first game here,” she said after the match through translation. “I cannot say how happy I am about this.
“It’s been three weeks since the China Open, and during that time it was a bit tough for me. Without game I kind of don’t know what to do with my life! Even though continuous game and competition makes me tired. I like playing even more.”
Zhang is in the midst of a career-best season, one that has seen her rise from outside the Top 100 to a high of No.27 after reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and China Open just three weeks ago. Playing Bacsinszky, a former Top 10 player whom she narrowly beat at the Olympic tennis event, Zhang blistered past her Swiss opposition in 57 minutes, dropping just three points behind her first serve.
.@zhangshuai121 delivering her post-win press conference @WTAEliteTrophy pic.twitter.com/CYedNrwyrE
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) November 1, 2016
“It’s been three months since the Olympics by now, and I did see my progress in the performance. I have to say this is not a coincidence. I am pretty confident in myself now.
“I just watched some of the video parts of me playing Bacsinszky during the Olympics and I can see that after that and after all the games in Beijing and Japan and Wuhan and Korea I really improved a lot. I believe that if I can make the best out of my training I can play even better game. I also do enjoy my home court advantage here. It was great game for me.”
Hoping to reach the semifinals in her Zhuhai debut, Zhang will have to get past first alternate Timea Babos, who entered the Camellia Group after No.2 seed Carla Suárez Navarro withdrew due to a right wrist injury.
“I am physically doing very well. After Beijing I took three weeks off and I well adjusted myself. I’m fully recovered now.
“I can say that I’m at my best at this moment. “That is one of the reasons why I played well.”
In the second match of the day, Elina Svitolina overcame a slow start to defeat Kiki Bertena, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2.
“I think she started playing really well and I was bit in and out with my attitude and with my game,” Svitolina said after the match.
“But then I was just waiting for my chances, and I think in the second set I took my chances. In the end I think just playing solid was the key for me today.”
.@CarlaSuarezNava has withdrawn from @WTAEliteTrophy due to the right wrist injury sustained in Moscow. Babos next in. Statement from CSN: pic.twitter.com/btQA3S4tgI
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) November 1, 2016
Angelique Kerber takes on Camila Giorgi in the first round of the Brisbane International.
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.)
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Petra Kvitova continued her terrific end of season form with a dominant victory over Roberta Vinci in her opening round-robin match at the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai.
– 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:
.@GarbiMuguruza on her left foot injury @BrisbaneTennis. pic.twitter.com/8F5PGNuvt3
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) January 6, 2016
– 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.
More on Kvitova’s retirement in Shenzhen: She was unable to hit for the last four days. Stayed in bed trying to recover.
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) January 6, 2016
– 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:
No tennis for 2 days but working hard to be ready for Sydney and/or Melbourne. Fingers crossed ? pic.twitter.com/Edv6VMKEem
— Simona Halep (@Simona_Halep) January 6, 2016
– 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:
Asked Azarenka whether she’s playing with the same racket as last year or if she’s changed it up. Her answer: “We’ll see.”
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) January 6, 2016
– 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:
When @andreapetkovic finds out 2 journos don't know who The White Stripes frontman Jack White is… #BrisbaneTennis https://t.co/PX76FQv0xM
— Brisbane Intl (@BrisbaneTennis) January 6, 2016