Tennis News

April was defined by three breakthrough players who brought some impressive performances on and off the court. Which one soared the highest?

Have a look at the nominees for April’s Breakthrough Performance of the Month and cast your vote before Thursday at 11:59pm ET! The winner will be announced Friday, May 6.

April 2016 WTA Breakthrough Performance of the Month Finalists:

Laura Siegemund: In the midst of a breakthrough season, Siegemund announced herself to the tennis world in a big way at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, where she reached the finals as a qualifier. Brushing past the likes of Simona Halep, Roberta Vinci, and Agnieszka Radnwaks – all in straight sets – the German veteran who wrote a thesis on the psychology of athletes’ mental strength showed impressive grit and determination to ride the wave of momentum and home support into her first WTA singles final. Should she maintain her No.4 standing in her country’s race to the Olympic Games, she could well qualify for Rio by the French Open.

Cagla Buyukakcay: Speaking of hometown favorites, Cagla Buyukakcay made Turkish history in front of an enthusiastic Istanbul crowd to win the TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Cup. All in one week, Buyukakcay became the first Turkish woman to reach a WTA semifinal, final, and title at the expense of Danka Kovinic in three grueling sets. The result helped her crack the Top 100 for the first time in her career, and guarantee a Wimbledon main draw debut later this year.

Irina Falconi: Falconi had an emotional run of her own at the Claro Open Colsanitas, taking out clay court specialist Lara Arruabarrena to win her first career WTA title at 25 years old. A former college star at Georgia Tech, Falconi’s win came on the heels of a devestating earthquake that ravaged her birthplace of Portoviejo, Ecuador. Vowing to do all she can to help, the American has already raised over $20,000 in relief money.

2016 Winners:

January: Zhang Shuai
February: Jelena Ostapenko
March: Nicole Gibbs

How it works:

Finalists are selected by wtatennis.com
Winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com

SHENZHEN, China – World No.3 Agnieszka Radwanska will begin her 2017 campaign by headlining a strong field at the fifth edition of the Shenzhen Open.

Twelve months ago, Radwanska continued her fine record on Chinese soil by cruising to the title at the Shenzhen Longgang Sports Centre without dropping a set. The tournament proved an ideal springboard for the Pole, who went on to reach the semifinals at the Australian Open.

“I can really see that it’s a lovely city and very nice site,” Radwanska said. “So many courts, a lot better for us to practice whenever we can and the tournament is very well organized. I cannot complain about anything; I really like the hotel as well. Every tennis tournament should be like that.”

This year, Shenzhen will offer prize money totaling $750,000 – the highest of any International event on the calendar – enticing a stellar field to southern China. Joining Radwanska in the draw will be two other members of the Top 10, Simona Halep and Johanna Konta.

Like Radwanska, Halep has fond memories of Shenzhen, having lifted the trophy in 2015. Since then, Halep’s trophy cabinet has become ever more crowded, consolidating her status at the summit of the game. Konta, meanwhile, is the latest addition to the Top 10 after a rapid rise up the ranks.

Since Li Na won the inaugural staging of the tournament in 2013, Shenzhen has become a fixture on the calendar, where it will remain until 2021 after signing a contract extension.

Main draw matches will begin on Sunday, January 1.

Click here to see the full entry lists for Shenzhen and the other opening week events in Brisbane and Auckland.

NEW YORK, NY, USA – Every spring the Costume Institute at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art puts on a new fashion exhibit, and with it there’s a brand new themed party: the Met Gala. It’s probably one of the flashiest – and most exclusive – red carpet events of the year, and WTA stars Maria Sharapova and Caroline Wozniacki were right in the thick of it.

Hosted by Vogue editor Anna Wintour, this year’s theme was “Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology,” and Sharapova and Wozniacki chose red as their as their color for the night. Sharapova enlisted Colombian designer Juan Carlos Obando, and Wozniacki wore Prabal Gurung.

Here’s some of the best pictures of their red carpet arrivals, courtesy of Getty Images:

MADRID, Spain – Last year, the biggest names in women’s tennis put down their phones and pulled their best faces in the first ever WTA Emoji Challenge. 

Watch highlights, interviews and more video from Madrid right here on wtatennis.com!

This week, they’re at it again at the Mutua Madrid Open; co-No.1s Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza join reigning Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber, Sunshine Double winner Victoria Azarenka, Agnieszka Radwanska, Simona Halep, Garbiñe Muguruza, Petra Kvitova, Roberta Vinci, Carla Suárez Navarro, and Sloane Stephens to have some fun, flex some muscle, and imitate some of the newest and most memorable textual expressions.

How do they fare? Check out the video and some of the best pictures from the Second Annual WTA Emoji Challenge:

Sania Mirza & Martina Hingis

Simona Halep

Garbiñe Muguruza

Sloane Stephens

Roberta Vinci

Carla Suárez Navarro

Agnieszka Radwanska

Angelique Kerber

Victoria Azarenka

Petra Kvitova

MADRID, Spain – Simona Halep is just two matches from another Premier Mandatory title, but an Aussie veteran in Samantha Stosur will look to stop the Romanian’s run, while marathon woman Dominika Cibulkova takes on a young challenger from the United States; 19-year-old Louisa Chirico qualified for the main draw and is having the week of her life. Who will make it into Saturday’s final?

Friday, Semifinals

[6] Simona Halep (ROU #7) vs Samantha Stosur (AUS #23)
Head-to-head: Tied at 3-3
Key Stat: Halep won their last three meetings (all in 2013).

After an up and down start to 2016, Halep appears to have finally slid into a vein of good form, overcoming compatriot Irina-Camelia Begu to earn her biggest result of the season by reaching the semifinals in Madrid. Standing between her and a second final at the Caja Magica in three years is 2010 French Open finalist Samantha Stosur.

The Aussie veteran dominated her rivalry with the Romanian early in the latter’s career, but in her breakout 2013 season, Halep won all three of their meetings – though two went to three sets in Cincinnati and Sofia at the Tournament of Champions. Halep was the highest ranked woman left in the tournament as of the quarterfinals – and the only seed – but Stosur is no slouch on the big stages, and tends to play at her best when she can play hunter to a higher ranked opponent’s hunted.

Facing off qualifier Patricia Maria Tig in two tight sets, Stosur will like her chances against Halep, who has yet to reach a final this year and has dropped from No.2 down to No.6, but Halep herself has endured a difficult draw, one that put her up against one of last year’s French Open semifinalists and rival Timea Bacsinszky, who returns to the Top 10 on Monday.

Dominika Cibulkova (SVK #38) vs Louisa Chirico (USA #130)
Head-to-head: First meeting
Key Stat: Both women are playing in their first Premier semifinal of 2016 (Chirico: career debut)

Cibulkova has had to battle throughout her week in Madrid, but began her campaign with a quality win over top seed and World No.2 Agnieszka Radwanska, and recovered from a set down to defeat an unseeded but dangerous trio in Caroline Garcia, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, and Sorana Cirstea.

With three WTA semifinal appearances already under her belt in 2016, Cibulkova credits her title run at the Katowice Open with giving her the confidence to play her best tennis on the big stages – having narrowly missed out on upset opportunities in Indian Wells and Miami against Radwanska and Garbiñe Muguruza, respectively.

For Chirico, this may be her first appearance this far in a WTA tournament, but the run hardly came from nowhere. The American teenager made good on a wildcard into the Volvo Car Open main draw to reach the third round – taking out No.4 seed Lucie Safarova en route – and qualifid for the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix just two weeks ago. In Madrid, she outlasted former No.1 and 2008 French Open champion Ana Ivanovic, and backed up the upset with a two-set win over 2015 Rome semifinalist Daria Gavrilova in the quarterfinals.

The first set could well be crucial for the 19-year-old, but the Slovak has proven she can brush off an early deficit to win in the end.

Also in action: The women’s doubles semifinals will take place back-to-back on Estadio 3, with a potential for a rematch of the Stuttgart final on the menu. No.5 seeds Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic will attempt to win a 13th straight match over the recently reunited No.8 seeds Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina, while top seeds and Co-No.1s Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza will be in the hunt for revenge against Vania King and Alla Kudryavtseva, who upset them in straight sets at the BNP Paribas Open. The only unseeded pair left in Madrid, King and Kudryavtseva are currently No.9 on the Road to Singapore standings and reached their second straight semifinal after saving two match points to defeat  No.4 seeds Chan Hao-Ching and Chan Yung-Jan.