Garcia Downs Kvitova To Level Fed Cup Final
Caroline Garcia downed Petra Kvitova in straight sets to rescue a vital point for France in the second rubber of the Fed Cup final.
Caroline Garcia downed Petra Kvitova in straight sets to rescue a vital point for France in the second rubber of the Fed Cup final.
Relive the moment that left Sloane Stephens speechless on the latest episode of Dubai Duty Free Full of Surprises.
Australian qualifier Ashleigh Barty survived a mid-match wobble to knock out the No.3 seed Maria Sakkari 6-4, 0-6, 6-3 at the OEC Taipei WTA Challenger.
SINGAPORE – Eight-time WTA Finals champion Martina Navratilova believes this year’s tournament is gearing up to be the most competitive in recent memory.
Speaking at the official ticket launch for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, Navratilova gave her take on an intriguing start to the 2016 season and its early pacesetters.
In recent years, the indomitable Serena Williams has ruled the roost at the top of the game, however, the opening quarter to the new campaign has seen the emergence of a couple of rivals to her crown in the shape of Angelique Kerber and Victoria Azarenka.
It is a development that Navratilova thinks can only help the game. “We’ve been saying we need rivalries and right now there’s some competition – maybe not a rivalry quite yet – but certainly there’re a lot of players snapping at Serena’s heels in 2016,” she said.
“So the gap has gotten smaller and it may keep getting smaller because Serena won so many Slams last year – she won three out of the four – and has a lot of points to defend.”
While talk of Williams’ demise is premature – despite competing in only four tournaments, she sits in fourth place on the Road To Singapore leaderboard – her current reign atop the rankings could come under threat sooner rather than later.
“It will be difficult for her to keep this cushion [Williams is nearly 3,000 points ahead of No.2 Agnieszka Radwanska], but at the same time she’s still the queen! But it’s great that the players have been able to step up. I’ve been impressed by Victoria Azarenka winning both Indian Wells and Miami in pretty convincing fashion and of course Angelique Kerber beating Serena in a Grand Slam final.”
Kerber, Azarenka, Radwanska and Williams are the early leaders on the Road To Singapore. However, as last year proved, the identity of the eight qualifiers has the potential to go down to the wire.
“Last year we had I think four players trying to get the last spot in the last week of the season,” Navratilova added. “Players were going all around the world trying to get those points to get to the WTA Finals.
“It’s important to be consistent during the year so you don’t have to chase them at the end, but it’s exciting because you don’t know who’s going to be there and the players feel privileged to make that final eight – it means something.”
The tournament holds a special place in the heart of Navratilova, who believes it stands side-by-sde with the four Grand Slams: “It’s a great opportunity to finish the year on a great note and spring you into the next year. Or for some people the chance to salvage something from a season that wasn’t great, because for me it’s a fifth major.”
This year, the WTA Finals is once again offering the opportunity to rub shoulders with past and present players through its official hospitality program, Racquet Club.
“It’s a great way for people to get a feel for the tournament, feel for the sport and get close to the players. It’s a one-of-a-kind experience that you really don’t get anywhere else, where you can mingle with the athletes themselves rather than just watch them from a distance,” Navratilova, who has also been appointed as the first ever ambassador for the Racquet Club, said.
“So it’s a fantastic experience for the fans, the media and also the players. Because we’re kind of removed – you see the people but you don’t really pay attention but this way you can really mingle.”
Selected tickets for the tournament will go on sale this Friday and can be purchased on the revamped WTAFinals.com website. From May 6, further offerings will go on sale, including the new Family Day Package and All Singles Evening Pass.
For more information on hospitality and booking enquiries, please e-mail info@RacquetClub.sg or call +65 6826 2718.
Angelique Kerber racked up the most prize money of any WTA player during 2016, and she did so in historic fashion. Find out who else made the prize money leaders list, right here!
As the tennis world headed stateside for the summer, an intriguing sub-plot was developing amidst the hunt for trophies.
Serena Williams had reigned supreme atop the rankings since February 2013, however, she faced an unexpected challenge to due to the rapid emergence of Angelique Kerber. At Wimbledon, Williams kept the upstart in check, yet maintaining the status quo over the summer months proved an altogether sterner test.
Golden Girl Puig
This was by no means the only story of the summer. The Rio Olympics produced a tennis tournament befitting the world’s greatest sporting stage and a gold medalist who made waves far beyond the Copacabana.
Monica Puig went into the Games on the back of a quietly impressive year on tour. What followed, though, must have been beyond her wildest dreams. Playing the tennis of her young career, the Puerto Rican swept into the semifinals – taking out Garbiñe Muguruza for the loss off two games along the way – where she produced a rousing finale to see off Petra Kvitova in three rollercoaster sets.
With the most improbable of victories – no Puerto Rican athlete had ever won Olympic gold – now within reach, Puig would not be denied, powering past Kerber, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, to create history.
New Queen In Queens
In Cincinnati, Kerber tasted further disappointment, narrowly missing out on claiming the No.1 ranking after losing to an on-song Karolina Pliskova in the final. If this smarted with the German, she hid it well at the US Open, where she cantered through the early rounds to raise the possibility of a final showdown with Serena for all the marbles.
Surprisingly, it was Serena that faltered, failing to make the date when she was outgunned by Pliskova in the semifinals. This ensured Kerber would rise to the summit of the rankings, regardless of the result in the final. The German marked her coronation in fitting fashion, lifting her second Grand Slam with a thrilling 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory on Arthur Ashe.
“It’s always tough to play against her,” Kerber afterwards. “I was trying to stay in the moment, be aggressive, I was just trying to enjoy the final. It’s an amazing stadium. It means a lot to me. When I was a kid, I was always dreaming to be the number one player in the world and to win Grand Slams, and today’s the day.”
Elsewhere…
Interspersed between Wimbledon and the start of the North American hardcourt stretch was the chance for success at a couple of tennis’ less celebrated venues. Simona Halep, Viktorija Golubic and Laura Siegemund were among those to grasp the opportunity for silverware, triumphing in Bucharest, Gstaad and Badstad, respectively.
As usual, the US Open build-up began in Stanford, where Johanna Konta took home the trophy after defusing Venus Williams in an entertaining final. Over in Washington DC, Yanina Wickmayer delivered a reminder of her potential, before the WTA headed across the border for an entertaining – and unpredictable – Rogers Cup, eventually won by a resurgent Halep.
An interview with Victoria Azarenka before her first round match at the Mutua Madrid Open.
An interview with Petra Kvitova before her first round match at the Mutua Madrid Open.
It’s time to crown the 2016 WTA Shot Of The Year. It started with all the WTA Shot Of The Month winners and the fans narrowed it down to the four best, two from each group.
• Final Group voting opens Tuesday, November 22 and ends Monday, November 28 at 11:59pm ET
• The 2016 WTA Shot of the Year winner will be announced Tuesday, November 29
Final Group
January: Caroline Wozniacki
March: Agnieszka Radwanska
July: Simona Halep
September: Kirsten Flipkens
Group A Results
1. March: Agnieszka Radwanska (38%)
2. January: Caroline Wozniacki (30%)
3. May: Simona Halep (19%)
4. April: Monica Niculescu (10%)
5. February: Agnieszka Radwanska (4%)
Click here or below to watch Group A shots
Group B Results
1. July: Simona Halep (42%)
2. September: Kirsten Flipkens (27%)
3. June: Agnieszka Radwanska (19%)
4. October: Angelique Kerber (6%)
5. August: Agnieszka Radwanska (6%)
Click here or below to watch Group B shots
How it works:
Each Shot of the Month winner is placed into one of two groups.
The two shots from each group that received the most were placed into a final group.
Winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com.
Garbiñe Muguruza takes on Anna Karolina Schmiedlova in the first round of the Mutua Madrid Open.