Dubai: Garcia Interview
An interview with Caroline Garcia after her win in the second round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
An interview with Caroline Garcia after her win in the second round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Highlights from semifinal round action at the Connecticut Open.
Julia Goerges, Karolina Pliskova, Yulia Putintseva, Agnieszka Radwanska, Alizé Cornet – who will win January’s WTA Shot Of The Month presented by Cambridge Global Payments? Vote now!
Some of the biggest stars in women’s tennis – past, present and future – headed to Brazil for the Rio Open this week.
Elina Svitolina had Saturday’s shot of the day at the Connecticut Open.
Elina Svitolina takes on Evgeniya Rodina in the first round of the Taiwan Open
WINNERS
Top seed Agnieszka Radwanska survived a late challenge from No.10 seed Elina Svitolina on route to claiming her first Connecticut Open title, 6-1, 7-6(2).
The World No.4 Radwanska took a wildcard into the New Haven event looking for some last-minute tune up ahead of the US Open. She’ll now leave the tournament having claimed the 19th WTA title of her career, and her second title of 2016 after opening the season with a win at Shenzhen.
“Yeah, it’s been a great week for me, great preparation,” Radwanska said. “A couple of great matches. In the semi, in the final. It was a very strong tournament, no easy matches. I was pushing myself 100% from the first round, working hard here.
“I’m just trying to keep it up and play the same level in New York.”
Click here for match recap and highlights.
In the doubles draw, Sania Mirza cemented her place at the top of the doubles ranking. Mirza and temporary partner Monica Niculescu capped off their newly rekindled doubles partnership with their first title together at the Connecticut Open, edging past Kateryna Bondarenko and Chuang Chia-Jung 7-5, 6-4.
“It’s always nice to have the week before a Grand Slam where you’re able to ease up,” Mirza explained in post-match press. “We go to New York and there’s so much happening there. Here you have nice restaurants and even though we’re in the city, you feel quite quiet around here.
“I was actually not planning on completely playing this week. But when Monica asked me, I thought we could obviously win together.”
Click here for match recap.
RANKING MOVERS:
Notable singles ranking movers for the week of August 29, 2016.
Johanna Larsson (SWE), +15 (No.62 to 47): Lucky loser Larsson made the best of her second shot at the Connecticut Open main draw, reaching her first Premier-level semifinal. She also jumps up to No.47, sitting one spot away from equaling her previous career high ranking of No.46.
Kirsten Flipkens (BEL), +12 (No.68 to 56): Another New Haven lucky loser, Flipkens played some of her best tennis to upset Belinda Bencic and Caroline Garcia and inch her way back up toward the Top 50.
Elina Svitolina (UKR), +4 (No.23 to 19): Having reached her career first Premier-level final at New Haven last week, Svitolina jumps up four spots to land back inside the Top 20.
UPCOMING TOURNAMENTS
US Open
New York, USA
Grand Slam | $ TBA | Hard, Outdoor
Monday, August 29 – Sunday, September 11
Dalian Women’s Tennis Open
Dalian, China
125K | $115,000 | Hard, Outdoor
Tuesday, September 6 – Sunday, September 11
Coupe Banque Nationale
Quebec City, Canada
International | $226,750 | Carpet
Monday, September 12 – Sunday, September 18
Japan Women’s Open Tennis
Tokyo, Japan
International | $226,750 | Hard
Monday, September 12 – Sunday, September 18
TOP 20 PLAYER SCHEDULES
1. Serena Williams – US Open
2. Angelique Kerber – US Open
3. Garbiñe Muguruza – US Open
4. Agnieszka Radwanska – US Open
5. Simona Halep – US Open
6. Venus Williams – US Open
7. Victoria Azarenka
8. Roberta Vinci – US Open
9. Madison Keys – US Open
10. Svetlana Kuznetsova – US Open
11. Karolina Pliskova – US Open
12. Carla Suárez Navarro – US Open
13. Dominika Cibulkova – US Open
14. Johanna Konta – US Open
15. Timea Bacsinszky – US Open
16. Petra Kvitova – US Open
17. Samantha Stosur – US Open
18. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova – US Open
19. Elina Svitolina – US Open
20. Elena Vesnina – US Open
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
Best wishes to those celebrating birthdays this week:
Margarita Gasparyan (RUS) – September 1, 1994
Carla Suárez Navarro (ESP) – September 3, 1988
WTA Insider | The final Grand Slam of 2016 is already underway; stay tuned for more on the first edition of the US Open’s WTA Insider Live Blog.
NEW YORK, NY, USA – Earlier today, No.26 seed Ana Ivanovic was stunned in straight sets by Czech player Denisa Allertova 7-6(4), 6-1 in her opening match at the US Open.
It was Ivanovic’s fourth first-round loss in a row in a season marked by early exits and a drop in ranking.
After a fantastic couple of seasons in 2014 and 2015 – which saw Ivanovic get back into the Top 10 following a spate of injuries and return to the French Open semifinals – the former No.1 is down to No.31, and the last semifinal she’s reached came in February at St. Petersburg.
Following the latest in a string of disappointing results, Ivanovic was asked directly in her post-match press conference if she had any plans to retire.
Here’s what she answered:
“No, not at all. I just need to really see why is this happening, you know. Because, I mean, I had struggles throughout my career; I had some tough times. This is not the first time I’m going through this.
“It just hurts because I know what I invested.”
Earlier in the week, Ivanovic told WTA Insider of her frustrating 2016 season and what she considers one of her lowest moments: losing in straight sets to qualifier Ekaterina Alexandrova in the first round of Wimbledon after weeks of putting in hard work at the gym and on the courts.
“I’ve really felt, always, that if you put the hard work in, it will give results,” she told the WTA Insider Podcast. “But now, I feel like I’ve been putting in so much hard work in, but the results just haven’t been coming in the matches.
“It’s always a process, but also a Catch-22. Because, to win matches you need confidence, but to get confidence you need to win matches. So that’s a little bit where I’m at.”
Despite the disappointments she’s suffered this year, Ivanovic embraces the tough moments and bad luck, viewing them as just another facet in her long career.
Another Ivanovic trait? Finding her way back.
“I really haven’t been lucky in my career,” Ivanovic said. “I always felt like I had to go through hard work, and I had to do it all myself.
“And in a way, I’m proud of it. Because I know that I actually deserve whatever I’ve achieved. Because everything was a product of hard work, nothing was just given to me.”
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ST. PETERSBURG, Russia – Unseeded Kristina Mladenovic pulled off a stunner at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy, dispatching No.4 seed and former World No.1 Venus Williams, 6-3, 6-1 in just 54 minutes.
“Venus is a top player, a top champion,” Mladenovic said after the match. “It must have been difficult for Venus to come here after playing back-to-back weekends. I was just trying to play aggressive tennis.
.@KikiMladenovic has made a blistering start against Venus Williams! @Formula_TX pic.twitter.com/n0QdLEfWEZ
— WTA (@WTA) February 2, 2017
“To be on the same court is a big honor. I’m very happy to say I played with her and that I won today.”
Mladenovic enjoyed a bright start to her first encounter with the Australian Open runner-up, attacking her second serve and raced into a 5-0 lead. The Frenchwoman’s aggressive game plan paid off even as Williams soon warmed up: she blitzed eight forehand winners into the corners and beyond the player almost 14 years her senior.
.@KikiMladenovic takes the opening set off Venus 6-3! pic.twitter.com/04DNVnkwRc
— WTA (@WTA) February 2, 2017
“It was a very difficult match. I just tried to be very aggressive from the beginning. I was quite sure it would be difficult for her to adjust from Australia, as it was for me the first couple of days.
“I tried to be solid and aggressive, trying not to give her time to adjust into her game. I think I did that pretty well today and I’m happy to get the win.”
Even as things got tenser in the opening set, world No. 51 kept her nerve and served it out on her second attempt.
“I had a good feeling at the beginning of the match. I started very well, playing powerfully and serving good. The 5-0 lead was kind of surprising in a way, but it put me in a good position and even when I got tight, I stayed composed to close out the first set. It gave me confidence to continue putting the workd in and win the match.
The No.4 seed staved off four break points to start the second set but Mladenovic wore her down and broke at her fifth opportunity to take the early lead and keep up the momentum.
.@KiKiMladenovic knocks out Venus Williams 6-3, 6-1!
Sets @Formula_TX Quarterfinal vs @Roberta_Vinci! pic.twitter.com/63GwkibraJ
— WTA (@WTA) February 2, 2017
She broke again en route to an emphatic a 5-1 lead, breaking one more time to clinch her spot in the last eight, where she’ll face defending champion and No.6 seed Roberta Vinci.
“It’s going to be a very tough match. Roberta is such a great player, with a lot of variety and tactics. Our last battle was a very good one at the quarterfinals of the 2015 US Open. She plays very well on this surface, so it’ll be a tough match, but I hope to play my best tennis.”