Tokyo: Saturday Highlights
Highlights from the semifinal round at the Toray Pan Pacific Open.
Highlights from the semifinal round at the Toray Pan Pacific Open.
WUHAN, China – Simona Halep is aiming to end her hex in China this week at the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open. The World No.5 was forced to withdraw from last week’s Toray Pan Pacific Open due to a hamstring injury and she’s now struggling with every tennis player’s worst enemy: jet lag.
“I practiced two times already here,” Halep told reporters at WTA All-Access Hour on Sunday. “I feel good. On the court I feel a little bit tired. I cannot sleep like I do always.”
“Last night I slept four hours, so I am much better than the first night,” she said with a laugh.
Coming off a strong summer swing that saw her win two titles (Bucharest and Montréal) and suffer just three losses since the French Open – all to either No.1 Angelique Kerber or No.2 Serena Williams – Halep comes into the Asian swing looking to qualify for the WTA Finals for a third consecutive year. Currently No.3 in the Road to Singapore, the 24-year-old is in good position to lock it up sooner rather than later. But to do so she’ll need to break her sub-par trend of results in China at this time of year.
Although Halep won in Shenzhen two Januarys ago, she is just 6-6 on Chinese soil during the fall swing, with her best result coming in 2014, when she made the quarterfinals of the China Open. That also happens to be the only instance in four appearances that she made it past the first round there. In her two appearances in Wuhan, her best result came last year in the third round, where she lost to Johanna Konta.
“I don’t feel that it’s tough to find the motivation and the energy,” Halep said when asked about the Asian swing, who added that though her hamstring may not be healed, she’s been able to practice pain-free for two days. “I feel okay. But here everything is different: food, people, the country is different. It’s not easy to adapt so quickly.”
Halep will be without her coach Darren Cahill in Wuhan. He plans to rejoin the team next week in Beijing.
“I’m not tired mentally,” Halep said. “I’m confident. But you never know here. Every match is difficult at this level. I just want to give my best, to do as much as I can to this end of the season. It’s important, because last years, previous years, I didn’t play that good. So I want to change it.”
Halep will play her opening match against her countrywoman Irina-Camelia Begu on Monday.
Photos courtesy of Getty Images.
MELBOURNE, Australia – The field for the Australian Open is starting to take shape after the initial acceptance list was unveiled earlier this week.
Monday marked the entry deadline for 2017’s first major, with Tennis Australia confirming the identity of 110 of the 128-strong draw. The remaining 18 will be made up of qualifiers and wildcards.
Defending champion Angelique Kerber will be joined by all her principal title rivals, including Serena Williams, Agnieszka Radwanska, Simona Halep and Dominika Cibulkova. The cut-off this year was No.107, with Patricia Maria Tig claiming the last berth.
Also Melbourne-bound will be Luksika Kumkhum and Lizette Cabrera, who have been awarded the first two wildcards.
Australian teenager Cabrera, who will be making her Grand Slam debut, made great strides in 2016, winning two ITF Circuit titles and rising nearly 800 places in the rankings. “It’s amazing news and a pretty surreal feeling. To be honest I’m probably still in a bit of shock, but I’m super excited to start playing,” Cabrera said. “I think if I’m playing my best tennis you can always match it with any girls inside the top 100, so I want to try and win as many matches as I can which will hopefully help me play in more WTA tournaments in the future.”
Kumkhum, meanwhile, earned her spot by triumphing over Chang Kai-Chen in the final of the Asia-Pacific Wildcard Play-off. An ever-present at the Australian Open since 2013, Kumkhum, who upset Petra Kvitova several years back, is eagerly anticipating her return.
“I actually have played in the Australian Open since juniors,” she said. “And I don’t know why, I really like playing there in Melbourne, and had some good results too.
“I feel like at home every time being there, not far from Bangkok, the weather and everything, I think if someone gets used to hot weather, they will like Melbourne too.”
TOKYO, Japan – 2010 Toray Pan Pacific Open champion Caroline Wozniacki overcame injury and withstood a late charge from rising star Naomi Osaka, 7-5, 6-3 to win her first title of 2016.
Watch live action from Tokyo this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
“It’s the last match of the tournament, and I just wanted to go out and enjoy it,” Wozniacki said in her on-court interview. “It’s the final and both of us had great weeks. We both wanted to go out there and play well.”
Osaka was playing in the biggest final of her career, but acquitted herself well in the early stages of the match, twice leading the former No.1 by a break of serve.
“She’s going to be a great player, already rising in the rankings so fast. I’ve no doubt we’ll see her in many, many more finals.”
Wozniacki, by contrast, was playing in her second Tokyo final in the last three years and had a wealth of experience on which to draw, despite dealing with a tough season full of injuries and inconsistencies.
“I’m enjoying it at the moment. Injuries happen and you never know when you can be taken out of the game, so I’m just enjoying every minute.”
Despite needing a medical timeout after the seventh game, the former No.1 managed to pull off a stunning comeback, winning nine of the next 10 games to lead Osaka by a set and 5-0. The teenager and hometown favorite was struck with an injury concern of her own after the opening set, but nonetheless treated the crowd to a tense ending, nearly pulling level before Wozniacki served out the win.
A high-quality contest, Wozniacki and Osaka hit nearly 30 winners each (25 to 28), but it was the Dane’s trademark consistency that won the day, with just 16 unforced errors to Osaka’s 32. Clutch on the crucial points, she converted five of six break point opportunities and won an impressive 11 of 12 forays to the net.
First title of 2016 for @CaroWozniacki! #TorayPPO pic.twitter.com/16dw7UwMkR
— WTA (@WTA) September 25, 2016
Agnieszka Radwanska moved one step closer to a sixth straight appearance at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
After reaching the final four of the Toray Pan Pacific Open, the 2015 champion moved back into the Top 4 on the Road to Singapore leaderboard, bolstering her qualification chances as the Asian Swing gets underway. Switching places with US Open runner-up Karolina Pliskova, either woman could lock up spots in Singapore with strong results at this week’s Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open.
Pliskova reached the third round in Wuhan after a straight sets opening round win over Lucie Safarova, while Radwanska makes her Wuhan debut on Tuesday against Ekaterina Makarova.
Also into the third round of Wuhan is Simona Halep, who is ranked No.3 on the Road to Singapore leaderboard. Depending on other results, Halep could clinch her spot in Singapore should she reach the final – or perhaps the semifinal – in Wuhan. Halep is looking to qualify for the WTA Finals for a third straight year, having finished runner-up to former No.1 Serena Williams.
Tokyo champion Caroline Wozniacki rocketed up 13 spots to No.20 on the Road to Singapore leaderboard, but the former No.1 faces an uphill climb should she aspire to make it back to Singapore for the first time since 2014. After winning her first title of the season in Tokyo, the Dane would likely have to win three more titles in Wuhan, Beijing, and Moscow to have a hope of qualifying – though her chances remain solid of making a second straight appearance at the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai.
Click here to check out the full Road to Singapore leaderboard
WUHAN, China – It was always going to be a big week for Raquel Atawo and Abigail Spears. The Americans qualified for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global last year, and earned an important victory as they aim to return, knocking out Julia Goerges and Karolina Pliskova, 6-3, 2-6, 10-8, in the second round of the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open.
“We’ve probably played at least a thousand 10-point tie-breaks,” Atawo said after the match. “They never get any easier, but if you can find a way to relax, it can help in the big points. We were able to do that today, where we were able to hit the shots when we wanted to in the important moments.”
Watch live action from Wuhan on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
Recovering from losing the second set, the unseeded Americans triumphed in the match tie-break to book a last eight encounter with either Chan Hao-Ching and Chan Yung-Jan (ranked No.6 on the RTS leaderboard) or Slovenians Katarina Srebotnik and Andreja Klepac, who are ranked No.13.
“If we could make them play, we felt like we were in control,” Atawo said. “We just had to get that first ball in, and when we connected, it was really good.”
Atawo and Spears entered the week at No.10 on the Road to Singapore leaderboard, and have had to overcome tremendous fierce opposition just to reach the second round, defeating No.9 Xu Yi-Fan and Zheng Saisai.
“It’s huge motivation, because we’ve been close the last three years, and it’s good experience. But we want to be back in Singapore, and we’ll do whatever it takes to get back there – so long as it’s legal!” Spears said as the pair laughed.
With today’s results, Atawo and Spears move into the No.9 spot and now trail Georges/Pliskova by just 575 points; to crack the Top 8 in Wuhan, they will need to win the title, thus unseating Goerges and Pliskova on the Road to Singapore leaderboard.
Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka moved up to No.5 on the Road to Singapore leaderboard after winning the Coupe Banque Nationale, and kicked off their Wuhan campaign in similarly dramatic style; the Czechs ousted Olga Savchuk and Wang Yafan, 4-6, 6-2, 10-4.
On the outside looking in – at least with new partner Barbora Strycova – is World No.1 Sania Mirza. Mirza has already qualified for Singapore with former Co-No.1 Martina HIngis, but has been making a strong push for a second qualification bid, winning a second title with Strycova at the Toray Pan Pacific Open.
In need of another big result in Wuhan, the No.3 seeds came back from a set down to beat Gabriela Dabrowski and María José Martínez Sánchez, 3-6, 6-3, 10-5.
In one of the most significant coaching hires of the off-season, World No.10 Johanna Konta has brought on Wim Fissette as her coach to begin the 2017 season. Fissette was the long-time coach to Kim Clijsters and has recently worked with Simona Halep, Madison Keys, and Victoria Azarenka until her pregnancy leave last summer.
Konta is coming off a breakthrough 2015 season, which saw her win her first WTA title at the Bank of the West Classic, advance to her first major semifinal at the Australian Open, and surge from No.47 at the start of the season to become the first British woman to finish the season inside the Top 10 since Jo Durie in 1983. Her decision to split with coach Estaban Carrill was met with surprise, but Konta has landed one of the best coaches on tour in Fissette.
Known for his tennis acumen and amiable demeanor, Konta cited their positive chemistry in her decision to bring the Belgian on.
“He was the first coach I trialled and things are going well,” Konta told The Independent. “I guess he’s been on the Tour for quite some time, so I’m definitely looking forward to being a sponge and absorbing as much of his experience and knowledge through the years.”
Speaking to The Independent, Konta reflected on her sudden but mutual decision to part ways with Carrill, who had coached her through her meteoric rise over the last 18 months.
“But like with every relationship, I think there comes a point where changes need to be made, Konta said. “For both of us to keep evolving and keep getting better, it was definitely the right time. It gave me the opportunity to go into my pre-season with a new set-up so that I can then start my next season already in the swing of things.”
It has been an emotionally tough off-season for Konta after the death of her mental coach Juan Coto. Throughout her surge up the rankings, Konta, once a hot-headed, nervy player who struggled to close out matches, cited her work with Coto for her more grounded, simple approach to her game and career. Coto passed away suddenly in November.
“I know that Juan would be supportive of me continuously improving that area because it’s more than just tennis, it’s about my life,” Konta said. “He’s still very much a part of everything that I do, everything that I will continue to do in this sport and this career, and most likely beyond that as well. He has gifted me with an incredible amount of tools and habits that I still to this day am looking to improve, every single day.”
Konta begins her 2017 season at the Shenzhen Open, which begins on January 1st, and is scheduled to play the Apia International in Sydney as well to prepare for the first major of the season at the Australian Open.
WTA Insider Courtney Nguyen | Petra Kvitova sustained defensive wounds on her left hand from a knife-wielding robber who attacked her at home in Prostejov.
Petra Kvitova could be back on a tennis court in six months, her surgeon said on Wednesday.
The two-time Wimbledon champion underwent surgery to repair severe lacerations and damage to her left hand and fingers after she was attacked in her home in Prostejov on Tuesday.
“Surgeon Radek Kebrle said that the operation on Petra’s left hand went very well, with no complications,” Kvitova’s publicist said in a statement.
“Petra will be on bed rest for 14 days, she will begin slow rehabilitation at around 6-8 weeks post operation. If that rehabilitation process goes well, Petra should be able to grip a racket for the first time (but not play tennis) at three months. The best-case scenario is that Petra will be able to return to the tennis court after six months.
“It is too soon to specify when precisely she can return to competition, but Petra is ready to do everything she can to get back competing at the highest level. Petra is happy with how the operation went and is in good spirits.”
Kvitova had ended the season ranked No.11 after a run to a second title of 2016 at the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai.
MELBOURNE, Australia – The Australian Open has increased prize money to an historic high of $50 million, up 14% on 2016. Men and women singles winners will each get $3.7m while a first round loser will receive $50,000.
“We are committed to further improving the pay and conditions on the international tennis tour to ensure every professional tennis player is properly compensated,” said Australian Open Tournament Director CEO Craig Tiley.
“It was especially important for us to increase the compensation for players in the early rounds and qualifying, and this year we have made some real gains. We are constantly reviewing ways to improve the life of every player on tour, not just the Top 100. This includes increasing prize money as well as removing as many costs as possible associated with playing our events.
“Our aim is to shift the break-even point for professional players, to ensure that tennis is a viable career option for the best male and female athletes in the world. We are also committed to equal prize money, equal exposure and equal opportunity for men and women.
“We are proud of our record in looking after the players, and will continue the push for increased prize money for professional players.”
The tournament’s prize money has more than tripled since 2001, when it was $13.9m, with a $10 million increase since 2014.
2016 Year-End World No.1 Angelique Kerber is the defending champion, having defeated then-No.1 Serena Williams in a thrilling three-set final Down Under.
Round-by-round individual prize money for the Australian Open singles tournaments are as follows:
|
Men’s and Women’s Main Draw Singles |
|
|
Winner |
$3,700,000 |
|
Runner-up |
$1,850,000 |
|
Semifinal |
$820,000 |
|
Quarterfinal |
$410,000 |
|
Round 4 |
$220,000 |
|
Round 3 |
$130,000 |
|
Round 2 |
$80,000 |
|
Round 1 |
$50,000 |
|
Men’s and Women’s Qualifying Singles |
|
|
Round 3 |
$25,000 |
|
Round 2 |
$12,500 |
|
Round 1 |
$6,250 |