Tennis News

BEIJING, China – Unseeded and looming at the China Open, BNP Paribas Open finalists and Wimbledon semifinalists Karolina Pliskova and Julia Goerges recovered from a second set hiccup to score their first win over No.7 seeds Martina Hingis and CoCo Vandeweghe, 6-3, 4-6, 10-8. The win assured Pliskova of her qualification at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global in both singles and doubles.

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“I’d beaten Hingis just once, and we lost to them in Cincinnati. We’re really happy with the win; the super tie-break was tough,” Pliskova said after the match.

“It’s amazing; I’m already there for singles, so it’ll be great to be there in doubles as well.”

Pliskova and Goerges enjoyed a strong start before the former doubles No.1 rebounded with her new partner and fellow US Open semifinalist.

“I think overall, it was a good match with some good parts from both of us,” Goerges explained. “There were some sloppy games where they really gained confidence. We lost some tight points, but luckily won the first set on a deciding point; it was really a key to staying in the match because we’d really lost momentum.

“The second set, we were down 3-0 right away; we somehow came back but couldn’t manage to break CoCo’s serve again because she was serving pretty big. The match tie-break was up and down; we were 2-5 down, then 8-5 up.

“We served pretty big with two aces, which help in a match tie-break. We’re pretty happy to get through.”

For Goerges, it will also be her first appearance at the WTA Finals, a welcome surprise for a team comprised of two singles specialists.

“It’s very exciting; I must say! We didn’t plan it, because it was our first year playing together. We said we’d only play around 10 tournaments, and to qualify with eight pretty decent results is pretty special for us.

“Kaja will be going there for singles as well, but for me, it’s amazing to go to Singapore. It’s always been a dream, either in singles or doubles – hopefully one day I’ll get to go for singles too – but it’s exciting and a nice way to end the season.”

Goerges and Pliskova rounds out a stacked field full of talented teams; click here to learn more about the elite eight!

DUBAI, UAE – After securing the biggest title of her career at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Saturday night, Elina Svitolina is set to receive an even bigger reward come Monday.

Svitolina will rise from World No.13 to a career-high No.10, making her the first Ukrainian player ever to break the WTA Top 10.

“I’ve dreamed for all my life to be in Top 10,” Svitolina said after the final, where she defeated Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets. “It’s a very amazing feeling to enter Top 10, and do it by winning the tournament! I’m very excited for the season and very excited I could win this tournament.”

The Ukrainian came into the final in Dubai knowing a victory would clinch her Top 10 debut – and the 22-year-old didn’t let the pressure of the occasion overwhelm her.

“It’s big relief that I could win this match, because I knew that if I win this match, I’m gonna be Top 10,” Svitolina told press after the match.

“There was extra pressure. When I was warming up, added even more pressure because they announce it. It didn’t help!”

Svitolina’s milestone comes as no surprise for fans who’ve followed her career: she’s fresh off a title at the Taiwan Open earlier in the season, and with back-to-back Fed Cup wins Svitolina is in the midst of a 12-match winning streak. Last season, Svitolina took home a title at Kuala Lumpur and reached the final at New Haven and the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai.

Svitolina is the 120^th player to make her Top 10 debut since the WTA Rankings were introduced on November 3, 1975.