Tennis News

The clay season is underway in Bogota, where defending champion Irina Falconi will fight off a determined field led by Kiki Bertens. But for those still not ready to switch surfaces, the inaugural Ladies Open Biel Bienne – staged on indoor hardcourts – kicks off with a world-class field including Barbora Strycova and Carla Suárez Navarro.

Here’s what’s on tap for this week on the WTA:

CURRENT TOURNAMENTS:

Claro Open Colsanitas – Bogota

Tournament Level: International
Prize Money: $226,750
Draw Size: 32 main draw/24 qualifying
Surface: Clay, Outdoors

Qualifying Dates: Saturday, April 8 – Sunday, April 9
First Day of Main Draw: Monday, April 10

Singles Final: Saturday, April 15, NB 1:30 pm COT
Doubles Final: Saturday, April 15, 11:00 am COT

Top-ranked players: Kiki Bertens, Katerina Siniakova, Johanna Larsson, Lara Arruabarrena
Defending Champion: Irina Falconi

TALKING POINTS:

– Reigning Claro Open Colsanitas champion Irina Falconi is back after winning her first WTA singles title here in 2016. She’s joined by two other former Bogota champions: Lara Arruabarrena (2012) and Mariana Duque-Mariño (2010).

– Former Roland Garros champion Francesca Schiavone, playing her last season on tour, received one of the three main draw wildcards

– One to Watch: Sara Sorribes Tormo is the latest Spaniard to start making waves on tour, winning a handful of main draw matches – including over former Top 10 player Ekaterina Makarova at Indian Wells – and recently breaking into the Top 100 for the first time

Ladies Open Biel Bienne
Tournament Level: International
Prize Money: $226,750
Draw Size: 32 main draw/32 qualifying
Surface: Indoor Hard

Qualifying Dates: Saturday, April 8 – Monday, April 10
First Day of Main Draw: Monday, April 10

Singles Final: Sunday, April 16, NB 3:00 pm CEST
Doubles Final: Sunday, April 16, 12:00 pm CEST

Top-ranked players: Barbora Strycova, Carla Suárez Navarro, Timea Babos, Roberta Vinci, Laura Siegemund
Defending Champion: None, first staging

TALKING POINTS:

– This is the tournament’s inaugural staging, joining Switzerland’s other event, July’s Ladies Championship Gstaad, on the WTA calendar

– Eight players ranked in the Top 50 are competing at the 2017 Ladies Open Biel Bienne – No.18 Barbora Strycova, No. 25 Carla Suárez Navarro, No.30 Timea Babos, No.34 Roberta Vinci, No.37 Laura Siegemund, No.44 Alizé Cornet, No.46 Julia Goerges and No.47 Monica Niculescu

– Swiss No.1 Timea Bacsinszky is not competing in singles but will team up with compatriot and multiple Grand Slam winner Martina Hingis in doubles

-Former Top 10 player Belinda Bencic required a wildcard to play in Biel, having slipped to No.130 following an injury-affected 2016

UPCOMING TOURNAMENTS:

Porsche Tennis Grand Prix – Stuttgart
Premier | $710,900 | Indoor Clay
Monday, April 24 – Sunday, April 30
Top-ranked players: Angelique Kerber, Karolina Pliskova, Simona Halep, Dominika Cibulkova, Agnieszka Radwanska
Defending champion: Angelique Kerber

TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Cup
International | $226,750 | Clay
Monday, April 24 – Sunday, April 30
Top-ranked players: Elina Svitolina, Timea Babos, Yulia Putintseva, Irina-Camelia Begu, Eugenie Bouchard
Defending champion: Cagla Buyukakcay

Grand Prix SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem – Rabat
International | $226,750 | Clay
Monday, May 1 – Saturday, May 6
Top-ranked players: Timea Bacsinszky, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Caroline Garcia, Timea Babos, Daria Gavrilova
Defending champion: Timea Bacsinszky

J&T Banka Prague Open
International | $226,750 | Clay
Monday, May 1 – Saturday, May 6
Top-ranked players: Karolina Pliskova, Caroline Wozniacki, Samantha Stosur, Barbora Strycova
Defending champion: Lucie Safarova

TOP 20 PLAYERS’ SCHEDULES:
1. Angelique Kerber – Stuttgart
2. Serena Williams
3. Karolina Pliskova – Stuttgart, Prague
4. Dominika Cibulkova – Stuttgart
5. Simona Halep – Stuttgart
6. Garbiñe Muguruza – Stuttgart
7. Johanna Konta
8. Agnieszka Radwanska – Stuttgart
9. Svetlana Kuznetsova – Stuttgart
10. Madison Keys
11. Caroline Wozniacki – Prague
12. Venus Williams
13. Elina Svitolina – Istanbul
14. Petra Kvitova
15. Elena Vesnina – Stuttgart
16. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova – Rabat
17. Samantha Stosur – Stuttgart, Prague
18. Barbora Strycova – Biel, Stuttgart, Prague
19. Kristina Mladenovic – Stuttgart
20. Kiki Bertens – Bogota, Stuttgart

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
Best wishes to those celebrating birthdays this week:

Risa Ozaki (JPN) – April 10, 1994
Elizaveta Kulichkova (RUS) – April 12, 1996
Richel Hogenkamp (NED) – April 16, 1992
Taylor Townsend (USA) – April 16, 1996

It is hard to recall a tennis season in recent memory that has thrown up quite so many surprises as the opening few months to 2016.

Showcasing the unprecedented strength and depth of the women’s game, 14 tournaments have witnessed 13 different players lifting silverware. The result has been a Road To Singapore leaderboard featuring a pleasing mix of youth and experience.

Angelique Kerber still leads the way in the fledgling leaderboard thanks to her magnificent January, when she reached the final in Brisbane before an unforgettable triumph at the Australian Open.

Hot on her heels is Carla Suárez Navarro, whose title in Doha, backed up by semi and quarterfinal runs in Brisbane and Melbourne, sees her occupy the No.2 spot.

Reigning WTA Finals champion Agnieszka Radwanska has been as consistent as ever, reaching the semifinals or better on all three outings thus far – a title in Shenzhen followed by deep runs at the Australian Open and Doha. Since the US Open last year, no player has won more matches than Radwanska, who has accumulated a 32-7 record.

Most Match Wins Since 2015 US Open
Agnieszka Radwanska 32-7
Angelique Kerber 27-10
Venus Williams 24-5
Roberta Vinci 22-11
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 21-11

Current WTA world No.1 Serena Williams holds the No.4 spot on the leaderboard with her finals appearance at the Australian Open. Jostling for position below the early pacesetters are Victoria Azarenka, Roberta Vinci, Johanna Konta and Belinda Bencic, while Sara Errani and Jelena Ostapenko are among those just outside the qualification places.

In doubles, Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza cemented their place atop the leaderboard with titles at Brisbane, Sydney, Australian Open and St. Petersburg before their remarkable winning streak was finally snapped in Doha. Profiting from their slip-up were the Chan sisters, Chan Hao-Ching and Chan Yung-Jan, who left Doha with the title and the No.2 position on the leaderboard.

Click here to see the singles and doubles leaderboards heading into the BNP Paribas Open.

NEW YORK, NY, USA – Just over a month ago, Karolina Pliskova was ranked No.17 on the Road to Singapore leaderboard. Coming out of a career-best stretch of results this summer, the Czech powerhouse moved up a whopping 13 spots to find herself at No.4.

Pliskova fell agonizingly short of making a BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global debut in 2015, remaining in contention all the way until the last week of the season. Looking out of the mix by the middle of the Emirates Airline US Open Series, things turned around in a big way for the 24-year-old, who won the biggest title of her career at the Western & Southern Open and beat both Williams sisters en route to her first Grand Slam final at the US Open.

The Czech finished second to new World No.1 Angelique Kerber, who also reclaimed the top spot on the Road to Singapore leaderboard. Kerber captured her second Grand Slam title of the 2016 season in her third final appearance, and qualified for what will be her fourth appearance at the WTA Finals just before the start of the US Open.

Johanna Konta repeated her fourth round finish in Flushing, and moved up one spot to No.10 on the Road to Singapore leaderboard. Petra Kvitova moved up four spots to No.21 after her run into the second week.

In doubles, US Open finalists Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic moved up to the top spot, supplanting year-long No.1s Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza. Both teams have already qualified for Singapore, and will be joined by No.3 team and Olympic Gold medalists Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina. Read more about their qualification here.

Check out the full Road to Singapore leaderboard below:

Monica Puig came to the Olympic tennis event under the radar, but Puerto Rico’s top tennis talent blistered through a tough draw to take home her country’s first gold medal.

“I just saw an improvement every single match I played,” she said after the match. “In every match I got better and better. I started getting faster. I started getting more powerful. I started believing in myself even more. With every match that passed, I just continued to learn and continued to grow.

“I just achieved one of my biggest dreams.”

That dream nearly didn’t come true, as Olympic qualification came down to the wire for Puig, but once in the draw, she knocked out the game’s biggest names, including Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, reigning French Open champion Garbiñe Muguruza, Petra Kvitova, and future No.1 Angelique Kerber in a thrilling three-set final.

“There’s no denying that tonight was nerve‑wracking for me. I just tried to keep as calm as possible. Inside, I was about, like, to explode at any minute. Both the semifinal and final were incredibly hard‑fought. I’m just so pleased with how I was able to keep my composure and come through.”

Here more from Puig in the WTA Insider Podcast:

The first Puerto Rican woman to medal – and the first Gold medalist from Puerto Rico – earned an astounding 350,000 votes to help earn her the mantle of August’s WTA Player of the Month!

Final Results for August’s WTA Player Of The Month

1. Monica Puig (97%)
2. Angelique Kerber (2%)
3. Karolina Pliskova (1%)

2016 WTA Player of the Month Winners

January: Angelique Kerber
February: Carla Suárez Navarro
March: Victoria Azarenka
April: Angelique Kerber
May: Garbiñe Muguruza
June: Serena Williams
July: Simona Halep

How it works:

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

BIEL/BIENNE, Switzerland – Marketa Vondrousova’s fairytale week took her to her first WTA title at the inaugural Ladies Open Biel Bienne; in the battle of first-time finalists, Vondrousova knocked out Anett Kontaveit, 6-4, 7-6(6) in a thrilling championship match.

“It’s the biggest win of my career, because I’d mostly played smaller tournaments, 25Ks and 60Ks,” she said in her post-match press conference. “This was one of my first big tournaments, and I was injured in my left elbow for a lot of last year. I had to do a lot of fitness, which helped me become a better mover.

“Now I’m playing really great!”

What a lob by Vondrousova!

Takes it into a Second set tie-break! #WTABiel pic.twitter.com/9f76GMpLT7

— WTA (@WTA) April 16, 2017

Playing in just her second WTA main draw, Vondrousova came to Biel/Bienne on a roll from the ITF Circuit, having reached four finals and won two titles on that level to start the season.

“At first, I asked for a qualifying wildcard because I wasn’t sure if I could get in without one Once I got into qualies, I almost lost my first match, but I got better and better from there. I played so great the last few matches, so I’m really happy,” she said, letting out a joyful sigh.

The Czech teenager had to qualify and battle past fellow rising stars Annika Beck and Kristyna Pliskova before earning her first career Top 20 win over top seed Barbora Strycova.

“We had goals to play Grand Slam qualifying because I was around No.220 before this tournament. So now I’ll definitely be in qualies for sure, and I’ll be changing my plans and think about it.”

SHE'S DONE IT!

17 year-old Qualifier Marketa Vondrousova captures her FIRST #WTA Title at @WTABielBienne!

Edges Kontaveit 6-4, 7-6(6)! pic.twitter.com/ABNuafCoOV

— WTA (@WTA) April 16, 2017

Against Kontaveit, she continued to employ her high-octane game to impressive effect, striking 28 winners to 26 unforced errors and edging past Kontaveit at the end of each set to take home her first title in one hour and 45 minutes.

“I was down 4-6 in the tie-break. I got a bit lucky when she hit the net then, but it helped remind me to play my game, and it worked out from there. Thank God!”

Vondrousova is set to move up over 100 points in the rankings, shattering her previous career-high and putting her in striking distance of a Top 100 debut.

“I won a 15K and that was like a thousand dollars, so I definitely don’t know what I’ll do with the money I won here!” she joked of the over $40,000 prize money. “My mom will have to help me out!”

“It's been an amazing week, thank you to everyone for your support. I hope to be back next year!” -Marketa Vondrousova #WTABiel pic.twitter.com/gPe03ydK1o

— WTA (@WTA) April 16, 2017

Earlier in the day, Hsieh Su-Wei won the battle of former doubles No.1s, pairing Monica Niculescu to outlast Olympic Silver medalists Martina Hingis and Timea Bacsinszky, 5-7, 6-3, 10-7.

“It was a fun match because both don’t just hit straight across, but also slice and lob,” Hsieh said after the match. “They do a lot at the net, so it was a fun match to play, and plus Monica helps a lot.”

“Su-Wei always plays like this!” Niculescu added. “If you know, Su-Wei, you know!”

Hingis and Bacsinszky were using the week in Biel/Bienne to prepare for the upcoming Fed Cup semifinal, where Switzerland takes on Belarus; they were also aiming to be the only Swiss women to win their home title, but Hsieh and Niculescu had other ideas, receiving the trophy from another Swiss Olympian, Giulia Steingruber, Bronze medalist on vault.

“It was a tough match,” Niculescu continued. “I think the level was very good, and we playing some good tennis. Su-Wei and I were a good team. It was only our second time playing together, but we played amazing because we had to against Martina and Timea. You know what they did; they won the medal, won matches together, and they play good tennis.

“I’m so happy to play with Su-Wei; hopefully it’s not the last time!”

All photos courtesy of Ladies Open Biel Bienne.

TOKYO, Japan – Caroline Wozniacki overcame a mid-match blip to defeat 2015 runner-up Belinda Bencic in the opening round of the Toray Pan Pacific Open.

Watch live action from Tokyo this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

Continuing the form that took her to the US Open semifinals, Wozniacki raced through the first set before building a commanding lead in the second. However, with the finishing line in sight, Wozniacki, who lifted the title in the Japanese capital six years ago, wobbled before recomposing herself in the deciding set to close out a 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 victory.

The result ended a run of four straight defeats for Wozniacki against the Swiss, including in the Tokyo semifinals 12 months ago, and her reward is a second-round meeting with No.4 seed Carla Suárez Navarro.

A strong serving display from Wozniacki, who backed up her usual metronomic groundstrokes with 10 aces, provided further reminder of her ability to contest at the business end of the WTA’s flagship events. The only cause for concern came when victory was in sight.

Leading 5-2, the former World No.1 came within two points of victory only to see Bencic escape this game, then pounce on a couple of inviting second serves to break back. As the Dane retreated into her defensive shell, Bencic prowled around the court with intent, clubbing a drive volley to move 6-5 ahead before serving out to love.

This was the signal for Wozniacki to take a bathroom pit-stop and when she returned so too did her focus. A resilient hold was followed by a break, Bencic ending a lengthy exchange with a forehand into the tape. This time there would be no coming back, a run of four unanswered games emphatically quashing her young opponent’s hopes.

Also advancing in the bottom half of the draw were Barbora Strycova and Magda Linette. Strycova ruthlessly ended the run of qualifier Varatchaya Wongteanchai, 6-1, 6-1, while Linette, a qualifier herself, fought back to defeat teenage wildcard Olesya Pervushina, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.