Konta Passes Kasatkina Test To Reach Sydney Semifinals
British No.1 Johanna Konta overcame Daria Kasatkina at the Apia International Sydney to move through to her second semifinals of 2017 without dropping a set.
British No.1 Johanna Konta overcame Daria Kasatkina at the Apia International Sydney to move through to her second semifinals of 2017 without dropping a set.
ST. PETERSBURG, FL, USA – The Women’s Tennis Association and Cambridge Global Payments have entered into a three-year partnership whereby Cambridge will serve as the Official and Exclusive International Payments Provider of the WTA, responsible for fulfillment of prize money and corporate foreign exchange services for the WTA and its members.
“Cambridge’s in-depth knowledge and expertise in managing many international, and often complicated, financial transactions set them apart – especially when time sensitive payments and on-demand delivery are a must,” said WTA CEO and Chairman Steve Simon. “Their commitment to excellence reflect the high standards we expect at the WTA and we look forward to this partnership.”
Cambridge is one of the largest bank-independent providers of international payments, with offices across North America, Europe and Australia. Their award winning online platform and expertise in the business space has earned them global recognition, specifically for time sensitive payments.
Cambridge will provide the foreign exchange platform for facilitation of the payment of prize money between the WTA’s members – from tournaments to players. The WTA will oversee the handling of the program in conjunction with Cambridge. The WTA itself will also utilize Cambridge Global for all corporate foreign exchange services.
“We are extremely honored and excited to be selected as the Official and Exclusive International Payments Provider for the WTA and their members. As a global leader and specialist in international payments, Cambridge looks forward to working with such a prestigious association and their group of talented players,” said Anil Sawrup, Chief Commercial Officer, Cambridge Global Payments.
No.2 seed Agnieszka Radwanska earned a seventh straight win over Barbora Strycova to reach the Apia International Sydney final.
BASTAD, Sweden – A relieved Anna Karolina Schmiedlova returned to winning ways with a straight set victory over Susanne Celik in the first round of the Ericsson Open on Monday afternoon.
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Schmiedlova’s 6-1, 6-3 win was her first at a WTA event since January and sets up a second-round meeting with either Katerina Siniakova and Jana Cepelova.
“I’m really happy that I won because I lost, I don’t know how many – I didn’t count – maybe 15 matches in a row, so it’s a special feeling and I’m very happy,” Schmiedlova said.
“It was a good match. She played well – I didn’t know her very well as I hadn’t played her – and I think she can be a good player. But I’m really happy that I won, even thought I was a little bit nervous at the end.”
If Schmiedlova was feeling pressure at the end, she masked it well, reeling off the final three games to close out a morale-boosting victory. Having lost so matches – many from commanding positions – the overriding feeling after finally making it across the line was of relief.
“I’ve been playing better the past weeks. I also played well at Roland Garros – I lost against Muguruza, but it was three sets and I really felt good. Also last week [in Bucharest] I lost from match point up, so I’ve already played tough matches and maybe today I was a little bit more experienced than her at this level,” she added.
Elsewhere in the top half of the draw, Karina Knapp defeated Denisa Allertova, 6-2, 6-4. Meanwhile, in the final round of qualifying, there were wins for Katerina Siniakova, Kateryna Kozlova, Lucie Hradecka, Jana Cepelova and Sara Sorribes Tormo.
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