Vote: WTA Elite Trophy Shot Of The Tournament
Barbora Strycova, Samantha Stosur, Elina Svitolina, Elena Vesnina or Johanna Konta – who hit the shot of the tournament at the WTA Elite Trophy?
Barbora Strycova, Samantha Stosur, Elina Svitolina, Elena Vesnina or Johanna Konta – who hit the shot of the tournament at the WTA Elite Trophy?
In 2004 the Olympics returned to its spiritual birthplace, Athens, and after three successive gold medals, the United States’ stranglehold on tennis at the Games was finally loosened by a brilliant Belgian…
Athens, Greece, 2004
Athens Olympic Tennis Center
Hardcourt
There is a school of thought that suggests peaking for a big tournament is all about preparation; carefully choosing how much to play and, more importantly, when, in order to maximize the chance of success.
In Athens, Justine Henin threw that theory out of the window.
Coming into the tournament on the back of a 10-week layoff due to a mystery viral infection, there were plenty of questions surrounding what sort of shape the World No.1 was in.
Answers from the early rounds were inconclusive – Henin was rarely forced out of first gear, sweeping past her first four opponents without dropping a set.
In the semifinals, though, any lingering doubts were well and truly extinguished as she battled life and limb with the mercurial Anastasia Myskina for nearly three hours, recovering from 5-1 down in the third before finally triumphing, 7-5, 5-7, 8-6.
Twenty-four hours later she had to drag her weary limbs back on court to face World No.2 Amélie Mauresmo.
Remarkably, there was not a hint of fatigue in her play, as she skipped across the baseline, her elegant groundstrokes at their fluent best. Instead, it was Mauresmo a step off the pace, chasing shadows as she was pushed one way, then another.
After just one hour and 15 minutes, Henin had arrived at match point. Fittingly, it was another textbook point that won it for her – a crisp backhand drive down the line, setting up the easiest of overheads, which the Belgian gleefully accepted to become her nation’s first female gold medalist in 20 years.
“I can tell you honestly that I was always dreaming about Grand Slams,” Henin said. “But now maybe I change my mind tonight, because it’s different.
“You feel like you’re playing for the whole country, for the colors of your country. That’s something really different. When you’re in a Grand Slam, you’re alone.”
——
Olympic Memories: Sydney
Olympic Memories: Atlanta
Olympic Memories: Barcelona
Olympic Memories: Seoul
Maria Sharapova has had to fight her way back from injury several times in her career, so it’s no surprise that with this latest unexpected setback, she’s knows just what to do.
NANCHANG, China – No.6 seeded American Vania King is in to her first WTA final of the year and her first since 2013 after her win over No.7 seed Risa Ozaki in the Jiangxi Open.
Watch live action from Nanchang this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
“I will go on and play my game, because I play the best when I play my game,” King said of the final. “Just try to be aggressive, try to control the points. It will be difficult, obviously everyone plays good at this point. That means I have to work for it.”
King broke twice in both sets, getting ahead early on in the score by grabbing the break in each of Osaki’s opening service games.
She’s set to face China’s Ying-Ying Duan in the final after the local pushed past Misa Eguchi in straight sets. This is the 27-year-old’s first time in a WTA-level final.
“I’m very happy to make the final,” Duan said. “[I was] a bit nervous today during the match so I called my coach to court. I believe we both were very keen on winning the match.
“It’s my first time in a WTA final and I have never played Vania before. I think I’ll just give my best and play aggressively.”
Capturing the Indian Wells-Miami “Sunshine Double” is no easy feat, but Victoria Azarenka and Bethanie Mattek-Sands made it look easy in March, taking home both titles at the BNP Paribas Open and Miami Open in singles and doubles (with CoCo Vandeweghe and Lucie Safarova), respectively. Who else made waves in the midst of the Sunshine Swing?
Azarenka’s Spring Surge
The former No.1 started 2016 ranked outside the Top 20, but Azarenka was on a mission from first ball at Indian Wells, roaring to her biggest career title and first Premier Mandatory crown since 2012.
After double bageling Magdalena Rybarikova in the last eight, she survived a topsy-turvy semifinal encounter with future US Open finalist Karolina Pliskova before stunning then-World No.1 Serena Williams, who was playing her first final in the California desert since 2001.
Azarenka says her forehand return has improved, can hit more angles, winners from that side. Other game tweaks: pic.twitter.com/k2z4vkokuV
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) March 16, 2016
“I believe I’m a stronger, faster, and a smarter player,” she told WTA Insider after the final. “I find ways to win when some other things don’t work. I’ve improved my serve a lot. I’m mentally way happier, and I have people with whom I see no limitations.”
The win brought her back into the Top 10 for the first time in nearly two years, and put her in position for the elusive Sunshine Double.
Azarenka Strikes Two In Miami
Azarenka was even more emphatic in Miami, winning her third title of the season without dropping a set in sunny Florida.
The most impressive match came against eventual Roland Garros champion Garbiñe Muguruza, whom the Belarusian narrowly eliminated in a pair of tie-breaks. Azarenka went on to avenge her Australian Open defeat to Angelique Kerber in the semifinals and dismiss surprise finalist Svetlana Kuznetsova in straight sets.
Champagne taste and caviar dreams for @vika7 @MiamiOpen. pic.twitter.com/fCH9do3e2J
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) April 2, 2016
Back in the Top 5, she appeared on course to challenge for even bigger titles as the tour turned to clay.
“It’s been a really long month and to be able to contain this determination and that intensity throughout all the matches is definitely not an easy task,” she told WTA Insider. “The last couple of days especially has been a lot of expectations and pressure from the outside to complete the Sunshine Double.
“I’m very proud that I kept myself present, kept myself really focused and focused on the job before anything else.”
Mattek-Sands Serves Double Trouble
While Azarenka dominated a compelling month of singles, Mattek-Sands was cleaning things up in doubles with two different partners across Indian Wells and Miami.
First partnering up with CoCo Vandeweghe, the Americans upset No.2 seeds Chan Yung-Jan and Chan Hao-Ching and No.3 seeds Timea Babos and Yaroslava Shvedova en route to the final, where they narrowly outlasted Julia Goerges and Karolina Pliskova, 6-4, 4-6, 10-6.
Women's doubles champs Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova have a special message for their fans. #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/ZibcZlUNTN
— Miami Open (@MiamiOpen) April 3, 2016
Moving to Miami, Mattek-Sands reunited with former partner Lucie Safarova (with whom she’d captured the Australian Open and French Open last year), and ran the table to win the tournament without dropping a set, defeating Babos and Shvedova in the final.
The second half of the Sunshine Double proved ample foreshadowing for Mattek-Sands, who went on to win the US Open with Safarova and ride an 18-match winning streak into the final of the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
Elsewhere…
A trio of veterans struck gold through the post-Aussie Indoor and Middle East Swing, with Roberta Vinci, Carla Suárez Navarro, and Sara Errani taking home titles in St. Petersburg, Doha, and Dubai, respectively. Vinci’s run in Russia helped her become the oldest Top 10 debutante in WTA history, while runner-up Belinda Bencic became the youngest since 2009 to make her Top 10 debut. Suárez Navarro earned the biggest title of her career, outlasting the charge of young hotshot Jelena Ostapenko, while Errani won a battle of veterans by knocking out Barbora Strycova in Dubai.
All photos courtesy of Getty Images.
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – No.11 seed Petra Kvitova kept up her world-class form in the quarterfinals of the Olympic tennis event, soaring past Elina Svitolina, 6-2, 6-0, to reach the final four in Rio.
Playing in her second Olympics, Kvitova edged closer to a first medal with a strong win over Svitolina, who was fresh off an upset of World No.1 Serena Williams in the third round.
Converting the only two break points of the opening set, the two-time Wimbledon winner raced through the opening set, and didn’t face a break point throughout the 48 minute contest. In all, Kvitova hit 18 winners to just two from the Ukrainian youngster, and hit 11 unforced errors to 16 by match’s end.
Czech Republic's @Petra_Kvitova books her place in the last 4 at #Rio2016 with 62 60 win against @ElinaSvitolina pic.twitter.com/hUVLuqgyil
— ITF Olympic Tennis (@OlympicsTennis) August 11, 2016
Into her first Olympic semifinal, the former World No.2 will face Puerto Rico’s Monica Puig for a spot in the final; Puig was equally emphatic in her quarterfinal demolition of Germany’s Laura Siegemund, 6-1, 6-1.
Kvitova has played her best tennis under the Czech flag, leading her country to four Fed Cup wins in the last five years. Jiri Fencl, coach to Kvitova’s countrywoman Lucie Hradecka, noticed the shift in Kvitova’s mental state after her hard-fought third round win over Ekaterina Makarova.
Petra is emotionally in Fed Cup mode. Watch out everyone. #pojd #Rio2016
— Jiří Fencl (@maxav) August 9, 2016
It took her a few tries, but Peng Shuai finally got a hang of the WTA Frame Challenge. How well did she do? Well, that’s a different story…
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – No.2 seed Angelique Kerber is guranteed to win a medal at the Olympic tennis event; the Australian Open champion clinched her spot in the Gold Medal match with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Madison Keys on Friday in the semifinals.
The highest ranked woman to reach the final four in Rio, Kerber came up against an in-form rival in Madison Keys, who has taken her to three sets in two of their last three encounters – beating her to win the 2014 Aegon International in Eastbourne.
Hoping to become the first German woman to medal at the Olympic tennis event since idol Stefanie Graf, the World No.2 played contained tennis against her more aggressive opponent, hitting just two unforced errors in the first set alone to take the early initiative.
Madison Keys: 14 winners, 18 unforced errors.
Angelique Kerber: 1 winner, 1 unforced error.
Kerber leads *4-3. https://t.co/LBU8kSMjRn
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) August 12, 2016
“It means a lot to be in the final right now,” she said after the match. “It wasn’t easy to be the next after Steffi to reach the final at the Olympics means a lot. It’s really special to be here today, and tomorrow in the finals.”
Keys became the first American to make her Top 10 debut since Serena Williams back in 1999 earlier this year, and wasn’t about to go down without a fight. Facing down the barrel of triple match point in the tenth game of the second set, Keys saved all three – a total of four by game’s end – to try and force a deciding set.
“She’s an unbelievably good player and she played really hard today. I was trying to move well, get the balls back and go for it when I had the chance. It wasn’t easy in the second set when I had four match points, but I managed to come back and focus again. It’s really special to be in the final now.”
Kerber saved two break points on her own serve to get back within striking distance of her first Olympic final – having fallen in the quarterfinals back in her London debut four years ago – and finally secured victory on her sixth match point.
Standing between the German and a gold medal is Puerto Rico’s Monica Puig, another youngster in the midst of a career-best season. Puig became the first woman from her country to win a medal after upsetting No.11 seed Petra Kvitova in the other semifinal, and has knocked out quality opposition all week in Rio, including reigning French Open champion Garbiñe Muguruza.
“She’s played very good this week,” Kerber said when asked about her next opponent. “I know it’ll be a tough final, but I’ll try to enjoy it, go out and play my best tennis and, of course, win the next match. But Monica plays good and I’m ready for that.”
.@AngeliqueKerber will face @MonicaAce93 in the gold medal match after defeating Madison Keys 63 75 at #Rio2016 pic.twitter.com/7ruVKIroOF
— ITF Olympic Tennis (@OlympicsTennis) August 12, 2016
Evgeniya Rodina defeated Chang Kai-Chen in Sunday’s final of the OEC Taipei WTA Challenge to lift the biggest title of her career.
MELBOURNE, Australia – Top seed Serena Williams withstood a tense first set and a late match charge to take out Maria Sharapova, defeating the No.5 seed for an 18th straight time, 6-4, 6-1.
Sharapova came out firing to start, taking an early 2-0 lead on Australia Day, but Williams worked her way into the match in style, saving break points at 4-4 and winning seven games in a row at one stage.
“It was super intense,” the American told Rennae Stubbs during her on-court interview. “She’s an incredibly intense, focused player who was No.1 and won so many Grand Slams for a reason.
“When you’re playing someone who’s so great, you have to come out with a lot of fire and intensity.”
Looking ill at ease with the doctor on court after the first set, Williams was nonetheless ruthless in the second, getting close to a shutout before Sharapova pulled back, even earning two break points for 5-2 as the top seed served for it.
“I’ve been playing this whole week aggressively, but I didn’t start out playing that way today.
“I just knew after the first set that I wanted to start playing the way I have been, that got me to the quarterfinals, so I was just trying to do that.”
Up next for the World No.1 is No.4 seed and BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global champion, Agnieszka Radwanska.
“She’s a great defender and a great girl. I’m going to do my best, and I have nothing to lose,” she said, then addressing the crowd, “Thank you guys for coming out; I hear you all, and it means a lot to me!”
Looking to tie Steffi Graf’s record of 22 Grand Slam titles, Williams is also after a seventh Australian Open title, her first coming back in 2003 to complete her first Serena Slam.
“I’m here all the time; I have so many friends here. This is one of the few stadiums where I feel so welcome.”
Serena on Maria: When I play her, I know automatically I have to step up my game. I think that makes me play better pic.twitter.com/WVYCLVkiNn
— Australian Open (@AustralianOpen) January 26, 2016