Konta Enjoys Taste Of Tennis In Indian Wells
Johanna Konta enjoyed a different kind of serving as she sampled some of the food on offer at Taste of Tennis.
Johanna Konta enjoyed a different kind of serving as she sampled some of the food on offer at Taste of Tennis.
The boldest decision of Agnieszka Radwanska’s life was one with which many people will sympathise. It came when she was 19 years old -and decided to leave her parents’ house for a home of her own.
“The toughest decision in my life was moving out from home,” she revealed in an exclusive WTA interview. Looking back, she believes it was a great choice, which helped her to learn to become more independent.
“When I moved out I started a new life and made my own decisions in my own home,” she added.
Radwanska’s reflections mark the theme of this year’s International Women’s Day – ‘Be Bold For Change’.
The WTA World No.6, who celebrated her 28th birthday on Monday, is on a run of six consecutive WTA Top 10 year-end finishes. She soared up the rankings after turning pro in 2005 and enjoyed success at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global in 2015. In addition, she was a finalist at Wimbledon in 2012 and has accumulated 20 WTA singles titles.
International Women’s Day falls on March 8 every year, and celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.
RIO DE JANIERO, Brazil – Friday saw the curtain raised on the XXXI Olympiad with a colorful opening ceremony at the magnificent Maracana stadium.
Broadcast to an audience of over three billion, it celebrated Brazil’s culture, history and nature, before former marathon runner Vanderlei de Lima lit the Olympic cauldron. The WTA was well represented on the night, with Caroline Wozniacki carrying in the flag for Denmark.
But what were Wozniacki and company up to before, during and after the show?
Tennis flag bearers!! ???? #Olympics #rio @RafaelNadal pic.twitter.com/H0g1qe7aG6
— Caroline Wozniacki (@CaroWozniacki) August 6, 2016
Almost time to walk ?????????? pic.twitter.com/t5W89w7gVW
— Heather Watson (@HeatherWatson92) 5 August 2016
WOW! What a rush!!! Let's go @TeamUSA @serenawilliams @CoCoVandey @Madison_Keys @SloaneStephens #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/hz3YQ81udg
— Bethanie MattekSands (@BMATTEK) August 6, 2016
Tonight was a night to remember! Officially an olympian! ?? pic.twitter.com/y8izZiRLg5
— Monica Puig (@MonicaAce93) August 6, 2016
What a feeling to be part of this evening,so grateful and humble for being here #czechteam #OpeningCeremony #Rio2016 pic.twitter.com/UCX0JBRZle
— Andrea Hlavackova (@AndreaHlavackov) August 6, 2016
Some of the best snaps from the #OpeningCeremony at #Rio2016!
?–> https://t.co/ok9z42ySeS #Olympics pic.twitter.com/4xoKIvQIUY
— WTA (@WTA) August 6, 2016
However, with many in the singles and doubles draws beginning their tournament the following morning, not everyone could enjoy the festivities…
When you're not at the #OpeningCeremony ???? #swissteam #Rio2016 ??? pic.twitter.com/dfSu4hj5AO
— Timea Bacsinszky (@TimeaOfficial) August 5, 2016
Wednesday was Media Day at the BNP Paribas Open, and all the top seeds were on hand for a medley of interviews. How many WTA players can you spot in this photo?
Agnieszka Radwanska took to the rooftop at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden for a series of video interviews.
Dominika Cibulkova is ready for her close up…
…while all eyes are on Angelique Kerber, who is set to return to World No.1 after Indian Wells.
Simona Halep is thrilled to be back on the tennis court after being on the sidelines with an injury.
Inside the media center, No.3 seed Karolina Pliskova answered questions from the media during All-Access Hour.
No.7 seed Garbiñe Muguruza comes to Indian Wells hoping to put an Achilles injury behind her.
No.5 seed Dominika Cibulkova was all smiles during All-Access Hour.
Radwanska, a runner up here in 2014, is hoping to do one better and claim her 21st WTA title at Indian Wells.
No.8 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova made back-to-back finals at Indian Wells in 2007 and 2008.
The Russian kept the press room in stitches with her trademark dry wit.
2015 champion Halep is thrilled to be back in Indian Wells after a left knee injury kept her away from tour for almost a month.
“I tried not to think that much about tennis,” Halep said. “I tried to be different but it’s not easy. I am addicted a little bit to this sport. When I don’t have competition, it’s tough to live.”
The most in-demand player by far was No.2 seed Kerber, who earlier this week found out she’d return to WTA World No.1 at the end of the tournament.
“I’ve been there already, but at the end, of course it feels good to reach the spot again,” Kerber said. “But for me I came here to really focus not on becoming No.1 or the ranking.”
The two-time semifinalist is looking to snap a four-match losing streak in the California desert, having lost her opening match here the last three years.
Just before her 20th birthday, Belinda Bencic scores her first WTA main draw win of the season, ousting Tsvetana Pironkova to advance in Indian Wells.
Venus Williams says it’s superb but strange to be thought of as a trailblazer – and names the legendary Billie Jean King as the woman who inspires her.
In an interview with Forbes, she says: “It’s surreal [to be considered a leader] – but at the same time, it’s extremely motivating to know that people are watching and that it’s improving their work and their lives – so it’s symbiosis.”
The Australian Open runner-up was talking about her dual careers in tennis and in business – and suggested that there are plenty of parallels.
“Absolutely sports prepares you to set goals, to fail and to win in a way that you don’t know when you are doing it,” she said. “Business and athletics really marry each other. I can only see similarities.”
Of course she was asked about her rivalry with sister Serena – and that history-making final in Melbourne in January.
“When we play against each other each other, there can only be one winner,” she pointed out. “When I see her do something great, I want to do better.”
World No.1 Serena Williams has taken a wildcard into next week’s Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, a Premier 5 event.
The two-time defending champion has a 10-match win streak in Cincinnati and will be making her eighth appearance at the tournament where she holds a 21-4 match record. Serena enters the event looking to rebound from a disappointing early exit from the Olympics in Rio, where she lost in the third round to Elina Svitolina.
Having played only three matches since winning Wimbledon in July, Serena will look to return to form as she continues to prepare for the US Open, where she has a chance to break the Open Era record for Slam singles titles by winning her 23rd major.
Also on the line for Serena next week: The No.1 ranking.
Current World No.2 Angelique Kerber has a chance to end Serena’s 183-week reign at No.1 at Cincinnati, however, it will not be an easy task. Kerber, who is still in Rio de Janiero at the Olympic tennis event, would need to win the title at the Western & Southern Open in order to do so.
With Serena accepting the wildcard, she can extend her stay at No.1 through US Open if she makes the quarterfinals, regardless what Kerber does.
Kerber is trying to become the first German to reach No.1 since her idol Stefanie Graf and would be the third left-handed player to hold the No.1 ranking (along with Martina Navratilova and Monica Seles).
Main draw play at the Western & Southern Open begins on Monday, with the top 16 seeds receiving a bye into the second round. The draw ceremony will be held on Friday, August 12, at 5:30pm local time.
SHE'S BACK.
2-time defending champ @serenawilliams returns to #CincyTennis after receiving a WC into the main draw. pic.twitter.com/1rNIEvHaok
— W&S Open (@CincyTennis) August 11, 2016
KEY INFORMATION:
Tournament Level: Premier 5
Prize Money: $2,804,000
Draw Size: 48 main draw (16 byes)/48 qualifying
Main Draw Ceremony: Friday, August 12, 5.30pm EDT
Qualifying Dates: Saturday, August 13 – Sunday, August 14
First Day of Main Draw: Monday, August 15
Singles Final: Sunday, August 21, 2pm EDT
Doubles Final: TBC – Sunday, August 21, 12.15pm EDT on Grandstand
MUST FOLLOW SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS:
@WTA
@WTA_Insider – WTA Insider, Senior Writer Courtney Nguyen
@CinyTennis – official tournament handle
Get involved in conversations with the official hashtags, #CincyTennis and #WTA.
TOURNAMENT NOTES:
· Serena Williams bids to win a third straight Cincinnati title after accepting a late wildcard. She is the only player in the Open Era to win multiple times at the event.
· Since the tournament’s return to the tour in 2004, there have been 11 different winners of the tournament, although Serena is the only returning champion in the field this year. There are a couple of former runner-ups – Simona Halep (2015), Ana Ivanovic (2014) and Angelique Kerber (2012).
· The WTA’s current Top 5-ranked players are all in attendance: Serena, Kerber, Halep, Garbiñe Muguruza and Agnieszka Radwanska.
· Halep arrives on a 10-match winning streak, having won her past two tournaments, in Bucharest and Montréal.
· Lucie Safarova and Andrea Petkovic could both register their 400th career win by reaching the second round and quarterfinals, respectively.
· For the full draw click here.
WILDCARDS:
Serena Williams (USA), Christina McHale (USA), Louisa Chirico (SVK)
WITHDRAWALS:
Sloane Stephens (right foot), Jelena Jankovic (right shoulder)
A tennis career plays out on a myriad of stages. One minute, American Christina McHale is headlining Margaret Court Arena and battling Agnieszka Radwanska, the reigning WTA Finals champion, in the first round of the Australian Open.
The next, she finds herself far from Melbourne’s spotlight and bringing new meaning to the word “battle” in an ITF 50K Challenger tournament in Maui.
“I felt like I needed more match play, because I didn’t get enough matches in Australia,” McHale told WTA Insider on Sunday.
A former World No.24, McHale went 1-3 in her first three events of the season, but rather than retreat to the practice courts – and the cold New Jersey winter – she made the rare decision to enter an ITF event during the second week of the Australian Open.
“I’d just had a really long off-season and I was doing a lot of practicing. I saw there were a bunch of tournaments, and Maui seemed like a good place because it’s on the way home; it seemed like a good place to stop. Luckily, I got a wildcard at the last minute, so everything worked out.”
Top seed at an event that featured Brisbane International semifinalist Samantha Crawford and ASB Classic quarterfinalist Naomi Broady, McHale hardly cruised through a Valley Isle vacation at her first ITF event since 2013.
“It’s definitely different. The nice part of it was that it was in Hawaii, and the hotel was right at the courts, so it was easy to walk to.
“The first day I was waiting for the schedule to be emailed to me, because that’s how it normally is at WTA tournaments, and then I remembered that’s not how it works in ITFs! We didn’t have ball kids, and we didn’t have a full set of line judges on some of the courts.
“It took some getting used to.”
Sand sprints in paradise. Hello from Hawaii ? pic.twitter.com/VmUFCcXmv7
— Christina McHale (@ChristinaMcHale) January 26, 2016
After fighting through a tricky opening round against former World No.7 Nicole Vaidisova, she needed three sets in the semifinals against the big-serving Broady and American teenager Raveena Kingsley, who had taken out Crawford and Jessica Pegula to reach the final.
“I had some really tough matches here; my semifinal was really difficult and so was my match today. The level of play was quite high. In terms of getting good match play in, it was tough.”
The American had started her 2016 season with a first career WTA doubles title in Hobart, but Maui was her first title of any kind in singles, having reached one WTA final in 2014 and two ITF finals at the very start of her career in 2007 and 2009.
Ranked solidly in the Top 70, McHale considers herself lucky to be able to play an ITF knowing the doors to the most prestigious tournaments remain open to her.
“It definitely makes you appreciate a lot of the things I take for granted when playing WTA tournaments. It might have even been a little bit of a wake up call. But everyone here was really nice, and all of the volunteers that helped put this tournament together did a good job. I don’t want to take away from that.”
Indeed, McHale takes away only positives from her winning week in Maui, getting some much-needed match play, all with a tropical backdrop at her disposal.
“My fitness trainer Rodney Marshall is a USTA fitness coach; he was here and so I kind of used it as a training week, as well. I was able to do some work outs on the beach; it’s really cold back home so it was nice to be in this warmer weather for the week. It was good to have a men and women’s tournament, so there were a lot of players here to practice with.
“Just being in Hawaii was really nice.”
Heading home before resuming a full slate of WTA events in Rio, Acapulco, Monterrey, and Indian Wells, a confident McHale hopes to have kick-started her season with the wind at her back and a sunkissed trophy in her hand.
“It’s definitely very motivating. This week served its purpose, because I came here trying to get matches and work on my fitness. In that regard, it was really good.
“It does make you appreciate all of the Slams and the other big tournaments that we go to.”
Thanks for a great week Maui! ? @TCofM pic.twitter.com/h6gh8Y7YG4
— Christina McHale (@ChristinaMcHale) January 31, 2016
Follow Christina on Twitter @ChristinaMcHale!
The Gold Medal match in women’s singles was one to remember as Monica Puig took on World No.2 and reigning Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber.
Puig pulled off the upset of Olympics to knock Kerber out in three tight sets, becoming the first Puerto Rican to win a gold medal.
Puig had made it her season goal to win the Olympics – even naming her dog Rio – but the yougster could hardly believe her dream had come true after the match.
Puig led a star-studded podium featuring Kerber, who became the first German to win a medal in tennis since Stefanie Graf, and two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova taking the bronze.
Pairing up for the Olympic Games four years ago in London, Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina came straight from winning the Rogers Cup to roar into the Gold Medal match in women’s doubles on Sunday.
Taking the Russians on were a tough team composed of World Co-No.1 Martina Hingis – who was playing her first Olympic Games since 1996 – and Timea Bacsinszky, who replaced Belinda Bencic after injury ruled her out of the games. Hingis and Bacsinszky saved a match point in their semifinal against Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka.
Makarova and Vesnina spent 10 months apart as the former addressed injury concerns, but the pair reunited in the spring and have amassed a 25-5 record since Madrid, winning a ninth straight match to oust Hingis and Bacsinszky in straight sets.
The women’s doubles podium was complete when Lucie Safarova and Barbora Strycova – who began the tournament by knocking out three-time women’s doubles gold medalists Venus and Serena Williams – won the all-Czech bronze medal match in straight sets.
The final Gold medal match of the day was in mixed doubles, with Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Jack Sock taking on four-time Olympic Gold medalist Venus Williams and Rajeev Ram.
Venus was aiming to become the first player to win gold in all three tennis events, but couldn’t convert a one-set lead or a 6-3 advantage in the match tie-break. Still, the American leaves Rio with a fifth Olympic medal in five appearances.
Mattek-Sands has struggled with injuries in the last few years, and recovered from a false alarm when Sock appeared to seal victory on their first match point to capture the gold medal one point later.
Mattek-Sands wins a gold medal in her Olympic debut, while Lucie Hradecka adds to her Olympic silver medal from 2012 alongside Radek Stepanek by taking the bronze.