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Wimbledon: Road To The Final Four

Wimbledon: Road To The Final Four

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970
The Championships at Wimbledon kicked off with Serena Williams chasing history and several others gunning for the No.1 spot.

The Championships at Wimbledon kicked off with Serena Williams chasing history and several others gunning for the No.1 spot.

The biggest upset of the tournament came early on in the second round as Jana Cepelova sent French Open champion Garbiñe Muguruza crashing out.

The biggest upset of the tournament came early on in the second round as Jana Cepelova sent French Open champion Garbiñe Muguruza crashing out.

Venus Williams turned heads for more than just her strawberry-red hair: the five-time champion was in vintage form throughout the fortnight.

Venus Williams turned heads for more than just her strawberry-red hair: the five-time champion was in vintage form throughout the fortnight.

These rain tarps become a regular sight during the first week of the Championships as English summer rain derailed the schedule time and time again.

These rain tarps become a regular sight during the first week of the Championships as English summer rain derailed the schedule time and time again.

18-year-old Ana Konjuh’s grit won over many hearts during her second-round battle against Agnieszka Radwanska: she held match points over the No.3 seed before an ankle injury halted her progress.

18-year-old Ana Konjuh’s grit won over many hearts during her second-round battle against Agnieszka Radwanska: she held match points over the No.3 seed before an ankle injury halted her progress.

Serena Williams also faced an early scare against Christina McHale, who took her to three sets, but pulled off a spectacular comeback to advance.

Serena Williams also faced an early scare against Christina McHale, who took her to three sets, but pulled off a spectacular comeback to advance.

All the bad weather from week one lead Wimbledon organizers to make the nearly-unprecedented decision to allow play on Middle Sunday.

All the bad weather from week one lead Wimbledon organizers to make the nearly-unprecedented decision to allow play on Middle Sunday.

But the show must go on, and play continued under the roof of Centre Court as 12 seeds advanced to the fourth round.

But the show must go on, and play continued under the roof of Centre Court as 12 seeds advanced to the fourth round.

Russia was well represented in the round of 16 with four players advancing, including Ekaterina Makarova.

Russia was well represented in the round of 16 with four players advancing, including Ekaterina Makarova.

The United States also had four players in the fourth round: Sloane Stephens missed out on becoming the fifth by a hair after a roller-coaster battle against Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova.

The United States also had four players in the fourth round: Sloane Stephens missed out on becoming the fifth by a hair after a roller-coaster battle against Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Through all of the ups and downs, a familiar sight: Serena Williams, back in to the semifinals of Wimbledon for the tenth time.

Through all of the ups and downs, a familiar sight: Serena Williams, back in to the semifinals of Wimbledon for the tenth time.

In fact, this marks the eleventh time that both Serena and Venus have reached the semifinal stage at the same Slam. The last time it happened was here at Wimbledon in 2009.

In fact, this marks the eleventh time that both Serena and Venus have reached the semifinal stage at the same Slam. The last time it happened was here at Wimbledon in 2009.

Dominika Cibulkova almost had to postpone her wedding – scheduled on the same day as the Ladies’ Singles final – when she advanced to the quarterfinals.

Dominika Cibulkova almost had to postpone her wedding – scheduled on the same day as the Ladies’ Singles final – when she advanced to the quarterfinals.

But Elena Vesnina did her part to keep the Cibulkova nuptials on schedule, knocking out the Slovak to advance to her first ever Grand Slam semifinals.

But Elena Vesnina did her part to keep the Cibulkova nuptials on schedule, knocking out the Slovak to advance to her first ever Grand Slam semifinals.

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova was another surprise quarterfinalist, but didn’t have enough in the tank against the World No.1.

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova was another surprise quarterfinalist, but didn’t have enough in the tank against the World No.1.

Angelique Kerber is back into a Grand Slam semifinal in emphatic fashion: she hasn’t dropped a set all tournament long.

Angelique Kerber is back into a Grand Slam semifinal in emphatic fashion: she hasn’t dropped a set all tournament long.

She beat out the No.5 seed Simona Halep for her spot in the final four.

She beat out the No.5 seed Simona Halep for her spot in the final four.

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

DUBAI, UAE – No.10 seed Caroline Wozniacki willed her way past surprise semifinalist Anastasija Sevastova, dispatching the Latvian, 6-3, 6-4, to reach her first final at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships since winning the event in 2011.

“I really love coming back here and playing on this court,” she said on court after earning a 22nd career match win in Dubai – the most of any at this event. “It’s amazing. The crowd is always supporting me; you guys are amazing and make this tournament special.

“Being an ambassador for Dubai Duty Free just makes it all the more sweet, playing well here every year. I’m just thrilled to be in another final.”

Coming off a run to the final of a particularly rainy Qatar Total Open, Wozniacki dealt with a few more delays in her semifinal to advance into back-to-back finals for the first time since 2014, when she finished runner-up at both the US Open and the Toray Pan Pacific Open.

“I’m kind of used to the rain by now; for the last two weeks it’s been on and off, but I thought we played good quality tennis so I’m extremely happy to be through.

“It’s been a good couple of weeks for me,” she later explained in her post-match press conference. “Very happy with how I have been playing. Very happy how I have managed to get through these two weeks, because it’s been very tiring mentally. The fact that I have just been staying in there and keep grinding, I’m kind of proud of that.”

Wozniacki and Sevastova last met in the quarterfinals of the US Open, where Sevastova earned a career-best Grand Slam result but twisted her ankle early on, allowing the Dane to ease into her first major semifinal in exactly two years. Sevastova was far fitter on Friday night, pushing the former World No.1 through two tough sets, each of which came down to the wire.

“She definitely was a tricky opponent. I knew going into it that she was going to be difficult. She mixes the pace up. She really tries to break your rhythm.

“I was really pleased with how I was playing. I tried to stay aggressive and tried to mix it up, as well.”

By match’s end, the Dane had struck 17 winners to 20 from the resurgent Latvian, but almost half as many unforced errors – 17 to 31 – and maintained an impressive 70% first serve percentage to clinch victory after one hour and 26 minutes on court.

Up next for Wozniacki is the winner of the second semifinal between top seed Angelique Kerber and her nemesis, No.7 seed Elina Svitolina.

“I’m just happy to play against either. They’re both great competitors and great opponents. I lost to both of them the last time we’ve played so it’s not going to be easy but I’m just thrilled to be in the final and I’m going to give it a good battle.”

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Insider Live Blog: Wimbledon Semifinals

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

LONDON, Great Britain – With the final four Wimbledon contenders set to take “Centre” stage on Thursday, WTA Insider Courtney Nguyen will deliver play-by-play action live on wtatennis.com.

Will Venus Williams meet sister Serena for the first all-Williams Grand Slam final since the 2009 Championships? Will we see a rematch of the Australian Open championship match between world No.1 Serena Williams reignite her quest for a record-tying 22nd Grand Slam title against Melbourne conqueror Angelique Kerber? Or will Elena Vesnina, who began the year ranked outside the Top 100, spark the shock of the century on the lawns of the All England Club by reaching her first major final?

Stay tuned for all the action and Insider insight right here on the Insider Live Blog:

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Dubai: Final Preview

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

A preview of the final between Caroline Wozniacki and Elina Svitolina at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

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News | WTA Tennis English

News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

DUBAI, UAE – After securing the biggest title of her career at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Saturday night, Elina Svitolina is set to receive an even bigger reward come Monday.

Svitolina will rise from World No.13 to a career-high No.10, making her the first Ukrainian player ever to break the WTA Top 10.

“I’ve dreamed for all my life to be in Top 10,” Svitolina said after the final, where she defeated Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets. “It’s a very amazing feeling to enter Top 10, and do it by winning the tournament! I’m very excited for the season and very excited I could win this tournament.”

The Ukrainian came into the final in Dubai knowing a victory would clinch her Top 10 debut – and the 22-year-old didn’t let the pressure of the occasion overwhelm her.

Elina Svitolina

“It’s big relief that I could win this match, because I knew that if I win this match, I’m gonna be Top 10,” Svitolina told press after the match.

“There was extra pressure. When I was warming up, added even more pressure because they announce it. It didn’t help!”

Svitolina’s milestone comes as no surprise for fans who’ve followed her career: she’s fresh off a title at the Taiwan Open earlier in the season, and with back-to-back Fed Cup wins Svitolina is in the midst of a 12-match winning streak. Last season, Svitolina took home a title at Kuala Lumpur and reached the final at New Haven and the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai.

Svitolina is the 120th player to make her Top 10 debut since the WTA Rankings were introduced on November 3, 1975.

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Serena Williams’ fierce competitive streak is what sets up apart and puts her on track to become the greatest female tennis player of all time, according to Roger Federer.

Speaking to Sport360 earlier in the week, the 18-time Grand Slam champion spoke of his admiration for his fellow Australian Open champion’s longevity.

“I admire everything she’s doing and has done,” he said. “I thought she was ready to check out there for a while. But she’s hung on and she’s found new ways of doing things. She’s gotten healthy again as well, she was very unfortunate on a few occasions.”

Serena’s success at the Rod Laver Arena was her 23rd Grand Slam success, which took her past the Open Era record of 22 she had previously held with Stefanie Graf and to within one of Margaret Court’s all-time record. Federer’s victory in the men’s tournament meant that both trophies were won by 35-year-olds.

“People who have done it for a long time and who are older now but are still super eager and super willing and Serena is exactly like that,” said the Swiss. “She’s a fierce competitor and on the way to becoming the greatest of all time. It’s wonderful to see her do it for sure.”

Federer’s comments come little more than two weeks after Andy Roddick called Serena one of the greatest athletes of all time. The American, who grew up training alongside Williams in Florida, described her as “not just one of the greatest women athletes of all time but one of the greatest athletes of all time.”

He added: “We need to enter her into the conversation with [Michael] Jordan and [Muhammad] Ali. I think that’s where the respect lies and where the conversation needs to go after the acknowledgement of what she’s done for women in sports.”

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

ACAPULCO, Mexico – No.4 seed Monica Puig is into the quarterfinals at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel for the second time after a victory over Daniela Hantuchova, 6-4, 6-4.

“Today I felt a lot better on court than I did yesterday,” Puig said after the match. “I’ve definitely seen an improvement in my game during the past few days.

“And that’s really my goal, to improve every match and not feel pressure, and just go out on court and play the best I can.”

Hantuchova is currently ranked No.244, a position which belies the quality the former World No.5 can produce, and she employed her all-court game against the Olympic champion.

Puig shook off a sluggish start in the opening set against Hantuchova, grabbing the lone break at 4-3. She had trouble closing out the set – a struggle she had yesterday against Francesca Schiavone as well. The Puerto Rican had two set points on Hantuchova’s serve, but was unable to convert. She fought off two breaks of her own before sending down a booming serve down the T to take the opening set.

“I’ve had a lot of matches these past few weeks, so having a bit of tension is normal,” Puig explained in her post-match press conference. “The body gets a bit tense after so many matches.”

The Puerto Rican’s big-hitting game clicked together in the final set, weathering five breaks of serve in the first six games to come away with the lead.

A trio of errors from Hantuchova gave Puig a look at three match points, but Hantuchova wasn’t ready to let go. She put together a massive effort to deny Puig five times with gutsy baseline play – and even earned a break point – but Puig took the match on the sixth time of asking for a spot in the Acapulco quarterfinals.

Puig will take on Christina McHale for a spot in the semifinals after the American knocked out her countrywoman Taylor Townsend 6-1, 7-6(5) earlier in the day.

“Christina is a very good friend of mine, we train together a lot,” Puig said. “It’s going to be a tough match for sure. She’s been playing really well lately, and I expect a great match; I just hope to bring my best tennis.”

Also in action today, Kirsten Flipkens moved into the quarterfinals after her opponent Ajla Tomljanovic – author of yesterday’s stunner over No.6 seed Eugenie Bouchard – was forced to retire after the first set due to a right shoulder injury.

No.7 seed Lesia Tsurenko advanced in similar fashion; she was leading 6-1, 2-0 against Julia Goerges before the German was forced to retire due to heat illness.

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

ACAPULCO, Mexico – No.5 seed Christina McHale put on an emphatic display to defeat No.4 seed Monica Puig, 6-2, 6-2 to become the first semifinalist at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel.

“I knew it was going to be a tough match going in; she’s got a lot of power,” she said after the match. “I was just trying to defend well because she’s really tough when she’s in control of the points.

“I think I served well today, which helped a lot.”

McHale last played Puig in 2010, and the Puerto Rican star has grown by leaps and bounds since then, becoming the first from her country to claim a gold medal at the Olympic tennis event. But the American, herself fluent in Spanish, acquitted herself well on Thursday, converting all four of her break point opportunities and striking four aces to ease past Puig in just over an hour.

The No.5 seed is into her third semifinal in Acapulco – her best result coming in 2014, when she reached the final – and will play No.2 seed Kristina Mladenovic in the next round.

Before she gets there, however, she is due back on court later today for a round of doubles; McHale is the No.4 seed with partner Chuang Chia-Jung and takes on Veronica Cepede Royg and Mariana Duque-Mariño to make two semifinals in the same week.

“I was just focusing on the match, and I’m really happy to be in another semifinal. This is one of my favorite tournaments. I’m excited to be back on court for doubles later.”

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