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Doi Claims Inaugural San Antonio Title

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

SAN ANTONIO, TX, USA – The No.6 seed Misaki Doi claimed the second WTA-level title of her career with a win over Anna-Lena Friedsam, 6-4, 6-2 in the final of the inaugural San Antonio Open.

“I’m so happy to win the first San Antonio Open,” Doi said after the final. “Today it was very very difficult conditions – it was so windy. But I’m so happy.”

The swirling wind gave both players plenty of trouble throughout the match, and neither was able to play herself into a rhythm. Despite the tough conditions, Doi found her footing first and grabbed the first break at 4-3 before going on to take the first set.

Doi and Friedsam traded holds in the second set, but the No.6 seed had the momentum at her back and she reeled off four straight games to go up 5-1. The lead would prove to be too much for Friedsam to overcome, and Doi captured the win in one hour and 14 minutes.

“I think I just tried to focus on every ball,” Doi said of overcoming the high winds. “Since the conditions were so tough, I just focus on one point, one point, one point.”

The 125K Series title at San Antonio is one more step on the 24-year-old’s steady upward trajectory. In the last six months, Doi has reached two finals – at the 125K Series event in Taipei and at this year’s Taiwan Open – and won two titles – at Luxembourg, where she battled past Top 25 players Andrea Petkovic and Jelena Jankovic en route to her first WTA title, and now San Antonio.

With the win, Doi will enter the Top 50 rankings for the first time in her career next week.

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Halep Eases Into Wuhan Quarterfinals, Closes In On Singapore Spot

Halep Eases Into Wuhan Quarterfinals, Closes In On Singapore Spot

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

WUHAN, China – No.4 seed Simona Halep moved smoothly into the quarterfinals of the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open after a straight set win over Yaroslava Shvedova.

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

On a gusty afternoon, Halep produced a tidy performance to complete a 6-3, 6-3 victory in an hour and 15 minutes.

“I felt the wind. It was really difficult to play against the wind. She’s very strong and could attack the ball very easily,” Halep said. “She came out very aggressive, but I blocked the ball well, returned well and I’m happy with the way I played and that I could win in two sets.”

On Tuesday, Halep celebrated her 25th birthday and Shvedova gave her a belated gift in the opening game, surrendering serve with three unforced errors. From this point on the Romanian was in control, breaking once more in the final game to take the set.

Showing no sign of the hamstring injury that ruled her out of Tokyo, Halep continued to impress in the second set, moving 3-1 ahead before confidently closing out victory to reach the quarterfinals for the first time. There she will face Madison Keys, a 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 winner over Daria Kasatkina.

“I’m really happy to be back in Wuhan. Last year was a little bit tough for me because I lost from 5-1 [ahead] in the third set,” Halep said. “I’m here to do my best, and give everything I have to try and win matches.

“I’ve played really well this year and I’m really happy with the way I played in the big tournaments. I feel good here and that I have a chance to play until the end. At this level, every match is going to be hard.

The result also moves Halep, who currently sits in third place on the leaderboard, withing touching distance of qualifying for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. Halep has appeared in the past two season finales, finishing runner up in 2014, and will guarantee her return with victory over Keys on Thursday.

WTA Finals: Get Your Tickets!

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Kerber, Serena Lead WTA Stars' Ivanovic Salute On Twitter

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Former World No.1 and 2008 French Open champion Ana Ivanovic took the tennis world by surprise when she announced on Facebook Live that she would be retiring from the sport, effective immediately.

“It hasn’t been an overnight decision,” she explained in an exclusive with WTA Insider. “It’s been on my mind for a little bit but I tried to also follow my heart because for me, it’s proven to be the best way.

“I really felt now it’s time to just give back. Coming from Serbia, everything that I’ve been through in my life and my career, so far my parents and my brother with me, they made it all possible. I feel very fortunate and so I want to give back and maybe help others be as fortunate as I was.”

What followed was an outpouring of well wishes from her friends and colleagues who’ve been with her throughout her 13-year career. From WTA founder Billie Jean King, to 2016’s World No.1s Angelique Kerber and Serena Williams, to rising stars like Belinda Bencic and Daria Gavrilova, it was clear Ivanovic was as much beloved by her fellow players as the fans saying #ThankYouAna.

Check out what her fellow WTA stars had to say about the Serb on Twitter:

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Hibino Snaps Tsurenko's Streak To Reach Tashkent SFs

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan – Nao Hibino stayed on course to defend her Tashkent Open title after Lesia Tsurenko retired from their quarterfinal on Thursday.

Watch live action this week from Tashkent and Wuhan on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

Tsurenko arrived in Tashkent fresh from a run to the title in Guangzhou, and against Hibino this hectic schedule finally took its toll when a back injury brought her seven-match winning streak to a sudden end.

The anticlimactic conclusion to the contest was all the more disappointing given the competitive nature of the set they did play; after trading breaks, Hibino fended off two set points to take it 7-6(6). “I’m relieved after winning the first set. It was very close and I managed to hold on and fight in spite of being down,” Hibino said.

Standing between Hibino and another final in the Uzbekistani capital is World No.114 Denisa Allertova, a surprise 7-5, 6-4 winner over No.2 seed Kirsten Flipkens. Allertova produced the steadier tennis to edge the opening set, before claiming the decisive break in the final game of the match courtesy of a brilliant running passing shot.

In the top half of the draw, Kateryna Kozlova reached her second semifinal of the year after taking little over an hour to defeat Stefanie Voegele, 6-3, 6-3.

“I’ve played here before and made it to the quarterfinals last year, it’s great to play here,” Kozlova said. “I started to play aggressively from the word go and put my opponent under pressure early. I think I played brave and aggressive tennis, I’m happy with my level.”

Her reward is a meeting with big-serving Kristyna Pliskova, who fired down 12 aces during a 6-3, 6-4 win over Irina Khromacheva.

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Brisbane: Everything You Need To Know

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

KEY INFORMATION:
Tournament Level: Premier
Prize Money: $1,000,000
Draw Size: 30 main draw/32 qualifying
Main Draw Ceremony: Friday, December 30- 12 pm AEST
Qualifying Dates: Friday, December 30 – Sunday, January 1
First Day of Main Draw: Sunday, January 1
Singles Final: Saturday, January 7- 7 pm AEST
Doubles Final: Saturday, January 7- following singles

MUST-FOLLOW SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS:
@WTA
@WTA_Insider – WTA Insider, Senior Writer Courtney Nguyen
@BrisbaneTennis – official tournament handle

WHERE TO WATCH:
Click here to select your country and find broadcast details for the Brisbane International.

TOURNAMENT NOTES:
– There have been six different champions crowned at Brisbane since its first staging in 2009: Victoria Azarenka (2009, 2016), Kim Clijsters (2010), Petra Kvitova (2011), Kaia Kanepi (2012), Serena Williams (2013, 2014) and Maria Sharapova (2015).
– With defending champion Victoria Azarenka away from the completion after giving birth to a baby boy and with no former champions in the draw, a new champion will lift the Brisbane trophy this year.
– One to watch: Entering the tournament as a wildcard, Australian Ashleigh Barty returned to tennis in 2016 after a stint in cricket as an all-rounder for the Brisbane Heat. Her return has been highlighted by a quarterfinal run at Nottingham, and she’s also been granted a wildcard into the upcoming Australian Open.

PLAYER FIELD:
Click here for complete singles and doubles draws.

The Brisbane International serves as the only Premier event of the first week of the season and the field is packed with five of the Elite Eight from the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. A finalist last year, Angelique Kerber leads the field along with Singapore champion Dominika Cibulkova, Karolina Pliskova, Garbiñe Muguruza, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Elina Svitolina, and Elena Vesnina.

Also in Brisbane is Roberta Vinci, who recently announced her intention to play through another season, as well as the Gold Coast’s own Samantha Stosur, Olympic Gold Medalist Monica Puig, China’s top-ranked player Zhang Shuai and Eugenie Bouchard.

WILDCARDS:
Ashleigh Barty (AUS), Donna Vekic (CRO)

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Halep Clinches Singapore Spot, Qualifies For Third Straight WTA Finals

Halep Clinches Singapore Spot, Qualifies For Third Straight WTA Finals

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

WUHAN, China – Simona Halep has secured a spot at this year’s BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. The Romanian joins Angelique Kerber and Serena Williams in the singles field.

Halep has secured her third consecutive qualification at the WTA Finals by reaching the semifinals with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Madison Keys at the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open on Thursday. Both of her previous appearances were in the first two editions of the WTA Finals held in Singapore – highlighted by her win over then World No.1 Serena Williams in the round-robin stage in 2014 en route to the finals followed by last year’s showing, where she defeated the 2015 US Open champion Flavia Pennetta in the round-robin stage.

“Congratulations to Simona on qualifying for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global for the third consecutive year,” said WTA CEO Steve Simon. “She is an outstanding player who has enjoyed a very successful year with three Tour wins and fans in Singapore and following along around the world will enjoy watching her competitive spirit against the other top WTA athletes.”

Simona Halep

Halep is one of four players to win three WTA singles titles in 2016 (also Azarenka, Kerber and Stephens), clinching her second Premier Mandatory trophy at the Mutua Madrid Open and back-to-back titles at the BRD Bucharest Open and Rogers Cup in Montréal, bringing her win-loss record to 43-14 (thru Wuhan QF). In addition, the 25-year-old reached two semifinals at the Apia International Sydney and Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati and four quarterfinals at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Miami Open, Wimbledon and the US Open.

“It means a lot to qualify for the WTA Finals Singapore – it was one of my goals this year,” said Halep. “It will be my third time in a row competing at the WTA Finals and I hope I play great. I have great memories from 2014 and am confident I can do well. I will be very focused.”

The current Road to Singapore Leaderboard as follows (as of September 26, 2016):

 

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