Tennis News

MELBOURNE, Australia – Serena Williams is set to return to No.1 in the WTA rankings after winning her seventh Australian Open title, a 23rd Grand Slam title that breaks the Open Era record she hitherto shared with Stefanie Graf.

Serena came to Melbourne with a slim hope of taking back the top spot, but opportunity knocked when defending champion and top seed Angelique Kerber bowed out in the fourth round to CoCo Vandeweghe.

Despite the German’s early exit, the American still needed to make history to take back the ranking she held for 186 consecutive weeks – a record she narrowly missed breaking and holds alongside Graf.

But she did just that on Saturday, defeating elder sister Venus Williams, 6-4, 6-4 to guarantee her accession back to the top of women’s tennis.

The feat came as a surprise to Serena, as she shared in her post-match press.

“in the beginning of the tournament, I was like, ‘If I win, will I be No. 1?’

“[My coach Patrick Mouratoglou] said, ‘No, no, no.

“I was like, Whatever.

“So, today on the court when they were like, ‘And No. 1,’ I was like, ‘Whoa, really?'”

As for Venus, the five-time Wimbledon champion will move up to No.11, with a return to the Top 10 for the first time since last fall firmly in sight.

“I feel motivated to continue, to continue to go out there and hit the ball the way I know I can,” Venus said. “There’s only things I can improve on, to be honest, and to build on.

“I feel I played very well this week, pulled a lot of things out of my pocket. I got more stuff in my pocket. Get it out.”

Billie Jean King congratulated Serena on returning to No.1 on Twitter:

Congrats @serenawilliams on your 23rd major title and return to the top of the@WTA rankings. You are a history maker and a trailblazer.

— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) January 28, 2017

LONDON, England – Five-time champion Venus Williams got her Wimbledon challenge underway with a hard-fought win over Donna Vekic on the opening Monday.

In a high-quality encounter, Williams held her nerve at the conclusion of both sets to run out a 7-6(3), 6-4 victory.

“The first round is never easy and she played amazing tennis today,” Williams said. “I expect players to feel free and go for it when they play me. In the first set there were some hairy moments but I guess that’s when experience sets in and I had the chance to win the important points.”

Vekic has endured a season to forget, failing to win a WTA main draw match since February. However, if she was short on confidence it did not show against Williams, trading on even terms with the World No.8 for much of their two hours on court.

She had her chances, too, particularly during an opening set, which she served for at 6-5. Perhaps undermined by memories of her recent run, the Croatian saw two sets points slip before Williams pinched it on the tie-break. The second set was just as closely contested, but once again it was the American that finished stronger, a forehand winner bringing her the solitary break in the ninth game.

Williams, who turned 36 a couple of weeks ago and is seeded No.8, is competing at a Grand Slam for a record-equaling 71st time, but still enjoys pitting herself against the new guard: “You got to enjoy the battle because that’s what it is every time you step on the court. You never know what will happen.”

Age is just a number…@Venuseswilliams kicks off her 19th #Wimbledon with a 7-6, 6-4 win over Donna Vekic ? https://t.co/86VTT9bcSG

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) 27 June 2016

One member of the next generation expected to go far this fortnight is No.9 seed Madison Keys. A champion at both Birmingham and Eastbourne over the past few years, Keys is no stranger to success on grass, and displayed her nous to overpower Laura Siegemund, 6-3, 6-1.

The next challenge will be 2013 semifinalist Kirsten Flipkens, after she brushed aside Nicole Gibbs, 6-3, 6-1. Elsewhere, there were contrasting fortunes for another former semifinalist, Ana Ivanovic, who was bundled out by qualifier Ekaterina Alexandrova.

A few days on from squeaking past World No.446 Harriet Dart in the final round of qualifying, Alexandrova elevated her game to another level, surviving a late wobble to triumph, 6-2, 7-5.

Defending champion Serena Williams leads the charge as the top half of the draw takes to the grass on Day 2. We preview a busy slate at SW19 here on wtatennis.com, courtesy of contributor Chris Oddo.

Tuesday

First Round

[1] Serena Williams (USA #1) vs. [Q] Amra Sadikovic (SUI #148)
Head-to-head: First Meeting
Key Stat: Williams is the last women to have won Wimbledon after saving a match point (2009).

Having failed to come away with the title in each of the last three majors, Serena Williams has dusted herself off and is ready to pursue Grand Slam glory at one of her favorite stomping grounds. Her first test will be against Swiss qualifier Amra Sadikovic, a 27-year-old who has only played six tour-level matches in her career. After briefly retiring from tennis, the Swiss has recently returned to the tour with a renewed sense of purpose. Williams, on the other hand, is hoping to log more matches than six this Wimbledon fortnight. The six-time champion owns a 79-10 lifetime record at SW19 and despite the fact that she’s bidding for a historical 22nd major title for the fourth time, the 34-year-old refuses to be bothered by externalities. “Honestly, I don’t feel any pressure,” Williams told assembled press on Sunday during her champion’s press conference. “I feel good and confident.” Williams arrived in London on Monday to give herself plenty of time to get reacquainted with the grass that she has prowled so efficiently since she made her first Wimbledon appearance in 1998. Despite having made the trek 17 times now, Williams says it’s always special. “It’s a unique experience,” she said. “You know, it’s just that one time a year you just get to get on this amazing, beautiful surface. It feels really good.”

Pick: Williams in two

[13] Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS #14) vs. Caroline Wozniacki (Den #45)
Head-to-head: Wozniacki leads 6-5
Key Stat: A three-time Wimbledon quarterfinalist, Kuznetsova has not reached that far at the All England Club since 2007.

Two longtime rivals will meet for the 12th time and the first at Wimbledon on Tuesday when Caroline Wozniacki and Svetlana Kuznetsova lock horns in a highly enticing first-rounder. They are six years apart in age, and 31 spots separate them in the rankings, but in truth there isn’t a whole lot that divides these two, talent-wise. Wozniacki has slipped in the rankings due to an ankle injury that forced her out for two months this spring, but the Dane has put three events under her belt and is feeling much better about her form after a productive three weeks on the grass. “I feel like I’m getting closer to where I want to be,” she told the WTA Insider Podcast at Eastbourne, where she won two matches before falling in a tight three-setter to Monica Puig. Kuznetsova has had her moments in 2016, most notable her upset of world No.1 Serena Williams in Miami, but the Russian has lost her only match on grass to date in 2016.

Pick: Wozniacki in three

[10] Petra Kvitova (CZE #10) vs. Sorana Cirstea (ROU #85)
Head-to-head: Kvitova leads, 4-2
Key Stat: Two-time champion Petra Kvitova is one of three former Wimbledon champions in the draw.

Typically a grass juggernaut, Petra Kvitova encountered some turbulence on her favorite surface this summer when she was knocked out of Birmingham and Eastbourne in the round of 16. But the 2011 and 2014 champion has more than proven herself at Wimbledon, where she owns a 29-6 lifetime record and has produced some of her most electrifying tennis. That means it will take an exceptional effort from Romania’s Sorana Cirstea to challenge the Czech on Tuesday in a place where Kvitova has always been at her menacing best. In their lone Wimbledon meeting Kvitova eased past Cirstea in straight sets, but the world No.85 does own two victories over Kvitova and has undergone a bit of a revival of late, producing her best tennis since her breakout season in 2013 in the last six months.

Pick: Kvitova in two.

[7] Belinda Bencic (SUI #13) vs. Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL #71)
Head-to-head: Bencic leads, 2-0
Key Stat: Pironkova is playing in her 43rd consecutive major at Wimbledon. It is the third-longest active streak behind Ana Ivanovic (47) and Jelena Jankovic (51).

Belinda Bencic loves playing on grass and excels on the surface; Tsvetana Pironkova loves playing on grass and also excels on the surface. What’s not to love about this highly anticipated first-round matchup between two talented players who win with touch and placement rather than power? Bencic defeated Pironkova in the first round at SW19 last year, and she will come in as the favorite on paper, but the Swiss has yet to find her top physical form after missing two months due to a back injury. After a semifinal in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Bencic had to pull out of her first match at Birmingham with an injury before being defeated in her first match at Eastbourne by Elena Vesnina. Pironkova has two deep Wimbledon runs under her belt (semifinals in 2010, quarterfinals in 2011) and will surely be hungry to gain revenge on Bencic on Tuesday.

Pick: Pironkova in three

Around the Grounds: Third seed and 2012 runner-up Agnieszka Radwanska will begin her 11th Wimbledon campaign with a first-round battle with Kateryna Kozlova of the Ukraine, who is making her Wimbledon debut. Great Britain’s Johanna Konta defeated Monica Puig in a third-set tiebreaker last year at Nottingham. They’ll meet again in the first round on Tuesday with Konta looking to win for the first time in four tries at Wimbledon.

By the Numbers:

137 – Svetlana Kuznetsova’s win total at the Grand Slam level, which is fourth-most among active players.

31-5 – Caroline Wozniacki’s record in first round matches at majors. The Dane has not dropped a first-rounder since 2012 Wimbledon.

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia – Unseeded Kristina Mladenovic pulled off a stunner at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy, dispatching No.4 seed and former World No.1 Venus Williams, 6-3, 6-1 in just 54 minutes.

“Venus is a top player, a top champion,” Mladenovic said after the match. “It must have been difficult for Venus to come here after playing back-to-back weekends. I was just trying to play aggressive tennis.

.@KikiMladenovic has made a blistering start against Venus Williams! @Formula_TX pic.twitter.com/n0QdLEfWEZ

— WTA (@WTA) February 2, 2017

“To be on the same court is a big honor. I’m very happy to say I played with her and that I won today.”

Mladenovic enjoyed a bright start to her first encounter with the Australian Open runner-up, attacking her second serve and raced into a 5-0 lead. The Frenchwoman’s aggressive game plan paid off even as Williams soon warmed up: she blitzed eight forehand winners into the corners and beyond the player almost 14 years her senior.

.@KikiMladenovic takes the opening set off Venus 6-3! pic.twitter.com/04DNVnkwRc

— WTA (@WTA) February 2, 2017

“It was a very difficult match. I just tried to be very aggressive from the beginning. I was quite sure it would be difficult for her to adjust from Australia, as it was for me the first couple of days.

“I tried to be solid and aggressive, trying not to give her time to adjust into her game. I think I did that pretty well today and I’m happy to get the win.”

Even as things got tenser in the opening set, world No. 51 kept her nerve and served it out on her second attempt.

“I had a good feeling at the beginning of the match. I started very well, playing powerfully and serving good. The 5-0 lead was kind of surprising in a way, but it put me in a good position and even when I got tight, I stayed composed to close out the first set. It gave me confidence to continue putting the workd in and win the match.

The No.4 seed staved off four break points to start the second set but Mladenovic wore her down and broke at her fifth opportunity to take the early lead and keep up the momentum. 

.@KiKiMladenovic knocks out Venus Williams 6-3, 6-1!

Sets @Formula_TX Quarterfinal vs @Roberta_Vinci! pic.twitter.com/63GwkibraJ

— WTA (@WTA) February 2, 2017

She broke again en route to an emphatic a 5-1 lead, breaking one more time to clinch her spot in the last eight, where she’ll face defending champion and No.6 seed Roberta Vinci.

“It’s going to be a very tough match. Roberta is such a great player, with a lot of variety and tactics. Our last battle was a very good one at the quarterfinals of the 2015 US Open. She plays very well on this surface, so it’ll be a tough match, but I hope to play my best tennis.”

With two titles and a couple of runner-up finishes to her name, no one can deny that Dominika Cibulkova has a nose for success in 2016. Quite literally in fact.

Tennis players are a superstitious bunch, and Cibulkova is no different. However, her pre-point ritual does not involve ball bouncing, lines or adjusting bottles. No, instead before serving Cibulkova gets a good whiff of the ball she is about to use.

It is a quirk that has not gone unnoticed, and ahead of her third-round meeting with Eugenie Bouchard the BBC’s Rishi Persad investigated just how sophisticated the Slovak’s sense of smell is…

19th seed Dominika Cibulkova has the weirdest superpower ever… https://t.co/l6pR8H96lo

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) 2 July 2016