Stuttgart: Mladenovic and Garcia's Parking Challenge
Kristina Mladenovic and Caroline Garcia take the Parking Challenge at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.
Kristina Mladenovic and Caroline Garcia take the Parking Challenge at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.
MADRID, Spain – If Agnieszka Radwanska thought the absence of Serena Williams would make her task any easier at the Mutua Madrid Open, Friday’s draw provided an immediate reality check.
Williams’ withdrawal elevated Radwanska to top seed, but her reward is a meeting with one of the draw’s most dangerous of floaters: Dominika Cibulkova.
Last month in Indian Wells, Cibulkova came within a point of victory against Radwanska only to fall agonizingly short in a thrilling second-round clash. The Slovak followed this up with a title in Katowice and the former French Open semifinalist will present a real challenge on Radwanska’s least favorite surface.
And should she pass this opening test, things will not get any easier for the Pole. Awaiting her in the second round will be either Caroline Garcia or Johanna Konta, before a likely third-round date with one of the WTA’s finest clay courters, Sara Errani.
Defending champion Petra Kvitova is also in Radwanska’s half of the draw but has been handed a less formidable opening opponent in the shape of Lara Arruabarrena, while No.4 seed Victoria Azarenka begins against Laura Robson. Azarenka and Kvitova are projected to meet in the last eight.
Like Radwanska, No.2 seed Angelique Kerber has been placed in a tricky section. She starts against the mercurial Barbora Strycova, and also finds Sloane Stephens, Daria Kasatkina and Carla Suárez Navarro in her quarter.
Home hopes will rest chiefly on the shoulders of Suárez Navarro and Garbiñe Muguruza. Suárez Navarro opens up against big-serving Timea Babos, while No.3 seed Muguruza meets Anna Karolina Schmiedlova. Keeping Muguruza company in arguably the most open section of the draw are Simona Halep, Timea Bacsinszky and Karolina Pliskova.
Click here to see the draw in full.
Top half @MutuaMadridOpen. pic.twitter.com/cDLkYnuxPo
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) 29 April 2016
Catherine Bellis moved smoothly into the Hawaii Open final on Friday with a straight-set win over Jacqueline Cako on Saturday.
Who’s your favorite player? Who had the best post on social media in 2016? Click here to vote!
Spelling challenges, emoji challenges, cracker challenges, selfie challenges and, of course, the WTA Frame Challenge – which video was the best of the year? Click here to vote!
Join WTA Stars and Legends Chris Evert, Lindsay Davenport, Jennifer Capriati, Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario, Bethanie Mattek-Sands, Lucie Safarova, and Shelby Rogers, along with WTA coaches Marc Lucero and Rob Steckley, as they set sail on a once-in-a-lifetime, interactive tennis vacation experience that is for tennis enthusiasts of all ages.
The WTA Legends Cruise offers guests the opportunity to spend four nights aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship with WTA Stars, Legends and fellow tennis fans. The Cruise will depart from Miami, Florida, on November 13, 2017, and will sail to Nassau, CocoCay, and Key West, before returning to Miami on November 17.
For more information visit www.WTALegendsCruise.com.
Garbiñe Muguruza
2016 Quick Hits
Week 1 Ranking: No.3
Year-End Ranking: No.7
Season Highlights: Title at Roland Garros, semifinals in Rome and Cincinnati
Best Major Result: Champion (French Open)
2017 Outlook
World No.7 Garbiñe Muguruza’s 2016 season was a study in contrasts.
Following up and down results at the start of the year, the 23-year-old peaked at the right time to stun the world and claim her maiden major at the French Open.
But she didn’t advance past the third round at any other Grand Slam, and didn’t reach a WTA final all year long, with her best results coming in the form of semifinals appearances at Rome and Cincinnati.
The mercurial Spaniard was the first to acknowledge the mental toll of her season’s extreme highs and lows.
“Winning Roland Garros has been the best and worst part of the year,” Muguruza admitted to Marca in October ahead of the WTA Finals. “It might sound strange but it was like a double-edged sword.
“I won Roland Garros, but at other tournaments it was hard for me to play at the same level… I felt more responsibility, more pressure, more eyes on me, more of a feeling that you have to win because it’s what is expected of you.”
Looking ahead to 2017, Muguruza will look to step off the rollercoaster and regain the one aspect missing from her world-beater game: consistency.
“[My objective after winning Roland Garros] is to never believe that at 25 years old you will have achieved everything that you want, because in the end no player reaches their highest level at 22.
“I’ll take my time with everything. And if it doesn’t come next year, well, so it goes. That’s how I try to reassure myself.”
Tenis. Tennis. Tenis. Tennis….¡Trabajando duro! Working hard! https://t.co/JO4k6DixaC pic.twitter.com/HDtiM1la2G
— Garbiñe Muguruza (@GarbiMuguruza) December 9, 2016
ST. PETERSBURG, FL, USA – Ana Ivanovic announced today that she is ending her memorable 14-year career and retiring from professional tennis. The winner of 15 WTA singles titles, a Grand Slam champion and the first Serbian player to hold the top ranking in the world, Ivanovic concludes a career that saw her become one of the best and most respected players in the history of the WTA.
“I’ve decided to retire from professional tennis. It has been a difficult decision, but there is so much to celebrate,” Ivanovic told fans in a message via her Facebook page. “I began dreaming of tennis when I was five and saw Monica Seles play on TV. My parents backed me all the way, and by the time I was ranked No.1 in the world and won Roland Garros in 2008, I’ve seen the heights I’ve never dreamt of achieving.”
“I won 15 WTA titles, played so many memorable matches – I would say not bad for a tiny slip of a girl from Serbia!”
She added: “Seeing those heights in any professional sport requires top physical form, and it’s well-known that I’ve been hampered by injury. I can only play if I can perform up to my own high standards, and I can no longer do that. So it’s time to move on.”
The 29-year-old exits the game having been one of only 21 players to have ever held the WTA World No.1 ranking, ascending to the top spot on June 9, 2008. Ivanovic held the No.1 ranking for a total of 12 weeks, from June 9 – August 10, 2008 for 9 weeks before capturing the top spot again for three more weeks until September 7, 2008.
Ivanovic recorded her career best season in 2008 when she claimed the Roland Garros title, catapulting her to the WTA World No.1 ranking. She also won titles at Indian Wells and Linz and was runner-up at the Australian Open that same season.
Ivanovic turned professional in 2003 and won her first WTA title in 2005 at Canberra. In addition to her 15 career WTA singles titles, she held eight runner-up trophies including 2007 Roland Garros and 2008 Australian Open. In 2014, Ivanovic won a WTA-leading 58 matches highlighted by a single-season best four singles titles, with her 15th and final WTA title coming at Tokyo (Pan Pacific). The Serbian holds 480 career match wins and qualified for the WTA Finals on three occasions – in 2007, 2008 and 2014.
Off the court, Ivanovic has served as UNICEF National Ambassador to Serbia since 2007, specializing in child safety in schools. She has been recognized with numerous awards surrounding her accomplished career, including the 2008 Jerry Diamond WTA Aces Award recognizing off court participation, the WTA’s Most Improved Player in 2005 and 2007, nominated for U.S. Secretary of State’s 2007 International Women of Courage Award, and named one of the “30 Legends of Women’s Tennis: Past, Present and Future” by TIME Magazine in June 2011.
“Ana is a true champion and a great ambassador for the sport of women’s tennis,” said Steve Simon, WTA CEO and Chairman. “She has contributed greatly to the entire sport, both in her home country of Serbia and across the globe. She will certainly be missed on our tour as she is not only one of a very select few that achieved the WTA No.1 ranking but is also one of the most respected players on Tour.”
Ivanovic played her last professional match at the 2016 US Open, falling in the first round and subsequently hampered with a recurring wrist injury which prevented her from competing the rest of the season.
WTA Insider | The Insider team rings in the new year by taking one last look back at the Top 25, counting down the most outstanding performances of 2016.
SHENZHEN, China – Top seed and defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska came back from the brink to defeat an inspired Duan Ying-Ying in the first round of the Shenzhen Open.
Having romped through the opening set, Radwanska looked on course for a straightforward outing against the World No.103. However, it proved to be anything but, the Pole eventually scraping through, 6-2, 6-7(4), 7-5, after saving three match points.
“It was not my best tennis, but I’m very happy that I got the win, and on the important points I was doing a good job, which was the most important thing today,” Radwanska said.
“The match points were of course big moments, but also the tie-break in the second set. I came from 4-1 down that set but in the tie-break I didn’t play good enough and it slipped away. I was still on court for another hour after that.”
Duan, who required a wildcard into the main draw, grabbed her opportunity with both hands, recovering from the loss of the opening four games to gradually overwhelm the World No.3. In the final set it looked like she would claim a famous victory, breaking in the ninth game to serve for the match.
To the disappointment of the upset-hungry crowd, she could not find the finishing blow, three times coming within a point of victory only to be denied each time.
.@ARadwanska is fighting with all her might and has now saved three match points! pic.twitter.com/kej2g35CZ7
— WTA (@WTA) January 2, 2017
Radwanska made the most of her escape, taking the next two games to book a meeting with Sorana Cirstea.
“It’s always tough to play someone for the first time – I didn’t know what to expect. But she’s a very powerful player and solid from the back,” Radwanska said. “She also served very well and had nothing to lose. It was a very close match, even at the beginning.”
Elsewhere there were contrasting fortunes for her fellow seeds, Timea Babos and Anastasija Sevastova, both of whom slipped to surprise defeats. Babos failed to make the most of a flying start, losing 1-6, 7-5, 6-2, to Nina Stojanovic, while Sevastova fell to Kristyna Pliskova, 1-6, 6-3, 7-6(6), despite holding a couple of match points in the tie-break.