Go Inside The Auckland Player Party
Go inside the Auckland Player Party with Venus Williams, Caroline Wozniacki, Lucie Safarova and more WTA stars at the ASB Classic.
Go inside the Auckland Player Party with Venus Williams, Caroline Wozniacki, Lucie Safarova and more WTA stars at the ASB Classic.
All at once, World No.1 Serena Williams was the hunter and the hunted, in search of a 22nd Grand Slam title – which would tie Stefanie Graf’s Open Era record – while trying to fend off a rising opposition from challengers like Angelique Kerber and Garbiñe Muguruza, who each defeated her at the Australian Open and French Open finals.
“I have definitely had some sleepless nights, if I’m just honest, with a lot of stuff,” Serena said in the latest WTA Insider Champions Corner. “Coming so close. Feeling it, not being able to quite get there.”
Turning around a tense three-setter against fellow American Christina McHale, the top seed shook off the disappointment of the last six months and roared to her seventh Wimbledon crown, not dropping another set and avenging her Melbourne loss to Kerber in the championship match.
“One day I woke and I felt different. I felt I can do better. I can do this. Not only can I do this but I’m going to do this and there’s nothing in this world that’s going to stop me.”
The win tied her with Graf and put her in pole position to break the record at the upcoming US Open, the site of her first major triumph in 1999 and where she began her second Serena Slam in 2014.
“I definitely feel like when I lose I don’t feel as good about myself. But then I have to remind myself that you are Serena Williams. Do you know what you’ve done, who you are, what you continue to do not only in tennis, off the court? You’re awesome. I think that shows the human side of me, that I’m not a robot. I only expect perfection.”
If it’s not perfection from the 22-time Grand Slam champion, it’s pretty close – and more than enough to earn her the mantle of June’s WTA Player of the Month!
Final Results for June’s WTA Player Of The Month
1. Serena Williams (62%)
2. Dominika Cibulkova (21%)
3. Angelique Kerber (14%)
4. Madison Keys (3%)
2016 WTA Player of the Month Winners
January: Angelique Kerber
February: Carla Suárez Navarro
March: Victoria Azarenka
April: Angelique Kerber
May: Garbiñe Muguruza
How it works:
Finalists are selected by wtatennis.com
Winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com
Serena Williams’ press conference after her first round victory at the ASB Classic in Auckland.
GSTAAD, Switzerland – Top seed Timea Bacsinszky finally won her much-delayed second-round encounter against Mandy Minella at the Ladies Championship Gstaad.
After three days spent waiting for the rain to abate, Bacsinszky was clearly intent on making up for lost time, sweeping past qualifier Minella, 6-2, 6-2, in just 55 minutes. In the quarterfinals, the Swiss No.2 will face Johanna Larsson.
“We’ve been quite used to this for the past couple of months in Switzerland. You just have to be patient and you just have to have a good playlist and books with you,” Bacsinszky said. “And I’m also lucky to have a great team with me to help me pass the time quicker, so I don’t feel that I’m waiting so much.
“I’m happy that I was on court today and that I was able to catch the win. For sure it was a really good match for me and I’m looking forward to being on court again tomorrow.”
With the sun finally shining, Bacsinszky made the brightest of starts, a break in the opening game helping her to ease through the opening set.
“I started to be quite aggressive from the beginning on and I showed her that she would have to move me all around the court if she was to get some short balls. I was really focused on that and kept telling myself that if I kept the intensity up things would probably be okay!”
A lot of bang for the buck for the Swiss fans today! #WTAGstaad #SupportTheSwiss @TimeaOfficial pic.twitter.com/8MoHMil4LF
— Ladies Open Gstaad (@WTA_Gstaad) 15 July 2016
There was also plenty of home cheer elsewhere as Bacsinszky’s compatriots Viktorija Golubic and Rebeka Masarova both registered victories. Golubic overcame a slow start to defeat Evgeniya Rodina, 7-5, 6-1, while wildcard Masarova also finished strongly to defeat Anett Kontaveit, 7-6(2), 4-6, 6-2.
“It’s a great privilege to be one of those three players, and also to play the first tournament in 33 years here in Gstaad. Who knows, hopefully we will all go further in the tournament,” Bacsinszky added.
There were busy days for Bacsinszky’s fellow seeds, Kiki Bertens and Annika Beck, both of whom were on court early to complete protracted first-round assignments before returning later on to book their place in the last eight.
No.3 seed Bertens defeated Claire Feuerstein, 7-6(9), 6-1, while Beck, the No.5 seed, eased past Katerina Siniakova, 6-2, 6-1.
Dominika Cibulkova and Casey Dellacqua paid a special visit to the children at the Ronald McDonald House in Brisbane with WTA Charities.
NEWPORT, RI, USA – The International Tennis Hall of Fame officially welcomed two more WTA legends into the Hall of Fame family as seven-time Grand Slam champion Justine Henin was joined by Class of ’15’s Amélie Mauresmo were honored on Saturday’s Enshrinement Ceremony. Former No.1 Dinara Safina was also on hand to celebrate brother Marat’s own induction into the ITHF.
An Australian Open and Wimbledon champion – both in 2006 – Mauresmo was voted into the Hall of Fame last year, but was unable to attend the ceremony due to the birth of her son, Aaron.
The Class of 2016 (+ Mauresmo '15) @TennisHalloFame pic.twitter.com/5DprrfLWCW
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) July 16, 2016
The official enshrinement proved more than worth the wait for the Frenchwoman, who was introduced by former manager and WTA President, Micky Lawler.
“My heart is beating faster than it was on championship point for Amélie’s legendary 2006 Wimbledon title,” she began.
“Amélie’s superior game at the net, her elegance, and ease of movement are greatly missed. Among her unique qualities are her intelligence, her continuous drive for excellence, and her passion for a happy life. She is an extraordinary mom, armed with great compassion and an unmatched sense of humor. Amélie is the Queen of Hearts.
“For those of you who don’t know Amélie: when you call her, you are 100% certain of getting her voicemail with a recording that says, ‘If you’d like to leave a message, fine. But I will never call you back!’ – with great emphasis on ‘jamais.’
“Many who think they know her mistake her so-called ‘nerves’ or ‘uncertain trepidation,’ when in reality, she is first, incredibly respectful of her opponent, and second, as courageous as a lion, and as strong as her beloved little Aaron over there.”
.@AmeMauresmo poses with former manager and WTA President Micky Lawler @TennisHalloFame pic.twitter.com/ppDNseXNMw
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) July 16, 2016
Lawler went on to tell the story of helping align Mauresmo’s unique appeal with Reebok.
“As the No.1 player in the world in 2005, she was playing without a footwear or apparel contract, which is unheard of in our industry – especially if I am the manager. Sitting on that grassy area, I could feel Amélie’s disappointment and sadness by a certain lack of acceptance that was completely unjust. She had done everything right, but felt that the industry didn’t really believe in her.
“Reebok had just launched the campaign, ‘I Am What I Am,’ and that campaign was made for Amélie Mauresmo. With the help and unwavering support of the Reebok team, led by our extraordinary Dianne Hayes, we had Amélie’s beaming face on thousands of buses in Paris. Her smile said to millions of kids, ‘Live your life honestly. Live it fully, and live it with passion. Play to win, work hard, and never give up.'”
Mauresmo later took the stage and showed off that signature sense of humor with aplomb.
“You guys can call me; I’ll call you back, don’t worry!
“I’d to thank the Hall of Fame for postponing my induction and giving me the opportunity to be here with you today with my family. I’m a bit late, but it was worth it!
The Frenchwoman closed with an emotional plea for peace in the face of the Bastille Day attack in Nice.
“In Paris, Brussels, Tel Aviv. It has to stop. The only thing we can do to continue to be free, continue to be happy.”
16 Slams between them, @Justine_Henin poses with @MonicaSeles10s on the famed Horseshoe Court. pic.twitter.com/a1GjBqaPeO
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) July 16, 2016
Henin closed the ceremony after being introduced by Monica Seles, the only other woman to capture a hat trick of French Open titles, and the first big name to practice with a then-17-year-old Belgian back in 1999.
“As a fellow competitor of Justine,” Seles said, “what I always respected about her as I watched her rise from a junior to professional is that she never changed as a person. Justine’s journey reveals the power of a single person’s desire to achieve greatness in his or her own way.”
At 5’6″, Henin stood tall as she took the podium to tell her story of watching Seles win the third of her French Open titles, where she defeated Stefanie Graf in 1992.
“At six years old, I grew up in a small village in Belgium. I’d jump up and down on the bed like I won the French Open. But watching these two incredible women fighting with respect, passion, and dedication, it was a wonderful inspiration for me. I turned to my mom and told her that one day, I too would compete for this title.”
Henin: “I wasn't the biggest or the strongest. But like Amelie said, impossible is nothing. You have to believe.”??? pic.twitter.com/hTfStddetQ
— Tennis Hall of Fame (@TennisHalloFame) July 16, 2016
Just over a decade later, Henin fulfilled the promise she made to mother, Francoise – who had died of cancer when she was 12 – by defeating compatriot Kim Clijsters in the 2003 Roland Garros final.
“We were very lucky to be there at the same time,” she said earlier in the press conference. “I always say I wouldn’t have been the player I was without Kim. It was challenging being from a small country and being almost the same age. We traveled a lot together when we were young and were pretty close. When we became rivals on the tour, it became more competitive, but the respect was always there.
“Because of and with Kim, I was able to accomplish a lot of things. Seeing her succeed made me think I could do the same. Being No.1 and No.2 from a small country made the story different and made it more beautiful. She pushed me to get better and improve. It made us better players than we might have been.”
Safina was sitting in the front row of that very press conference as Marat was asked which of the brother-sister tandem was the better tennis player.
“What a stupid question! Of course, sister! Unfortunately, we weren’t so close when we were younger, because when I left for Spain at 14, she was eight. We were seeing each other only at Grand Slams, and it was a real pity that we couldn’t spend so much time together. We didn’t know each other and after a while we didn’t feel like brother and sister at some point because we were separated.
“Now we’re having a great time and finally I get to know her. She had great potential. Too bad she couldn’t make a Grand Slam winner, but she understands tennis much more than me, and she’s a better person.”
“He was my idol…I'm very proud of him.” Dinara here at @TennisHalloFame to support brother Marat Safin. pic.twitter.com/su9epPtjdB
— Blair Henley (@BlairHenley) July 16, 2016
All photos courtesy of Kate Whitney Lucey.
Together the Chan sisters are a world class doubles team, but today on the WTA Frame Challenge it’s Hao-Ching vs Yung-Jan. Find out which sister came out on top!
British No.1 Johanna Konta overcame Daria Kasatkina at the Apia International Sydney to move through to her second semifinals of 2017 without dropping a set.
ST. PETERSBURG, FL, USA – The Women’s Tennis Association and Cambridge Global Payments have entered into a three-year partnership whereby Cambridge will serve as the Official and Exclusive International Payments Provider of the WTA, responsible for fulfillment of prize money and corporate foreign exchange services for the WTA and its members.
“Cambridge’s in-depth knowledge and expertise in managing many international, and often complicated, financial transactions set them apart – especially when time sensitive payments and on-demand delivery are a must,” said WTA CEO and Chairman Steve Simon. “Their commitment to excellence reflect the high standards we expect at the WTA and we look forward to this partnership.”
Cambridge is one of the largest bank-independent providers of international payments, with offices across North America, Europe and Australia. Their award winning online platform and expertise in the business space has earned them global recognition, specifically for time sensitive payments.
Cambridge will provide the foreign exchange platform for facilitation of the payment of prize money between the WTA’s members – from tournaments to players. The WTA will oversee the handling of the program in conjunction with Cambridge. The WTA itself will also utilize Cambridge Global for all corporate foreign exchange services.
“We are extremely honored and excited to be selected as the Official and Exclusive International Payments Provider for the WTA and their members. As a global leader and specialist in international payments, Cambridge looks forward to working with such a prestigious association and their group of talented players,” said Anil Sawrup, Chief Commercial Officer, Cambridge Global Payments.
No.2 seed Agnieszka Radwanska earned a seventh straight win over Barbora Strycova to reach the Apia International Sydney final.