Ivanovic Takes Wildcard Into Sydney
After falling early at Auckland, Ana Ivanovic decided she needed more preparation for the Australian Open – so she’s taken a wildcard into the Apia International Sydney.
After falling early at Auckland, Ana Ivanovic decided she needed more preparation for the Australian Open – so she’s taken a wildcard into the Apia International Sydney.
Twelve months ago, Johanna Konta took the first steps on a journey up the tennis ladder that shows no sign of ending any time soon. A 16-match winning run, which began at a lowly ITF Circuit event in Granby, Canada, sent the Briton skyrocketing up the rankings and, more importantly, imbued her with a sense of belonging.
This past weekend, Konta proved once more that her place at tennis’ top table is very much warranted, outplaying Venus Williams in the final of the Bank of the West Classic to take home her maiden career title.
The result bumps Konta several quite significant places up the rankings from No.18 to 14. Not only is Konta now highly likely to be among the leading 16 seeds for the US Open, she is also the first British player since Jo Durie in October 1984 to be ranked inside the Top 15.
While her plentiful points haul from last summer means a further rise is no foregone conclusion, on current form few would put deep runs in Montréal, Cincinnati or the US Open beyond the 25-year-old. Konta currently lies 176 points behind 10th-ranked Dominika Cibulkova and a good showing at any of the summer hardcourt events could well see her become the fourth Brit (after Virginia Wade, Sue Barker and Durie) to crack the Top 10.
Konta, though, is not player to make a significant move last week.
Dominika Cibulkova (+2, No.12 to No.10): One of Konta’s victims in Stanford was the in-form and newlywed Cibulkova. The semifinal defeat, though, failed to end her summer honeymoon – the 185 points gained confirming a return to the Top 10 for the first time since January 2015.
Laura Siegemund (+8, No.40 to No.32): Not so long ago Laura Siegemund and her fellow German Angelique Kerber existed in very different worlds on tour. Now, following a title run in Bastad that pushed her up to No.32 in the rankings, Siegemund could very well be seeded alongside her compatriot at the upcoming US Open.
Yanina Wickmayer (+8, No.44 to No.36): Yanina Wickmayer was hot in Washington DC. Literally. It was hard not to be with temperatures in the capital threatening 100°F. However, Wickmayer wisely kept her time on court to a minimum, dropping just one set en route to her fifth career title. She is now at her highest ranking since April 2013.
Alison Riske (+20, No.78 to No.58): While Riske was unable to complete her rousing comeback to defeat Venus in the Stanford semifinals, victories over seeds Varvara Lepchenko and CoCo Vandeweghe ensured the tournament remained a highly encouraging one. She is now closing in on returning to the Top 50 for the first time since last September.
Katerina Siniakova (+13, No.92 to No.79): Former junior No.2 Katerina Siniakova’s progress up the senior ranks has come in fits and starts. In Bastad, the Czech took a significant step in the shape of a maiden WTA final, a result that edged her 13 places closer to a Top 50 debut.
WTA Insider Courtney Nguyen | Petra Kvitova will spend the remainder of the off-season healing a stress fracture in her right foot, hoping to begin next season on schedule in Perth.
AUCKLAND, New Zealand – Caroline Wozniacki took tournament favorite to a whole new level at the ASB Classic on Wednesday night, dropping just two games to round out the quarterfinal line-up.
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The highest seed left after No.1 seed Venus Williams and No.2 seed Ana Ivanovic both succumbed to inspired underdogs on Tuesday, the No.3-seeded Wozniacki powered through to the quarterfinals of the International-level tournament with a ruthless 6-0, 6-2 victory against Christina McHale.
“It was a better start than yesterday,” Wozniacki said, having dug out of an early 4-0 hole in her first round match on Tuesday. “I got a little nervous in the end. It was going a little too well – I know she’s a good player, and I’ve had trouble against her in the past, and I blew a few match points at 5-0 and 5-1. But I just kept focusing on every point and I’m glad that I was able to finish it off in the end.”
And what worked so well for the two-time US Open finalist and former World No.1?
“I think I served well, returned pretty well, I think I had patience but came to the net and mixed it up well,” the Dane said. “Defense offense, offense defense – I think overall I did pretty well today.”
Two more of Wozniacki’s fellow seeds fell on Wednesday as well, with No.4 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova falling to Austrian qualifier – and two-time Wimbledon quarterfinalist – Tamira Paszek, 6-2, 6-3, and No.7 seed Barbora Strycova losing out to fellow former Top 20 player Julia Goerges, 6-4, 7-6(7).
Sloane Stephens, the No.5 seed, managed to avoid the upset bug, though she did have a fight on her hands, rallying from a set down to outlast German up-and-comer Carina Witthoeft, 3-6, 6-1, 6-3.
Other winners were Alexandra Dulgheru, Nao Hibino, Belgian qualifier Kirsten Flipkens and British qualifier Naomi Broady, who had the most dramatic victory of the day, rallying from 5-2 down in the second set and 5-1 down in the third set to edge Latvian wildcard Jelena Ostapenko, 4-6, 7-6(4), 7-5.
Broady also saved two match points – one serving 2-5 second set, one serving 3-5 third set.
The big-serving Brit, who had taken out Ivanovic a day before, rifled 21 aces against Ostapenko.
???????#fight #stillrolling #2016 #letsgo #asbclassic #auckland https://t.co/Qt6fhbL8R2
— Naomi Broady (@NaomiBroady) January 6, 2016
MONTRÉAL, Canada – Daria Gavrilova overcame the rain and Annika Beck to become the first winner at this year’s Rogers Cup.
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On a wet opening day, Gavrilova returned from a lengthy first set rain delay to complete a 6-4, 6-3 win and book a second-round meeting with No.5 seed Simona Halep.
Both players struggled to stamp their authority on the contest early on, trading four breaks of serve before the heavens opened. When they returned more than an hour later, Gavrilova came out firing, a pair of fine forehand winners bringing her the set.
The Australian carried this momentum into the start of the second set, taking the first three games. While Beck managed to reduce her arrears to 4-3, Gavrilova responded by rattling off the final eight points of the match to secure her date with Halep.
Gavrilova has met Halep twice before, winning the most recent of these this spring in Rome. Following a slow start, Halep has grown in confidence as the year has progressed and is now looking to ramp up her preparations ahead of next month’s US Open.
“The more matches I play it helps me get confidence and get used to the pressure,” Halep told wtatennis.com. “I have this tournament, I have Cincinnati, so I think I have enough – I’m also playing doubles here – time to be ready for US Open.”
The only other player to advance before Monday’s latest intervention from the weather was Madison Brengle, who scored a minor upset by defeating Ekaterina Makarova, 6-4, 1-6, 6-4.
The WTA’s all-star cast battle it out for wins, titles and ranking points all year long – but who is getting the most clicks? This week, wtatennis.com will count down the Top 50 Most Popular Players Of 2016.
Next up on the list will be No.30 to No.21! Find out who made the cut…
30. Naomi Osaka (JPN)
Osaka is big in Japan – where she reached her first WTA final at the Toray Pan Pacific Open this year – but the teenager is quite popular on wtatennis.com, too!
29. Daria Gavrilova (AUS)
The Russian-born Aussie started the year by winning the Hopman Cup for Australia and ended it by reaching her first WTA final at the Kremlin Cup in Moscow.
28. Barbora Strycova (CZE)
The always-energetic Czech earned her career high ranking of No.16 this year on the back of two finals appearances this year, at Dubai and Birmingham.
27. Laura Siegemund (GER)
Siegemund burst onto the scene this year in Stuttgart, where she reached her first WTA final in front of her home crowd, then went on to win the title in Bastad.
26. Carla Suárez Navarro (ESP)
The famously consistent Suárez Navarro stayed true to form in 2016, finishing inside the Top 20 for the fourth year in a row after capturing her second career title in Doha.
25. Daria Kasatkina (RUS)
Russian teenager Kasatkina continued her meteoric rise in 2016; she finished the year at No.26, 45 spots higher than how she started, and reached a career high of No.24.
24. Elina Svitolina (UKR)
Defeating two reigning World No.1s, a career high ranking of No.14 and a fourth WTA title at Kuala Lumpur are the highlights of the ascendant Svitolina’s best season to date.
23. Timea Bacsinszky (SUI)
A busy spring saw the charismatic Swiss reach a career high ranking of No.9 after reaching the semifinals in Miami and capturing a title in Rabat.
22. Kiki Bertens (NED)
The young Dutch player capped off a career-best season with a title in Nurnberg and a run to the Gstaad final, finishing just outside of the Top 20.
21. Roberta Vinci (ITA)
The Italian veteran – who won the St Petersburg Ladies Trophy title this year – remains as popular as ever and her decision to play on in 2017 has delighted her many fans.
Come back to wtatennis.com on Wednesday for No.20 to No.11 on the list…
No.50 to No.41
No.40 to No.31
Angelique Kerber takes on Madison Brengle in the second round of the Brisbane International.
When Serena Williams dons the Team USA colors for the fourth time in her illustrious career, she won’t only be playing for herself.
“You’re playing for your country, and you become really proud to be where you’re from,” she says in a new advertisement made by Mini USA.
The campaign, called “Defy Labels,” allows Serena to tell the story of growing up as a young girl in Compton, California, and how she went on to become one of the greatest tennis players the world has ever known.
“If I was talking to the kids in Compton, I would tell them that no one can define you, no one can put a label on you.
“No one can say, ‘This is what you’re supposed to do,’ and when you think of all the Olympic athletes, they are really doing something that is beyond everything that they should have done – having the chance to win a gold medal and compete against the best of the best across the globe.”
Posted on Serena’s official Facebook page, check out the full video right here on wtatennis.com:
Which player snapped the best selfie of the year? Click here to vote!
Still suffering the effects of a left wrist injury that derailed her Wimbledon campaign, Belinda Bencic has opted to withdraw from what would have been her Olympic debut in Rio.