Miami: Johanna Konta's Shot Of The Day
Check out Johanna Konta’s shot of the day against Venus Williams at the Miami Open.
Check out Johanna Konta’s shot of the day against Venus Williams at the Miami Open.
Sara Errani takes on Samantha Stosur in the third round of the Volvo Car Open.
Zuhai, China – The 2016 Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai (WETZ) announced it’s first three qualifiers today — two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, 2015 US Open finalist Roberta Vinci and rising Ukrainian star Elina Svitolina.
This is the second edition of the premium event which will be staged from November 1-6 in the coastal city of southern China. The 12 player event is mandatory for singles players ranked from No.9 to No.19 on the WTA rankings.
Peter Johnston, Tournament Director of WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai sent his congratulations to the three qualifiers: “Our congratulations to Petra, Roberta and Elina on being the first confirmed qualifiers for this year’s WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai. These women are some of the WTA’s biggest stars and great ambassadors of the women’s game. Our fans are going to love watching them play live in Zhuhai.”
Winning the Wimbledon title in both 2011 and 2014, Petra Kvitova has been ranked amongst the WTA’s top players for a number of years. She has had a good record over the years in China, winning the singles title at the Wuhan Open twice in her career.
Kvitova had a tough start to 2016, but she has rediscovered her form recently, winning the Olympic bronze medal at Rio, before capturing the title in Wuhan and reaching the quarterfinal at the China Open in Beijing.
“I’m really looking forward to making my debut in Zhuhai this year,” said the 26-year-old Czech. “It’s always exciting to play a new tournament for the first time and I just had a great two weeks of tennis in China so I know how much support we will get over there! I’m looking forward to some competitive matches and have heard lots of positive things about the tournament and overall experience.”
Svitolina qualified for Zhuhai last year and reached the semifinal before losing to Karolina Pliskova. The Ukrainian achieved her career-best ranking of No.14 in March this year. Besides winning the championship at Kuala Lumpur and reaching the final at New Heaven, she stunned the world by becoming the first player to defeat reigning world No.1 twice this year, beating Serena Williams in Rio and new world No.1 Angelique Kerber in Beijing.
Roberta Vinci also played in Zhuhai last year and reached the semifinal. The Italian is famous among fans because of her classical tennis style and her love of the game which is always on display when she plays. Last year, she stunned Serena Williams in the semi-final of US Open while the reigning No.1 was seeking to collect her fourth Grand Slam of the season. As the oldest player breaking into the Top 10 for the first time, Vinci is still maintaining her place in Top 20 as a 33-year-old player.
According to the current leaderboard ranking, two-time Grand Slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, 2011 US Open winner Samantha Stosur and former world No.1 Caroline Wozniacki are still in contention for places in Zhuhai.
As the top mandatory event in south China, the 2016 Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy offers a total of $2,210,000 in prize money. Twelve singles players will be divided into four groups of three in a round robin format. One winner in each group will enter the semi-final to fight for the title and 700 ranking points. For doubles, four pairs will qualify together with two wildcards. For more details about the WTA Elite Trophy, please feel free to enter the official website.
Johanna Konta has the shot of the day on Saturday at the Miami Open.
We challenged Sam Stosur and Casey Dellacqua to the WTA Frame Challenge… and we’ve got a new frontrunner on the leaderboard. Find out who broke the record, right here!
WTA stars at the Volvo Car Open were in for a treat at the Charleston player party, hosted at the South Carolina Aquarium.
Players received customized, spray painted hats…
…looks like Zhang Shuai is a fan!
Players grabbed photos together….
…while a lot of party goers wanted one with Venus Williams!
2012 finalist Lucie Safarova was also in attendance.
One of the main attractions is Charleston’s iconic Candy Bar, featuring all blue candy.
But even more iconic than the Candy Bar? Andrea Petkovic and Jelena Jankovic’s moves on the dance floor.
The pair always bust a move at the Charleston player party!
But they weren’t the only ones – Abigail Spears jammed out too.
Elena Vesnina hung out with the Darias – Daria Kasatkina and Daria Gavrilova.
Jelena Jankovic and a friend posed for a quick photo.
The doubles players Katerina Srebotnik and Spears also snapped a selfie.
A good time was had by all at the always-enjoyable Charleston player party!
Hear Daria Gavrilova’s thoughts prior to the start of the tournament.
An interview with Svetlana Kuznetsova after her win in the quarterfinals of the Kremlin Cup.
Julia Goerges takes on Daria Kasatkina in the quarterfinals of the Kremlin Cup.
On Tuesday Sports Illustrated released its inaugural Fashionable 50, a list of athletes that a panel of sports and fashion experts evaluated as most fashionable, and WTA’s Serena Williams proudly stands in the Top 10. SI’s experts took into account not only what, where and why the athletes pick certain clothes for their on-court and off-court appearances, but their overall involvement in the world of fashion: designer collaborations, presence at fashion shows, investments in fashion, endorsements and other partnerships, social media activities, etc. Guest contributor Marija Zivlak of Women’s Tennis Blog breaks down Serena’s most iconic fashion moments.
The 2014 Vanity Fair Oscar Party in West Hollywood, California
When it comes to tennis, Williams is firmly holding on to her No.1 ranking, but the 21-time Grand Slam champion’s fashion dominance is just as fierce and commanding, so it comes as no surprise that SI’s experts ranked her at number four of the Fashionable 50.
Serena Williams at the 2004 US Open
From her beginnings on the professional circuit to this day, Williams has stood out both with her powerful game and daring fashion. We still vividly remember the colorful beads Williams wore as a teenager back in the 90s, while now at 34 years of age Williams is still pushing the boundaries, be it with animal prints, provocative designs, or simply with the way she pulls of even the simplest outfits.
Serena Williams at the 1998 US Open
When Williams finishes sweeping past her opponents, she embraces haute couture for runway and red carpet appearances. The look that SI singled out in their Fashionable 50 list is the provocative lingerie-style lace dress from the Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year award ceremony.
Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year award ceremony, December 2015
Williams is not only a consumer of stunning clothes, the tennis legend has been active in the fashion world with her Serena Williams Signature Statement Collection for HSN, which she proudly presented at New York Fashion Week in September 2015, with Vogue’s Anna Wintour and other celebrities sitting in the front row. The collection revolves around fringe and leather motifs, while Williams herself described it as “a little bit retro, romantic, and extremely innovative.”
Serena Williams presenting her collection at New York Fashion Week in September 2015
In an interview for Vogue, Williams talked in more detail about the clothes that bear her name: “I want [my customers] to feel empowered. I want them to feel beautiful. The collection works on every size person. You should [be able] to look good and feel good and love who you are and, at the same time, be stylish.”
Serena Williams at the 2014 US Open
Serena earned her place in the prestigious Top 10 of SI’s Fashionable 50, but two other WTA stars also made the list: Maria Sharapova and Venus Williams.
Maria Sharapova with her 2014 French Open trophy
Described as “red carpet stunner” by SI, Sharapova is known for her sophisticated taste, comprehensive business sense that has a lot to do with stylish clothing, numerous fashion show appearances, and let’s not forget her work with Nike that produced a number of memorable tennis dresses.
Venus Williams at the 2015 Miami Open
Venus, on the other hand, has managed to grow her athletic apparel line EleVen so much that now it competes with sports apparel giants, largely owing to her fashion degree from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, as well as her work ethic and innate wish to succeed that brought her all the tennis successes in the first place.
Visit Sports Illustrated’s Fashionable 50 for a complete list of the world’s most stylish athletes. The new issue of SI hits newsstands on Wednesday, April 13.
All photos courtesy of Getty Images.