Tennis News

BUDAPEST, Hungary – Timea Babos and Lucie Safarova, the top two seeds at the Hungarian Ladies Open, moved past their semifinal opponents in straight sets to book a clash in the Budapest final.

No.2 seed Safarova needed almost an hour and thirty minutes against Germany’s Carina Witthoeft before battling through 6-4, 6-3 and reach her first WTA final since April 2016 in Prague.

“I knew Carina was playing very well, I knew I had to be tough out there and that is what I did,” Safarova told wtatennis.com after the match. “Probably experience helps, I was called a veteran on the WTA, I don´t feel like that but it was a good match.

“I am very pleased with being in a final after a long time.”

She’ll face a tough challenge in the final against Hungarian No.1 Babos, whom she teamed up with for doubles this week, reaching the quarterfinals together before Safarova was forced to withdraw with a right thigh injury.

Under the watchful eye of former World No.1 Monica Seles, top seed Babos overcame a tense opening set against Julia Goerges, the No.3 seed – she was unable to convert on three break point chances – including a set point – before finally edging through 7-5.

“Julia is a very very good player, a very experienced player on tour, so I knew it was going to be a tough one,” Babos said after the match.

“Honestly, I was a bit afraid in this match, and you could tell in the first set that I didn’t take all my opportunities. But after this, I got a little bit more into it, you could say I got mad at myself, and tried to play really aggressive and it worked out pretty well.”

Goerges was all business in the second, going up a double break to close out the 7-5, 6-1 victory in an hour and twenty minutes to reach a WTA final in her home country for the first time.

“I had a tough beginning of the year, and was just really trying to stay positive and keep my head up. Being at home, in front of this crowd and showing my emotions – this is what I was waiting for. Budapest has really turned around my season.”

Months that follow Grand Slams typically don’t feature new tennis fashion releases, but that doesn’t prevent the WTA courts from being stylish.

This February we’ve enjoyed a range of outstanding outfits that had been launched at the Australian Open, but got the true attention they deserve at the tournaments following it.

Marija Zivlak of Women’s Tennis Blog gives us an overview of the best outfits in February (photos courtesy of Getty Images):

Kristina Mladenovic enjoyed the comfort of the extra light and breathable adidas Melbourne Dress en route to her maiden singles title at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy. The slit on the side of the magnificent blue design helped the Frenchwoman move freely during her astonishing 62 winners in the final.

The dress comes paired with coordinating print compression shorts, which match the sun-bleached print insets at the sides of the top, while pops of color are provided by sleek orange spaghetti straps and accessories.

The adidas Adizero Ubersonic 2 shoes supported Mladenovic’s feet as she eliminated Australian Open finalist Venus Williams and defending champion Roberta Vinci from the Premier-level tournament in Russia.

Elina Svitolina rocked both her tennis and her fashion game in the month of February! Wearing this striking black and white Nike outfit, the 22-year-old won two WTA titles and became the first Ukrainian to crack the Top 10.

The performance-packed Nike Spring Print Power Spin Skirt beats the competition with its graphic inspired by the shadows cast on a court. Elastic in Nike Power fabric stretched as Svitolina covered the court and then got back to its original shape to keep the new World No.10 supported, Dri-FIT Technology helped keep her dry and comfortable by wicking sweat away, while inner shorts confidently provided coverage.

A classic white Nike Spring Premier Slam Tank perfectly balanced out the look. Although the design is very simple, the top is made from a well-thought-out engineered mesh with a more open knit pattern in high heat areas.

With designer Stella McCartney keeping her style strong, Caroline Wozniacki could focus on her tennis, playing eleven matches in eleven days and making two WTA Premier finals in a row. The Dane’s adidas Spring Stella McCartney Tank in bold blue offers moisture-wicking performance and super soft feel. The form-fitting top nicely goes with an A-line adidas Spring Stella McCartney Skirt, equipped with Climalite technology, built-in compression shorts and laser-cut hem for increased breathability.

With top-level matches day in and day out, Wozniacki’s feet were helped by the revolutionary foam of the adidas by Stella McCartney Barricade Boost shoes that stored and unleashed energy every time the Dane’s foot hit the ground. With the weather in the desert being anything but favorable this year, Wozniacki also made good use of her aviator-style adidas Spring Stella McCartney Jacket.

Timea Babos came to the inaugural Hungarian Ladies Open without even one singles match win in 2017, but that all changed at her home tournament as the 23-year-old went all the way to the title, sporting Fila’s Sleek Streak collection designed for the urban-chic player.

The Hungarian made her way to the champion’s trophy in style, wearing the Fila Sleek Racerback Tank and the Fila Sleek Insert Skirt, unique for their black/white/ruby rose tie-dye print and color-blocking.

Even though Mona Barthel didn’t go far at February’s tournaments, her Bidi Badu Avril Tech Dress managed to steal my attention with its wonderfully refreshing yellow and pink hues. The ombre effect is executed beautifully, just as the feminine silhouette of the dress.

Vote for your favorite outfit in the poll below!

BEIJING, China – Madison Keys held her nerve to win a dramatic quarterfinal encounter with Petra Kvitova at the China Open on Friday.

Watch live action from Beijing on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

Leading by a set and a break, Keys looked to be easing into the semifinals. However, a spirited Kvitova comeback ensured the match went down to the wire, Keys eventually closing out a 6-3, 6-7(2), 7-6(5) victory after two hours and 41 minutes.

“I think I played a pretty solid first set today, then she raised her level. I just think at the end it became a couple of points here or there. I think I got my serve back on track a little bit,” Keys said. “I mean, really, it could have gone either way. It was really close.”

Madison Keys' record in 3 set matches:

2014: 6-10
2015: 7-8
2016: 17-5

— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) October 7, 2016

Keys’ victory was all the more impressive given Kvitova’s recent form. In Wuhan, she dismantled a series of higher-ranked opponents to win her first title in 13 months, before seeing off Wang Yafan and Garbiñe Muguruza this week to extend her winning run.

In Keys, though, she found an opponent capable of matching her firepower. After the first seven games went with serve, the American carved out the first break point by whipping a forehand return onto the line. Kvitova double faulted to surrender the break and ultimately the set.

Kvitova came roaring back in the second set, recovering from 4-2 down to level the match on a tie-break. The decider followed a similar pattern, Keys making the early running only to be pegged back when the Czech won the latest baseline slugfest. This time, however, Keys refused to be overwhelmed, surviving a series of arduous service games to reach the sanctuary of a tie-break. Locked at 5-5, she finally found the knockout blow, hammering a backhand down the line before serving her way into a maiden Premier Mandatory semifinal.

“I definitely think I got frustrated. You know, it’s always tough when you’re serving for a set and you have a bad game,” Keys said. “Doing that a couple of times in a match is frustrating.

“But, you know, I think I did a really good job at staying focused and just trying to regroup and worry about the next point. You know, she made it really tough today. I’m just really happy that at the end I was able to get my serve back on track and get myself ahead in the tiebreaker.”

Keys moves on to face Johanna Konta in the semifinals, knowing that a run to the title would secure her a debut at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.

“Jo is playing really well. I mean, at this point everyone’s trying to qualify, everyone’s trying to play their good tennis at the end of the year,” Keys added. “Pretty much whoever you play is going to be a tough match.”