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All In With Alla: Up In The Air

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Catch up on Episode I of Insider Diaries here.

Alla Kudryavtseva began her Australian Summer hoping to revive her singles ranking and reach new heights with good friend and doubles partner, Vania King.

But first, she had to brave the 16-hour flight.

“I cannot stand air travel,” she told WTA Insider. “Maybe I chose the wrong career, but it actually developed through the years. I didn’t start out that way; I was never particularly comfortable, but recently it’s been very hard.”

Kudryavtseva was far more comfortable once she landed on the court with King; in their first tournament together in almost seven years, the dynamic duo reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open with back-to-back upsets over No.11 seeds Samantha Stosur and Yaroslava Shvedova and No.5 seeds Elena Vesnina and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

“I feel like we’ve been on the court this entire time. There was only one point in our first match where we got caught on the same side of the court, but that happens in doubles – someone is crossing or your opponent plays a drop shot.

“I thought Vania was behind me, but we got passed. We just looked at each other and started laughing, ‘That’s not so bad for our first match!’ That also speaks to our confidence; we knew we still going to win. We were just like, ‘Oh my god, look at us, after six years getting caught on the same side of the court, like two amateurs!’

“Otherwise, I think we move in sync, and have a good understanding of doubles. Both of us are comfortable at the baseline and the net. I would imagine it’s not so easy to play us, because there’s not one person that you’d pick who might break down.

“Bethanie and Lucie kind of ruined it for everyone, though, right?” she added with a laugh. “In their first tournament together, they won the Australian Open and we’re like, ‘Oh, we only made the quarterfinals.’ But it’s working.”

For a player resolved to take a more positive approach to tennis, the Russian couldn’t have picked a better partner than King, who was playing in just her second major tournament after a back injury sidelined her for most of 2015.

“I’ve never played with someone who celebrates this much! She was so happy to win every single match; that’s a lot to do with being away from tennis, but it was so contagious.

“After our first round, I was still treating it like it was a job. I told her, ‘We got through it.’ But she said, ‘We didn’t get through it, we WON! Oh my god!’ It was such a refreshing feeling. She doesn’t take anything for granted, she takes every match we win at full value.

“I fed off of that energy. Being so much on the tour – god bless! – I haven’t had a big injury or missed time on the court, so I don’t remember what it’s like to have that excitement for every single match. But we should be excited.

“I’m really thankful that we are able to play right now because it gives me that different outlook and feel for the game, that different kind of vibe.”

As the pair honed their own vibe, they had to face down familiar opposition in Shvedova, with whom King won Wimbledon and the US Open in 2010, and Pavlyuchenkova, who had played with Kudryavtseva throughout last season and were first alternates together in Singapore. Looking ahead proved crucial to victory – in more ways than one.

“When you’re on the same side of the court, you shouldn’t be looking back. You shouldn’t know whether your partner is hitting a forehand or backhand; you should feel it and go where the ball flies.

“So when Vania asked, ‘What are our tactics?’ I said, I can tell you what she’s like a singles player because I’ve played her, but as a doubles player, I was on the same side! I wasn’t trying to analyze what doesn’t work for her; I was trying to analyze how we could build on our strengths.

“It’s never easy to play your friend or your ex-partner, but I focused on my team and our chemistry, what works for us, and the positives that we took from that match. After a very long career on the tour, you learn to let things go, and let people go. You just move on and play tennis; you can’t focus on whom you’re playing.”

The win over Pavlyuchenkova and Vesnina proved to be their best of the week, one that gives them even more confidence as they prepare to reunite for Indian Wells and Miami.

“It was a good test for us to lose that first set and see how we work as a team when things don’t go our way. In the previous two matches we won the first sets quickly; it’s easy to get along when things are going well.

“I love the fact that we kept communicating and talking on the changeovers, trying to find the tactics that would work. We kept trying to find that extra energy that would bring us up in the match. That was huge for us, just to be able to come back from behind.

“I’m really excited for us to continue testing ourselves against the best teams in the world; that’s where I want to be and that’s where Vania wants to be as well. I’ve already tried to talk to her about Singapore – she played in Doha with Slava – so I tried to be like, ‘Well in Singapore, they have the Infinity Pool!’ It’s really far away but it was great to be on the court with her and I’m looking forward to that again; she has a great spirit about her and we’re both very motivated.”

Following a tight two-set loss to No.13 seeds Karolina Pliskova and Julia Goerges, Kudryavtseva and King traveled to an ITF Challenger in Launceston; despite not playing doubles, the two friends still managed to find their way onto the same court when they met in the semifinals.

“She watched me play my quarterfinal, and she cheered for me. After the match, she came up to me in the gym and gave me a huge hug. I actually asked my coach to take a picture; I said, ‘Look at us; we’re playing against one another tomorrow but now we’re hugging! It’s so cute!'”

Their first match in four years came down to the wire, with the Russian emerging victorious after a final set tie-break and going on to finish runner-up in her first singles final since June. A tough loss in Australian Open qualifying ultimately led to her first wins of the season in Launceston, an important step in her singles comeback.

“They say hard work pays off, but unfortunately, I haven’t ever really felt that. It probably does pay off in the long run, but you want that instant gratification, and for the results to come faster.

“So it was actually nice to get some early singles results, because there has been a certain degree of insecurity. I’ve asked, ‘Am I doing the right thing? There is Dubai and Doha, a lot of doubles points to defend, money to make.’ Your coach is there to help you look at the bigger picture, and you trust that person, but you can’t help but have some doubts.

“Being in the finals of Launceston was a reminder that I really can do it. I can be out on the court for three hours, compete and run and cover the whole court – not just half!”

Active as ever on social media, Kudryavtseva enjoyed having the news of her resurgence hand-delivered – in 140 characters or less.

“The result helped me jump those 49 spots. Someone told me that on Twitter; I love how fans tell you where your ranking goes, or sometimes they’ll let you know things like, ‘Hey, did you know you lost your last nine matches on clay?’ You’ll reply like, ‘No, I didn’t know that, but thanks! That’ll give me confidence!'”

A brief respite allowed the Russian to recharge ahead of a six-week stretch in the States, first a flight to another Challenger in Rancho Santa Fe – where she is due to play King in the second round – then the chance for a singles wildcard in Indian Wells qualies should she win the BNP Paribas Open’s pre-qualifying tournament.

“Tennis is tennis, and singles is singles, and I’m just trying to get as many matches and as much confidence as I can. I thought it was a good opportunity for me to play, especially considering that during those four weeks of Indian Wells and Miami, it’s unlikely I’ll get to play any singles otherwise.”

Two months into her turnaround season, the OG Austin Ace is indeed getting her groove back, surrounded by a supportive team and making new strides both personally and professionally.

“It’s great to have friends on tour. It’s even greater to be playing doubles with your friends on tour. I think I have a really nice thing going; my coach is great, my doubles partner is great, her coach is great. We’re laughing all the time; even when we’re not together, we’re still messaging, keeping in touch.

“It’s just nice to have those kinds of connections, like when it was Vania’s birthday, we went out for dinner in Launceston; two days later it was her coach Tarik Benhabiles’ birthday too; he was my old coach, as well, and so we went out for dinner again! It’s just been a really good time.

“Life on tour is hard, there’s a lot of pressure, travel, and stress. It’s nice to have people who are there for you and give you hugs, even before you have play each other the next day. Results are important, but I think as long as I keep this energy, results will manifest.”

Catch up on the first installment of Insider Diaries here and follow Alla on Twitter @AllaK11!

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Voskoboeva Vaults Into WTA Return

Voskoboeva Vaults Into WTA Return

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

There are two sides to every comeback. Long layoffs may leave a player rusty and out of rhythm, but they have an undeniably refreshing quality that can sometimes lead to stretches of top-level tennis.

Out for over 22 months rehabbing multiple stress fractures and a bruised bone in her foot, former World No.42 Galina Voskoboeva makes her WTA return at this week’s Abierto Mexicano TELCEL unranked and in search of the form that made her last comeback so successful.

“This is my second comeback, so in the beginning it’s very difficult, but I didn’t expect it to be any other way,” she told WTA Insider from an ITF Challenger in Surprise, Arizona.

“The most difficult part of this comeback is not having a ranking; I’m playing small tournaments because I’m at zero, but it’s very difficult to even enter tournaments, and you’re always stressed because you don’t know if you’ll get in or not.”

If anyone knows how to come back, it’s the Kazakh, who made a major splash in 2011 following a seven-month shoulder injury. A qualifier at the Rogers Cup in Toronto, Voskoboeva reached the quarterfinals with wins over Marion Bartoli, Flavia Pennetta, and Maria Sharapova. She cruised into her first WTA final later that fall in Seoul en route to a career-high ranking in 2012.

Galina Voskoboeva

“It does give me some more confidence because my last comeback was really good. It was very difficult in the beginning; I probably didn’t show my best tennis right away, but the second part of the year in 2011 was great.

“I don’t know if I can expect it to be that good this time, but of course I already have some ideas of how it will be. I know it’ll be very difficult in the beginning to show your game the way you used to play.”

Ranked just outside the Top 50 in the spring of 2014, Voskoboeva had recently won a doubles title – in Acapulco of all places – but was starting to feel a pain in her foot that would take her on two-year odyssey of rehab and recovery.

“I had a surgery where they had to take one bone out because it had three fractures; the bone was dead and couldn’t heal. Another bone was also fractured, but they left it in, because they can’t take out two bones!”

She laughs. before adding, “Well, they can, and you could still run, but not fast, and you can’t jump, so I definitely didn’t want that. I have one bone left, and it’s still fractured – it’s not going to heal.”

She spent the summer doing physical therapy in Amsterdam, where the veteran took her time as a tourist in stride, enjoying the funny moments that occurred along the way.

“I came there one month after my surgery, when I was on crutches and in a cast. You can’t walk for a long time on crutches; I don’t have very strong arms, so it’d be like 10 minutes, and I’m dead! My mom bought me a wheelchair, and it was funny, because if we wanted to have a walk, I’d start on crutches and then move to the wheelchair! It was quite an adventure.

“I also got some benefits from that because there are a lot of good museums there, and there are huge lines. But when people saw me in a wheelchair, I was first in line and never had to wait!

“You should always take something good, even from the worst of days.”

Voskoboeva returned to her base in Florida to train through the fall, initially aiming to return at the start of 2015.

“I didn’t expect to be away this long! I was thinking that it would be similar to the shoulder injury; this one was much, much longer and it was much more difficult.

“Everything was going well but suddenly I started feeling pain straight away during a practice and it swelled. I had another MRI, and we found there was a bruise on the bone. I don’t know how it happened; nobody can say – even the doctors! It could have been from jumping or running, but the result was a bruise on the bone, and I needed to have a rest.

“I had to start from the beginning, like I never did rehab before. I was very disappointed with that, and for a long time, the injury didn’t heal. I was working and working, but nothing was happening. I wasn’t sure if I’d even be able to come back after that.”

This second season away proved to be one of self-discovery for the Kazakh; she traveled to Indian Wells and Miami and enjoyed the game from afar, embracing the role of enthusiastic spectator.

“I wouldn’t like to watch tennis while I was participating in the tournament and, let’s say, I lost. I’d be frustrated and wouldn’t want to see more tennis. This time, I hadn’t seen it in so long that I took all the benefits from that. I found out that I’m a very active fan! I love to cheer and I was so relaxed.

“I could spend the whole day on-site; I saw so many friends there, talking, the things you can’t do as a player. I saw so many different matches. I cheered for the girls, and I could be loud as a spectator. When you’re participating as a player, you can’t spend many hours watching in the heat and you don’t want to get tired. This time, I could come from the beginning of the day and leave after the last match. I didn’t feel bad at all. I was a fan, and it’s really a cool part of the game.

“When you’re outside, you’re watching the player and ask, ‘Oh my god, why are they so nervous? They should be more relaxed; it’s just a game!’ But once you’re coming back on tour, those memories of why they’re so stressed come back very fast!”

She took classes in Moscow and also successfully completed the WTA/ATP Professionals Course in Miami, a career transitions course where she earned USPTA and PTR Coach Certifications in preparation for a future coaching career, one that felt closer to coming to pass the longer she spent off the court.

“I had a lot of good coaches, and I took the best things from each of them. It was a little bit difficult because I was still trying to come back and so I was still doing my rehab, so I couldn’t study full-time. In Russia, they have a new rule; before you could be a coach just by having been an athlete, but now you need a special education. In our group, I met another athlete. She was a retired runner, but I found out that we were at the same Olympic Games.

“There were good coaches and athletes in my group, and it was really interesting to be with them, learn something new by speaking with them. I’m still in touch with some of them, and it was a good time.”

Voskoboeva retained her own international coaching team for this latest comeback, hoping the three of them can pick up where they left off.

“I have two coaches because neither of them can travel full time: Erwan Leridant – he used worked with Vania King. When I’m in Russia and that part of the world, I have a great coach there: Alexander Zlatoustsov. He used to work with Dinara Safina. I also have the same fitness coach, Liliya Nurutdinova.

“When the injury happened, I was in good shape and was very disappointed because my ranking at that time was No.64 but for a very long time – for maybe two-and-a-half or three months – I didn’t have any points to defend. I was in position to, with a good result, make my best ranking. That’s why I think there’s nothing to change because I played well and I was satisfied with my team.

“It was actually quite funny that I didn’t have any points to defend. At that time I was No.2 in Kazakhstan, Yaroslava Shvedova was No.1. After the surgery, I went to rehab one or two months later, and I logged onto the Internet and saw the headline: ‘Galina Voskoboeva became No.1 in Kazakhstan!’ So after two months and a surgery I became No.1; I said, ‘Ok, not bad. I should be in the cast longer!'”

Out of the cast and back on the tennis court for a comeback she herself describes as a “miracle,” Voskoboeva quickly earned her first WTA win in exactly two years playing doubles with former partner Anastasia Rodionova in Acapulco. Aware she will have to hit the ground running in Indian Wells and Miami, she plans to make her full-fledged singles return with high spirits and a sense of humor.

“This level of tennis, for the last two years, I saw it only on TV! When I’m at that level, I can talk about goals, but for now I’m not there. I’ve played so few matches after two years, it’s like nothing, and every time, I realize something is missing: maybe a shot, or I’m not moving that fast, or in the wrong direction! There are a lot of things I have to improve. You can see them only when you compete; you can’t really see them in practice because it’s a completely different level of concentration.

“The main thing is to be healthy and to take care of my body, and not to be too crazy about playing everything in a row and forget that I was injured! I still have to remember to treat myself: my body, my foot. Between the foot and the shoulder, I have many parts of my body that I have to treat well!

“I came to Fed Cup, and hadn’t played doubles the whole two years. When our captain was asking, ‘Galina, are you ready?’ I said, ‘I don’t know because I have no idea how I will play!’ Can you imagine? I have no idea if the level that I played last time in 2014 will be there in Indian Wells. I know I will do my best and try to prepare.

“I feel like Scarlett from Gone With the Wind: I will think about this tomorrow!”

Follow Galina as she continues her comeback on Twitter @g_voskoboeva!

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.

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Vote Now: February Best Dressed

Vote Now: February Best Dressed

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

The weeks following a Grand Slam tend to be calm in terms of tennis fashion, but in the past four weeks we’ve had new designs hitting the courts, plus some outfits introduced in January rose to their full potential in the less busy month of February. Let’s give the word to Marija Zivlak of Women’s Tennis Blog and see the tennis clothes that stood out at this month’s tournaments.

Sara Errani, Roberta Vinci

Launched at the Australian Open, Nike’s striped separates were then in the shadow of Serena Williams’ crop top and Maria Sharapova’s sporty elegance, but the Nike Spring Premier Slam Tank and Nike Spring Premier Victory Skirt got the deserved exposure in February.

On her way to the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy triumph, Roberta Vinci sported the light crimson version of the lightweight tank with rounded side vents for extra comfort, while Sara Errani wore the same outfit en route to the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships title.

Elina Svitolina, Anna Karolina Schmiedlova

Elina Svitolina and Anna Karolina Schmiedlova rocked the same style, but they paired the white pleated skirt with the obsidian navy version of the breathable tank and highlighted the look with a chic retro red headband.

Jelena Jankovic

The Fila Spring Platinum Dress with a striking crisscross design detail of a tennis ball in motion was supposed to be Jelena Jankovic’s choice for the Australian Open, but the Serb made a last-minute switch, opted for a solid yellow piece in Melbourne and saved the launch of this memorable print for February. The sleeveless V-neck brings an extra stylish touch to the flattering fit. The Serb complemented the look with super trendy boxer braids and coordinating manicure. We expected nothing less from JJ!

Venus Williams

Venus Williams is successful in everything she gets her hands on. The tennis legend not only won the Taiwan Open for her 49th career title, but she did it in her brand new EleVen Camilla Rose collection. After finding inspiration in brushstrokes for the Australian Open, in February the American introduced a blue botanical burst and lifted the floral Kaohsiung trophy in the EleVen Camilla Print Inspire Cap Sleeve paired with the EleVen Camilla Inspire Skirt, both featuring contrast crisscross stripes.

The collection celebrates the abundance of spring in perfect bloom, using washed layers of aqua, blue atoll and white grounded by limoges, a stunning shade of navy, and offering a harmonious group of solid color options to be matched with printed items.

Jana Cepelova, Carla Suárez Navarro

The story of this black and floral Lotto Ursula line, as seen here on Jana Cepelova and Carla Suárez Navarro, is an intriguing one. The reason you cannot find these clothes on your go-to tennis shopping sites is that it is fitness and training apparel meant to be worn during practice and interviews. But, according to Lotto, the WTA players fell in love with the tropical dream pattern and since the shape, style and quality of materials allow it, a great deal of Lotto’s athletes chose to sport the clothes during matches. The Italian company is glad about this unexpected development.

 Now that you’ve seen them all, who is your pick for February’s WTA best dressed?

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Konta Outpaces Duque-Mariño In Monterrey

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

MONTERREY, Mexico – Johanna Konta overcame a tricky opponent and gusty conditions to advance to the second round of the Abierto Monterrey Afirme, defeating Mariana Duque-Mariño 6-3, 6-3.

Watch live action from Monterrey & Kuala Lumpur this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

The last time Konta played in Monterrey was back in 2014, when the then-No.120-ranked Brit fell in the second round of qualifying to Belinda Bencic.

But a lot has changed in the two years since that disappointing result. Building up confidence from her strong showing in 2015 and even better start at this year’s Australian Open, Konta needed just over an hour to book her spot into the second round.

Konta’s last match in Mexico was last week in the hot and humid Acapulco, but the conditions couldn’t be more different in Monterrey, which is located on the foothills of the Sierra Madre in the northeast. Konta and Duque-Mariño faced dry and windy conditions throughout their match.

“It was a tough match, the conditions changed within the match itself,” Konta said after the match. “There’s not much I can do about the wind, so it would be silly for it to bother me.

“It’s an external thing, so you’ve just got to deal with it.”

Konta showed signs of her famed emotional stability early on – she came up with two break opportunities against Duque-Mariño and despite being unable to convert them, she stayed cool to grab the third break point and go up 4-2 in the opening set. She kept up the lead, dictating the points with her heavy forehand and closing out the set 6-3.

The Brit felt more pushback from Duque-Mariño in the second set – Konta broke at 2-1 to get ahead but the Colombian’s crafty slices forced a pair of forehand errors to bring up break point. Konta buried her serve into the net and handed the break right back for 2-2. She went on to win four of the next five games, taking the match at 6-3, 6-3.

“I had a very competitive match against a very good player,” Konta said of her No.74-ranked Colombian opponent. “I had to compete really hard and really stay focused, I’m happy I came through in the end.”

Another Brit is also through to the second round at the Abierto Monterrey Afirme; No.84-ranked Heather Watson battled past Misaki Doi in a three-set thriller. She overcame a shutout in the second set tiebreak to win the match 6-4, 6-7(0), 6-3 after two hours and 47 minutes. Mirjana Lucic-Baroni advanced to the second round with a win over Tatjana Maria, 7-5, 6-4. No.6 seed Alison Van Uytvanck wrapped up the day’s action with a comfortable win over Irina Falconi, 6-4, 6-2.

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Babos Bubbling Beneath Big Serve

Babos Bubbling Beneath Big Serve

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

The opening service games of the season have been full of surprises, but with her booming delivery, World No.45 Timea Babos has been holding comfortably thus far in 2016.

“It’s my strongest shot,” she told WTA Insider before her first round match at the Abierto Monterrey Afirme. “I like to play aggressive tennis, and it helps to be aggressive with a good serve.”

Babos has hit a tour-leading 76 aces through 12 matches, a stat that has helped her halve her ranking in a matter of weeks – shattering a former career-high of No.59 – and earn big wins over the likes of Sara Errani and Eugenie Bouchard.

“So far, it’s all working really well because I’m improving and enjoying my tennis a lot. I’m so motivated, and it’s all just getting better and better.”

The former junior prodigy has always excelled in doubles, winning three girl’s doubles majors with Sloane Stephens and finishing one match shy of Wimbledon glory in 2014 with Kristina Mladenovic. A strong season with the Frenchwoman – one that included a rare win over Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza – booked the heavy-hitting Hungarian her debut appearance at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global last fall.

“The atmosphere was unbelievable; all of the luxuries and spectacle there are definitely worth working towards. I was really excited, proud and honored to be there, and I think it was a good experience.

“I’m still learning a lot, day by day at my age. I’m only 22, so it’s been a good process and I’m ‘processing’ in every way. It can be motivating – although I think I’m already pretty motivated,” she added with a laugh. “But it can just motivate me that much more, that it’s really worth the work every day knowing that, if you work hard, you can reach the highest levels.”

Timea Babos

Babos’ brush with the big stage in Singapore left her with renewed determination to restore the balance between her disparate singles and doubles rankings, opting to further extend her season by playing pair of WTA 125K Series Tournaments in Asia – winning one in Taipei.

“Last year we had big goals in doubles. Obviously, I also had goals with singles, but Singapore was one of the main focuses. During the year, I couldn’t play all the singles tournaments I would have wanted because of doubles, and it wasn’t easy to make a good schedule with my singles ranking and with my doubles ranking combined.

“After Singapore, I thought it would be good to finish the year strong and try to make it easier to schedule tournaments from the beginning of the year. Thankfully everything went well, and it’s true: it’s a lot easier to make a schedule when you have a better ranking in both!”

She took that momentum into a productive (albeit unusually truncated) off-season with longtime coach Thomas Drouet – who led Marion Bartoli through a victorious Wimbledon fortnight in 2013 – and rang in the New Year with a run to the semifinals of the Shenzhen Open.

“We had our two-year ‘anniversary’ – if you could call it that – on the 19th of February, and it’s going really, really well. I enjoy working with him and I’ve learned a lot; he’s worked with top players before and has had many good results. He’s helped me a lot to improve every day, and we enjoy our job together.

“We like to step on court every day, even if it’s seven in the morning or 10 at night. Whenever we’re on court, we just try our best to improve.”

The improvements have been particularly evident on serve, which has evolved from a strength to a true weapon, the cornerstone of an all-out offensive strategy.

Timea Babos

“We changed my technique a little bit, and it’s working out well. I’m more consistent with my first serve percentage, and more accurate with my spots. This is my strength, and my most confident shot. If I really trust in it, I can build my game around it, so I think it can give me a good base.”

Holding serve nearly 80% of the time, Babos draws inspiration from World No.1 Serena Williams as she grows more adept at using the shot to stand up to high-pressure situations – saving 65% of all break points faced this season.

“If you look at Serena, she might not always at her best from the baseline, but her serve is so unbelievable that it can cause trouble for everyone, and it also takes her out trouble. It can be an important shot.”

Hers has been key to this vein of consistency, as the big server comes to Monterrey with back-to-back wins at all but one of her tournaments in 2016 – the Australian Open, where she reached the second round for the first time in her career.

“I wasn’t consistent enough, and this is what was missing from my game last year. Since October, I’ve moved up about 40 spots in the rankings, which is definitely a big improvement. I’ve had consistent results so far this year – nothing huge, but still more consistent as I continue to work a lot on both the physical and mental aspects of my game.”

This week in Monterrey represents a return to where it all began for Babos, who burst through a window of opportunity to capture her first title in back in 2012, upsetting former No.1 Ana Ivanovic en route to the quarterfinals 12 months later as the defending champion.

Timea Babos

“I was last in because Serena pulled out at the last minute. The day before I didn’t even know I’d be competing, and then all of the sudden I was in the main draw, going on to win the singles. The year after I won again, in doubles.

“Every year I have good fun here, and I have good memories. I just like the place; there is a little bit of altitude, which I really, really like. I also love the food, especially guacamole! This is one thing that makes me happy every day that I can have it.

“It all comes together, and so I’m really happy to come back and play here because of the good memories I have.”

Memories of her time atop the junior rankings – where she peaked at No.2 back in 2010 – also propel her forward as she and her former rivals continue to make strides on the WTA circuit.

“Our age group is actually one of the strongest of the past couple of years. We have so many good players born in ’93 and ’94. I won Grand Slams with Sloane, and played a lot with Kiki. I also played so many matches against Genie and the Pliskova sisters.

“I think it’s very good to always have these girls around. It gives a little bit of motivation to see that, if one of us can do well, then why not the other?”

Success is still very much an abstract concept for Babos, even as she finds herself quickly catching up to the rest of her cohort. But a positive mindset might be all she needs to start serving notice on the game’s biggest stages.

“My goal is to stay humble, to work hard and try my best every time I step on court, and to have fun. I really believe that if all that happens, I can have my good results and everything will happen how it should.

“I’m going to try the best I can and then we’ll see what happens.”

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

HOBART, Australia – Belgian qualifier Elise Mertens pulled off the latest upset in a surprising week at the Hobart International, stunning top seed Kiki Bertens, 6-2, 7-5 to reach the semifinals.

“I didn’t expect to win, but in tennis anything can happen,” she said in her post-match press conference. “Today was my day; I played at a good level. In the end I was a bit nervous playing against Kiki, but I’m happy I won.

“I’m pleased with my level. I think I’m playing pretty well and I hope I can hold onto this into the next tournaments.”

Bertens had looked in solid form on Wednesday to advance into the last eight, but struggled from the outset against Mertens, losing serve all four times in the opening set.

The 2016 French Open semifinalist steadied herself in the second, breaking in the seventh game and earning a pair of set points at 5-3, but the qualifier saved both and rode the momentum into an 80-minute win.

“It was tough today,” Bertens said. “Elise started really well; credit to her, I think she played a great match. I was searching for rhythm. Of course, I’m disappointed today, but what can I do?

“Before the match, I was trying to play aggressively, and I don’t think I did that well enough today.”

Mertens’ extended stay in Hobart meant she was unable to attend Australian Open qualifying, but a semifinal run seems to have made up for that disappointment.

“I’m happy to be in Hobart and I’m 100% behind my decision. I’m happy to be here and I’m giving everything I have. Kiki’s a great player, so it was a tough match. In the end, I got it done.”

Up next for Mertens is fellow qualifier Jana Fett, who ousted lucky loser Veronica Cepede Royg, 6-1, 6-4.

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Pavlyuchenkova's Home Away From Home

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

MONTERREY, México – Monterrey is a long way – culturally, geographically and meteorologically – from Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova’s hometown of Samara.

However, the city will always be a home away from home for Pavlyuchenkova. In 2010, Monterrey’s Sierra Madre Tennis Club was the site for a teenage Pavlyuchenkova’s maiden WTA title and the subsequent years have brought two further titles and countless more memories.

Unfortunately for the Russian, this year’s visit to the Abierto Monterrey Afirme ended in disappointment – a first-round loss to Pauline Parmentier dashing hopes of a fourth trophy and first at the tournament’s new home, Club Sonoma.

During her stay, the 24-year-old did have time to sit down and discuss her unlikely journey from bashing balls on the banks of the Volga to the top of the women’s game.

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