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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Elina Svitolina has moved into the Top 10 of the WTA rankings on the back of her sensational victory last week at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

The new WTA World No.10 moved up three places from No.13, overtaking Britain’s Johanna Konta and becoming the first Ukrainian ever to break into the Top 10.

Speaking after her straight-sets win over Caroline Wozniacki, the 22-year-old said: “It’s big relief, because I knew that if I was going to win this match, I would be in the Top 10. There was extra pressure.”

Svitolina’s rise – the only movement in the Top 10 – is reward for a run of 12 straight victories, which have seen her lift two titles already this year. Her win in Dubai follows success at the Taiwan Open in Taipei and she is now looking to defend her title at the Alya WTA Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur, where she is the No.1 seed. Her streak also includes successive Fed Cup wins.

Here are more of the biggest ranking moves this week after Dubai and Budapest:

Timea Babos +6 (No.33 to 27): Hungary’s Timea Babos climbed to No.27 thanks to her success at the Hungarian Ladies Open on Sunday. The 23-year-old entered the tournament with an 0-5 win-loss record in 2017, and rediscovered her best tennis to beat Lucie Safarova in a three-set thriller in Budapest and claim her second WTA title.

Wang Qiang +16 (No.76 to 60): China’s Wang Qiang continues her steady rise up the rankings, backing up her appearance in the Shenzhen quarterfinals in January with a stunning run to the quarterfinals in Dubai. She posted wins over Jelena Ostapenko and Kristina Mladenovic, two Top 50 players, along the way.

CiCi Bellis +14 (No.70 to 56): 17-year-old Cici Bellis’ dream run to the Dubai quarterfinals – her first ever Premier 5 quarterfinals – have rocketed the American to No.56, her career-highest ranking. Bellis backed up her first round upset of No.17 seed Yulia Putintseva by completing the shock of the tournament over World No.6 Agnieszka Radwanska in the round of 16.

Click here to see the full updated WTA rankings, as of February 27.

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Serena At Wimbledon: Still I Rise

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

LONDON, Great Britain – In the aftermath of World No.1 Serena Williams’ record-tying 22nd Grand Slam title – earned by defeating previous sole record holder Stefanie Graf’s compatriot Angelique Kerber, 7-5, 6-3, on Centre Court at Wimbledon – BBC Sport aired a montage featuring the top seed reciting “Still I Rise,” a poem by legendary American poet, Maya Angelou:

Serena has paid homage to Angelou in the past, ending her Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year Speech with an excerpt of “Still I Rise,” which was also included in the final scene of her Epix documentary, “Serena.”

Click here to read Angelou’s iconic poem, and check out the BBC Sport video above and on Facebook!

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Watson Wins Wimbledon Mixed Title

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Heather Watson becomes the first British woman to win a Wimbledon title of any kind in almost two decades by capturing a mixed doubles crown alongside Henri Kontinen.

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – Players are making themselves at home in the desert as they prepare for the BNP Paribas Open which gets underway at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on Wednesday. Famous for the surrounding mountain ranges and its hot climate, the BNP Paribas Open is the first WTA Premier Mandatory tournament of the year.

While some players have been enjoying the practice courts under the palm trees and Californian sun, others have been taking in views of a different kind as they soak up the sights of the Golden State.

Chan Yung-Jan admired the view over downtown Los Angeles while exploring the Griffith Observatory.

Daria Kasatkina experienced colder climes at the top of this mountain.

With a stunning mountain range in the background, Belinda Bencic enjoyed her practice.

Alison Riske was up early to hit the courts.

)>Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova is excited to be back at the BNP Paribas Open.

Julia Goerges and Elena Vesnina were all smiles after their practice.

Roberta Vinci basked in the early morning sun on Monday.

Tsvetana Pironkova is also happy to be back at the BNP Paribas Open.

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – CiCi Bellis will be looking to continue her meteoric rise to tennis superstardom as the American teenager enters a star-studded field at this week’s BNP Paribas Open.

Following on from some impressive victories of late, including a win over Agnieszka Radwanska to become the youngest quarterfinalist at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships since 2001, Bellis has climbed to No.55 in the WTA rankings and a certain Chris Evert thinks it won’t be long before the precocious talent rises even higher.

“There are a handful of players who are going to overpower her right now, but by the end of the year I wouldn’t be surprised if she was Top 20,” Evert said in a recent interview with the NY Times.

“Her legs are rock hard. I think the off-court training has helped her a lot. Two years ago, she would counterpunch and would sort of absorb power from her opponent, and now she’s giving it.”

It’s hard to believe that Bellis will only turn 18 on April 8. But Evert, who has been mentoring Bellis through a USTA program, has been impressed with a maturity and willingness to learn that could take her to the very top of the game.

“I’ve been so impressed by her maturity and self-reliance and just the hunger she has to learn. Her eyes are wide open to any information that you can give her. Bottom line is no drama. Some of these other girls, when they are practicing, it’s yelling and up and down and emotions and body language, and with her, it’s steadfast.”

Bellis is set to play Belgium’s Kirsten Flipkens in the opening round of her first Indian Wells and, if successful, will face French Open Champion Garbiñe Muguruza in the second round.

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Spotted: Serena & Venus Hit Stanford

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

STANFORD, CA, USA – World No.1 Serena Williams might not be in the draw at the Bank Of The West Classic, but she’s never too far away from the action. Eagle-eyed fans who turned up to top seed Venus Williams’ practice session got a treat as she was joined on court by her younger sister.

Venus started out the day the way she normally does at a new tournament: hitting the practice courts. The No.1 seed hit a few balls as she warmed up on center court ahead of her opening match tomorrow.

But who was there on the sidelines, keeping a close eye on her older sister’s practice session and dance break?

After a quick warmup of her own, Serena decided to join in on the action and hit the tennis court herself as the Williams sisters tuned up their doubles.

You can watch every minute of Venus and Serena’s impromptu training session in Stanford right here. Check out the full live stream courtesy of Stanford and Tennis On Facebook:

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – Monica Puig dropped just two games against American wildcard Danielle Collins on her way to the second round at the BNP Paribas Open.

Puig put together a dominant performance against Collins to advance 6-0, 6-2 after just under an hour and ten minutes.

“I always like playing on center stage, I guess it’s where I feel most comfortable,” Puig said in her post-match interview. “I’m always happy to play in Indian Wells, it’s one of my favorite tournaments.”

It was a different story for Collins, who was playing in just her third main draw match of her career. She found herself outhit and out of her depth as she fell to the Olympic champion.

The 23-year-old American – a two-time NCAA singles winner at the University of Virginia – showed flashes of promise against Puig as she targeted the Puerto Rican’s backhand high over her shoulder. But she allowed Puig to dictate the pace and dominate the rallies.

After being shut out of the first set after just 24 minutes, Collins rallied back to earn a confidence-boosting first break of the match to start the second set. But the joy was short lived as Puig came roaring back, grabbing the break right back to level the score before reeling off the last four games in a row for a spot in the second round.

“You never know what to expect – I used to play against [Collins] when I was like, ten years old. I haven’t played her in a few years so I needed some time to feel her out a bit. I found my groove and finished off strong,” Puig said.

Waiting in the second round is No.3 seed Karolina Pliskova – it was originally Serena Williams before she announced her withdrawal from the tournament and caused a reshuffling of seeds. Puig trails the Czech 0-3 in the pair’s win-loss record.

“For me it’s not really a huge change,” Puig said of having to play Pliskova instead of Serena. “I was already waiting on a difficult opponent if I made it to the second round, and I still got a difficult opponent in the second round.

“It doesn’t really change much; I’m familiar with Pliskova and I’ve played her a few times. Lost a few times, too. She’s near the top of the game right now because she’s an amazing player.”

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