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50 Most Popular Players Of 2016: 50-41

50 Most Popular Players Of 2016: 50-41

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

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.

Kicking off the list will be No.50 to No.41! Find out who made the cut…

50] Andrea Petkovic (GER)
Petkovic may have finished the year ranked outside the Top 50 for the first time since 2012, but as one of the WTA’s most charismatic players she remains as popular as ever.

Andrea Petkovic

49] Monica Niculescu (ROU)
Niculescu enjoyed one of her most successful campaigns to date, finishing off in style with a final in Seoul and derailing the in-form Petra Kvitova to lift the trophy in Luxembourg.

Monica Niculescu

48] Sara Errani (ITA)
A ninth career title, at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, highlighted an up and down year for the always-entertaining Errani.

Sara Errani

47] Yulia Putintseva (KAZ)
Putintseva was one of the breakthrough stars of the French Open, making it all the way to the quarterfinals, her ranking – and popularity – soaring as a consequence.

Yulia Putintseva

46] Jelena Jankovic (SRB)
Former World No.1 Jankovic continues to entertain her legions of fans across the globe, particularly in Asia where she finished runner-up in Guangzhou and made the last four in Hong Kong..

Jelena Jankovic

45] CoCo Vandeweghe (USA)
Vandeweghe’s star continued to rise in 2016, victory on the grass of ‘s-Hertogenbosch helping her break the Top 30 for the first time.

CoCo Vandeweghe

44] Sloane Stephens (USA)
Injury may have curtailed Sloane Stephens’ season prematurely, but not before she had collected a trio of trophies – in Auckland, Acapulco and Charleston.

Sloane Stephens

43] Heather Watson (GBR)
British No.2 continues to be a firm favorite at home and abroad, particularly after her popular triumph in the Wimbledon mixed doubles final alongside Henri Kontinen.

Heather Watson

42] Irina-Camelia Begu (ROU)
Begu impressed on the clay, going deep at Roland Garros, Rome, Madrid and Charleston, however, it was on the cement of  Florianopolis that she lifted her third career title.

Irina-Camelia Begu

41] Elena Vesnina (RUS)
This year, Vesnina enjoyed a return to prominence stunning a number of higher-ranked rivals to reach the Wimbledon semifinals, while in doubles she was victorious alongside Ekaterina Makarova at both the Olympics and WTA Finals.

Elena Vesnina

Come back to wtatennis.com on Tuesday for No.40 to No.31 on the list.

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Indian Wells Wednesday: Watson's Chance

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – The BNP Paribas Open gets underway on Wednesday, with an in-form Heather Watson and a couple of Americans on the comeback trail in action.

Wednesday, First Round

Stadium 1
[WC] Heather Watson (GBR #53) vs. Galina Voskoboeva (KAZ #NR)
Head-to-head: Watson leads 1-0
Unsurprisingly, Johanna Konta has dominated British tennis in the opening months of 2016. Last week, though, Heather Watson moved out of the shadows to lift the third WTA title of her career, at the Abierto Monterrey Afirme. Most impressive was the manner of her victory in México, taking the initiative to defeat Caroline Wozniacki, Caroline Garcia and then Kirsten Flipkens in a high-quality final.

Next stop is Indian Wells and an unfamiliar foe. Galina Voskoboeva missed the best part of two years recovering from a serious foot injury, making her return at an ITF event in February. The Kazakhstani has completed just a handful of matches since then and is using her protected ranking of No.72 to step up her competition in the desert. Watson won her only previous meeting against the Kazakhstani, an extremely tight three-set battle three years ago in Memphis, and in light of recent accomplishments will expect to repeat the result.

[Q] Taylor Townsend (USA #379) vs. Vania King (USA #202)
Head-to-head: Townsend leads 1-0
Two years ago, Taylor Townsend looked ready to deliver on her boundless potential, reaching the third round of the French Open and breaking into the Top 100. But since then, things have not exactly gone to plan for the former junior No.1, injury, coaching reshuffles and a loss of form sending her tumbling down the rankings.

Such has been Townsend’s fall, she needed to win eight matches to earn a spot in the main draw. Having negotiated her way through that minefield, the American, who does not turn 20 until later this spring, meets Vania King. Like Townsend, King is also on the comeback trail, a productive spell on the ITF Circuit leaving her on the cusp of the Top 200. The match is be third on Stadium 1 and with defending champion Simona Halep awaiting in the second round the winner is likely to be rewarded with another prime time slot.

Around the grounds…
Dominika Cibulkova attempts to set up a second-round blockbuster against Agnieszka Radwanska when she takes on Katerina Siniakova. Also on court are Barbora Strycova and CoCo Vandeweghe, who face Kiki Bertens and Aliaksandra Sasnovich, respectively. 

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WTA Stars Hoping To Shine In Zhuhai

WTA Stars Hoping To Shine In Zhuhai

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

ZHUHAI, China – With the dust settled after an action-packed fortnight at the US Open, there were major shifts on the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai leaderboard. Some of the WTA’s biggest stars – including defending champion Venus Williams, Roberta Vinci, Madison Keys and Johanna Konta – moving up in contention.

The year’s final tournament will run from November 1 to 6, and like last year the singles draw will feature 11 of the top ranked players and one wildcard, with the winner collecting 700 rankings points.

Here’s the latest leaderboard update for the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai as of September 12, 2016:

Shine In Zhuhai Leaderboard Update

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Evergreen Vinci Continues To Defy Father Time

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Roberta Vinci

2016 Quick Hits
Week 1 Ranking: No.15
Year-End Ranking: No.18 (Career-High No.7, 5/9/2016)
Season Highlights: Title at St. Petersburg
Best Major Result: QF (US Open)

2017 Outlook

To the delight of her ever-growing fan base, Roberta Vinci recently backtracked on her previously stated decision to call it quits at the end of 2016.

Vinci began reconsidering her options as early as February, when she won the her most prestigious title yet, the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy. The feat also saw her become the oldest woman in WTA history to make her Top 10 debut.

Solid showings in Doha and Indian Wells enabled Vinci continue this rise into the spring, peaking at a career-best No.7. While the summer – on either side of the Atlantic proved a mixed bag – the US Open once again coaxed the best tennis from the 33-year-old, who carved through the first four rounds before falling to eventual champion Angelique Kerber.

Having mulled over her options, the evergreen Italian feels she still has plenty to offer, announcing her decision to Sports Illustrated last month. A refreshed Vinci will bring her anachronistic game to Australia, beginning in Brisbane, and despite turning 34 in February few would bet against one last hurrah.

”I still feel like I have the desire and enthusiasm to try and do something in what is perhaps the thing I’m best at, playing tennis,” she said.

“Now don’t start asking me if this will be my last year!!! See you in Australia.”

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Ivanovic & Wozniacki At The Races

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Queens of the court Ana Ivanovic and Caroline Wozniacki have both reigned supreme in women’s tennis. But how did they fare spending a day watching the sport of kings?

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Mirza's Reign At No.1 Extends To 90 Weeks

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Sania Mirza completed her 90th week atop the WTA doubles rankings on Monday.

Just 10 weeks ago, the World No.1 celebrated 80 weeks ahead of the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, where her ranking came under threat from the likes of Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic, and Bethanie Mattek-Sands. Mattek-Sands came within a match of unseating the Indian star by reaching the final in Singapore, only to fall to Olympic champions Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina.

In an ironic twist, Mirza will reunite with former partner Mattek-Sands to start the 2017 season at the Brisbane International, where they will be top seeds ahead of Makarova and Vesnina.

Mirza began 2016 with longtime partner Martina Hingis, with whom she won a third straight major title at the Australian Open, and came up just short in their hunt for the Non-Calendar Year “Santina” Slam. The pair split by summer, and Mirza formed a new partnership with Barbora Strycova, cementing their union with titles at the Western & Southern Open and Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo.

For all she has already accomplished, Mirza still has big goals for next year, including a maiden French Open title to complete her Career Grand Slam.

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#ThankYouAna: WTA Fans Share Favorite Ivanovic Memories

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Few have engaged tennis fans quite like Ana Ivanovic; the former No.1 and 2008 French Open champion has a combined 4.5 million followers on Facebook and Twitter.

Those fans took to social media to express their gratitude for their favorite player with the hashtag #ThankYouAna. Check out some of the best fan tweets below:

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