Who Is The Loudest In The WTA Locker Room? Radwanska Reveals All
Agnieszka Radwanska sat down with CNN Sports and revealed who she thinks has the best serve, who is her favorite practice partner, and who is the loudest in the locker room.
Agnieszka Radwanska sat down with CNN Sports and revealed who she thinks has the best serve, who is her favorite practice partner, and who is the loudest in the locker room.
ZHUHAI, China – Sunday marked 100 days until the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai, and the tournament rang in the start of an exciting countdown with the help of former World No.1 and Tournament Ambassador, Stefani Graf.
Graf took the role back in May, and couldn’t be more ready to help the WTA stars “Shine in Zhuhai” in what will be the final event of the 2016 season.
Check out the best photos from the event, which feature Tournament Director Peter Johnson unveiling Graf’s video announcement:
Photos courtesy of the WTA.
MONTRÉAL, Canada – No.12 seed Petra Kvitova weathered a rainy day at the Rogers Cup to rain down on Madga Linette, 6-1, 6-2, in just over an hour on Court Central.
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Kvitova’s first North American hardcourt title came in Montréal back in 2012, and he rode those good memories to an emphatic win over Linette on Monday night.
“I think the rain is following women’s tennis right now – wherever we are it’s a rainy day! – so I’m just happy I was able to play. It was the night session, but I just had to wait a little bit longer and I’m glad that I played, I won and I’m through,” Kvitova said after the match.
Linette pushed former No.1 Venus Williams to three sets last week at the Bank of the West Classic, but was overwhelmed by the two-time Wimbledon winner, who won nine of 12 points on second serve return points and didn’t face a break point in any of her own seven service games.
Thanks to the best ball kids! Haha and to the crowd for staying out after the rain, had fun out there tonight ?✌ pic.twitter.com/5p5QakiAhQ
— Petra Kvitova (@Petra_Kvitova) 26 July 2016
Kvitova’s next obstacle as she looks to rouse a slumbering season is either Alizé Cornet or Andrea Petkovic. “My first half of the season wasn’t as great as I would have wished, but I’m always believing that I can come back and play well. This is a chance for me and I’ll do everything I can to go far.”
Another seed making progress in the bottom half was 2011 finalist Samantha Stosur, who finished strongly to get past Heather Watson, 7-5, 6-3. “To get through in straight sets, I’m pretty happy,” Stosur said. “Overall I thought I served pretty well. There weren’t a lot of points off my serve where she could dictate off the first shot.”
Around the grounds, qualifier Camila Giorgi squeaked past Sloane Stephens, 7-6(2), 7-6(4). No.17 seed Elina Svitolina knocked out American qualifier Jennifer Brady, 6-2, 6-4, while Naomi Broady fought back to defeat Monica Puig, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2.
Keen not to be left behind by the latest social media craze, the Chan sisters – and an assembled cast of coaches, umpires and ball boys – gave a Taiwanese take on The Mannequin Challenge.
MONTRÉAL, Canada – Madison Keys bounced back from her All England Club disappointment with a confident win over Elena Vesnina in the first round of the Rogers Cup.
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Going into Wimbledon, Keys was tipped as a dark horse for the title, but saw her hopes dashed in the fourth round by Simona Halep. If the disappointment has lingered, the American hid it well against Vesnina, rattling off the final nine games of the match to complete a 6-4, 6-0 victory.
While Keys’ memories of Wimbledon 2016 will be tinged with disappointment, for Vesnina it was the best fortnight of her career. The Russian defeated a number of higher-ranked players to become the first unseeded semifinalist for five years.
Against Keys, she started brightly enough, confidently holding her opening four service games. However, her opponent’s booming delivery was equally dominant and when she wavered in the ninth game, tugging a couple of forehands into the tramlines, it triggered a sea-change in fortune.
Keys closed out the first set before breaking again in a marathon opening game of the second. As Vesnina’s head dropped, the No.10 seed ruthlessly pounced to book a second-round meeting against Madison Brengle.
Konta Too Good For Rogers
Less than 48 hours on from upsetting Venus Williams to lift her maiden WTA title, Johanna Konta was back on court facing another American, Shelby Rogers.
While the performance this time was less spectacular, the result was the same, Konta’s 6-4, 6-2 win setting up a second-round meeting against either Vania King or Timea Babos.
The Briton started strongly and while unable to secure an insurance break she successfully kept Rogers at arm’s length to take the opening set. In the second both players struggled to hold serve, but once again it was Konta coming out on top at the crucial moments.
This time last year, Konta – then ranked well outside the Top 100 – was competing in the less salubrious surroundings of nearby Granby. She ended up leaving with the trophy, a feat she repeated at another ITF Circuit event the following week in Vancouver before really announcing herself by reaching the fourth round of the US Open.
Now the Top 10 beckons. Only three other British players – Virginia Wade, Sue Barker and Jo Durie – have achieved this feat, and should Konta keep this latest winning run alive – and other results go in her favor – she could join the club in Montréal.
Russians March On
Another player with an outside chance of reaching the Top 10 in the not-too-distant future is Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. At Wimbledon, the gifted Russian reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinal since 2011, falling in two tight sets to eventual champion Serena Williams.
At the Stade Uniprix, Pavlyuchenkova was given a real scare, conjuring up a miraculous drop volley to save match point in the final set of her 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 win over Yulia Putintseva. Also taken the distance in their opening round outings were compatriots Alla Kudryavtseva and Daria Kasatkina.
Kudryavtseva, who came through qualifying, upset Kristina Mladenovic, 7-6(5), 1-6, 6-3, while Kastakina shook off a slow start to defeat the in-form Misaki Doi, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1.
The final chapter in a memorable season came in Singapore as Dominika Cibulkova recovered from a rocky start to triumph at the season-ending showpiece.
MONTRÉAL, Canada – Reigning Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber acquitted herself well in her first hardcourt match since Miami; despite a second set wobble, the No.2 seed stood tall in the end to defeat unseeded Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in the second round of the Rogers Cup.
Watch live action from Montréal this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
“It was a really tough match. She played really strong and tough, and I knew it would be a tough match. But I was trying to keep focusing until the last point, and staying in the match. I’m really happy about my first match here.”
Playing just her second match since after reaching the Wimbledon final – having pulled out of the Ericsson Open due to an elbow injury – but played the crucial points well against an in-form Lucic-Baroni on Wednesday night.
“I knew she was playing well, but I was trying to focus on my game. It was a good match.”
Getting out to a quick 5-2 lead in the opening set, Kerber was suddenly confounded by the Croatian No.1, who broke serve in the opening game of the second and never looked back to force a decider.
Follow all the action from Day 3 of Montréal at the WTA Insider Live Blog!
“In the second set, she played great and won the important points. I wanted to come back strong in the third set and play my game.
Conserving her energy well throughout the one hour, 38 minute match, the World No.2 didn’t face a break point in the final set, breaking serve on her second opportunity – ultimately clinching the match on her own serve at love.
“It’s just great to be here. I love to play here in Montréal. The fans are amazing; it’s always full and they always stay until the end!”
Up next for Kerber is No.17 seed Elina Svitolina, who outlasted Canadian wildcard Francoise Abanda, 7-6(2), 7-6(3) early on Wednesday. Svitolina is currently working with Justine Henin, who appeared as her on-court coach during the match.
“It was my first match on hard court after a long time. It was not so easy.” – Angelique Kerber pic.twitter.com/mG745ZuMyW
— Coupe Rogers (@CoupeRogers) July 28, 2016
ROCK ISLAND, IL, USA – 21-year-old American tennis player Madison Keys hosted her first FearlesslyGIRL summit earlier today at the Rock Island High School in Rock Island, Illinois.
“Today was incredibly special,” Keys said. “To be able to launch my partnership with FearlesslyGIRL in my hometown and to meet so many amazing young women was an unforgettable experience.”
During the four hour summit in her hometown, Keys met hundreds of young women who attend Rock Island High School. She hosted a questions and answers session during which she shared her personal experiences with anti-bullying, building confidence, her relationship with fellow tennis players, and overcoming the pressure of being in the public eye. She also participated in group breakouts covering numerous topics relevant to young women today.
“I am so honored to be called a role model for young women and I take this role seriously as my goal is to help others through my own experiences and spread positivity.
“I want to thank my FearlesslyGIRL partner Kate and everyone at the Rock Island High School for making today possible. I look forward to keeping in touch with the young women I met today,” said Keys.
Keys became an ambassador for the internationally recognized leadership organization earlier this fall. FearlesslyGIRL is dedicated to empowering a generation of young women as well as their schools and communities and is 100% girl driven.
Check out the best photos from the event, courtesy of IMG and FearlesslyGIRL.
Samantha Crawford takes on Andrea Petkovic in the quarterfinals of the Brisbane International.
Simona Halep neutralized Karolina Pliskova’s big serve in her 6-3, 6-3 win Thursday to reach the Rogers Cup quarterfinals.
During the match, Halep won 51% of return points that were put in play against Pliskova, the WTA ace leader, who has won 62% of her service points this season.
SAP Coaches View shows Halep moved in when facing Pliskova’s second serve, playing 48% of them from inside the baseline. She won 62% of second serve points in the match, including 22% of points which she returned from inside the baseline.
Halep took advantage of her opportunities to break Pliskova. She won 57% of the games in which she held a break chance, breaking four times in seven games.
This performance is in keeping with how Halep has played all season. She stands second on the WTA for return points won in 2016 at 49%.
The SAP Coaches View combines scoring information direct from the chair umpire with tracking data from HawkEye to allow for an in depth look at five different aspects of a match. Each tracking option can be filtered to narrow the focus to specific situations within a match, such as break points. This information is available directly to coaches in real-time during a match on their SAP tablet and also available to them online after matches.
“Return of serve” tracking shows where each service return was struck, differentiating between first and second serves, with an emphasis on how many serves are returned from inside the baseline. This data can be filtered by a particular score.
Halep returned to a second straight Rogers Cup quarterfinal thanks to her return game.
