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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – Venus Williams’ second trip to the BNP Paribas Open since 2001 is quickly bearing fruit as the Australian Open runner-up rolled past former World No.5 Lucie Safarova, 6-4, 6-2.

“I really, really, really, really want to do well here!” she exclaimed during her on-court interview. “I’m from California, and I love the hardcourts. This is an opportunity for me to shine at home, so I’m going for it.”

“I felt really pretty good off the ground,” she added in her post-match press conference. “This court is tricky as the ball stops, so a lot of the times you’re not hitting the ball where you think you’re going to hit it. So it definitely takes adjustments.

“I don’t know if there’s enough time to adjust, anyway. You just kind of like deal with it. So it’s an interesting court. You know, I felt like I was being able to string points together, which of course puts pressure on my opponents if I’m not making as many errors.”

The American was on the brink of defeat in her opening round match against fellow former No.1 Jelena Jankovic, having had to recover from match point down to defeat the Serb in three sets.

“I can hit the ball, and I can hit it well. If anything, I feel like I’m getting better. So as long as I’m improving, I want to be here. On the day that I’m not improving and this is a realization, then that’s when you know you have to walk away. So not there yet.”

But there were far fewer problems against Safarova, who’d knocked out Australian Open semifinalist CoCo Vandeweghe in her previous match.

What was working for Venus today?

“Forehand, backhand, serve, return,” she joked. “I respect my opponent so much; it’s never easy to play a lefty because you feel the ball coming from all different directions. You feel unbalanced, but my focus was so laser that it felt good to compete in these conditions.”

In all, Venus struck 15 winners to just nine unforced errors, while Safarova hit 20 winners of her own and 27 unforced errors. More aggessive off the return, the five-time Wimbledon winner broke serve four times and one all eight points at net.

“It won’t be easy. It won’t be easy,” she repeated when asked about whether she could win the tournament. “But I would like to try. What else can I do except try? And it hasn’t really been the easiest draw, either. I’ve played some opponents who know how to play tennis. And just because your ranking says this, doesn’t mean that you do not know how to win a match.

“And I’ve had history against these opponents, so not the easiest draw so it was good to come through that.”

Up next will be resurgent qualifier Peng Shuai, who stunned No.6 seed Agnieszka Radwanska, 6-4, 6-4.

“Every day is a grind. I’m just out there trying to make a difference on the court and in my life and others’ lives where I can.”

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WTA Stars: They Said

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

The top WTA stars discuss overcoming adversity and becoming strong than those who didn’t believe in them.

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News | WTA Tennis English

News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

After a short lull in the post-Australian Open period, tennis fashion is again a hot topic as WTA players are freshly geared up for the BNP Paribas Open, the most attended tennis event in the world outside of the four Grand Slams. Marija Zivlak of Women’s Tennis Blog will present us the Top 5 new outfits that grace the courts at the state-of-the-art Indian Wells Tennis Garden in the Coachella Valley.

Garbiñe Muguruza

Garbiñe Muguruza has already launched the black-and-white designs prepared for the French Open and they’re nothing short of spectacular. While the Spaniard is set to work on her Paris title defense in the adidas Summer Stella McCartney Dress 2, this fortnight in Indian Wells she introduced the adidas Summer Stella McCartney Sleeveless Polo, unique for its updated pique fabric and prominent front slits, and the lightweight adidas Summer Stella McCartney Pleated Skirt, featuring integrated compression shorts.

Garbine Muguruza

The skirt’s contrast hem nicely matches the thin lining at the polo’s collar, while the pops of color at zipper and heat transfer logo are coordinated with Muguruza’s red Stella Barricade 2017 shoes.

Jelena Jankovic

There’s nothing more wonderful than an updated take on a retro look. Combining the historic trio of red, white and navy, with a refreshing touch of Fila’s archival green hue, the new Heritage collection shows the beauty of simplicity with its timeless silhouettes that have a contemporary aesthetic. The collection’s masterpiece is the Fila Spring Heritage II Racer Dress, looking gorgeous on the 2010 Indian Wells champion Jelena Jankovic. Since the tournament venue is known for its 354 days of sunshine a year, the dress’ UV 30 protection is more than welcome.

Belinda Bencic

Once the most prominent representative of Yonex, Belinda Bencic made a fresh start at the 2017 BNP Paribas Open, exposing her new apparel sponsor Nike, winning her first match of the season, and showing her new blonder hairstyle. The Swiss rocked the Maria Sharapova line, in particular the color-block Nike Spring Premier Maria Tank and a simple white skirt, perfectly accessorizing the look with black-and-white wristbands, white nails, and green fluorescent visor that matches the tank’s contrast V-neck.

Heather Watson

Always vibrant and youthful, New Balance opened this year’s Indian Wells tournament in style, as their representatives Heather Watson and Nicole Gibbs faced each other in the match kicking off main-draw play. A ballerina-style pleated New Balance Spring Heath Skirt, featuring orange compression shorts that can be seen through stretch tulle mesh, is nicely paired with a classic athletic look of the New Balance Spring Richmond Tank.

Nicole Gibbs

The 996v3 shoes ensured Watson’ and Gibbs’ stability by keeping their feet in optimal position even during sharp lateral movements.

Madison Keys

At the Australian Open, Nike launched one of their most powerful separates ever and after the black-and-white combo we’re enjoying the lively green version of the look. Madison Keys and many other players are making a fashion statement in this curved-hem Spring Premier Slam Tank and Spring Print Power Spin Skirt whose innovative graphic exudes the sporting dominance we associate with Nike. The Zoom Vapor 9.5 Tour footwear give Keys ultimate comfort and support her quickness.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Venus Williams

Venus Williams is progressing through the Indian Wells draw in her EleVen Intrepid collection, which she describes as bold and smart and expects it to resonate strongly with the tennis and fitness community. The collection is centered around a graphic print in black and white, while colorful outfits can be created by combining pieces in limelight and berry.

Agnieszka Radwanska

After periods of flashy dresses, Lotto is again consistently catering to customers who appreciate utmost simplicity and sporty elegance. Agnieszka Radwanska‘s orange Lotto Spring Shela III Dress features textured mesh fabric and rounded skirt hem that brings a bit of softness to the cut.

Vote for your Indian Wells fashion favorites in the poll below!

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Seven Things: Melbourne Review

Seven Things: Melbourne Review

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

1. Angelique Kerber flipped a switch: The Australian Open champion leaves Australia with a 12-1 record to start the season, with her sole loss coming in the Brisbane International final to Victoria Azarenka. Just a few weeks later she defiantly avenged that lost, knocking Azarenka out of Melbourne in straight sets, and then topped the other tournament favorite, top seed Serena Williams, in three sets to win her first major title.

But even before Kerber got her hands on the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Trophy, there were signs early in January that this was a different Kerber. A change in strings in the off-season gave her more pop on her strokes – particularly her serve – which she used effectively against Serena. She was also noticeably fitter, after a grueling off-season with her new trainer. And it was impossible to ignore how much more open Kerber was when discussing herself. Prior to Brisbane, she told the WTA her New Year’s Resolution was to get on Instagram, in hopes of giving fans more insight into her life on tour.

That mindset of opening up and putting herself out there has seeped into her press conferences, interviews, and on court. Kerber’s 2016 mantra has been to go out there and win matches, not wait for her opponent to give it to her. So far, so good.

2. Serena Williams remains the one to beat: Despite her loss in the Australian Open final, Serena exceeded my expectations with respect to her level at the start of the season. There were worries after her Hopman Cup withdrawal due to knee inflammation, but through six rounds in Melbourne absolutely no one was playing as well as Serena. That’s a very encouraging sign for her 2016 season.

As she chases Slam No. 22, it’s also worth noting just how much external and internal pressure she’s trying to handle. When Serena got to Slam No. 17 at the 2013 US Open it took her four more majors until she captured the Evert and Navratilova-tying No. 18 a year later. Prior to that she lost to Ana Ivanovic in Melbourne, Garbiñe Muguruza in Paris, and Alizé Cornet at Wimbledon.

Agnieszka Radwanska, Serena Williams

3. Agnieszka Radwanska shows no signs of slowing down: No one beats Serena on a day she hits 18 winners to just 4 unforced errors in a 20 minute set. Radwanska conceded as much after her 6-0, 6-4 loss in the Australian Open semifinals. But the WTA Finals winner remains the winningest player on tour since the US Open last year — 26 wins, four titles — and leaves Australia with just one loss on the season.

4. Victoria Azarenka remains on the rise: After the first week in Melbourne, it seemed like everyone was ready to hit the fast forward button to the presumed final between Serena and Vika. The big record scratch late in the second week came at the hands of Kerber. The straight set loss to a player she had never lost to (6-0 vs. Kerber) was a disappointment, no doubt.

“I’m going to be disappointed today,” Azarenka said after the loss. “I’m going to be pissed off. I’m going to let myself have that.

“But overall it’s not going to affect me in any way because I know the work that I put through, it’s paying off. I just need to do more. I need to keep going to be even more consistent. I’ve shown good signs. I’ve shown good quality, way more consistent, physically much better. I need to assess a little bit what I can improve and keep moving direction forward.”

That was the pitch-perfect response from Azarenka in a difficult moment. She leaves Australia disappointed. But she also leaves incredibly hungry and encouraged. Watch out.

Zhang Shuai, Madison Keys

5. Injuries are just the worst: There’s no way of ignoring the injury plague that affected so many players in January. On one hand, some of the Chicken Little reactions to early season withdrawals were completely overblown. Serena, Kerber, Radwanska, and Maria Sharapova showed few signs of being hampered by injuries that forced them out of pre-Australian Open tournaments.

On the other hand, three key players – Simona Halep (achilles), Garbiñe Muguruza (foot), and Madison Keys (adductor) – remain hampered by long-standing, chronic frailties. These are not the kinds of injuries that just need a two week break to heal. How they manage their training and schedules going forward will be of much interest.

6. There will be more Grand Slam talk in 2016: Serena dominated the conversation in 2015 as she chased both the “Serena Slam” and the calendar Grand Slam through New York. But 2016 belongs to Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis.

With their third straight major title, “SanTina” can complete the non-Calendar Slam in May at the French Open. Clay remains their worst surface, but with the way they’ve dominated the tour over the last 12 months, that’s a lot like saying clay is Roger Federer’s worst surface. They’re still very good on it. If SanTina can snag the title at Roland Garros, the Grand Slam is well within their reach.

Daria Gavrilova

7. New faces to watch: The first week of the Australian Open belonged to the fresh new faces who went seed-hunting and notched milestone Slam results en masse. There were the trio of Russian youngsters – Margarita Gasparyan, Elizaveta Kulichkova, and Daria Kasatkina – all of whom made the third round or better in their Australian Open debuts and now have rankings that will get them into the main draw at more tour-level tournaments.

They may not hold Russian passports anymore, but Daria Gavrilova and Yulia Putintseva also had tournaments to remember, with the former knocking out Petra Kvitova to make the fourth round and the latter stunning Caroline Wozniacki to make the third round.

Finally, no discussion of January would be complete without Johanna Konta and Zhang Shuai. Konta is now up to No.28 in the rankings thanks to her run to the Australian Open semifinals and it will be interesting to see how she handles the increased spotlight and pressure that comes with being the No.1 Brit. The same goes for Zhang, who now finds herself in the surprising position of going from the brink of retirement to being the No.1 out of China at No.65.

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – Former doubles No.1 Martina Hingis seems to be hitting her stride with new partner Chan Yung-Jan; together the No.6 seeds ousted Hingis’ former partner Sania Mirza and fellow No.4 seed Barbora Strycova, 6-4, 6-4, to reach the semifinals at the BNP Paribas Open.

“It’s great,” Hingis said after the match. “It’s only our third tournament together, and I feel like we’re getting better with each match. The confidence and trust between us is growing, and I think that’s the most important thing to win matches today and in the future.

“We’re going in the right direction.”

Hingis paired up with Chan at the start of the Middle East Swing, reaching the semifinals of the Qatar Total Open and the quarterfinals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Taking on Mirza and Strycova for the first time since switching partners, Hingis overcame tough opposition with the Taiwanese star by her side, ousting their higher-seeded opponents in just over an hour and 20 minutes.

“Definitely today’s match wasn’t easy,” Chan added. “Those two players are great, and they’re top players. We kept staying strong and staying together. Even though we’re a new team, we were able to make everything work. I think it’s been pretty good so far. We’re looking forward to our upcoming matches.”

Chan formerly served as stiff competition to both Hingis and Mirza when she played with sister Chan Hao-Ching, winning the last match against the team formerly known as Santina before they went on a 41-match winning streak from the end of 2015 to the beginning of 2016, playing quite a few tough matches against the pair in between.

“We know each other from playing against each other, like every single week!” she joked. “We’ve been practicing and spending a lot of time together, on court and off, using WhatsApp. I think it’s working.”

Up next for the No.6 seeds will be the winner of an interesting quarterfinal between top seeds and reigning Australian Open champions Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova and the unseeded and looming pair of Kristina Mladenovic and Svetlana Kuznetsova. Mladenovic is playing her first event with her new partner since splitting with co-French Open champion Caroline Garcia after Dubai.

Mattek-Sands and Safarova could wrest the top spot on the Road to Singapore leaderboard from current No.1s Andrea Hlavackova and Peng Shuai by beating Mladenovic and Kuznetsova. If they don’t reach the final, No.2 seed and Olympic Gold medalists Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina could get to No.1 if they win the title.

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Where To Watch: St. Petersburg

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

KEY INFORMATION:
Tournament Level: Premier
Prize Money: $687,900
Draw Size: 28 main draw (4 byes)/32 qualifying
Qualifying Dates: Saturday, February 6 – Monday, February 8 
First Day of Main Draw: Monday, February 8
Singles Final: Sunday, February 14, 4.30pm MSK
Doubles Final: Sunday, February 14, 2pm MSK

MUST FOLLOW SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS:
@WTA
@WTA_Insider – WTA Insider, Senior Writer Courtney Nguyen
@Formula_TX – official tournament handle
Get involved in conversations with the official hashtags, #ladiestrophy and #WTA.

TOURNAMENT NOTES:
· Inaugural staging of event, with four Top 20 players – Belinda Bencic, Roberta Vinci, Ana Ivanovic, Caroline Wozniacki – scheduled to compete.
· Wozniacki, the recipient of the tournament’s Top 20 wildcard, won Russia’s other WTA event, the Kremlin Cup, in 2012.
· Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza, fresh from winning their third straight Grand Slam, at the Australian Open, head the doubles draw looking to extend their 36-match winning streak. 
· An ITF event was held in St. Petersburg from 2003-2008 and once more in 2015, with Jelena Ostapenko triumphing at the most recent edition.
· For the complete draw click here.

WILDCARDS:
Caroline Wozniacki (DEN), Elena Vesnina (RUS), Natalia Vikhlyantseva (RUS)

WITHDRAWALS:
Irina-Camelia Begu (right knee), Mona Barthel (illness), Karin Knapp (right knee), Petra Cetkovska (illness), Alexandra Dulgheru (left knee)

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA – Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova will bring up an all-Russian quarterfinal battle against Svetlana Kuznetsova after downing Dominika Cibulkova in straight sets at the BNP Paribas Open.

She needed just over two hours to tamp down a Cibulkova comeback bid and win 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, making her way into the Indian Wells quarterfinals for the first time since 2009.

“I always like to get revenges. Feels amazing, especially we just recently played in Doha and also three-set match,” Pavlyuchenkova explained in her post-match press conference. “I was [also] really disappointed, though, even though it was really good level from the first till the last point.

“I thought I just didn’t convert my chances, and so really happy with the way I finished.”

Pavlyuchenkova finished with 35 winners to 23 unforced errors, keeping Cibulkova’s normally aggressive game stifled at just 15 and 14, respectively. She had Cibulkova’s serve under pressure throughout, pouncing on the vulnerable second serve and causing her problems on the return.

The Russian edged ahead in the opening set after trading breaks to start. Cibulkova was playing her high-octane aggressive game but leaking too many unforced errors that left her unable to capitalize on a break opportunity. Instead Pavlyuchenkova soared ahead, beating her with pace and narrowly taking the opening set.

Cibulkova didn’t stay down too long, though, and regrouped in the second to mount another of her famous comebacks. She raised her level and started to dictate the points, flipping the momentum against an increasingly frustrated Pavlyuchenkova. The Slovak earned a decisive break late in the set to level the score and force a decider.

Pavlyuchenkova did well to put her disappointment behind her in the final set; she broke straightaway and built up a 3-0 lead. Despite Cibulkova keeping herself fighting for every point, Pavlyuchenkova was just too solid, and the Russian tamped down a late upset bid to take the match after two hours and seven minutes.

“The key was to, of course, be aggressive, which is my game, but at the same time, find the balance between being aggressive and not giving her a lot of easy shots,” Pavlyuchenkova said. “Because she’s great fighter, and she’s always there.

“I know when she’s down in the score, she’s going for the shots.” 

With the victory Pavlyuchenkova brings up a quarterfinal matchup with her countrywoman Kuznetsova. She’ll head into the match trailing 3-5 in the pair’s head-to-head record, but bolstered by the fact that she’s won both of their most recent encounters at Sydney and Melbourne earlier this year.

“Yeah, I know her pretty well, and I think these conditions suit her well,” she said. “She’s playing kind of this mix up a little bit of Spanish tennis, which I think is pretty good on these courts.

“I kind of feel very good, as well.Yeah, let’s see.” 

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Notes & Netcords: February 8, 2016

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

The Winners:

A week off from the WTA tour meant many players scattered the globe to represent their countries in the Fed Cup. A number of young stars rose to the occasion, scoring big wins on the international group competition’s stage. See how Netherland’s Kiki Bertens, Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic, France’s Caroline Garcia and the Czech Republic’s Karolina Pliskova helped their countries book a spot in the Fed Cup semifinals.

Day 1 Recap | Day 2 Recap

Game, Set, Match: WTA Insider

Game: Ash Barty returns to tennis.

To see the overwhelming response to the news that Ashleigh Barty intends to end her 17-month hiatus and return to tennis is to be reminded of the 19-year-old’s special talent. A three-time major doubles finalist before she was even 18, Barty was still progressing towards a Top 100 breakthrough in singles when she chose to suddenly step away. In an exclusive interview with WTA Insider, the junior Wimbledon champion spoke about being the victim of her own success and the passion that pushed her to pick up a racket again.

Read more about Barty’s return here.

Set: Tennis comes to (the other) St. Petersburg.

Things can get a little confusing when your company headquarters share the same name as a new tournament host. St. Petersburg, Russia is the host of a new Premier tournament this week, with a draw that includes Belinda Bencic, Roberta Vinci, Caroline Wozniacki, and Ana Ivanovic. Given the young Russian talent currently in the ranks, having a second tournament in Russia to complement Moscow will pay off down the road.

Match: Bencic and Pliskova play Fed Cup heroes.

When the draw came out it was brutal to see Simona Halep’s Romanian squad draw the defending champion Czech Republic. Angelique Kerber’s Germany had it equally tough, having drawn a Swiss squad led by Bencic, Timea Bacsinszky, and Martina Hingis. Karolina Pliskova played the hero for the Czechs in their 3-2 win over Romania, with Pliskova playing a part in all three points. Similarly, it was Bencic leading the way for Switzerland, earning two singles wins over Andrea Petkovic and Kerber and teaming up with Hingis to beat Petkovic and Anna-Lena Groenefeld. The Czechs and the Swiss will face off in a big semifinal in April.

On the other side of the World Group bracket, Caroline Garcia led the way for France with two singles wins en route to a 4-1 win over Italy. And The Netherlands stunned Russia, with Kiki Bertens and Rachel Hogenkamp teaming up to beat Svetlana Kuznetsova and Ekaterina Makarova to win 3-0.

Upcoming Tournaments:

St Petersburg Ladies Trophy
St. Petersburg, Russia
Premier | $687,900 | Hard, Indoors
Monday, February 8 – Sunday, February 14, 2016

Taiwan Open
Kaohsiung, Taiwan
International | $426,750 | Hard, Outdoors
Monday, February 8 – Sunday, February 14, 2016

Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Premier | $1,734,900 | Hard, Outdoors
Monday, February 15 – Saturday, February 20, 2016

Rio Open
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
International | $226,750 | Clay
Monday, February 15 – Sunday, February 21, 2016

Qatar Total Open
Doha, Qatar
Premier | $2,517,250 | Hard, Outdoors
Sunday, February 21 – Saturday, February 27, 2016

Abierto Mexicano TELCEL
Acapulco, Mexico
International | $226,750 | Hard, Outdoors
Monday, February 22 – Saturday, February 27, 2016

Top 20 Player Schedules:
1. Serena Williams – Dubai, Doha
2. Angelique Kerber – Dubai, Doha
3. Simona Halep – Dubai, Doha
4. Agnieszka Radwanska – Dubai, Doha
5. Garbiñe Muguruza – Dubai, Doha
6. Maria Sharapova – Doha
7. Flavia Pennetta – (retired)
8. Carla Suárez Navarro – Dubai, Doha
9. Petra Kvitova – Doha
10. Lucie Safarova – Dubai, Doha
11. Belinda Bencic – St. Petersburg, Dubai, Doha
12. Venus Williams – Kaohsiung
13. Karolina Pliskova – Doha
14. Victoria Azarenka – Acapulco
15. Timea Bacsinszky – Dubai, Doha
16. Roberta Vinci – St. Petersburg, Dubai, Doha
17. Svetlana Kuznetsova – Dubai, Doha
18. Caroline Wozniacki – St. Petersburg, Dubai, Doha
19. Jelena Jankovic – Dubai, Doha
20. Ana Ivanovic – St. Petersburg, Dubai

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
Best wishes to those celebrating birthdays this week:

Petra Cetkovska (CZE) – February 8, 1985
Casey Dellacqua (AUS) – February 11, 1985
Magda Linette (POL) – February 12, 1992
 

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