Cincinnati: King & Davis Visit Hospitals
Earlier this week, Vania King and Lauren Davis took a break from the Western & Southern Open to pay a visit to two Cincinnati-area hospitals.
Earlier this week, Vania King and Lauren Davis took a break from the Western & Southern Open to pay a visit to two Cincinnati-area hospitals.
DUBAI, UAE – Caroline Wozniacki is only 26 years old – so she was taken by surprise to hear her quarterfinal opponent at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships say she had admired her since childhood.
“Both [Agnieszka] Radwanska and Wozniacki have been, you know, my idols since I was really young and watched them play on the TV since I was five years old,” revealed 17-year-old CiCi Bellis after beating the Pole 6-4, 2-6, 6-2.
Wozniacki’s win over Kateryna Bondarenko, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, set up a clash between the current WTA World No.15 and her teenage admirer.
“Obviously we have been on tour for so long and played so many matches and been on TV for a lot of years,” said the Dane. “I think sometimes you just don’t realize how young these girls are that are coming up.
“But we were one of them, too. Aga and I were both really young when we broke through. You know, it’s my 12th year on tour now, so, you know, we have been here for a while – although I still feel young at heart.”
Wozniacki reminisced about her own time as a teenager breaking through – and those senior stateswomen of the game who welcomed her
“Someone like Kim Clijsters was always nice,” she recalled. “Venus was one of the first ones, as well. She asked me to play doubles with her in Qatar, actually, when I was 17. So that was huge for me. And then Serena was really nice.
“I’m not saying everybody, but I think the older players back in the day really appreciated us having that respect towards them. Not on the court, obviously. We wanted to win. But we were always very respectful of them and their achievements at the same time we were fighters and competitors.”
That means that Wozniacki will not be taking the young American lightly.
“I think she obviously tries to dictate with the forehand,” she said. “You know, it’s a player with a lot of energy. I just need to be out there and just show my presence – and try and stay aggressive.”
Yanina Wickmayer had Tuesday’s shot of the day at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy.
PHOENIX, AZ, USA – A whirlwind homecoming for Olympic Gold medalist Bethanie Mattek-Sands took her out to the ball game and out to the crowd on Wednesday, throwing the first pitch for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Treated to a night of peanuts and crackerjacks, there’s no telling whether the American Olympian cares if she’ll ever get back as she spent the game rooting for the home team, who beat the New York Mets, 13-5.
Check out Mattek-Sands at the old ball game on the Diamondbacks’ official Facebook page and right here on wtatennis.com!
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
DUBAI, UAE – Just days after throwing down the WTA Shot Of The Month gauntlet to trick shots queen Agnieszka Radwanska, World No.2 Angelique Kerber produced yet another highlight-worthy piece of brilliance at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships – and this time she even went right handed for it!
Watch Kerber switch hands for a right-handed reflex volley in her WTA Shot Of The Day from her quarterfinal against Ana Konjuh:
Speed and soft hands from @AngeliqueKerber! ? pic.twitter.com/Ti8X0o1Ej5
— WTA (@WTA) February 23, 2017
“I don’t think [I’ve ever hit a right-handed volley before],” Kerber laughed in her post-match press conference. “I think this point — yeah, I have no idea. I just react, so it was just maybe a little bit luck, as well.”
She added, “I’m naturally right handed. Maybe that helps me in this point.”
On Tuesday, Kerber’s 26-shot rally against Mona Barthel prompted the German to muse out loud about displacing perennial hot-shot winner Radwanska, who not only took home January’s WTA Shot Of The Month but also owns the WTA Shot Of The Year Award for the last four years.
She’s coming for you @ARadwanska… pic.twitter.com/q11Hc9WD6Z
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) February 21, 2017
Radwanska was game and readily accepted the challenge on Twitter:
Game on ???@AngeliqueKerber https://t.co/0S9L0qIsjJ
— Aga Radwanska (@ARadwanska) February 21, 2017
@ARadwanska ???
— Angelique Kerber (@AngeliqueKerber) February 21, 2017
But will it be enough for Kerber to dethrone Radwanska and claim February WTA Shot Of The Month? Stay tuned…
Saint Petersburg is a city known for its arts and culture, so it’s no surprise that doubles co-No.1s Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis made a stop to take it all in at the State Russian Museum.
WTA Insider | In the latest WTA Insider Live Blog, keep up with the action as Simona Halep, Angelique Kerber, and Agnieszka Radwanska all fight for quarterfinal spots in Cincinnati.
Top seed Timea Babos had to go the distance against Oceane Dodin – but an impressive deciding set took her through to the semifinals in Budapest.
KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan – Venus Williams continued her serene progress at the Taiwan Open with a straight set win over Urszula Radwanska on Thursday.
Watch live action from St. Petersburg & Kaohsiung this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
On a blustery afternoon, Williams struggled early on, slipping a break behind. However, once into her rhythm it was one-way traffic, the top seed completing a 6-4, 6-2 victory in an hour and 27 minutes.
“My opponent started so strong – she went 4-1, but I was hoping to still win that set. After that things went almost perfectly for me, so I’m really happy with that and to be playing again tomorrow,” Williams said.
“The wind is also the opponent, too! So you’re then playing yourself, and the ball, and the opponent, and the wind. So it changes everything – it’s not easy. Hopefully tomorrow will be a lot easier.”
Meeting Williams for a place in the semifinals will be Anastasija Sevastova. “Honestly, I’ve never seen her play, so it’ll be a new experience and I’ll just try to play my best,” Williams added.
Also advancing in the top half of the draw was Stefanie Voegele, who dealt with the tricky conditions to upset No.5 seed Zheng Saisai, 6-4, 6-4.
“I’m happy that I won but it probably wasn’t the nicest match we’ve both played,” Voegele said. “It was difficult with the strong winds but I tried to do my best.”
There was better news for the other seeds in action, with Misaki Doi and Hsieh Su-Wei taking their place in the last eight. No.2 seed Doi was untroubled during a 6-2, 6-3 win over Magda Linette, while Hsieh, the No.6 seed, delighted the home crowd by battling past Mandy Minella, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.
Ahead of the quarterfinal matches at the Western & Southern Open, WTA Insider caught up with two of the most in-form players through the Emirates Airlines US Open Series.
Simona Halep takes a 12-match winning streak into a last eight clash with Angieszka Radwanska, whom she trails 3-4 in their head-to-head, but has otherwise played spectacular tennis all summer with wins in Bucharest and the Rogers Cup, reaching the quarterfinals in Cincinnati without dropping a set.
“I’m playing smart and aggressive,” Halep said after her win over Daria Gavrilova. “I feel much stronger and more confident on court when I play now. I’ve won a few matches in a row, so it gives me confidence. It’s been building since Indian Wells, but I’m feeling great on court.”
Up next is World No.2 Angelique Kerber, who is three matches from ending Serena Williams’ 183 straight weeks atop the WTA rankings. Kerber battled past Barbora Strycova in two tough sets to renew her rivalry with Carla Suárez Navarro.
“I go out on court with a lot of confidence that I can be ready even in different conditions, or if I only have a few days to prepare,” Kerber said. “This is what I took into the two matches I won here, that I’m a player who can transfer to surface and conditions very quickly. This gives me a lot of confidence.”
Hear more from Halep in Kerber in the latest Daily Dispatch:
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