Tennis News

The dust has settled after a breakneck first day of Fed Cup World Group action, with Garbiñe Muguruza, Karolina Pliskova, Kristina Mladenovic and Timea Bacsinszky among the day’s winners.

Here’s how the World Group ties stand after the end of today’s action:

Czech Republic 1 – 1 Spain

Spain faced a huge challenge in their first round match going up against the Czech Republic at home in Ostrava. The defending champions haven’t lost a tie since 2013, and haven’t lost at home in even longer with their last home defeat coming in 2009.

Spain’s No.1 Muguruza set out to break that streak though, defeating Barbora Strycova 6-0, 3-6, 6-1 to silence the home crowd.

“I think I started really, really good, playing a great level,” Muguruza told FedCup.com afterwards. “I think Barbora started a bit slow, but then in the second set she came playing amazing.

“I was expecting a very tough match, I knew the 6-0 was a little bit strange.”

Spain captain Conchita Martinez told press earlier that a win in the opening match was crucial against the imperious Czech team, and Muguruza took the message to heart.

“I definitely felt a lot of pressure in this match. I mean, I’m the one on the team and I just had to go for my matches. That’s what I’m trying, to just give my best to the team.”

Spain’s lead was short-lived as Karolina Pliskova overpowered Lara Arruabarrena 6-4, 7-5 to level the tie.

Switzerland 1 – 1 France

In Geneva, Timea Bacsinszky and Kristina Mladenovic notched a win apiece to leave things between Switzerland and France.

Bacsinszky gritted out a hard-fought win over Alizé Cornet 7-5, 6-4 to put the home side ahead in the tie.

“The whole match was pretty tight and I think we were both just playing amazing tennis,” Bacsinszky told FedCup.com after her victory. “We’re both big fighters so you know you’re going to get some interesting points when we’re playing a match against each other.

“I don’t have such a good win average against Alizé, so I’m really proud of how I managed to be more aggressive.”

In the second rubber, good friends Kristina Mladenovic and Belinda Bencic faced off. The Frenchwoman, fresh off her first WTA singles title at the St Petersburg Ladies Trophy last week, continued with her great form and emerged victorious, 6-3, 6-4 to rescue a point for her side.

Belarus 1 – 1 Netherlands

Last year, it was Victoria Azarenka’s monumental effort in singles that took Belarus into the World Group, but even without the two-time Grand Slam champion they proved they could compete among the big names as they held the Netherlands to one win apiece.

Entering the tie decidedly as the underdogs, the hosts stunned the Dutch team with Aliaksandra Sasnovich defeating Michaela Krajicek 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the opening rubber.

They were one point away from a stunning 2-0 lead, with 18-year-old Aryna Sabalenka holding match point against World No.24 Kiki Bertens, but the Dutch player came back from the brink to win 6=3, 7-6(6), 6-4 and level the tie.

“I remember my first singles [in Fed Cup] and I was like crying before and throwing up because I was so nervous and she was not,” Bertens told FedCup.com afterwards. “For [Sabalenka] it was really good that she could just go out there and swing and go for her shots. If she can play like this again she will make it very difficult for a lot of players.”

USA – Germany (In Progress)

More to follow…

August was defined by three breakthrough players who brought some impressive performances on and off the court. Which one soared the highest?

Have a look at the nominees for August Breakthrough Performance of the Month and cast your vote before Thursday at 11:59pm ET! The winner will be announced Friday, September 16.

August 2016 WTA Breakthrough Performance of the Month Finalists:

Karolina Pliskova: After losing in the first or second round in 14 of her first 17 major tournaments, Pliskova broke through in a big way at the US Open. In her first Grand Slam second week, she saved a match point to defeat No.6 seed Venus Williams in a final set tie-break, and backed up that win by becoming the fourth woman to beat both Venus and top seed Serena Williams at the same major tournament. The win took her into her first Grand Slam final, where she fell in three dramatic sets to Angelique Kerber.

Anastasija Sevastova: The Latvian is playing better than ever in her second career. Coming back from an 18-month retirement at the start of 2015, Sevastova stunned No.3 seed Garbiñe Muguruza under the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium and knocked out Johanna Konta to reach the quarterfinals for her best Grand Slam finish.

Ana Konjuh: Three years after winning the girl’s singles title at the US Open, 18-year-old Ana Konjuh was the young starlet of the 2016 tournament. Upsetting No.4 seed Agnieszka Radwanska, Konjuh avenged a heartbreaking loss at Wimbledon – where she injured her ankle after having three match points – and enjoyed her best-ever Grand Slam result, reaching the last eight.

2016 Winners:

January: Zhang Shuai
February: Jelena Ostapenko
March: Nicole Gibbs
April: Cagla Buyukakcay
May: Kiki Bertens
June: Elena Vesnina
July: Kristina Kucova

How it works:

Finalists are selected by wtatennis.com
Winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com

Serena Williams

On how living with Venus led her to attempt a raw vegan diet…
My sister went through a lot of illnesses, and in living with her – I finally moved, but across the street! Got my freedom across the street – but she was really able to introduce me to a really kind of vegan and raw and really vegetable-heavy diet. It was just kind of a whole raw world that I really enjoyed. I was able to see a lot of benefits in my game and my body in general from that.

Watch live action from Indian Wells this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

On playing a tournament with a raw vegan diet…
I did it when I was at the French Open 2013. I wasn’t tired, it was good, really good. I don’t know why I don’t do that more often. Maybe this year, I need to get back on that!

On whether she’s kept up with veganism…
Unfortunately no. I really want to get there, I really do. For a minute I was, but I couldn’t quite give up the chicken and the tacos! It kind of crept back into my life. But there’s a lot of things, like I don’t eat red meat, and I don’t eat a lot of other stuff. I was educating myself through Venus on a lot of things to remain healthy. It’s very interesting.

Simona Halep

On a hypothetical match-up between Serena and Steffi Graf in their prime…
It would be interesting. They are very different in my opinion. Serena is very strong, a lot of power in her serve. Steffi has a good, flat forehand and a very good slice. I never saw this on the women’s tour. Serena has her game, a strong game with lots of power. I don’t want to say who would win, but it’d be very interesting and very nice to watch. I would go to watch if they played!

On whether practicing with Graf has inspired her to incorporate more slice…
I didn’t play much slices when I was younger, when I was a kid, and now to put it in the matches is tough. You have no confidence and it’s like you don’t remember that you have to play slice. It’s tough to put them in practical during the matches. I will try; I do more in the practices than before. I hope to improve this way of playing as well.

On meeting Ilie Nastase…
I met him. We didn’t speak on many thing about tennis, but I liked him a lot, how he was on court. I watched some videos on Youtube. I can say I admired him a lot, but it’s a bit too much for me to do some crazy things on court, but I can appreciate him a lot for what he did on court and he remains the best player in Romania.

Garbiñe Muguruza

On locker room dynamic and her earlier comments about friendships on tour…
I heard a lot of things about that comment, which I think were a little bit wrong. I didn’t mean it in a bad way. This is a sport, and at the end of the day, we’re playing the same girls the whole year, which is difficult sometimes. A lot of people misunderstood my saying that we kind of hate each other, and that’s not true because I also have friends on tour and I get along good with people. It’s just this competitive environment, and when you’re young sometimes it’s difficult because you’re playing against older people, but with time you kind of know where you have to be.

Angelique Kerber

On adjusting to becoming the hunted instead of the hunter…
It’s a new situation for me and I know every player who will play against me will give everything to beat me. But this is also the situation you’re dreaming for, you’re working your whole life to be like, for me, No.2 at the moment. This is something you’re working for.

Agniezka Radwanska

On changes she’s made over the course of her career…
I think of anything I can think of, it’s the schedule, not playing every week. When I was 18, I could do that and it was no problem: singles, doubles, every week, no problem. I was ok, but not any more! Time changes, but 10 years makes a huge difference on the tour. You really have to think a lot about the schedule to be on the same shape in February as in Asia at the end of the year. Sometimes even when you feel good, and you want to play more and more, it’s not going to be good later, in a couple of months. Then you’ll feel you did too much at the beginning of the year.

Belinda Bencic

On the secret to Swiss success…
Chocolate, maybe, in the water! I don’t know what it is; we’re doing well.

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.

August was packed with plenty of amazing shots – we narrowed it down to the five best.

In the end, it was perennial Shot Of The Month winner Agnieszka Radwanska who survived a thrilling rally with Kirsten Flipkens at the Connecitcut Open. Keeping her cool as the lucky loser from Belgium attempted a tweener, Radwanska won the point and later the title in New Haven.

Click here to watch all of August’s finalists.

Hear from Radwanska after her New Haven win in the WTA Insider Podcast:

Final Results for August’s WTA Shot Of The Month

1. Agnieszka Radwanska (67%)
2. Angelique Kerber (19%)
3. Eugenie Bouchard (9%)
4. Elina Svitolina (3%)
5. Johanna Konta (2%)

2016 WTA Shot of the Month Winners

January: Caroline Wozniacki
February: Agnieszka Radwanska
March: Agnieszka Radwanska
April: Monica Niculescu
May: Simona Halep
June: Agnieszka Radwanska
July: Simona Halep

How it works:

Five shots are selected by wtatennis.com
Winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com