Miami: Sunday Highlights
Highlights from third round action at the Miami Open.
Serena Williams had Monday’s shot of the day at the Miami Open.
An interview with Angelique Kerber after her win in the quarterfinals of the Miami Open.
Svetlana Kuznetsova takes on Timea Bacsinszky in the semifinals of the Miami Open.
Walking along the cobblestone streets of Charleston, South Carolina often makes visitors feel like they’ve entered another century. Add that to the beautiful parks, open-air markets, and some of the best food in the United States and you will quickly understand why Charleston is one of the most visited cities in the United States.
With help from our guest contributor and former Volvo Car Open champion Samantha Stosur, this edition of the WTA Travel Guide lets you know where to stay, where to eat and what to do on your next trip to Charleston.
WATCH THE MATCHES
Just outside of downtown Charleston lies the charming Davis Island, home to the Family Circle Tennis Center and the 2016 Volvo Car Open. A WTA event since 1973, the Volvo Car Open boasts one of the most impressive former champions list of any tournament on tour, with previous winners including Chris Evert, Steffi Graf, Serena Williams, and Angelique Kerber.
The 2016 Volvo Car Open runs April 2 – April 10, with qualifying on April 2 & 3 and main draw running from April 4 – 10. Matches start at 10 AM each day, with night sessions each night at 7 PM starting on April 5. For tickets, click here.
If you can’t make it to the matches this year, you’re in luck because the Volvo Car Open is proud to be able to provide live streaming from all outer courts and practice courts throughout the week through Stre.am.com. Click here to watch.
Known for the family-friendly environment, fan engagement initiatives, and cozy atmosphere that lets fans get up-close and personal with their favorite players, the Volvo Car Open is one of the players’ favorite stops during the season. For a list of all of the activities happening throughout the week of the tournament, check out the Fan Guide and the events page.
WHERE TO STAY
Settled in the heart of downtown Charleston, the Belmond Charleston Place is the perfect place to stay during your trip. With 435 guest rooms and suites, the Belmond Charleston Place combines historic charm with modern amenities, such as the award-winning Charleston Grill, rooftop pool, and spa. The central location makes it ideal for walking to restaurants, sights and nightlife.
WHERE TO EAT
Charleston boasts some of the best restaurants in the country and offers something delicious for everyone. While nearly impossible to choose the best, here are a couple of the WTA Travel Guide’s favorites:
For good ‘ole fashioned Southern hospitality and one of the best steaks you’ll ever have, head to Halls Chophouse. Family-owned and operated, Halls Chophouse is listed as Trip Advisor’s #5 best restaurant in the United States and each member of the staff makes sure each guest feel as welcome and special as possible.
Head to Basil for refined Thai food in a more trendy setting. Grab a table or sit up at the bar in front of the open kitchen to watch the chefs at work making specialties like Pad Thai or Basil Duck.
WHAT TO DO
The beautiful weather in Charleston lends itself to plenty of outdoor activities and exploring the city by foot. Named Charleston’s most visited attraction, and one of the oldest public markets in the United States, the Charleston City Market features 300 vendors selling everything from artwork to home goods to local cuisine. The market is open Monday to Sunday 9:30 AM – 6:00 PM. Also, stop by the market after dinner on Friday and Saturday from 6:30 PM – 10:30 PM for the night market.
If you’re looking for the perfect picnic spot or to see beautiful historic fountains, head over to Waterfront Park. Featuring floral displays, a great lawn area and plenty of sunshine, Waterfront Park is the ideal way to spend an afternoon.
SAMANTHA STOSUR’S FAVORITE SPOTS
Our guest contributor, Samantha Stosur, knows a thing or two about Charleston. After winning the title in 2010, Stosur has been a constant in the player field and ranks Charleston as one of her favorite stops on tour.
The city itself is one of my favorite cities in the States so I love to come back each year. The hospitality of the South really makes you feel welcome and makes me want to see as much of the city as possible and go to as many places as I can while I’m there.
The tournament is always so well supported. Crowds are great and they get into any of the matches – whether it’s qualifying singles, doubles or the main draw.
Make sure to eat at as many restaurants as possible. I love the food in Charleston, there are so many great places to pick from. My favorite restaurant is FIG. I’ve eaten there many times over the years and always love it. Andrew behind the bar makes a mean cocktail too so enjoy trying a creation from him. Unfortunately I have to wait until the end of the tournament to have a cocktail!
Also I enjoy the horse carriage tours. I’ve done it a few times and each time I hear something new about the city. It’s a great way to get around and explore.
I’d love to make it to Charleston at another time of the year to visit for a holiday.
Sabine Lisicki takes on Irina Falconi in the first round of the Volvo Car Open.
Eugenie Bouchard takes on Alexandra Dulgheru in the first round of the Volvo Car Open.
Sloane Stephens takes on Daria Gavrilova in the third round of the Volvo Car Open.
An interview with Elena Vesnina after her quarterfinal win at the Volvo Car Open.
THE WINNERS
Sloane Stephens was a point from a one-set deficit against 2011 Volvo Car Open finalist Elena Vesnina, but the young American turned the tide in emphatic style, capturing her third title of the season, 7-6(4), 6-2.
“I just said to myself, ‘You have to fight for every point and compete.’ She’s a great player, so I knew I had to stay in every point,” Stephens said after the match.
“Obviously coming into here I have a lot of anxiety coming into this tournament because I’ve never done well here. I just thought, you know, I’m just going to go have fun. “I don’t have anything to lose. My life is great. It’s tennis. And this is what I do every week. So I kind of just changed my mindset, and that worked. So I should just do that every week.”
Read the full story and watch highlights here.
Meanwhile, Dominika Cibulkova captured her first WTA final since 2014 at the Katowice Open, taking out three-time finalist Camila Giorgi, 6-4, 6-0. Cibulkova was in her second final of 2016 – having narrowly missed out on the Abierto Mexicano Telcel title to Sloane Stephens.
“You have to go by small steps, and this is just a small step for me to get to where I want to be,” said Cibulkova, who missed much of 2015 recovering from an Achilles injury. “I proved that through the last matches – how I finished them – that I’m a really good player and this is how I want to play.”
Read the full story here.
GAME, SET, MATCH: WTA Insider
Game: Sloane Stephens’ Premier Milestone.
From being match point down to Daria Kasatkina in the quarterfinals to tournament champion on Sunday, Stephens’ run to her biggest career title at the Volvo Car Open was as much of a rollercoaster as her 2016 season, which has been all about the boom or bust. Stephens has played six tournaments this year. In three she lost in her opening match (Australian Open, Indian Wells, Miami), in the other three she went on to win the title (ASB Classic, Abierto Mexicano TELCEL, and Volvo Car Open). When Sloane Stephens wins, she wins in bunches.
Prior to this year, Stephens carried a dismal 1-5 record in Charleston, a frustrating clip given how much she loved the tournament, the city, and playing on clay. This year, Stephens knocked off three quality Top 40 players in Daria Gavrilova, Daria Kasatkina, and Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber (Kerber retired due to a viral illness) en route to the final, where she was pushed to the limit in the first set before defeating Elena Vesnina 7-6(4), 6-2.
Set: Dominika Cibulkova’s Slow Climb.
Cibulkova has been playing well above her ranking this year. More often than not she’s been the most dangerous unseeded player at the tour’s biggest events so far. Her romp to her first title since 2014 was no big surprise at the Katowice Open. Cibulkova dropped just one set all week and capped off her semifinal and final wins with second set bagels. This was a dominant and deserved week for Cibulkova, who is up to No.38 in the rankings.
Match: Angelique Kerber and Lara Arruabarrena put on a show.
It wasn’t a match many people saw, but Kerber’s 6-2, 5-7, 7-6(3) win over Arruabarrena was some inspired stuff from both women, particularly the Spaniard. Ranked No.80, Arruabarrena looked to be primed for a quick exit after the first set, which was no surprise given her road to Charleston:
Sunday (Osprey's ITF)
Semis 2 sets???
Final 3 sets???
??–8 hours–> Charleston 3am
Monday (Charleston WTA)
1R 3 sets???Tomorrow 2R… ?
— Lara Arruabarrena (@laraarrua) April 5, 2016
Arruabarrena found a way to raise her level and gave Kerber everything she had for the next two hours, as the two slugged it out on a cool night on the green clay. In the end it was Kerber’s resilience and experience that brought her over the finish line, but this was a performance to remember for Arruabarrena. It was one of the best matches of the year.
For matches like this i play tennis
A shame i lost but i had such a figther at the other site of the net. Best of luck for @AngeliqueKerber— Lara Arruabarrena (@laraarrua) April 6, 2016
RANKING MOVERS:
Notable singles ranking movers for the week of April 11, 2016.
Elena Vesnina (RUS), +34 (No.85 to 51): Vesnina’s run to the final of the Volvo Car Open gives her the biggest ranking jump of the week and puts her within reach of the Top 50. Vesnina, a finalist in Charleston in 2011, had to play through qualifying just to reach the main draw.
Dominika Cibulkova (SVK), +15 (No.53 to 38): Cibulkova claimed her first title of the year – and her first since 2014 – at the Katowice Open this week and earned a 15-point ranking jump, putting her back into the Top 40.
Sloane Stephens (USA), +4 (No.25 to 21): Stephens grabbed her third title of the year at the Volvo Car Open and keeps inching higher and higher up the rankings – this week she’s up to No.21.
Daria Kasatkina (RUS), +3 (No.35 to 32): 18-year-old Kasatkina reached her first Premier-level quarterfinal on clay this week in Charleston, sending her up three spots to No.32. Even more significantly, the jump gives her a greater chance of being seeded at the French Open.
Agnieszka Radwanska (POL), +1 (No.3 to 2): Radwanska and Angelique Kerber continue their tug-of-war with the No.2 spot – they’ve traded it off four times in the last four ranking runs.
UPCOMING TOURNAMENTS
Claro Open Colsanitas
Bogotá, Colombia
International | $226,750 | Clay
Monday, April 11 – Sunday, April 17, 2016
Porsche Tennis Grand Prix
Stuttgart, Germany
Premier | $693,900 | Clay, Indoor
Monday, April 18 – Sunday, April 24, 2016
TOP 20 PLAYER SCHEDULES
1. Serena Williams
2. Agnieszka Radwanska – Stuttgart
3. Angelique Kerber – Stuttgart
4. Garbiñe Muguruza – Stuttgart
5. Victoria Azarenka
6. Simona Halep – Stuttgart
7. Petra Kvitova – Stuttgart
8. Roberta Vinci – Stuttgart
9. Maria Sharapova
10. Belinda Bencic – Stuttgart
11. Carla Suárez Navarro – Stuttgart
12. Flavia Pennetta
13. Svetlana Kuznetsova – Stuttgart
14. Venus Williams
15. Lucie Safarova – Stuttgart
16. Elina Svitolina – Bogotá
17. Timea Bacsinszky
18. Karolina Pliskova – Stuttgart
19. Ana Ivanovic – Stuttgart
20. Sara Errani
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
Best wishes to those celebrating birthdays this week:
Elizaveta Kulichkova (RUS) – April 12, 1996
Richel Hogenkamp (NED) – April 16, 1992
Taylor Townsend (USA) – April 16, 1996