The Best Moments Of The WTA Frame Challenge
From Alizé Cornet’s record-shattering performance to Naomi Osaka’s record low, take a look back at all the best WTA Frame Challenge moments!
From Alizé Cornet’s record-shattering performance to Naomi Osaka’s record low, take a look back at all the best WTA Frame Challenge moments!
WASHINGTON, DC, USA – Yanina Wickmayer made light of another sweltering day at the Citi Open to outplay Yulia Putintseva and reach her first final of 2016.
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On an afternoon when temperatures in the US capital reached as high as 97°F, No.7 seed Wickmayer was intent on keeping her time on court to a minimum. Bristling with positive intent from the outset, the Belgian rode a fast start all the way to a 6-4, 6-2 victory.
“It was very hot but its been like that every day so far. I knew she was going to make me work for every single point and it would be tough out there,” Wickmayer said in her on-court interview. “I just tried to stay positive, stay implemented focused, go for my shots and stay aggressive.”
Wickmayer’s intentions were clear from the off, a couple of big forehands helping her break in the opening game. This lead was soon stretched to 4-0 and while Putintseva managed to pull back one of the breaks it was not enough to rescue the set.
The second followed a similar pattern, Wickmayer bossing the majority of exchanges to confidently advance to the 11th final of her career. There she will face Lauren Davis after she ended wildcard Jessica Pegula’s run with a 6-2, 6-3 win in the night session..
Before that, though, Wickmayer was back on court alongside Monica Niculescu, defeating Shuko Aoyama and Risa Ozaki, 6-4, 6-3 to book a place in the doubles final. “That’s what I work for, playing finals and holding the trophy at the end of the week,” she added. “It just feels great to be in the final here I’ve done really well in the singles and doubles so I’m really enjoying my time here.”
An interview with Maria Sharapova ahead of the Brisbane International.
MONTREAL, Canada – Tennis Canada announced that Serena Williams is withdrawing from Rogers Cup due to shoulder inflammation.
Winner of three Rogers Cup titles, Serena reached the semifinals at the last two editions of the event.
“Due to inflammation in my shoulder, I unfortunately must withdraw from the Rogers Cup,” she said in a statement. “I was looking forward to competing in Montreal and I look forward to returning soon.”
“Of course, we are disappointed that Serena will not play in the tournament this year. The fans really enjoyed the time she spent in the city in 2014,” said Eugène Lapierre, tournament director of Rogers Cup presented by National Bank.
“Because this is an Olympic year, the players have very full schedules. Sometimes your body needs rest. We hope that Serena will recover quickly and wish her much success for the rest of the season.”
Serena Williams is forced to withdraw from #CoupeRogers due to inflammation in her shoulder. pic.twitter.com/J7vPz2Mzgv
— Coupe Rogers (@CoupeRogers) July 24, 2016
Yanina Wickmayer has Sunday’s shot of the day at the Brisbane International.
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An interview with Victoria Azarenka after her first round win at the Brisbane International.
Johanna Konta has been one of the best servers on the WTA in 2016, and she continued to use that strength to secure her first career title with a 7-5, 5-7, 6-2 win over Venus Williams in the Bank of the West Classic.
In Sunday’s final, Konta won 61% of her service points, slightly ahead of her season performance of 60%, which ranks 10th on the WTA.
SAP Tennis Analytics for Coaches shows that in the three-set final, Konta’s service numbers were significantly better in the first and third sets, both of which she won, compared to the second. In the two winning sets combined, she won 68% of points on her serve. In the second set, which she lost, she won just 51% of service points.
Konta started the second set well, winning eight of her first 10 service points while opening up a 4-1 lead. However, in the next four service games of the set, she won just 41% of her service points, allowing Williams to force the decider.
In the third set, Konta showed resiliency by responding to win 66% of her service points. She faced three break points in that final set, saving all of them.
Overall for the match, Konta saved 67% of the break points she faced. She served up an ace on two of the eight break points she won.
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.
“Service” tracking shows the landing point for all serves. The display differentiates between first serves, second serves and aces. Additional data on the screen shows the percentage of overall service points won as well as looking specifically at first and second serves. It can also be narrowed to show the performance on particular points in the match, such as break points.
Service success was the difference as Konta won her maiden WTA title.
22-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams took to Reddit, the platform co-founded by fiance Alexis Ohanian, to announce her engagement.
Victoria Azarenka takes on Elena Vesnina in the first round of the Brisbane International.