St. Petersburg: Shot Of The Day (Tuesday)
Yanina Wickmayer had Tuesday’s shot of the day at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy.
Yanina Wickmayer had Tuesday’s shot of the day at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy.
PHOENIX, AZ, USA – A whirlwind homecoming for Olympic Gold medalist Bethanie Mattek-Sands took her out to the ball game and out to the crowd on Wednesday, throwing the first pitch for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Treated to a night of peanuts and crackerjacks, there’s no telling whether the American Olympian cares if she’ll ever get back as she spent the game rooting for the home team, who beat the New York Mets, 13-5.
Check out Mattek-Sands at the old ball game on the Diamondbacks’ official Facebook page and right here on wtatennis.com!
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
The first quarter of 2017 is in the books, and before the WTA tour turns to the European red clay, it’s time to take one last look back at the Top 5 moments that have shaped the season thus far.
The No.1 moment on our countdown is a record-breaking achievement that went down in tennis history…
Serena Cements Her Place In Tennis History: There was one word that dominated the tennis headlines in January: “history.” It’s what was on the line at the Australian Open final when Serena Williams and Venus Williams took to the court for the first all-Williams final in Melbourne in 14 years.
And 81 minutes later, Serena took home the title – without dropping a set or even facing a tiebreaker during the entire tournament – and rewrote the history books with an Open Era record 23rd Grand Slam title.
SHE’S DONE IT! No. 23@serenawilliams is your #AusOpen 2017 women’s singles champion. ? pic.twitter.com/LC6fpWi3Ik
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 28, 2017
“It’s such a great feeling to have 23,” Serena said after the match. “I’ve been chasing it for a really long time. When it got on my radar, I knew I had an opportunity to get there, and I’m here. I’m here.
“It’s a great feeling, and no better place to do it than Melbourne. My first Grand Slam started here, and getting to 23 here, but playing Venus, it’s stuff that legends are made of. I couldn’t have written a better story.”
Not only was the win Serena’s 216th at Grand Slam tournaments, improving on her already-record total, but it also restored her place at the top of the WTA rankings, returning to World No.1 for the first time since the 2016 US Open.
Her season would come to a halt after the Australian Open, though. Serena withdrew from Indian Wells and Miami before announcing earlier this week that she was expecting her first child in the fall.
But Serena stands alone on our countdown – much like she does in tennis history – and her record-breaking feat at the Australian Open is the No.1 moment of the 2017 season to date.
The Top 5 Moments That Marked 2017 So Far:
5) The Future Is Now: Teen Titans Crash WTA Party: Kasatkina, Vondrousova Take Titles To Start 2017
4) Slow & Steady Wins The Race: Wozniacki & Svitolina’s Hot Streaks Lighting Up 2017
3) Veterans Victorious: Venus & Lucic-Baroni Loom Large To Start 2017
2) Sunshine Sweeps: Vesnina & Konta Capture Career-Best Titles To Start 2017
1) Serena, Unparalleled: Serena Makes History With 23rd Grand Slam Title To Start 2017
Saint Petersburg is a city known for its arts and culture, so it’s no surprise that doubles co-No.1s Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis made a stop to take it all in at the State Russian Museum.
WTA Insider | In the latest WTA Insider Live Blog, keep up with the action as Simona Halep, Angelique Kerber, and Agnieszka Radwanska all fight for quarterfinal spots in Cincinnati.
KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan – Venus Williams continued her serene progress at the Taiwan Open with a straight set win over Urszula Radwanska on Thursday.
Watch live action from St. Petersburg & Kaohsiung this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
On a blustery afternoon, Williams struggled early on, slipping a break behind. However, once into her rhythm it was one-way traffic, the top seed completing a 6-4, 6-2 victory in an hour and 27 minutes.
“My opponent started so strong – she went 4-1, but I was hoping to still win that set. After that things went almost perfectly for me, so I’m really happy with that and to be playing again tomorrow,” Williams said.
“The wind is also the opponent, too! So you’re then playing yourself, and the ball, and the opponent, and the wind. So it changes everything – it’s not easy. Hopefully tomorrow will be a lot easier.”
Meeting Williams for a place in the semifinals will be Anastasija Sevastova. “Honestly, I’ve never seen her play, so it’ll be a new experience and I’ll just try to play my best,” Williams added.
Also advancing in the top half of the draw was Stefanie Voegele, who dealt with the tricky conditions to upset No.5 seed Zheng Saisai, 6-4, 6-4.
“I’m happy that I won but it probably wasn’t the nicest match we’ve both played,” Voegele said. “It was difficult with the strong winds but I tried to do my best.”
There was better news for the other seeds in action, with Misaki Doi and Hsieh Su-Wei taking their place in the last eight. No.2 seed Doi was untroubled during a 6-2, 6-3 win over Magda Linette, while Hsieh, the No.6 seed, delighted the home crowd by battling past Mandy Minella, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.
Ahead of the quarterfinal matches at the Western & Southern Open, WTA Insider caught up with two of the most in-form players through the Emirates Airlines US Open Series.
Simona Halep takes a 12-match winning streak into a last eight clash with Angieszka Radwanska, whom she trails 3-4 in their head-to-head, but has otherwise played spectacular tennis all summer with wins in Bucharest and the Rogers Cup, reaching the quarterfinals in Cincinnati without dropping a set.
“I’m playing smart and aggressive,” Halep said after her win over Daria Gavrilova. “I feel much stronger and more confident on court when I play now. I’ve won a few matches in a row, so it gives me confidence. It’s been building since Indian Wells, but I’m feeling great on court.”
Up next is World No.2 Angelique Kerber, who is three matches from ending Serena Williams’ 183 straight weeks atop the WTA rankings. Kerber battled past Barbora Strycova in two tough sets to renew her rivalry with Carla Suárez Navarro.
“I go out on court with a lot of confidence that I can be ready even in different conditions, or if I only have a few days to prepare,” Kerber said. “This is what I took into the two matches I won here, that I’m a player who can transfer to surface and conditions very quickly. This gives me a lot of confidence.”
Hear more from Halep in Kerber in the latest Daily Dispatch:
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STUTTGART, Germany – The European clay season begins in earnest this week as hometown favorite Angelique Kerber leads the WTA into the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. The two-time champion tops a draw that houses a host of elite players and threats on the dirt, as players look to get off on the right foot on the road to Roland Garros.
Check out 10 things to know ahead of Germany’s Premier red-clay event.
1) Star-studded sightings in Stuttgart.
Eight of the WTA’s top 10 are competing this week. Defending champion Angelique Kerber is the event’s top seed, as one of three former champions in the main draw.
2) Top seed, but not No.1 (for now).
Though Kerber will drop to World No.2 in the rankings on Monday, the German has a chance to reclaim the top spot in the WTA rankings should she reach the semifinals this week.
3) Good things come in threes.
Kerber could be the fourth player to three-peat in the history of the tournament, dating back to when Tracy Austin and Martina Navratilova did it at the event’s beginnings in Filderstadt. Maria Sharapova also won three straight tiles from 2012-14.
4) Siegemund sneaks in.
Last year’s runner-up Laura Siegemund earned the final wildcard to this year’s tournament at the 11th hour – the World No.37 was tabbed as the final entrant prior to Saturday morning’s draw.
5) Sharapova says hello.
The aforementioned three-time Stuttgart champion Maria Sharapova returns to the WTA this week.
6) An epic rematch first up.
Though both are unseeded, the first round match between Kristina Mladenovic and Mirjana Lucic-Baroni promises to have fireworks. The two have met already on clay this season, as the Croat took a marathon 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(13) victory in Charleston earlier this spring.
7) Game, set, match – for the first time.
Two of the event’s top 8 seeds will be looking to break a losing spell in Stuttgart this week. The No.6 seed and a wildcard in the event, Johanna Konta is 0-2 in her career at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, while No.3 seed Dominika Cibulkova has fallen in the first round in each of her four appearances.
8) Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back.
Several WTA stars will be returning to Stuttgart for the first time in a while this week, as Cibulkova makes her first appearance in the tournament since 2012, while Mirjana Lucic-Baroni plays the event for the first time in three years. Latvia’s Anastasija Sevastova plays just her second Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, having fallen in the first round in 2011, and her first-round foe, 2010 runner-up Samantha Stosur appears for the first time since 2013.
9) Compatriots to do battle to commence play.
Two first-round matches will see countrywomen face off, as Elena Vesnina will play Daria Kasatkina — and the winner of the all-Russian showdown will face either Garbiñe Muguruza or Carla Suárez Navarro, who face each other in an all-Spanish clash.
10) Show your colors, then head to Stuttgart.
Nine players who will feature in the main draw are also donning their country’s colors this weekend – Kerber, Vesnina, Kasatkina, Siegemund, Johanna Konta, Simona Halep and CoCo Vandeweghe.
Laura Siegemund takes on Kristina Mladenovic in the first round of the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy.
WTA Insider | The latest live blog takes you inside the semifinals of the Western & Southen Open as three of the Top 4 seeds face off for spots in the final.