As It Happened: Cibulkova Upsets Kerber In Singapore Final
WTA Insider | In the WTA Finals championship match Live Blog, Dominika Cibulkova upsets World No.1 Angelique Kerber in straight sets.
WTA Insider | In the WTA Finals championship match Live Blog, Dominika Cibulkova upsets World No.1 Angelique Kerber in straight sets.
SINGAPORE – Dominika Cibulkova has climbed to a career-high ranking of World No.5 after stunning Angelique Kerber, 6-3, 6-4, to win the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
The Slovakian began the tournament as World No.8 and looked set to make an early exit when she lost her first two round robin matches.
However, after beating Simona Halep to reach the semifinals, she recorded a victory over Svetlana Kuznetsova before upsetting the Australian Open and US Open champion to claim the title.
The win moves her up to fifth, leapfrogging Karolina Pliskova, Garbiñe Muguruza and Madison Keys, who were all eliminated at the round-robin phase.
Had Cibulkova won her first two round-robin matches, she would be just over 100 points behind Simona Halep, who remains as World No.4.
Kerber secured her status as year-end World No.1 thanks to Serena Williams’ withdrawal from the tournament and received her award in Singapore.
Meanwhile, in the doubles rankings, Sania Mirza hangs on to top spot despite her and Martina Hingis’ semifinal exit in Singapore.
Had Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic or Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova won the tournament, the Indian’s 81-week reign as No.1 would have ended, but Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina’s triumph means she holds on to secure the 2016 WTA Year-End World No.1 Doubles Ranking, presented by Dubai Duty Free. Garcia is just 225 points behind her.
.@MirzaSania secures #WTA Year-End Doubles World No.1 presented by #DubaiDutyFree! pic.twitter.com/rCCtVtAIFB
— WTA (@WTA) October 30, 2016
Carolina Garcia takes on Samantha Stosur in the group stage of the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy
ZHUHAI, China – Roberta Vinci was dressed all in black after her last match at the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai. She looked fondly on a second straight Top 20 season and was in no mood to mourn what she once said would be her last year on tour.
“It was a good year, for sure,” she told WTA Insider Wednesday night. “I had a great last year, and a lot of points to defend this year.
“The tour is always tough and the players are always getting stronger. You always have to stay in good body and mind. Playing every single tournament is tough, but I’m so proud of myself for this year.
“I’m a little bit tired, of course, because it was a long season. I’m sad about today, but happy that I finished this year.”
The lingering question was whether she had finished for good. The answer was more up in the air.
“Right now, I’m finished with this season and I want to go home. I’ll be taking two weeks off for sure, without tennis or anything. Then I’ll decide, if I’m still motivated, if I still want to continue at this level, and if I want to keep working. I don’t know if I want to, or if I’m just tired right now.
“If I want to stay on tour, I’ll have to work a lot. But I don’t know.”
Vinci first rang the retirement bell last November, announcing her intention to finish her career in 2016. She walked the statement back slightly after winning her 10th career title – the biggest of her career at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy – and becoming the oldest woman to make her Top 10 debut. Any decision the Italian veteran does make, she insists, will be final.
“I don’t want to say, ‘Yes, I’m continuing,’ and then in one week, I stop, or say, ‘No, I’m retired,’ and then after a week, you see a video of me practicing.”
Taking a less decisive tact is the famously flamboyant Francesca Schiavone. Vinci’s compatriot has started a web series asking Facebook fans whether she should continue her career, or perhaps follow a new path, all with her signature flair.
“It’s nice for the fans, but I won’t be putting out any videos because I want to decide my future! But Francesca is Francesca; it’s so funny.”
While she waits to make a decision, Vinci won’t regret confessing her initial intent to retire, feeling it helped her better appreciate the tour on which she’s played nearly two decades, and those who’ve watched her play.
“For me, it’s nice because they want to know my future. If I say I’m going to retire and someone is sad, it feels good because it means they really love me and my tennis.
“It’s normal for the fans and the journalists to want to know. Soon, I will let you know what is in my future.”
The immediate future sees the former World No.7 at home with friends and family, looking back on a pressure-filled season centered around defending the 1300 points she earned at last year’s US Open, when she ended then-No.1 Serena Williams’ Calendar Year Grand Slam bid to reach the final.
“I had a lot of pressure, especially at the US Open. In my mind, I was saying that this year will be tough. I didn’t know if I could even stay Top 50. Now, I’m in the Top 20, so my coach is happy and also I’m really happy about that.”
From shouting “60 points!” after her first round win, she made it all the way back into the second week for the fourth time in five years, falling to eventual champion Angelique Kerber.
“I was injured but I played amazing tennis; I won great matches there. I felt something special in New York; I’m always playing good there, be it final or quarterfinal. It’s an incredible tournament for me.”
Vinci described the year’s final major tournament in the present tense, just as she outlined the simple – yet life-changing – decision that stands in front of her.
“If it’s yes, then yes. If it’s no, then no.”
All photos courtesy of WTA Elite Trophy.
ZHUHAI, China – Top seed Johanna Konta made a confident start to the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai by brushing aside Samantha Stosur in straight sets on Wednesday.
Watch live action from Zhuhai this week at WTA Live Powered By TennisTV!
Flying starts to both sets laid the foundations for an impressive 6-4, 6-2 victory over former US Open champion Stosur.
“Against a player like Sam, who plays such a big ball and has such a big game, I really had to do my best to stay there for every single point and take my chances whenever they came,” Konta said in her on-court interview.
Konta had not played since withdrawing from the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open with an abdominal strain, but she showed no sign of rustiness early on, darting across the net to break serve in the opening game.
.@JoKonta91 smiles at being called one of the hardest working women in tennis @WTAEliteTrophy pic.twitter.com/AykRpXngRF
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) November 2, 2016
At a time of year when the bodies and minds of many players are hankering for a holiday, the Briton looked sharp, maneuvering Stosur around the court with ease to stretch this lead to 4-0. And while the Australian eventually found some success, reducing her arrears to 4-3, Konta steadied the ship, firing down a couple of aces to calmly close out the set.
The second set was even more emphatic, the World No.10 taking the first four games once again as she hurtled towards the finishing line and top spot in the Azalea Group.
Konta, the WTA’s Most Improved Player of the year, narrowly missed out on qualifying for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, but still has plenty to play for on her Zhuhai debut; victory over Stosur confirmed Konta will become the first Briton since Jo Durie in 1983 to finish the year inside the Top 10.
“It doesn’t matter what group you’re in here, every single player is so tough – the elite! – so that I know going into every single match that I get to play this week I have to be 100%.”
Earlier on in Camellia Group, Timea Bacsinszky saw off Timea Babos, 6-4, 6-2.
Highlights from the quarterfinals action at the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open.
Steffi Graf has landed in Zhuhai, China for the second edition of the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai.
The former No.1 has fans all around the world, and in Zhuhai it’s no different!
She received a warm greeting from her fan club, which received her with posters, artwork and more!
The tennis legend stopped for a photo with the group.
Graf headed to the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge for a different kind of tennis match.
Joined by Caroline Garcia, Graf took part in a fun match on the bridge which connects Hong Kong, Macao and mainland China.
The bridge is one of the city’s most impressive landmarks.
Graf showed off her 22-time Grand Slam winning skills on the bridge against Garcia.
After the match they grabbed a photo with some special guests: Mezle Chung, Vice General Manger of Zhuhai Huafa Group Co.,Ltd., Micky Lawler, President of WTA and dozens of the bridge’s workers.
When it’s completed, the bridge will be the longest sea-spanning bridge in the world, the worker explained to Graf.
After the bridge visit, she headed back to the Zhuhai Hengquin International Tennis Center, where the WTA Elite Trophy is contested, for another fun activity.
The former No.1 hosted a charity clinic outside of the Haufa Center Court.
Graf ran through the basics with 29 students from primary schools and high schools, including 19 from Macau.
She had words of wisdom for even the smallest tennis fans!
After the clinic, Graf had time for all her fans, signing autograph after autograph.
Petra Kvitova and Dominika Cibulkova will meet in the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan final with a lot more than just the trophy on the line.
Earlier this week, Kvitova scored a win over current WTA World No.1 Angelique Kerber in the third round at Wuhan, which, arguably, could be considered the WTA match of the year. Kvitova entered the week at No.21 on the Road to Singapore Leaderboard. With an 11-1 record in Wuhan – she was the inaugural winner in 2014 – Kvitova will move to No.12 by reaching the final this week and will be either 897 points outside of the Top 8 – or within 582 points.
If Kvitova, a finalist at the 2014 China Open, could complete a Wuhan-Beijing double, she would vault into the Top 8 and be in position to qualify for the WTA Finals for the sixth straight year.
Cibulkova, who missed four months due to surgery on her Achilles last year, will move to RTS No.7 by reaching the Wuhan final as she attempts to qualify for the WTA Finals for the first time in her career. She can move as high as No.6 on the Leaderboard overtaking French Open champion Garbiñe Muguruza if she wins the title.
SINGLES:
All Eyes on Beijing
Following the finals in Wuhan, all eyes will be on Beijing as the Road to Singapore heats up and enters the final stages – as the countdown to the start of the WTA Finals winds down.
In singles, three players have qualified – Angelique Kerber, Serena Williams and Simona Halep – leaving five spots on the table entering the China Open, a Premier Mandatory event awarding up to 1,000 points to the champion. Meanwhile in doubles, nine teams remain in contention for the final five spots.
Click here to check out the complete China Open draws.
Knocking on Qualification’s Door
Karolina Pliskova and Agnieszka Radwanska are closing in on qualification but they will need to reach the quarterfinals or semifinals (depending on the Wuhan final results). However, if some results fall in their favor, Pliskova and Radwanska could qualify as early as the opening weekend in Beijing.
HOW PLISKOVA & RADWANSKA CAN QUALIFY
1. Madison Keys fails to reach 3r AND Carla Suárez Navarro fails to reach SF
2. Keys fails to reach 3r AND neither Svetlana Kuznetsova nor Johanna Konta reach the final, nor Kvitova wins title (if she wins Wuhan)
3. Suárez Navarro fails to reach SF and neither Kuznetsova or Konta reach final nor Kvitova wins title (if she wins Wuhan)
NOTE: Kuznetsova, Konta, Kvitova are all in the bottom half
Six of Nine Players Ranked Inside RTS Top 12 on Bottom Half of Draw
While Pliskova and Radwanska are next in line to qualify, Garbiñe Muguruza, Dominika Cibulkova and Madison Keys round out the Top 8 of our live leaderboard. Carla Suárez Navarro is next in line followed by Svetlana Kuznetsova, Johanna Konta and Petra Kvitova.
Four of these – Muguruza, Keys, Kuznetsova and Kvitova are all in the same quarter of the Beijing draw, creating some exciting early round matchups at the China Open.
Road to Singapore Update:
Qualified: Angelique Kerber, Serena Williams, Simona Halep
Current Projected Top 8 (5 Spots Remaining)
Next in Line with points behind current projected cut-off (3137)
DOUBLES:
Mattek-Sands/Safarova Seek Wuhan Title, Singapore Qualification
Playing in their seventh tournament together this year, Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova have a chance to qualify for the WTA Finals for the second consecutive year on Saturday, but they will need to defeat Sania Mirza and Barbora Strycova in the Wuhan final in order to do so.
Wuhan will be the fourth final this year for Mattek-Sands/Safarova, having won titles at Miami and the US Open, while also finishing as runner-up in Charleston. They will move to RTS No.5 if they are runners-up in Wuhan.
Mirza/Strycova Closing in on Top 8
Although this is only the fourth tournament of the year for Mirza/Strycova, the two have posted a 15-1 record winning titles at Cincinnati and Tokyo. Their only loss thus far has been to Kristina Mladenovic and Caroline GarcIa, currently the top ranked doubles team in 2016, at the US Open in the quarterfinals.
Despite forming the late-season partnership, Mirza/Strycova are rapidly climbing the Road to Singapore leaderboard. By advancing to the final, they will move to No.11 and cam climb to No.9 with the Wuhan title.
Qualified: Garcia/Mladenovic, Hingis/Mirza, Makarova/Vesnina
Current Projected Top 8 (5 Spots Remaining)
|
Shvedova/Babos |
3975 |
|
|
Mattek-Sands/Safarova |
3911 |
Qualify with Wuhan title (vs Mirza/Strycova in final) |
|
Hlavackova/Hradecka |
3775 |
|
|
Chan/Chan |
3760 |
|
|
Goerges Pliskova |
3270 |
Remaining Teams in Possible Contention with points behind projected cutoff (3270)
|
*Atawo/Spears |
-575 |
||
|
*Xu/Zheng |
-600 |
||
|
Mirza/Strycova |
-885 |
Close to 570 (and 9th place) with Wuhan title (vs Mattek/Safarova in final) |
|
|
*Klepac/Srebotnik |
-1130 |
||
*Atawo/Spears, Xu/Zheng and Klepac/Srebotnik are in the same quarter of the draw
All photos courtesy of Getty Images.
ZHUHAI, China – Top seed Johanna Konta produced a clinical display to brush aside Caroline Garcia and take her place in the knockout stage of the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai.
Watch live action from Zhuhai this week at WTA Live Powered By TennisTV!
One hour was all it took for Konta to wrap up a 6-2, 6-2 victory and set up a semifinal against Elina Svitolina. Earlier in the day, No.2 seed Petra Kvitova also advanced, topping her round-robin group after a 6-1, 6-4 win over Barbora Strycova.
Konta confirmed she would finish the year ranked inside the Top 10 following an impressive win against Samantha Stosur in her opening match, and she underlined her status with an even more dominant display second time out.
It did not take long for the Briton to get her nose in front, hooking a passing shot beyond Garcia’s reach to break in the third game. A few games later it was the backhand doing the damage, the World No.10 finding the line to stretch her lead further, before wrapping up the set soon after.
Konta handily won the pair’s previous meeting, at this summer’s Rio Olympics and a run of five straight games in the second set sent her hurtling past the finishing post.
“I really felt I played a very consistent match. I didn’t give he many windows [of opportunity] and I’m very happy I managed to do that today,” Konta said during her on-court interview. ” She has such a big game so I really needed to apply myself on every point.”
“Right now, it’s just one more match tomorrow. I’m not looking any further than that. I’m going to have a very tough one and looking to compete as best I can.”
While Konta takes on Svitolina, in the other semifinal Kvitova meets Chinese No.1 Zhang Shuai.
Kvitova made a flying start against fellow Czech Strycova before encountering some late resistance. However, just as she has so often in her recent resurgence, she found her best tennis when it mattered most, withstanding some late service jitters – and a couple of break points – to take the final three games of the match.
“The second set was a little bit tight. It was really important to serve well in that game, 4-3. I was facing two break points and it was really the key point,” Kvitova said in her press conference.
“And I think that from the time that I started to play more aggressive than I did before, the beginning of the second set, so it helped me actually, to face the two break points to get back on the track and play little bit better and to return better as well. But, I mean, overall it was a good match. I think it was – the serve was really good today; helped me a lot as well. I’m happy that I’m in the semifinal for sure.”
WUHAN, China – Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova captured the Wuhan title on Saturday to secure their return for the second year in succession to the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
Despite starting the week in seventh place on the Road To Singapore leaderboard, Mattek-Sands and Safarova’s seventh title together saw them become the fourth team to secure a spot at the season-ending showpiece.
“Singapore last year was awesome. It’s the year-end championships, the best of the best. Only the best teams get to go, so I think it’s an honor to make it there in the end,” Mattek-Sands said. “I think everyone at this point is fighting for a spot because the rankings were pretty close.”
It is testament to the American-Czech’s partnership that they have managed to secure their place in Singapore from so few appearance; injuries and scheduling conflicts have restricted them to just seven tournaments together this year. However, when they have been on court, it has not taken long to rekindle the magic.
In their first event of the year, the Miami Open, they romped to the title without dropping a set, following this up with another final in Charleston. They lost out on the silverware there to fellow Singapore qualifiers Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic and suffered further disappointment at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, falling at the first hurdle on each occasion.
With their Finals hopes hanging by a thread, a big performance was required at Flushing Meadows. And they certainly delivered, gaining revenge on Garcia and Mladenovic to add the US Open crown to the majors titles won at the Australian and French Opens the previous year.
The current Road to Singapore leaderboard as follows (as of October 1, 2016):