Indian Wells: Kvitova vs. Gibbs
Petra Kvitova takes on Nicole Gibbs in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open.
Petra Kvitova takes on Nicole Gibbs in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open.
Top seed Elina Svitolina played Lucie Hradecka for a place in the Taiwan Open quarterfinals.
An interview with Serena Williams after her win in the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open.
Kristina Mladenovic takes on Roberta Vinci in the quarterfinals of the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy.
Simona Halep had the shot of the night on Wednesday at the BNP Paribas Open.
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia – Venus Williams’ run at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy might have come to an abrupt end earlier in the week, but the former World No.1 still took time to take in the sights in the culture capital of Russia.
“This is a place I want to be, and have always wanted to visit because of the historic value, and because it’s a beautiful city,” Venus told press ahead of her participation in the tournament.
“I’m really interested in the local fashion and the designers here because I like to be inspired by different cultures. Those two things are on the top of my list.”
The Australian Open finalist took the opportunity to visit some of St. Petersburg most iconic cultural landmarks, like the Fabergé Museum and the famous Church On Spilled Blood:
After her excursion, Venus took some time with her many Russian fans in an absolutely mobbed autograph session:
– Photos courtesy of St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy
An interview with Victoria Azarenka after her win in the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open.
Elina Svitolina roared into the Top 8 of the Road to Singapore leaderboard thanks to her victory in the Taiwan Open.
Cruising to the title, the top seed beat Peng Shuai, 6-3 6-2 in Sunday’s final in Taipei City. The success moves her up from No.17 all the way up to No.8.
“I’m No.13 in the world,” she said after the final. “So you expect players higher in the rankings to be able to raise their level in tight situations. It happened today at a good moment.”
Should Svitolina maintain this current form, the youngster could find herself making her debut at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. The Ukrainian barely missed out on a spot among the Greatest Eight last year, but made up for the disappointment by reaching the final in her first appearance at the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai.
Over in Russia, Kristina Mladenovic’s stunning success in the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy has seen her rise 339 places to No.13 in the Road to Singapore.
The 23-year-old was awarded 470 ranking points for her thrilling 6-2 6-7(3) 6-3 win over Yulia Putintseva on Sunday, her first WTA title secured in her fourth final. Her defeated opponent moved into the Top 20 – up to 18th from 64th.
“The wait was definitely worth it,” said Mladenovic after her win. “To clinch my first WTA final here, especially at a Premier event, I feel really happy right now.”
Click here to check out the full Road to Singapore leaderboard.
Highlights from the quarterfinal action at the BNP Paribas Open.
Highlights from the second round action at the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open.