Tennis News

Billie Jean King was an honored guest at the National Football League’s Women’s Summit ahead of Super Bowl 50.

The Summit, entitled, “In the Huddle to Advance Women in Sport” comes just one day after King’s own initative through her Women’s Sports Foundation, the National Girls and Women in Sports Day; both aim to recognize and encourage young women to succeed in sports and all aspects of life.

King was joined by former Secretary of State and keynote speaker Condoleezza Rice, former LPGA superstar Annika Sorenstam, and All-American softballer Jessica Mendoza.

Learn more about the Summit here, and check out some of the best tweets from the event:

Breakfast at @NFL #inthehuddle @BillieJeanKing pic.twitter.com/SkYiHGx1co

— Annika Sorenstam (@ANNIKA59) February 4, 2016

“Dream your dream and go for it.” -@BillieJeanKing #InTheHuddle pic.twitter.com/jCAeEGGSKa

— Super Bowl (@SuperBowl) February 4, 2016

Honored to meet #nfl pioneer @jwelter47 and thrilled to learn she played tennis as a child. #inthehuddle pic.twitter.com/0IUhU9Zb7u

— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) February 4, 2016

.@BillieJeanKing calls for same investment, effort, and enthusiasm to encourage girl participation in sports #InTheHuddle @NFL

— MAKERS (@MAKERSwomen) February 4, 2016

#inthehuddle with @nflcommish and Sarah Thomas at NFL Women's Summit pic.twitter.com/4vEJkM2MXr

— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) February 4, 2016

Goodell said he's trying to get his daughters interested in flag football but they want to play tennis. Billie Jean King is in the audience.

— Jane McManus (@janesports) February 4, 2016

Rice pauses to tell Billie Jean King that she is one of her heroes. Room applauds. BJK is a hero for a lot of women in the room.

— Jane McManus (@janesports) February 4, 2016

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia – There are few, if any, nationalities quite so fiercely patriotic as the Russians.

This pride manifests itself in all walks of life, from politics to arts to sports. Take Svetlana Kuznetsova’s unexpected – and emotional – surge to last year’s Kremlin Cup, the famous old Olimpiyskiy indoor arena whipped up in nationalistic fervor for her all-Russian final with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

It is a pity, then, that – aside from the occasional Fed Cup tie – this tournament has provided the sole opportunity for Russia’s golden generation to shine on home soil.

This year, though, has seen a second event, in the country’s old capital St. Petersburg, added to the calendar.

While several of the country’s leading lights – including World No.6 Maria Sharapova – have elected against making the trip home, the presence of Pavlyuchenkova, Margarita Gasparyan and Daria Kasatkina ensured the home nation was well represented in Saturday’s draw.

Two more home-grown talents, at very different stages of their respective careers, are also present in the 28-strong field: Elena Vesnina and Natalia Vikhlyantseva.

For 18-year-old Vikhlyantseva the tournament offers the opportunity to showcase her talents on a bigger stage, while Vesnina will be looking to use it as a springboard back to the top.

Less than three years ago, Vesnina, playing the tennis of her career, was knocking on the door to the Top 20. A shoulder injury and loss of form halted this rise, and Vesnina, who faces Alizé Cornet in the first round, knows the tournament represents an opportunity.

“The WTA is hard; you’re practicing every single day and we’re travelling all over the world, far away from our families,” Vesnina told wtatennis.com. “So it’s great to leave at the end of the week with the trophy and know that it’s all worth it.”

Despite being raised in Sochi, Vesnina is familiar with Russia’s second city from her childhood and excited about her return – this time on business. 

“It’s very special. And it’s very special because it’s in St. Petersburg, that’s one of the most beautiful cities in Russia and I’ve really loved the city since childhood – I was coming here with my family to visit the historical parts – and I know the city really well.

“It’s great to have another event in Russia because we have so many young players and upcoming stars and it’s great they have the opportunity to play at home, gets some points and maybe get their first title here. That’s just wonderful and I’m really looking forward to play my first match here.”

DOHA, Qatar – World No.6 and two-time Doha champion Maria Sharapova announced her withdrawal from the Qatar Total Open due to the left forearm injury she has struggled with since the beginning of the season,

“Unfortunately, I will not be able to play the Qatar Total Open because of my left forearm injury,” Sharapova said in a statement. “I would like to wish the tournament and all the great fans in Doha a great week of tennis and I hope to see them next year.”

The Russian was forced to pull out of the Brisbane International back in January due to this same injury, but appeared to rebound in Melbourne, reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open before falling to World No.1, Serena Williams.

“I’m going to go and take care of my forearm first,” Sharapova said after the loss, aware of the importance this season – being an Olympic year – presents. “I think that’s really important. I think this will be a time to just get myself ready for a long year.

“I don’t see myself playing anything before Indian Wells.”

CHARLESTON, SC, USA – Mirjana Lucic-Baroni took down the hometown favorite Shelby Rogers in three sets to reach the semifinals at the Volvo Car Open.

35-year-old Lucic-Baroni – the oldest player left in the draw – first played in Charleston in 2001, the same year her opponent Rogers was a ball girl at this very tournament. The Croat had never been past the round of 16 on the green clay, but on Friday night she mounted a spirited comeback to oust Rogers from her home tournament, 6-7(7), 6-1, 6-1.

“It was beautiful in a way,” Lucic-Baroni said in her post-match press conference. “It was difficult playing against the crowd, because Shelby is from here. It’s normal. It’s always tough, but I felt they were very respectful. They were cheering for their home girl, and it’s totally normal.

“The wind was what was really difficult today. It was incredibly hard, and the fact that I came out yesterday and today playing some great tennis and winning in these conditions, it’s incredible, really, really good effort.

.@Shelby_Rogers_ saves set point and claims the first set 7-6(7)! #VolvoCarOpen pic.twitter.com/MNRXGG6ySb

— WTA (@WTA) 7 de abril de 2017

Just one point made the difference for Rogers as she took the rollercoaster opening set under blustery conditions – which Lucic-Baroni described as, “I would rather play with a live lion running around in normal conditions than play in today’s weather.”

The Charleston-native leveraged the vocal home support to inspire an early comeback as she found herself down a break with Lucic-Baroni serving for the set at 5-4. She dodged a Lucic-Baroni set point to take it to a tiebreaker, then denied the Croat another one as she edged through to take the opening set.

But the big-hitting Lucic-Baroni refused to fold, and reeled in the errors from her all-or-nothing game to shut out Rogers from the next two sets. She didn’t allow Rogers a single break opportunity as she broke the American five times in a row to snatch a dizzying ten games in a row before claiming the match – and her spot in the semifinals – in two hours and thirteen minutes.

Third Semifinal of 2017!

Lucic-Baroni downs Rogers 6-7(7), 6-1, 6-1 at @VolvoCarOpen! pic.twitter.com/Ir5ELxURsr

— WTA (@WTA) 7 de abril de 2017

“I was just trying to fight for every point,” Rogers reflected in her post-match press conference. “Like it was definitely back and forth. I thought we had a very good level. It was super entertaining; and bad luck, I wish I could have kept it up.

“But a lot of positives to take from that, and you know, moving forward into the clay season, this week’s been great for me, and so many good things to move forward and build on.”

Meanwhile, Lucic-Baroni had nothing but praise for her opponent, lauding her to the adoring Charleston crowd.

“You guys should be so proud of Shelby,” she said. “She’s such a wonderful girl, amazing tennis player with a super bright future and present as well. You should really be proud, she represents [Charleston] beautifully.”