November 19, 2016
At the final Premier Mandatory event of the campaign, the China Open, Agnieszka Radwanska reclaimed the trophy she won five years earlier, while over in indoor halls of Europe, Dominika Cibulkova and Svetlana Kuznetsova sealed their spots at the WTA Finals.
WUHAN, China – No.3 seeds Sania Mirza and Barbora Strycova reached their third final in four events together at the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open, defeating No.6 seeds Timea Babos and Yaroslava Shvedova, 6-3, 7-6(6), and No.2 seeds Chan Hao-Ching and Chan Yung-Jan, 6-4, 3-6, 10-7, back-to-back to book a championship match against No.5 seeds Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova.
Watch live action from Wuhan on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
Rained out on Thursday, Mirza and Strycova edged past Babos and Shvedova, who needed to win Wuhan to confirm their place in the WTA Finals, and recovered from a second set wobble to dispatch the Chan sisters to reach the championship match over the reigning US Open winners. Strycova has dealt with an especially busy week, having played two singles matches yesterday on her way to a quarterfinal finish.
“So we are obviously very happy to be in our third final together,” Mirza said after the match. “The schedule has been really tough – especially for Barbora – but we are fighting every point and every match and enjoying ourselves playing together.”
Mirza and Strycova first paired up en route to a winning week at the Western & Southern Open, and have lost just one match since then, taking the Toray Pan Pacific Open and winning three more matches in Wuhan over two pairs hoping to book their spot at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
By reaching final at @wuhanopentennis Mirza/Strycova move to No.11 on #RoadToSingapore Leaderboard. Can move to No.9 with title https://t.co/GZbcuGkWCF
— Kevin Fischer (@Kfish_WTA) September 30, 2016
The World No.1 qualified first for Singapore with former partner Martina Hingis back in May, but the results with Strycova put her new partnership up to No.11 on the Road to Singapore leaderboard; a win in the final over Mattek-Sands and Safarova would bump them up to No.9. Should Mirza qualify with both teams, the doubles threat could earn the right to play with either Strycova or Hingis – with whom she won the title last year.
Mattek-Sands and Safarova had to do double duty on Thursday, winning their second round and quarterfinal rounds in straight sets; the team was equally imperious on Friday against Christina McHale and Peng Shuai, winning, 6-4, 6-3. Playing their first tournament since winning their third Grand Slam title, team “Bucie” are on a nine-match winning streak and are currently in pole position make their second straight appearance in Singapore.
Chan Yung-Jan and Chan Hao-Ching took to the culture heart of Singapore during the WTA Finals, even attempting to create traditional dress worn throughout Southeast Asia.
Highlights from semifinal action at the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open.
Highlights from final action at the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open.
An interview with Karolina Pliskova before her first round match at the China Open.
What was the best Grand Slam match you’ve seen all year? What about the best WTA match? Click here to vote!
BEIJING, China – The BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global is just under three weeks away, and with just three of the Top 8 players have already been determined in singles – while four teams have qualified in doubles – the China Open will be a crucial battleground for those aiming to earn enough points to book their ticket to Singapore.
The conclusion of the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open saw Simona Halep become the third woman to qualify for Singapore after her run to the semifinals. For the Romanian, it marks the third straight year she has qualified for Singapore, having reached the final on her 2014 debut.
In doubles, darkhorses Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova flipped the script in Wuhan by clinching their spot at the WTA Finals by winning the doubles event over a surging Sania Mirza and Barbora Strycova. Mirza and Strycova remain outside the Top 8 since forming at the Western & Southern Open, and will need a strong result in Beijing to have a hope of crashing a party the World No.1 herself is already set to attend with former partner, Martina Hingis.
As the China Open enters its third round, defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska is a win away from returning to Singapore and making her eighth WTA Finals appearance in the last nine years after knocking out Ekaterina Makarova in straight sets. Currently into the second round in Beijing, Karolina Pliskova could also make her WTA Finals debut by reaching the last eight.
2015 semifinalist Garbiñe Muguruza is very much in the hunt for a return to Singapore of her own, and could book her spot by reaching the final.
Click here to check out a full list of senarios, here for the updated Road to Singapore leaderboard and here to buy tickets for the WTA Finals!
After a career-best 2016 season, Elina Svitolina will start 2017 with a new team led by Gabriel Urpi, along with coaching consultant Thierry Ascione and hitting partner Andrew Bettles.
Urpi is an experienced coach who worked with former No.1 Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario during two of her four Grand Slam runs, 1994 Wimbledon winner Conchita Martinez, and Flavia Pennetta, helping her become the first Italian woman to crack the Top 10 back in 2009.
Both Urpi and Ascione are former ATP players, while Bettles was a hitting partner for 2008 French Open champion Ana Ivanovic.
Oliver Fawls will continue on as Svitolina’s fitness coach; the Ukrainian youngster credited Fawls throughout her successful season, one that saw her defeat both reigning World No.1s in Serena Williams (Olympic tennis event) and Angelique Kerber (China Open), reach a career-high ranking of No.14, and reach the final of the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai.
Soon after her big week in Zhuhai, Svitolina announced the end of her two and a half year partnership with Iain Hughes.
If there’s one thing that Serena Williams probably loves more than winning, it’s tacos.
Despite holding a record-tying number of Grand Slam titles and consecutive weeks at the WTA’s top spot, it’s tacos – not trophies – that are on her mind all day, every day.
Good thing for Serena that there’s a whole holiday dedicated to her favorite food: National Taco Day. But if you’re Serena Williams, clearly every day is National Taco Day.
Her love for tacos runs deep, as USA Today’s Nick McCarvel uncovered earlier this year.
Before she had her first taste of Grand Slam victory, Serena had already developed a taste for the delicious Mexican dish.
“I’m from Compton and there is a big mixture of cultures there,” Serena said before the US Open. “I grew up next to all of these Mexican families and we were close with them when I was little, we were friends. I think that’s where my love for tacos comes from.”
Whenever she’s not eating or thinking about tacos, Serena spends her free time lovingly photographing them for her Instagram account.
Serena’s been around the world and obviously has tried many a taco, but the quest for finding the perfect one is lifelong.
Happy National Taco Day, Serena!
Taco Talk With Serena:
Q: What’s your favorite taco place?
I never thought I would say this. But I found the best tacos in West Palm. I can't stop thinking about them. ?
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) September 17, 2016
Q: Who makes the best taco?
“I make the best taco,” Serena claimed. “Or my sister Lyn. If you ever watch my Snapchat, you know I don’t talk about my taco recipes.”
“I don’t taco about it.”
Q: What’s your favorite kind of taco?
