Miami: Radwanska vs Brengle
Agnieszka Radwanska takes on Madison Brengle in the third round of the Miami Open.
Agnieszka Radwanska takes on Madison Brengle in the third round of the Miami Open.
ZHUHAI, China – After an action-filled week at the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open, the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai welcomes a new face into the leaderboard: Petra Kvitova.
Kvitova’s big win in Wuhan puts her at the No.12 spot on the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai leaderboard, but she’s not the only big name to join the fray. Madison Keys and Carla Suárez Navarro switched spots, making the Spaniard the top seed for the season-ending event.
Meanwhile, only a handful of points separate the next two players in contention, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Johanna Konta, so a good result at this week’s China Open could create more major shifts.
The year’s final tournament will take place in Zhuhai and will run from November 1 to 6. Like last year, the singles draw will feature 11 of the top ranked players and one wildcard, with the winner collecting 700 rankings points.
Here’s the latest leaderboard update for the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai as of October 3, 2016:
Former World No.1 Amélie Mauresmo ended her fourth year as French Fed Cup Captain by leading her country into its first final since 2005 – back when the two-time Grand Slam champion herself played for the team.
Mauresmo announced that she wouldn’t continue at her post in 2017, however, due to personal reasons:
.@AmeMauresmo : “Pour raisons personnelles, je vais quitter mon poste de capitaine. J'attends un 2e enfant.” #fedcup
— FFT (@FFTennis) November 14, 2016
The news that she is expecting her second child was met with mixed emotions from the talented squad of players, including Caroline Garcia, Kristina Mladenovic, Alizé Cornet, and Pauline Parmentier. In her four years as Captain, Mauresmo took from the precipice of Fed Cup zonal relegation into a championship weekend in Strasbourg, which they narrowly lost to the Czech Republic in a decisive doubles rubber.
Mauresmo’s team took to Twitter to express their appreciation for their fearless leader:
Cap @AmeMauresmo, un grand MERCI pour tout ce que tu ns as apporté ces 4 dernières années, ns avons grandi à tes côtés. Tu vas nous manquer! pic.twitter.com/rx8iVUtZ3A
— Alize Cornet (@alizecornet) November 14, 2016
Dur réalité mais quelle belle aventure merci a cette magnifique equipe et ce staff de rêve #lovemyteam #lastpicalltogether #triste pic.twitter.com/JYuIgQZS8I
— pauline parmentier (@ppauline86) November 14, 2016
MERCI à tous du fond du cœur pour votre soutien inconditionnel! Malgré la défaite, ce we et toutes ces émotions resteront inoubliables ??❤️ pic.twitter.com/TbcBdpujHc
— Kristina Mladenovic (@KikiMladenovic) November 14, 2016
Tout est possible ! A demain tous ensemble #TeamFranceTennis pic.twitter.com/GIPy9DduHM
— Caroline Garcia (@CaroGarcia) November 12, 2016
Mauresmo’s fellow former No.1 and 2016 International Tennis Hall Of Fame Inductee Justine Henin also announced the coming birth of a second child, with the due date expected for early next year:
Henin has been working with rising WTA talent Elina Svitolina since the start of 2016; the Ukrainian youngster has since defeated a pair of reigning World No.1s in Serena Williams and Angelique Kerber, and reached the final of the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai.
An interview with Victoria Azarenka after her third round win at the Miami Open.
An interview with Agnieszka Radwanska after her win in the round of 16 at the China Open.
Victoria Azarenka takes on Magda Linette in the third round of the Miami Open.
Zhang Shuai takes on Simona Halep in the third round of the China Open.
Who took home the most silverware in 2016? Was it World No.1 Angelique Kerber, WTA Finals champion Dominika Cibulkova or Serena Williams? Find out right here!
An interview with Victoria Azarenka after her win in the fourth round at the Miami Open.