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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

MELBOURNE, Australia – It was during the wee hours of the morning for most of the world when Serena Williams defeated Venus Williams in the final of the Australian Open, clinching an Open Era record 23 Grand Slam titles.

But the impact of Serena’s victory was felt all over the world, and the congratulations poured in from big names everywhere – from her tennis peers on the WTA and beyond, to fellow sports stars and celebrities.

One of the first to send her congrats was Karlie Kloss – she gave them to the champion in person. The model was in Melbourne and at Rod Laver Arena with a front row view to Serena’s monumental achievement.

Also in the front row? Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, though you might know him better as Serena’s fiancé:

Serena’s fellow Nike athletes – led by basketball legend Kobe Bryant – sent had a simple yet powerful message for her: “Greatest ever.”

The WWE even put Serena’s accomplishment in a category of its own, creating a specially-designed title belt for the 23-time Grand Slam champion. She can add this to the custom surprise she received from one of sports’ biggest legends, Michael Jordan.

But as the rest of the world woke up to the news of Serena’s history-making achievement, congratulations began to pour in from all over the Twitter-sphere.

Check out some of the best celebrity tweets:

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Taiwan Open: Welcome Dinner

Taiwan Open: Welcome Dinner

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970
Sisters and doubles partners Chan Hao-Ching and Chan Yung-Jan are Taiwan’s highest ranked team. They’re No.5 on the Road To Singapore.

Sisters and doubles partners Chan Hao-Ching and Chan Yung-Jan are Taiwan’s highest ranked team. They’re No.5 on the Road To Singapore.

Hsieh Su-Wei, Taiwan’s No.1 singles player – was also in attendance.

Hsieh Su-Wei, Taiwan’s No.1 singles player – was also in attendance.

No.1 seed Venus Williams made her highly anticipated Taiwan Open debut on Wednesday.

No.1 seed Venus Williams made her highly anticipated Taiwan Open debut on Wednesday.

The Taiwan Open welcome dinner featured live entertainment…

The Taiwan Open welcome dinner featured live entertainment…

…as well as a Chinese calligraphy lesson from a local artist.

…as well as a Chinese calligraphy lesson from a local artist.

He showed players how to use a traditional Chinese calligraphy brush.

He showed players how to use a traditional Chinese calligraphy brush.

The players wrote messages to the people of Taiwan who were affected by an earthquake before the start of the tournament.

The players wrote messages to the people of Taiwan who were affected by an earthquake before the start of the tournament.

The messages – written in English and Chinese – expressed encouragement and solidarity.

The messages – written in English and Chinese – expressed encouragement and solidarity.

The Chan sisters, Williams and Hsieh were invited to the stage to show off their creations.

The Chan sisters, Williams and Hsieh were invited to the stage to show off their creations.

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News | WTA Tennis English

News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

It’s time to vote for January’s WTA Player of the Month!

Have a look at the nominees and cast your vote before Thursday at 11:59pm ET! The winner will be announced Friday, February 3.

January 2017 WTA Player Of The Month Finalists

Serena Williams: Serena’s historic month came to its dizzying peak as she held aloft the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Trophy after defeating sister Venus in straight sets to win the Australian Open. It was not only her seventh title Down Under, but also her 23rd overall, earning her the sole holder of the Open Era record she previously shared with Stefanie Graf. The win also returned Serena to No.1 on the WTA rankings and the Road to Singapore leaderboard.

Venus Williams: Not to be outdone, Venus served a bit of history herself, reaching her first major final since 2009 in Melbourne. It was her first Australian Open final in 14 years, and the American dropped just one set through six matches. Despite losing to Serena in the championship match, the elder of the Williamses still found herself at No.2 on the RTS leaderboard.

Karolina Pliskova: Pliskova began the year with a bang, winning the Brisbane International and roaring into her second straight Grand Slam quarterfinal. The Czech powerhouse won her first nine matches of the season and rose up to a career-high ranking of No.3.

Johanna Konta: The Brit also served notice to start 2017, winning her second career title at the Apia International Sydney. Under immense ranking pressure in Australia, Konta held her nerve to return to the quarterfinals. 

POM Jan

2016 Winners

January: Angelique Kerber
February: Carla Suárez Navarro
March: Victoria Azarenka
April: Angelique Kerber
May: Garbiñe Muguruza
June: Serena Williams
July: Simona Halep
August: Monica Puig
September: Petra Kvitova
October: Dominika Cibulkova

How it works:

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

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Venus Fights Back In Kaohsiung

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan – Venus Williams overcame a rocky start to defeat Anastasija Sevastova and book her place in the semifinals of the Taiwan Open.

Watch live action from St. Petersburg & Kaohsiung this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

By her own admission, Williams did not know much about Sevastova’s game heading into their quarterfinals clash. However, it quickly became apparent that she would not have things all her own way.

Sevastova, playing with the carefree abandon of an overwhelming underdog, surged into a 5-2 lead. The top seed had no intentions of going quietly, turning the match on its head with a run of five straight games and fending off two set points along the way.

This took the wind from Sevastova’s sails, Willims breaking three more times to ease over the finishing line, 7-5, 6-2.

“I didn’t think about the set points, I just tried to not lose the set,” Williams said. “But she was playing really well and was very determined so it wasn’t easy to play her. From there, I think the experience really helped me and there was a lot of pressure on her.

“I just tried to do whatever was winning! If it’s not working you change it – so that’s the strategy.”

Meeting her for a place in the final is No.3 seed Yulia Putintseva. At last year’s Wimbledon, Putintseva ran Williams close, eventually being edged out after two tight sets.

“We’ve played a couple of times. The last time she played really, really well. I have a lot of respect for her and her game and I hope tomorrow to have a faster start. But no matter what happens I hope to play a good match.”

On the other side of the draw Hsieh Su-Wei kept alive hopes of a home champion when she outfoxed Russian prospect Elizaveta Kulichkova, 6-2, 6-0, to set up a meeting with No.2 seed Misaki Doi.

“I had played her twice and won in three sets, so we knew each other well,” Hsieh said. “She’s aggressive and I tried to take a relaxed approach today. I just focus on myself. Fans are so enthusiastic and I believe they make the sun shine down on me!

“In the semifinal I will play Misaki Doi. I haven’t played her for a while, but she’s been quite consistent. I just returned to Top 100, so I won’t judge myself too high or too low. I just wanted to be myself and do my best.”

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