Tennis News

From around the world

Ranking Watch: Ostapenko New Teen Titan

Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Though she walked away with the runner-up trophy at the Qatar Total Open, Jelena Ostapenko’s run to the final of Doha nonetheless cut her ranking in half, moving up from No.88 to earned her a career-high ranking of No.41 – her Top 50 debut.

The Latvian joins fellow 18-year-olds Belinda Bencic (No.8) and Daria Kasatkina (No.46) to become the largest cohort of youngsters since April of 2009 (Caroline Wozniacki, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Sorana Cirstea).

“It’s great but it’s just the first step,” she said during the trophy ceremony – with all the impatience of youth. “But my goal is to be even higher, so I hope I can make it.”

Roaring through an effortless opening set, Ostapenko ultimately fell to Carla Suárez Navarro, 1-6, 6-4, 6-4; the 27-year-old Spaniard earned a second WTA title and rocketed up from No.11 to a career-high ranking of No.6, one away from her 2016 goal of being ranked among the Top 5 in the world.

“It’s amazing, a dream come true. I was in Top 10 last year but not No.6, so it’s a special number.”

Who else made big leaps in the last week?

Elena Vesnina (+29, No.118 to No.89): The 2016 Australian Open mixed doubles champion had struggled in singles for the last two years, but arguably played better than ever in back-to-back upsets over No.2 seed Simona Halep and former No.1 Caroline Wozniacki – a player she had only beaten once in seven previous encounters – to reach the quarterfinals in Qatar and return to the Top 100 for the first time since August 2015.

Zheng Saisai (+10, No.73 to No.63): Fellow Qatar Total Open quarterfinalist Zheng Saisai had a phenomenal day in Doha when she defeated top seed and reigning Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber, and later coming close to ending Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza’s then-40-match-winning streak in doubles. Zheng edges close to a Top 60 debut and returns to No.1 in China, taking the spot back from Melbourne quarterfinalist Zhang Shuai – a potentially crucial development looking ahead to Olympic qualifying.

Donna Vekic (+10, No.104 to No.94): The Croatian youngster also returned to the Top 100 following a solid week in Doha, qualifying for the main draw and pushing Suárez Navarro through two tight sets.

Eugenie Bouchard (+9, No.61 to No.52): Bouchard earned her first wins since the Australian Open; the 2014 Wimbledon finalist saved match points against qualifier Anastasija Sevastova in the opening round as she moves within striking distance of the Top 50.

Dominika Cibulkova (+9, No.66 to No.57): The 2014 Australian Open finalist made her first final in nearly two years at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel in Acapulco, playing an epic match against Sloane Stephens that ended in a final set tie-break.

Cagla Buyukakcay (+34, No.162 to No.128): A wildcard in Doha, the 26-year-old took out defending champion Lucie Safarova in the second round, rocketing up the rankings as she aims to make a long-awaited Top 100 debut.

Source link

Konta Swats Aside Stosur In Zhuhai Opener, Secures Top 10 Spot

Posted: Jan 01, 1970

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.

Source link

WTA Elite Trophy Ambassador Steffi Graf Lands In Zhuhai

Posted: Jan 01, 1970

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.

Source link

Road To Singapore Rolls Through Malaysia

Posted: Jan 01, 1970

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Dozens of children and fans in Kuala Lumpur got their first taste of tennis as the WTA Road To Singapore rolled through Malaysia, where they got to meet and practice against their regional hero Hsieh Su-Wei and hit with World No.10 Roberta Vinci.

“It was great to come out today to play with the children because I think it is important to encourage the next generation,” Hsieh shared after hosting the WTA Future Stars Clinic. “I started playing as a kid myself when I was five years old so I was glad to be able to share my experiences with them.”

Hsieh, Taiwan’s No.1 player, put on a clinic for young fans and also took the chance to share some tips with a group of local competitive players. She was joined on court by Belinda Chai, who represented Malaysia in the WTA Future Stars Tournament in 2014 at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. The tournament brings together players from 17 Asia-Pacific markets to compete against each other at the WTA Finals.

The goal of WTA Future Stars is to promote tennis among children throughout the Asia-Pacific region and encourage them to take the next step in their interest in tennis, as well as to inspire players who are already playing competitively to continue to pursue their passion for tennis through an opportunity to hear from a professional.

Located in Kuala Lumpur, the BMW Malaysian Open is a stop on the Road to Singapore and the closest event geographically to Singapore, the home of the WTA Finals taking place October 23-30, 2016. As a part of the community outreach to promote tennis in the region, No.10-ranked Roberta Vinci and 2015 WTA Future Stars participant Zhu Lin took to the heart of the city to play tennis on a pop-up court at the KLCC Esplanade against the backdrop of the iconic Petronas Towers.

Fans and members of the public got the chance to pick up a racquet and try their hand at playing against the pros. Check out the photos below to see how they did:

Source link

Konta Races Into Zhuhai Semifinals, Kvitova Also Advances

Posted: Jan 01, 1970

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.”

Source link

Kristyna Pliskova Captures Dalian Title

Posted: Jan 01, 1970

DALIAN, China – Kristyna Pliskova took home the biggest trophy in her young career on Sunday, outlasting Misa Eguchi as the Japanesewoman was forced to retire with a left knee injury, 7-5, 4-6, 2-5, ret.

Watch free live streaming from Dalian 125K all week right here!

As Pliskova’s twin sister Karolina fought her way into her first Grand Slam final at the US Open, the big-serving Czech star made a final of her own at the WTA 125K Series event. Up against Eguchi, the No.7 seed, Pliskova was two points from defeat when Eguchi was stricken by a left knee injury.

Eguchi attempted to play on, but was later taken off court in a stretcher a few points later.

For Pliskova, the title is nonetheless a high point as it helps her re-enter the Top 100 with her first WTA singles title of any kind; she and Karolina previously partnered up to win three WTA doubles titles.

More to come…

Source link

Svitolina Pulls Off Konta Upset For Spot In Zhuhai Final

Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Elina Svitolina booked a final battle against Petra Kvitova at the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai after coming back from a set down to oust the No.1 seed Johanna Konta.

Source link

Insider Podcast: Coaches Corner

Posted: Jan 01, 1970

NEW YORK, NY, USA – No one knows Angelique Kerber’s game as well as Torben Beltz. The 39-year-old has coached the now two-time major champion and new World No.1 since she was 16-years-old, and though they’ve had their breaks apart, the decision to resume their partnership in the Spring of 2015 has paid nothing but dividends.

After reuniting before the BNP Paribas Open last march, Kerber went on to win four Premier titles in Charleston, Stuttgart, Birmingham, and Stanford. By the end of the year, no one had won more matches than Kerber. But after a disappointing season at the Slams and a pressure-soaked loss to Lucie Safarova at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global to end the year, the two set their sights on the majors.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

WTA Insider caught up with Beltz the day after Kerber’s New York triumph, to discuss how Team Kerber got to this point, the keys to their success, and what they’re looking to build on going forward.

Listen to the full interview on the WTA Insider Podcast:

On trying to keep a relaxed atmosphere around Kerber:

I think it’s very important to keep her relaxed, especially here. When she was playing against Caroline Wozniacki, it was clear she was already No.1, but I thought it wasn’t good to make a big deal out of this because she had to play Caroline in the next five minutes. We really tried to keep it relaxed then, which was not so easy to be No.1 and be relaxed!

But we kept it easy, and I told her, ‘You have to focus on the match, because against Caroline, it’s going to be a very tough match.’ You could see there were a lot of long rallies and she had to play her best tennis. But she was focused again, and I think it’s working out very good.

On whether Kerber’s 2016 was a surprise:

We all knew that she was going to be a very good player. I knew that before. But I have to say after this year, it’s for sure surprising to be in three Grand Slam finals. We cannot take that for granted. I knew she could play very good tennis; I knew her when she was young and outstanding in Germany. We all knew she could play very good, but it’s incredible and amazing for me. It’s a good story.

On Kerber’s work ethic:

Success doesn’t come from nothing; you have to work every day. As a player, you have to sacrifice and a lot, and I think she’s earned what she’s getting now. It’s a day-to-day process, as well, like in the off-season, we worked on the serve. We tried to work hard every day, trying to figure out new things, something special so it’s not too boring after eight weeks. But we did a good job, and we’re happy.

On how he came to be Kerber’s coach:

Our first meeting was when she was 12 or 13 in Germany. She was winning U18 Nationals at 15. She was outstanding, but in the beginning, she was such a talented girl, who knew where the ball was coming. She wasn’t working that hard at the time, when she was young. But it really changed, and that’s why she’s playing so well at the top level.

The first time we met, the family and coaches were looking for somebody who would help her take the first steps onto the pro tour. She was ranked around No.300 and finished with school, so they needed someone who was young and liked to travel, and could play decent tennis! So I came in to help her play some 25Ks, some junior tournaments. We started when she was around 16, 17, for one or two years. Then she had a shoulder operation, and we stopped. We came back around 2011, after being on and off for quite a time. It’s fun to work with her; she’s pretty good.

On the challenges of coaching Kerber:

“It’s a big challenge, and never gets boring. We’re always looking at new things, every day. There are always improvements to make, where for me as a coach, the job is never finished. She’s No.1, won Grand Slams, but it’s not finished; there are still things to work on. For me, it’s perfect to see that, and we’re happy to go to the next step. Right now, she’s won a Grand Slam and I can say it’s easy, but when she’s frustrated in practice or losing, it’s not always easy. But we have a good way to talk about things; we solve problems together. Our communication is good.”

On losing a “hairy” bet with Kerber:

I saw two players at a golf tournament, where they had a bet not to shave, and I told Angie that if she won the US Open, I wouldn’t shave my mustache for the five or six weeks of the Asian Swing. So, it’s not going to look that great, but let’s see. It’s worth it for the Slam. We’ll see what happens.

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.

Source link

WTA Frame Challenge: Timea Babos

Posted: Jan 01, 1970

It’s time for another WTA Frame Challenge – this time it’s Timea Babos who’s up for the test! See how she did right here!

Source link

Ranking Watch: Pliskova Continues Rise

Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Over the past month Karolina Pliskova has played a central role in one of the summer’s most fascinating storylines: the battle for No.1.

As she had in Cincinnati, Pliskova’s actions proved decisive at the US Open, a stunning upset of six-time champion Serena Williams confirming that Angelique Kerber would reach top spot for the first time.

Amidst all this, it should not be forgotten that Pliskova is also on the rise, playing the best tennis of her career. And she has the ranking to show for it.

While defeat in the final to Kerber denied the willowy Czech a Top 5 debut, it could not prevent her rising to a career-high No.6 in the rankings. And with several of those above her in the rankings having significant points to defend between now and the end of the season, a productive stay in Asia could well see Pliskova rise further.

Pliskova, though, was not the only one eagerly awaiting the release of the new rankings…

Carla Suárez Navarro (+4, No.12 to No.8): After cruising to the last 16, Suárez Navarro produced an unusually subdued showing in defeat against Simona Halep at Flushing Meadows, a setback that will be comforted somewhat by her return to the Top 10.

Caroline Garcia (+11, No.33 to No.24): For the second time in three majors, Garcia’s challenge was ended by the wiles of Agnieszka Radwanska, however, hard-fought wins in her first two matches were enough to reach a career-high No.24.

Timea Babos (+8, No.34 to No.26): Also performing well in New York was Babos, whose first third-round appearance at an event of this stature was rewarded with a career-high ranking.

Caroline Wozniacki (+25, No.74 to No.29): After a campaign hampered by injury, Wozniacki provided a timely reminder of her considerable talents, counterpunching masterclasses against Svetlana Kuznetsova and Madison Keys taking her back to the Flushing Meadows semifinals and the Top 30.

Anastasija Sevastova (+16, No.48 to No.32): Sevastova made a lot of friends in New York with her fearless performances on the court and candid words in the press room. Victories over Garbiñe Muguruza and Johanna Konta caught the eye as she reached a maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal

Ana Konjuh (+40, No.92 to No.52): Three years after lifting the junior US Open trophy, Konjuh made waves in the senior event, upsetting Radwanska to reach the quarterfinals. The result catapulted her back up the rankings and within touching distance of a Top 50 debut.

Naomi Osaka (+12, No.81 to No.69): Tempering the disappointment of a painful third-round exit to Madison Keys at Flushing Meadows was a career-high ranking as Osaka continues to close in on the Top 50.

Duan Ying-Ying (+11, No.103 to No.92): Although Duan’s homecoming at the WTA125K in Dalian ended earlier than expected, a run through qualifying to the second round in New York was enough to bring a Top 100 debut.

While in doubles…
The failure of Martina Hingis, one half of last year’s US Open winning team, to reach the final alongside new partner CoCo Vandeweghe ensured the other half, Sania Mirza, hung onto the doubles No.1 ranking. The US Open fortnight were her 71st and 72nd week on top – only Gigi Fernandez (80 weeks), Paola Suarez (87), Sara Errani (87), Roberta Vinci (110), Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario (111), Natasha Zvereva (124), Lisa Raymond (137), Cara Black (163), Liezel Huber (199) and Martina Navratilova (237) have been World No.1 for longer.

A little lower down the pecking order, Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova victory in New York saw them rise to No.6 and No.16, respectively.

Source link

Tennis News

From around the world

Subscribe to our newsletter