Charleston: Elena Vesnina Pre-Tournament Interview
Hear what Elena Vesnina has to say before the beginning of the tournament.
Hear what Elena Vesnina has to say before the beginning of the tournament.
Qualifier Jana Cepelova pulled off a stunning upset for the second straight year at the All England Club, ousting French Open champ and No.2 seed Garbiñe Muguruza in straight sets.
CHARLESTON, SC, USA – 2010 Volvo Car Open champion Samantha Stosur eased past 2007 champion Jelena Jankovic, 6-1, 6-3, to advance into the third round in Charleston.
“I’ve had eight hours of practice on clay courts, so all in all, I’m pleased with how I started the match and got through it in straight sets,” she said after the match. “That’s not easy to do against Jelena; we’ve had some really long matches in the past, so I was glad to get through.”
Crafty shot from @BamBamSam30! #VolvoCarOpen pic.twitter.com/Oz10dPwqh6
— WTA (@WTA) April 5, 2017
Stosur is coming off a solid run to the round of 16 at the Miami Open, and was facing a tough test in Jankovic, who led their head-to-head 7-2 and won their most recent encounter at the 2013 French Open.
“Right from the first practice, I felt comfortable. I obviously had a great clay court season last year,” she added, referring to her run to the final four last spring in Roland Garros. “So I’m really trying to pick up from there, and keep the good tennis from Miami going.”
Still, it’s been a tough Sunshine Swing for the Serb, who won just one of her last five matches heading into Charleston – though she emerged victorious against Ekaterina Alexandrova on Monday – and appeared on the brink of a swift defeat as the Aussie took the opening set.
Outstanding volley by @Jelena_Jankovic! ? #VolvoCarOpen pic.twitter.com/uYoIKXhhqF
— WTA (@WTA) April 5, 2017
Jankovic settled and played more consistent tennis in the second, but Stosur proved too strong, taking the contest on one hour and 13 minutes.
“A lot of it comes down to the serve; if I can hit my spots and be accurate, it’ll be hard for my opponent.
“If I’m getting 65% or more in, that’s pretty good. On a clay court, it can be a little more because I’ll be hitting a few more kick serves, but the worst part of my year last year was my winning percentage on first serves. That’s really been a focus, and tonight that was really good.”
Up next for the former World No.4 is eiher No.10 seed Irina-Camelia Begu or Kristina Kucova.
.@BamBamSam30 is first through to @VolvoCarOpen Round of 16!
Tops Jankovic 6-1, 6-3! pic.twitter.com/X9NNwHN03V
— WTA (@WTA) April 5, 2017
LONDON, England – Serena and Venus Williams capped off a satisfying day at Wimbledon by teaming up to defeat Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka in an entertaining doubles encounter.
A busy afternoon for the family began with Venus taking on Yaroslava Shvedova on No.1 Court. No sooner had she secured a place in her first major semifinal since 2010 then the Williams clan were hot-footing it to Centre Court in time to see little sister take on Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
Serena kept her quest for history on track with a straightforward win over the Russian, leaving a couple of hours to ready herself for the evening’s doubles date.
Four summers ago, the sisters overcame Hlavackova and Hradecka in competitive finals at both Wimbledon and the Olympics. Once again the Czechs gave a good account of themselves, and once again they were left disappointed when Venus swatted away a backhand volley to close out a 6-4, 6-3 victory.
“The schedule’s challenging. I won’t deny. Especially with the weather, that sort of thing,” Venus said. “Thankfully it’s been better the last few days. We love the doubles. There’s been so many doubles titles. That’s been very special for us. We’re going to give it everything we got.”
Joining them in the last eight are compatriots Raquel Atawo and Abigail Spears. Taking on the gifted yet inexperienced pairing of Daria Gavrilova and Daria Kasatkina, Atawo and Spears were in control throughout, dominating on serve and closing out a 6-3, 6-3 victory in just over an hour.
“We love playing on the grass together, and I think that our strategy of covering the net a bit more than other teams bothered them a bit and they never really got into a groove,” Atawo said.
“We practice these sort of situations a lot. We practice our communication during the points. It really does comes down to practice.”
In the draw’s outstanding second-round encounter, No.4 seeds Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina returned for a third set shoot-out with Annika Beck and Yanina Wickmayer.
Twenty-four hours earlier Vesnina had edged out her long-time partner in a titanic fourth-round singles battle. Back on the same side of the net, there was no lingering ill-feeling as the Russians completed their comeback win, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.
Check out the Road to Singapore standings after Monterrey and Charleston.
BOGOTA, Colombia – Unseeded Sara Sorribes Tormo continued her march through the draw at the Claro Open Colsanitas on Wednesday, upsetting No.2 seed Katerina Siniakova in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3 to advance to the quarterfinals.
The 20-year-old scored her fourth victory of the season against an opponent ranked above her to advance to the last eight – the second WTA quarterfinal of her career.
“It feels really good to be in quarterfinals,” Sorribes Tormo told press afterwards. “I haven’t had the best start to the year, I’ve been training well but couldn’t get the results on the court.
“But thankfully in this past month it’s turned around. I’m proud of the results and of the tennis I’ve been able to produce to get here.”
.@Sara_Sorribes moves into @CopaWTABogota Quarterfinals!
Hurries past Siniakova 6-2, 6-3! pic.twitter.com/G1Lq63ccSc
— WTA (@WTA) 12 de abril de 2017
From a break down, the Spaniard reeled off six straight games to take the opener, before claiming four of the last five games with two breaks of serve to close out the one hour, 34-minute victory.
“I think I’ve played a great match from start to finish,” she said. “I started off strongly, despite the starting from a break down.
“I think those last few games in the first set were the key, because I fought very hard and found myself getting better and better. It gave me confidence to play my game and finish well.”
Joining Sorribes Tormo in the quarterfinals is Italian veteran Sara Errani, who took down Sachia Vickery in straight sets to advance 6-2, 6-3.
“I think it’s a great match and I played at a great level,” she told press. “It wasn’t easy to play against her, and against a player like her you have to create your pace because the ball flies a lot. But I’m happy to be still in the tournament for sure.”
.@SaraErrani tops Vickery 6-2, 6-3!
Plays Johanna Larsson next in @CopaWTABogota Quarterfinals! pic.twitter.com/ja7NS6LH5s
— WTA (@WTA) 12 de abril de 2017
Errani is into her first quarterfinal of the year after halting a disappointing run of first and second round losses. She’s been battling injuries – including a right adductor injury which saw her have to miss Dubai, where she was the defending champion – and as a result has slid down the rankings to outside the WTA Top 100.
“I’ve had two good matches back to back here, this is good for me. Even with the conditions here and the altitude, I’m happy to be through in both matches two sets. I’m ready to play the next match tomorrow.”
Also through on a rainy Day 3 in Bogota, No.3 seed Johanna Larsson stayed on track against Veronica Cepede Royg, edging past the Paraguayan 6-4, 6-4. No.5 Magda Linette also came away with the win in a tight encounter, taking down Elitsa Kostova 6-4, 6-4. Aleksandra Krunic is also through after tamping down a late comeback from last year’s finalist Sílvia Soler Espinosa 6-0, 7-5.
BIEL/BIENNE, Switzerland – Fresh off her second win at the inaugural Ladies Open Biel Bienne, top seed Barbora Strycova put her culinary skills to the test, playing sous chef alongside Stefan Beer.
Strycova had just beaten Germany’s Carina Witthoeft in two tough sets, and channeled her signature focus and intensity towards this new endeavor, engaging in the art of plating haute cuisine in a country known famous for its delicious delicacies.
The Czech veteran has had a lifelong passion for cooking, even joking that she may one day trade in her tennis kits for a chef’s jacket.
“Maybe this could be a second career!” she joked.
Check out some of the best photos from the event courtesy of the Ladies Open Biel Bienne, along with a video posted on the official WTA Twitter:
Chef @BaraStrycova in the building! ? #WTABiel pic.twitter.com/yHMn4fOfai
— WTA (@WTA) April 13, 2017
LONDON, Great Britain – Queen B has landed on Centre Court.
Beyoncé and Jay-Z were prominently featured in World No.1 Serena Williams’ player box as the top seed attempted to win a record-tying 22nd major title against Australian Open champion and countrywoman to current record holder Stefanie Graf, Angelique Kerber.
The American artist was in London for the United Kingdom leg of her “Formation” tour, performing at Wembley Stadium on July 2-3.
Serena's player box = actual royal box. pic.twitter.com/xs9uJMzYN7
— René Denfeld (@Renestance) July 9, 2016
Serena made a much-publicized cameo in Beyoncé’s “Sorry” music video off the superstar’s latest album, Lemonade.
The Claro Open Colsanitas rang in its 20th anniversary with a committment to aid those affected by the country’s tragic mud slide.
Though she didn’t walk away with a sixth Wimbledon title, Venus Williams nonetheless rocketed up the Road to Singapore leaderboard, moving up almost 40 spots into the Top 20 at No.18.
The former No.1 and 2008 BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global champion turned back the clock at the All England Club, reaching her first Grand Slam semifinal since the 2010 US Open before falling to eventual finalist and reigning Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber.
Elena Vesnina broke new ground over the fortnight, reaching her first career semifinal in singles with wins over doubles partner Ekaterina Makarova and red-hot Dominika Cibulkova, who had upset RTS No.5 and defending WTA Finals champion Agnieszka Radwanska in the round of 16. The Russian has twice qualified for the WTA Finals in doubles – both times with Makarova – reaching the final her debut appearance in 2013. Her Wimbledon run has been a culmination of impressive singles results throughout 2016, moving her up 11 spots from No.23 to No.12.
Surprise quarterfinalists Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Yaroslava Shvedova also made big strides on the Road to Singapore leaderboard; Pavlyuchenkova made her best-ever run at a grass court tournament and up 32 spots to No.34, while Shvedova – she of the 2012 “Golden Set” at Wimbledon against Sara Errani – moved up 40 spots of her own to crack the Top 40 on the leaderboard.
CoCo Vandeweghe capped a solid grass court season by reaching the second week of Wimbledon for the second year in a row, roaring up nine spots to No.27.
The Top 8 on the Road to Singapore leaderboard remained largely unchanged following an exciting week at the All England Club, save for 2014 WTA Finals runner-up Simona Halep reclaiming the No.8 position over Madison Keys, who fell to the Romanian in the fourth round.
RTS Ranking Movers
Yaroslava Shvedova: No.78 to No.38 (+40)
Venus Williams: No.57 to No.18 (+39)
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova: No.66 to No.34 (+32)
Elena Vesnina: No.23 to No.12 (+11)
CoCo Vandeweghe: No.36 to No.27 (+9)
Simona Halep: No.9 to No.8 (+1)
Click here to see the full Road To Singapore leaderboard standings following Wimbledon.