Miami: Thursday Highlights
Highlights from semifinal action at the Miami Open.
With this week’s WTA rankings used to determine the French Open entry list, former champion Francesca Schiavone headlines the week’s biggest movers and shakers.
An interview with Sloane Stephens before her opening round match at the Volvo Car Open.
Hometown Heroes Hingis & Bencic Hold Court In Biel/Bienne
Children attending the Ladies Open Biel Bienne over the weekend got to get a glimpse of two of their country’s biggest WTA stars, as Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic and Martina Hingis participated in the tournament’s Kids’ Day festivities, organized by Swiss Tennis.
Check out all the best photos of Bencic and Hingis on Biel/Bienne Kids Day right here!
A Peak Behind The Scenes In Bogota
Meanwhile in Bogota, a group of kids from the Colombian children’s charity ICBF got a special treat on Kids’ Day at the Claro Open Colsanitas. They were invited to a tour of the grounds and practice courts, as well as getting the chance to meet some of the areas’ biggest tennis stars.
See more photos from their behind-the-scenes tour right here!
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Click here to see more WTA Charities activities!
The players of the Katowice Open were challenged to a number of exhibitions at the player party Sunday night, and first up was cooking. Things weren’t looking good for Donna Vekic…
… but with a little help from a professional chef she was able to create a sweet treat.
Turkish player Başak Eraydın’s snack went up in flames – but that was all part of the plan, of course!
After showing off their confectionary skills, the players took part in a keepy-uppy competition using their tennis racquets. Stefanie Voegele put up a good effort…
… while Camila Giorgi’s attempt was pretty dismal.
Everyone tried their hand at keepy-uppy and in the end it was Kirsten Flipkens (left) who emerged the winner, though Viktorija Golubic (right) also put up a good effort.
Of course, Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (pictured here with Sportking Director Jakub Puchalski and Tournament Director Pawel Owczarz) is no stranger to the challenges of Katowice – she’s the defending champion looking to grab another title here in Poland.
Alizé Cornet, the No.4 seed, ran into fellow Frenchwoman Virginie Razzano at the party…
… while Polish local Magda Linette posed with an on-the-rise Russian, Elizaveta Kulichkova.
MIAMI, FL, USA – Victoria Azarenka is a Champion’s Corner veteran. With three titles already in 2016, including two of the biggest titles of the season at the BNP Paribas Open and Miami Open, Azarenka has surged up the rankings from No.22 at the start of the year to No.5. With her title at the Miami Open on Saturday, Azarenka vaulted to No.1 in the Road to Singapore rankings and capped off a jailbreaking start that sees her back where she belongs and primed for a charge at the top.
WTA Insider caught up with Vika on the very short ride from Crandon Park Tennis Center to Crandon Park Beach for the traditional Champion’s photo, which involved drones, shouting photographers, and a little bit of champagne. With the first quarter in the books, Azarenka deserves some R&R. But she insists she’s as hungry as ever. Her next scheduled tournament will come at the Madrid Open, where she has made the final twice.
WTA Insider: What are you most pleased with about your last four weeks?
Azarenka: Really just day in, day out work. It’s been a really long month and to be able to contain this determination and that intensity throughout all the matches is definitely not an easy task. The last couple of days especially has been a lot of expectations and pressure from the outside to complete the Sunshine Double and so I’m very proud that I kept myself present, kept myself really focused and focused on the job before anything else.
Champagne taste and caviar dreams for @vika7 @MiamiOpen. pic.twitter.com/fCH9do3e2J
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) April 2, 2016
WTA Insider: You talk a lot about staying in the moment and how important that is for you; is that something you find difficult to do?
Azarenka: Once you understand it, it’s not that difficult, but to get to that point is just every day work. That’s what’s difficult. You just have to be willing to do that; if you are, that makes it easier.
WTA Insider: Now that the four weeks are over and there’s an opportunity to decompress, eat some pizza, can you give some insight into just how stressful it all was? How tense did you feel the last four weeks, or after Indian Wells with everything building up towards completing the sweep?
Azarenka: I didn’t feel too tense because I felt I did a really good job managing my time when I’m not playing. So that definitely helped me keep my composure and [stay] relaxed. Off the court, I tried to do whatever makes me happy. I didn’t feel stress but it was intense; it’s definitely been back-to-back [tournaments] and that makes it difficult. To make that switch from one [climate] to another was also not easy. But I felt good that I managed my recovery time very well.
How will @vika7 celebrate her Sunshine Double? “I’m gonna eat pizza. I can’t wait to eat pizza.”
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) April 2, 2016
WTA Insider: You strike me as someone who likes to be a part of the conversation. You’re now No. 1 in the RTS, No.5 in the rankings, and lead the tour in match-wins and titles. Do you want the expectations? Do you embrace it?
Azarenka: I don’t really look for expectations. I think that it creates a certain type of pressure, and for me pressure is something that I want to go after, something that I want to face, and the challenge I always want to face. I’m never going to be the type of person who runs away from a challenge, no matter how hard it is, because that’s what gets me excited and a hardened competitor.
But being a part of talks, I don’t listen to it that much, because it’s not interesting to me. Opinions, talks, it’s all more for people who are outside the sport. For me, I need to work and focus on my work, because it’s not going to happen if I don’t put the work in. Having that mentality, I appreciate the attention and everything but I don’t look for it. It doesn’t make me play worse or better. It’s irrelevant to me.
Azarenka on turning to “worst” surface clay: “Definitely very motivated for clay season. I’ve always [loved] proving people wrong.”
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) April 2, 2016
WTA Insider: Looking ahead to the clay court season. It’s not your best surface but you threw down the gauntlet in your post-match press conference about wanting to prove people wrong. Are you going to take more time off to train or are you looking more towards tournament play?
Azarenka: Definitely going to take a tournament preparation block to really put in some specific work for the clay court season off the court. Definitely there will be some adjustments going into the clay court season, that’s for sure. I don’t think you can ever change my game dramatically, but I think this year especially, I’ve already brought a lot more variety with a lot more power this year, keep working on my serve. Mastering the movement on clay will be important to me.
An interview with Lucie Safarova before her opening round match at the Volvo Car Open.
On the latest episode of Dubai Duty Free Full of Surprises, Manny the French Bulldog makes a Miami cameo, while Timea Bacsinszky and Svetlana Kuznetsova show off impressive footwork.
No. 1 seed Peng Shuai and No.2 seed Wang Qiang advanced in straight sets and will square off for the title at the Biyuan Cup Zhangzhou.
All season long we’ve been challenging your favorite players to a skill test that you may not see on the courts, but needless to say, is a tough task – and it’s all right here on wtatennis.com.
The WTA Frame Challenge is a game of keepy-uppy using a tennis ball and any part of the racquet frame. We challenge players to see how many times in a row they can keep the tennis ball in the air, and capture it all on video.
Here’s how the WTA Frame Challenge Leaderboard stands:
48 Sam Stosur
28 Bethanie Mattek-Sands (watch it here)
24 Carla Suárez Navarro (watch it here)
15 Jelena Jankovic (watch it here)
12 Andrea Petkovic (watch it here)
10 Casey Dellacqua
10 Daria Gavrilova (watch it here)
6 Monica Puig (watch it here)
While Stosur is in the lead for now, it could all change when the next WTA star takes the challenge. Stay tuned…
Find all of the latest WTA Frame Challenge videos right here!