Two-time BNP Paribas Open finalist Svetlana Kuznetsova ended an impressive run from countrywoman Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to reach her first semifinal in nearly a decade.
Last month, SportsPro unveiled it annual list of the world’s 50 most marketable athletes. Once again, the WTA was well represented with three players making the cut.
French Open champion Garbiñe Muguruza led the way, entering the list at No.14 on the back of her recent exploits. Joining her is fellow new entrant Sania Mirza and last year’s No.1 Eugenie Bouchard.
Muguruza first burst onto the scene two years ago when she inflicted a humbling second-round defeat on defending champion Serena Williams at Roland Garros. Since then her star has grown, a Wimbledon final appearance laying the foundations for a brilliant second half of 2015. The 22-year-old hit her first bump in the road at the start of the current season, before a spectacular return culminating in her Paris triumph.
Viewed by many as the sports next big crossover star, Muguruza has seen sponsors come flocking – BBVA Bank, Maui Jim, adidas and Babolat are among her current portfolio – capitalizing on the decade-long quest to find a female icon to join Rafael Nadal atop the pedestal of Spanish tennis.
Life has not been quite so rosy for the new generation’s other great young hope, Eugenie Bouchard. However, following a turbulent 2015 campaign, the green shoots of recovery have begun to sprout.
Success on the court and charisma off it fuelled the Canadian’s initial rise to prominence, and now unburdened by the weight of expectation that hung around her neck for much of 2015, she has begun to climb back up the rankings. The qualities that first attracted Nike, Babolat, Coca-Cola and others remain, and her reunion with childhood mentor Nick Saviano is sure to hasten her return to tennis’ top table.
Mirza, on the other hand, has had no shortage of success over the past 12 months, her all-conquering partnership with Martina Hingis – the duo have won three of the past four Grand Slams – thrusting her back into the spotlight.
A superstar in her homeland for the best part of a decade, the Indian, whose contracts include adidas, Sahara India and Tata Tea, is a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations and was flagbearer at the 2012 Olympics.
Since SportsPro released its inaugural list in 2010, WTA players have been near ever-presents at the top of the pile, Caroline Wozniacki, Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Victoria Azarenka and Sloane Stephens all featuring down the years.
INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – Each year, WTA players vote for their favorite tournament in six different categories, and the BNP Paribas Open earned the disctinction of Premier Mandatory Tournament of the Year for the third successive season.
New Tournament Director and former ATP No.2 Tommy Haas accepted the award last week from WTA CEO Steve Simon, who was joined by Britain’s top-ranked talent, Johanna Konta.
Click here to check out the full list of winners.
Haas has been making the rounds in his new role at this year’s tournament, posting several photos on his official Instagram:
BIRMINGHAM, Great Britain – Ricoh Open champion CoCo Vandeweghe notched the biggest win of her career on Wednesday, vanquishing top seed Agnieszka Radwanska, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3, to advance into the second round of the Aegon Classic and win her sixth straight match.
Watch live action from Birmingham and Mallorca this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
Vandeweghe had never taken a set from the World No.3 in all four of their previous encounters – three of which took place in 2015 – but the big-hitting American edged out the only service break in a 57 minute opening set – one that had begun on Wednesday – to snap the Pole’s seven-set streak.
“She’s a tricky oponnent any way you slice it – I mean that as a pun and literally!” she joked during her on-court interview.
Radwanska held off Vandeweghe’s charge into the second set to hold serve just as the rain came to interrupt play once again.
“You have all these rain delays, a lot of breaks. It about keeping your mind on the game, which isn’t easy. But you have to do your best; I try to keep myself quiet, away from everybody. I don’t start thinking about other things, but hopefully this rain stays away for the rest of the week so we can play a full set all the way through. That would be nice!”
Rain…
…Again ☔️ #AegonClassic pic.twitter.com/hbT5ph8wyS
— WTA (@WTA) June 15, 2016
Losing serve to level the match, Vandeweghe rebounded well in the decider, racing out to a double-break lead; though she failed to serve out her first Top 5 win, she closed things out one game later to book a second round encounter with fellow American Christina McHale, hitting 48 winners to 33 unforced errors – forcing the issue far more than Radwanska’s 20 winners to 13 unforced.
Showing the sort of grass court efficiency that already earned her a title in the Netherlands, Vandeweghe also won 17 of her 24 forays at net, moving forward in the hopes of rushing the crafty Radwanska.
“I just stuck with my gameplan; I got myself into a little bit of trouble here and there in the first second and third set, but I just managed through it. Definitely the confidence from last week and winning the title helps get you out of that tricky situation. You’ve done it so well the week before that nothing really phases you and it’s just another match.
“She takes power and moves it around the court, but I didn’t think she could sustain it if I was able to be consistent with my power and pace. I thought I would overpower her, so that was my gameplan.
“She was going to hit some amazing shots, but I think overall if I stuck with it, I was going to beat her.”
Speaking later in her post-match press conference, Vandeweghe admitted to having to overcome a crisis of confidence in her first round in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, one that largely stemmed from failing to qualify for the US Olympic team.
“My first match on the grass, I was really extremely nervous. I was playing a local wildcard, and I never heard of her. You never know what you’re going do get with a wildcard. I mean, I’ve been a wildcard before.
“Whether it’s someone that crumbles in front of their home, can’t perform to their abilities, someone that plays out their mind because they’re rising to the occasion, like, Holy cow, I’m finally in the WTAs.
“I’ve played the part in both of those scenarios. I was kind of thinking in the wrong mind frame of, I’ve had such great results on grass, I’ve got to do it again, points and seeding for Wimbledon.
“I was also kind of dealing with a major letdown of I didn’t make the Olympic team and that was one of my biggest goals. So it was definitely a hard moment for me that I really internalized. I didn’t talk to anyone on my team. It was just kind of a disappointing moment for myself, heartbreaking moment for myself.”
Hear more from Vandeweghe in her Champion’s Corner interview on the latest episode of the WTA Insider Podcast:
Disappointed in defeat, Radwanska nonetheless spoke well of her opponent in press after the match.
“She was really consistent and solid. No free points from her,” she said in her post-loss press conference. “You can really see how she won the tournament last week.
“She was really playing good game and very consistent for all three sets. That’s surprised me a little bit as well.
“For me, was tough. First match is always tricky pretty much without the practice on the grass. I think I needed a couple more days to adjust. Hopefully Eastbourne will be better.”
? ? ? https://t.co/AdWIOXMh8I
— WTA (@WTA) June 15, 2016
From Malaysia and Mexico, players have jetted into the States for the start of three US swing events.
And after the rain delays elsewhere, they have been basking in the Sunshine State. Indian Wells boasts stunning mountain views as well as wonderful weather – so it’s no wonder that WTA stars love their time in California.
Right in the heart of the state’s Desert Resort communities, Indian Wells is the ideal place for rest and relaxation as well as fun and frolics. It’s home to fabulous spas, perfect for a spot of indulgence, and excellent shopping, with everything from boutiques to busy malls – and if you’re lucky you may bump into Karolina Pliskova, who’s looking forward to grabbing some retail therapy.
“When I am playing, I try to stay focused on the tennis,” she says. “But after the tournament, I will make sure to go to the Cabazon Outlets.”
And when they’re not on court, players can also enjoy dining at one of the city’s award-winning restaurants – such as Nobu, one of Svetlana Kuznetsova’s favourites.
“My friend staying with me is a great chef, so he is cooking healthy meals,” says the Russian. “But when I want to splurge, the Nobu overlooking Stadium 2 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden is amazing.”
There’s plenty more on offer too – take a tip from California girl CoCo Vandeweghe and try cruising around the desert in a four-wheeler.
“I go four-wheeling pretty much every year I come out to Indian Wells,” she reveals. “I play tennis for a living, but try to do something else fun and adventurous wherever I go.”
If you want to join your favourite tennis stars and explore Indian Wells, make sure you note Cambridge Global Payments’ Travel Tip: When booking a flight to your favorite tennis tournament, try to book on a Tuesday afternoon. Research shows that is when fares are typically the most favorable!
Highlights from the first and second round action at the Aegon Classic Birmingham.
No.8 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova edged past Karolina Pliskova in two tiebreak sets to reach her third final at the BNP Paribas Open, where Elena Vesnina awaits.
Yanina Wickmayer takes on Johanna Konta in the second round of the Aegon Classic.
In today’s SAP Stat Of The Day, Svetlana Kuznetsova notches a big milestone and reaches her 40th career WTA final.
Angelique Kerber had Friday’s shot of the day at the Aegon Classic.