Serena’s Collection Hits Fashion Week
Serena Williams’ Signature Statement Collection hit the runway at New York Fashion Week, and Venus Williams and Caroline Wozniacki were in the front row to take it all in.
Serena Williams’ Signature Statement Collection hit the runway at New York Fashion Week, and Venus Williams and Caroline Wozniacki were in the front row to take it all in.
Who were the last women to complete the Sunshine Double? And who has the most match wins? Find out as SAP takes you Behind The Numbers at Indian Wells and Miami.
QUÉBEC CITY, CANADA – No.1 seed Eugenie Bouchard closed out the first round at the Coupe Banque Nationale with a solid victory over Mandy Minella, 6-3, 6-4.
Earlier in the day, CiCi Bellis scored her first win as a professional tennis player in a hard-fought battle against American qualifier Danielle Lao. She needed seven match points to close out her final service game, but she got the job done 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 after two hours and twenty minutes.
“I knew Danielle was playing well – I mean, she passed qualies and beat someone really good in the first round,” Bellis said after the match. “I knew it was going to be a tough one, I’m just glad I got through.”
Yesterday, Bellis announced that she was turning professional after a summer of great results, including a third-round appearance at the US Open. Now into the quarterfinals of the Coupe Banque Nationale, it looks like
“I feel really confident after my summer of WTA tournaments and then the US Open,” Bellis explained. “I think it was time. It was an easy decision to make – I’m was very excited about it.”
Bellis will face another American in the quarterfinals after Jessica Boserup knocked out No.7 seed Evgeniya Rodina 6-4, 6-3.
A pair of qualifiers also made their way to the quarterfinals after Lauren Davis defeated No.8 seed Samantha Crawford 6-4, 6-1 and Tereza Martincova defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova 4-6, 6-1, 6-4.
More to come…
Karolina Pliskova had a thrilling finale to her summer hardcourt swing, backing up her biggest-career title at the Western & Southern Open with a run to a first Grand Slam final at the US Open.
“I’m so proud of myself,” she said after a narrow loss to Angelique Kerber in the championship match. “If someone would tell me I’m going to play finals in this tournament before two weeks I would take it.”
Pliskova ends her head-to-head series with the new World No.1 at 1-1 after winning their Cincinnati meeting and keeping Kerber from taking the top spot until her triumph in Flushing. She also became the fourth player ever to defeat both Williams sisters at the same major tournament. Saving a match point against No.6 seed Venus Williams, the Czech powerhouse stunned top seed Serena Williams in straight sets in her first semifinal.
“I’m just gonna take it tournament by tournament and try to play the game what I was playing last three weeks. I think I really did a good job. I improved in a lot of things, especially the game what I have been playing, not only against the players which are under me, but with the top players which are in front of me.
“I think that’s the key how I can, you know, be even better than I am.”
Hear more from Pliskova on her breakthrough run on the WTA Insider Podcast:
Up to a career-high of No.6 and in pole position to make her debut appearance at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, Pliskova is your Breakthrough Player of the Month!
Final Results for August’s WTA Breakthrough Performance Of The Month
1. Karolina Pliskova (64%)
2. Anastasija Sevastova (18%)
3. Ana Konjuh (18%)
2016 Breakthrough Performance Of The Month Winners
January: Zhang Shuai
February: Jelena Ostapenko
March: Nicole Gibbs
April: Cagla Buyukakcay
May: Kiki Bertens
June: Elena Vesnina
July: Kristina Kucova
How it works:
Finalists are selected by wtatennis.com
Winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com
No.4 seed Catherine Bellis made a confident start to the Hawaii Open with a straight-set victory over Zhang Nan-Nan.
Svetlana Kuznetsova’s late season surge into Singapore made headlines, but the WTA veteran’s hot shots have been turning heads all season long. Watch all of her best shots of 2016, right here!
Agnieszka and Urszula Radwanska showed the true spirit of the holidays back home in Poland this past week, keeping a very charitable tradition going…
NGUANGZHOU, China – No.2 seed Jelena Jankovic faced few problems in a 6-2, 6-1 rout of hometown favorite You Xiaodi to reach the second round of the Guangzhou International Women’s Open.
Playing her first tournament since the US Open, Jankovic lost just five points behind her first serve and saved four of five break points faced throughout the 66 minute match, which the Serb told press was tougher than the scoreline indicated.
“There were a lot of tough points, and I think my young opponent played very well,” she said in her post-match press conference. “She has a great game and great potential. A lot of games were really close. Though I didn’t play my best tennis, I’m happy to get through, so I hope to keep improving and get even better.”
Jankovic had a strong end to her season in 2015, winning here and in Hong Kong to qualify for the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai, and despite an injury-riddled season, still has big goals for her week in Guangzhou.
“I would like to play one match at a time, but my goal is to win the tournament. It won’t be easy because every tournament is tough and everyone is playing well, but I will try my best to achieve it.”
Up next for the former World No.1 is Sweden’s Rebecca Peterson, who dispatched local wildcard and former junior No.1 Xu Shilin, 6-3, 6-1.
“In general, I’ve loved coming to China for so many years. I’ve had quite a lot of success in this part of the world. I’d like to do well again, and so I’ll try my best to have a great Asian Swing and end my season on a positive note.
“But I’ve had a lot of injuries, two ruptures in my shoulder, and this is only my second tournament after a long time. I will try to fight and regain my confidence, get stronger, and get better with each match I play in Asia.”
Jankovic even managed to have some fun before the tournament began, sharing images from the player’s party on her official Facebook page:
Earlier in the day, 2013 Wimbledon finalist Sabine Lisicki triumphed over lucky loser Kwan Yau Ng, 6-2, 6-0, while Lesia Tsurenko defeated qualifier Junri Namigata, 6-4, 6-1. Runner-up in Tokyo’s International event last week, No.7 seed Katerina Siniakova bowed out to young Estonian Anett Kontaveit, 6-1, 6-1, while champion Christina McHale was forced to withdraw from Guangzhou due to a right shoulder injury.
Top seed Sara Errani played the last match of the night against China’s Han Xinyun.
More to come…
TOKYO, Japan – Monica Puig produced a typically gutsy comeback to upset former champion and No.7 seed Petra Kvitova and reach the quarterfinals of the Toray Pan Pacific Open.
Watch live action from Tokyo this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
Despite playing much of the contest on the back foot, Puig played the more assured tennis when it mattered to run out a 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 winner.
“It was difficult conditions today – the conditions were heavy and the roof was open this time – so it took me a little bit of time to adjust,” Puig said. “I just kept fighting and that’s what got me through today.”
The Puerto Rican, who also beat Kvitova on her way to Olympic gold this summer, is yet to lose to a left-hander in 2016 and will now face either defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska or Barbora Strycova.
“I didn’t know I hadn’t lost [to a left-hander], but they’re very difficult to play and always tricky,” she said when quizzed on her record after the match.
More to follow…
Who’s your favorite player, what was your favorite match of the year and of course who took the best selfie this year? Click here to vote for those and many more!