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Dominika Cibulkova’s hopes of qualifying for a debut appearance at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global came down to the wire. The Slovak needed to win the Generali Ladies Linz to assure herself a spot among the Greatest Eight, and did just that.

“It was really important for me that I won there,” she said in Singapore. “It’s not every day that I’m coming to a tournament and I have to win it to get somewhere, and then I actually won the whole thing.

“It was just a great week for me, and all happened so quickly. In two days I flew here.”

Cibulkova turned around a tough start in the round robin stage to stun 2014 finalist Simona Halep in straight sets, and overcame a 1/16 longshot of qualifying for the semifinals to knock out Svetlana Kuznetsova in the semis before overcoming World No.1 Angelique Kerber in the championship match.

“I cannot find the right word in English, but in the first match I played against Angelique, that gave me confidence that I can beat her,” she said of avenging her round robin loss in the final.

“My game is good enough to beat the World No.1. I was going into this final with these thoughts and I was feeling it from the first point until the last point.”

By beating the Australian Open and US Open champion, Cibulkova assured herself of a career-high ranking and a Top 5 finish for 2016, a place she sees as a launch pad for even greater success.

“Right now I don’t doubt myself anymore. I never doubted myself this year at all. I always had my coach to motivate me, to put the bigger goals for me. That was something I was dealing with; I never saw myself as such a great player, or a consistent player, somebody who could be Top 5.

“My coach said, ‘Domi, you had a great half of the season, but you’re able to have a great second half of the season. You just have to still stay focused and work hard. You can be Top 5 at the end of the year’.

“I really, really believed him for the first time in my life. I believed, ‘Okay, this is something I can do, I want to do.’

“I’m not saying I was coming to this tournament to win it, but when I was so close before the finals, I was convinced that I can beat Angie today.”

That new sense of determination paid off in Singapore, and it certainly helped her earn her the mantle of October’s WTA Player of the Month!

Final Results for October’s WTA Player Of The Month

1. Dominika Cibulkova (55%)
2. Agnieszka Radwanska (33%)
3. Angelique Kerber (12%)

2016 WTA Player of the Month Winners

January: Angelique Kerber
February: Carla Suárez Navarro
March: Victoria Azarenka
April: Angelique Kerber
May: Garbiñe Muguruza
June: Serena Williams
July: Simona Halep
August: Monica Puig
September: Petra Kvitova

How it works:

Finalists are selected by wtatennis.com
Winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com 

CHARLESTON, SC, USA – Charleston loves Patty Schnyder and Patty Schnyder loves Charleston. It was 10 years ago that the former Swiss No.1 made her second final in Charleston in 2006. Seeded No.3, Schnyder put together an inspired run that included a though three set win over top seed Justine Henin before losing to No.2 seed Nadia Petrova 6-3, 4-6, 6-1. The run came four years after her first romp to the final, where she beat Amelie Mauresmo, Mary Pierce, Serena Williams, and Jennifer Capriati before losing to Iva Majoli in the final.

Those seed-thrashing runs like endeared Schnyder to the Charleston crowd. The Swiss reached a career-high No.7 and won 11 titles in her career before hanging up her racquet after the 2011 French Open. Then came the announcement last year that she was embarking on a tentative comeback, entering a $25K ITF tournament in Darmstadt, Germany in July.

Schnyder remained on the ITF circuit until this week. Now 37 years old and ranked No.455, Schnyder returned to Daniel Island for the first time since 2011 after receiving a wildcard into qualifying at the Volvo Car Open. She lost in three sets to Samantha Crawford, but her return was more about relationships than results. She came back to see all the familiar faces who she befriended over her many visits to Charleston, from volunteers, to tournament staff, and of course tournament director Bob Moran.

“Patty Schnyder has been playing in our tournament since before we relocated from Hilton Head Island,” Moran said. “She’s a part of our family, and we are thrilled to welcome her back to our tournament.”

Patty Schnyder, who plays her first match at the WTA level since 2011, is a double break up in set 2. Lost set 1. pic.twitter.com/M7p2uz4U1W

— Volvo Car Open (@VolvoCarOpen) April 2, 2016

WTA Insider spoke to Schyder by phone this week.

WTA Insider: You have such a long-standing relationship with this tournament in Charleston. What has it been like coming back?
Schnyder: It’s very special, and it was just great. Getting to see people again after five years and so many volunteers, even Eleanor Adams, the tournament manager. We’re really close and spent so many years together, but it’s been emotional and lots of fun to be around them again.

WTA Insider: Why did you make the decision to retire back in 2011?
Schnyder: Everything was frustrating me and I was stressed too much. You need a switch. It was really frustration; I didn’t want to be around anything anymore. I didn’t want to travel, be on the court, compete. The stress made it all enough. It’s not that it was an easy decision but I just couldn’t handle it anymore.

WTA Insider: What brought you back to tennis?
Schnyder: I was kind of having fun playing matches [in the Swiss league], enjoying the competition. I was also working hard and I was on court again, so I thought – because I was winning those league matches and I wanted to try to get some real competition. So that was the thought, and I was having fun, and I was in the sport but not traveling, and I just love to travel. It’s a great combination and that’s always been the lifestyle I like, so why not try it?

WTA Insider: Your last tour-level tournament before this week was the 2011 French Open. What did you do during your time away from the sport?
Schnyder: I really wanted to be away from tennis. I didn’t play for one and a half years. I really needed a rest from everything.

I did some studying with animals. I was an acupuncturist for dogs. I was spending more time at home with that. Then, I started being in tennis, with some juniors again. I was coaching a bit, and I started to really enjoy being around tennis again. Those are some of the things I was doing until they wanted me back for the club team and I was hesitant. I wasn’t sure, but it was nice to be competing again.

WTA Insider: Are you in a position to be thinking about goals right now?
Schynder: No, not yet. Maybe now, I’m thinking more about goals but not really setting goals. Now, these thoughts are coming back of maybe setting something, but so far I was just trying to get my game back. It hasn’t been so easy to get the concentration back.

For so many years I wasn’t on the court and to have to focus and concentrate for over two hours is not easy and I’m realizing that’s one of the hardest parts. I also have a few injuries. Nothing bad; some players who play 15 years like me wake up with pain everywhere. I’m not like that, but I have a few injuries, which keep me off the court and from working out.

The whole thing is really about being healthy, getting the concentration and the mental stuff, but it’s fun to try to get it back at this stage of your life. It’s a challenge and I just like it.

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.

The third edition of the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global featured first-time champions in singles and doubles, a new year-end singles World No.1 in Angelique Kerber and the crowning of Sania Mirza as the top doubles player of the year. The 2016 Finals also set records off the court thanks to an unprecedented increase in social media engagement.

Dominika Cibulkova’s unexpected run to the final on her tournament debut was experienced by more fans than ever. Compared to the 2015 tournament, Facebook video views were up 571%, engagement on WTA-operated social media platforms increased by 247% and wtatennis.com referrals from social media improved by 167%.

The upsurge in engagement was driven by a ‘social first’ content strategy featuring on and off-court action, humorous player videos, match reporting, opinion editorials, innovative design and behind the scenes video on Facebook Live, Instagram Stories and Snapchat. The best-performing content pieces included the moment Cibulkova won title, a Facebook Live fan Q&A with Indian superstar Mirza, Svetlana Kuznetsova’s on-court haircut and live coverage of the iconic photoshoot, draw and gala dinner.

The increase in exposure was not just limited to web platforms with the 2016 Finals yielding a 4% increase in global TV household reach compared to 2015, thanks to increased exposure in Russia, Germany and Austria.

In addition to Cibulkova’s upset victory over Kerber, Olympic gold medalists Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina broke Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova’s 18-match winning streak to lift the Martina Navratilova WTA Finals Doubles Trophy. Mirza finished as year-end World No.1 doubles player for a second consecutive season. Mirza has held the No.1 ranking for 83 consecutive weeks.

Melissa Pine, Vice-President of WTA Asia-Pacific and Tournament Director of the WTA Finals, said, “The Road to Singapore this year has been yet another exciting race to the finish line and the tennis action at the WTA Finals has truly reflected the top quality level of play among the greatest eight of 2016. We are thrilled with how the fans in Singapore and around the world have warmly embraced the event as well as shown their enthusiasm for women’s tennis.”

Simona Halep wasn’t sure she would even make it to the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global this year. The World No.4 overcame illness and injury at the start of the season and finally found her footing on her beloved clay. She never looked back. With every match she won – finishing the regular season at 44-16 – she grew in confidence and became one of the tour’s most reliable winners.

Now she’s put herself in position to finish the season in the Top 5 for the third straight year.

The 25-year-old Romanian began her year behind the eight-ball. After finishing last year at a career-high No.2, Halep’s off-season training block was cut short due to illness that left her hospitalized for a few days. To make matters worse, in her race to prepare for the start of the season she re-injured her Achilles. Halep is a confidence player and the foundation of her game is her body. If she can’t trust it, everything else falls apart. She would win just two matches in her first four tournaments.

All of a sudden, Singapore felt like a world away.

“At the beginning of the year, the first four months were very tough for me,” Halep told WTA Insider. “I didn’t know if I could play this year because I was very sick and I couldn’t play 15 minutes on court. I had infections.”

But after a solid training block with her coach Darren Cahill at the conclusion of the Middle East swing, Halep began to find her game. She scored back-to-back quarterfinals in Indian Wells and Miami, and continued that steady momentum to capture her first title of the season at the Mutua Madrid Open. Her confidence slowly grew from there.

“I won Madrid and then I thought there was a chance I could go to Singapore, but I didn’t even think until the US Open that I could qualify. I said that I had a chance but I didn’t believe 100% that I could go there. So I’m really happy I could go there for a third year.”

In addition to Madrid, Halep would go on to make the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and then go on a 13-match win streak, winning the Bucharest Open and Rogers Cup in Canada. In fact, Halep finished her season by making the quarterfinals or better at six of last seven tournaments of the regular season.

“I feel from the practices that my level is very high,” Halep said. “Of course you never know when you go on court and playing against one tough opponent, but still I’m confident my game is in my hands. At the beginning of the year it was very difficult to think like this.”

Despite her slow start to the season, Halep would ultimately become the third woman to qualify for Singapore, behind Angelique Kerber and Serena Williams. Given her start to the season, it is a credit to her work ethic and resilience that she found a way to turn her season around.

“After May in Madrid, I played very well. I lost a few matches against Serena and Kerber in the last three, four months. So, yeah, I feel good. I feel that I deserve to be there. Of course, I didn’t win a Grand Slam yet, but still I played very well in the big tournaments.”

Halep has always counted Singapore as one of her favorite tournaments. It’s the site of her biggest career win, over then No.1 Serena Williams in group play in 2014. With the good vibes of the city and a good amount of rest and recovery, Halep is looking to improve on her 2015 performance, where she failed to advance out of group.

“You have to play well there because everyone from the top eight is playing crazy tennis, so I have to be ready.”

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.

Angelique Kerber’s stunning maiden Grand Slam victory in Melbourne set the tone for a rollercoaster 2016 WTA season, but she wasn’t the only name to make her mark Down Under as Victoria Azarenka, Monica Puig and Svetlana Kuznetsova highlighted the first few weeks of WTA action during the Australian Swing.

The Rise of Angelique Kerber

Following a career-best season in 2015 – where she picked up four titles and finished the year at No.10 – Angelique Kerber stayed on course in Australia, but even she had no idea what was to come.

After being blown off the court by an inspired Victoria Azarenka in the final of the Brisbane International and being forced to withdraw from the Apia International Sydney in the second round due to a gastrointestinal illness, the German went straight to Melbourne for the first Grand Slam of the year.

Kerber, who’d she’d previously never advanced past the fourth round of the Australian Open – saved match point in her first match against Misaki Doi and went on to put together a clinical run to the final, where she locked horns with Serena Williams.

She stunned the tennis world by defeating the then-World No.1 in a thrilling three sets and lifting her maiden Grand Slam title, ending a 17-year major title drought for German tennis and cementing her place at the top.  

Vika’s Red-Hot Australian Summer

Australia has been Victoria Azarenka’s home away from home for several years, but this time it was in Brisbane, not Melbourne, where the two-time Australian Open champion made her mark.

Starting the year ranked No.22, Azarenka tore through the draw at the Brisbane International without dropping a set. In fact, the Belarusian lost just 17 games en route to the first title of the year, a feat which still stands as the fewest games lost in winning a WTA title in 2016.

She went on to reach the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, her best result there since 2014, and picked up another two titles before succumbing to injuries – a back injury in Madrid, a right knee injury during the French Open – and finally putting an end to her season following the announcement of her pregnancy.

Puig and Kuznetsova Foreshadow 2016 Brilliance

In Sydney, a pair of surprising names who reached the final at the second Premier-level event of the year.

Puerto Rican qualifier Monica Puig, then ranked No.94, reached the second WTA final of her career after posting wins over a trio of Top 30 players, Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, Samantha Stosur and Belinda Bencic (via retirement). She faced Svetlana Kuznetsova, who’d just pulled off her biggest win since 2009 over No.2-ranked Simona Halep in the semifinals.

Even though Kuznetsova went on to drop just two games in her dominant victory over Puig, the pair’s surprise run to the Sydney final served as a preview for what was in store for Puig and Kuznetsova later in the season.

Elsewhere, Agnieszka Radwanska continued where she left off at the 2015 WTA Finals, returning to the home of her best tennis in Asia and picking up a title at the International-level Shenzhen Open. Sloane Stephens also took home the ASB Classic in Auckland and Alizé Cornet won in the Hobart International.

– Photos courtesy of Getty Images