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Spotted: Serena & Venus Hit Stanford

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

STANFORD, CA, USA – World No.1 Serena Williams might not be in the draw at the Bank Of The West Classic, but she’s never too far away from the action. Eagle-eyed fans who turned up to top seed Venus Williams’ practice session got a treat as she was joined on court by her younger sister.

Venus started out the day the way she normally does at a new tournament: hitting the practice courts. The No.1 seed hit a few balls as she warmed up on center court ahead of her opening match tomorrow.

But who was there on the sidelines, keeping a close eye on her older sister’s practice session and dance break?

After a quick warmup of her own, Serena decided to join in on the action and hit the tennis court herself as the Williams sisters tuned up their doubles.

You can watch every minute of Venus and Serena’s impromptu training session in Stanford right here. Check out the full live stream courtesy of Stanford and Tennis On Facebook:

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Diatchenko Upsets No.2 Seed Broady In Taipei Opener

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

TAIPEI, Taiwan – Former champion Vitalia Diatchenko sprung an upset on the opening day of the OEC Taipei WTA Challenger, holding her nerve to knock out No.2 seed Naomi Broady.

In a tense final set, World No.533 Diatchenko twice served to stay in the match before ultimately prevailing, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(3).

Making a mockery of her lowly ranking, the Russian withstood a final set fightback – and 15 aces – from Broady to register only her sixth win of the season.

Diatchenko, who received a wildcard into the WTA title at a 125K Series event, is currently on the comeback trail following an injury-ravaged couple of seasons. Two years ago, she reached a career-high No.71 following victory in Taipei, but since then major operations on her anterior cruciate ligament and Achilles have halted this charge.

Next up will be Miyu Kato, who overcame doubles partner Eri Hozumi, 6-4, 7-6(7). Also advancing were Olga Govortsova, who knocked out No.5 seed Risa Ozaki, 6-1, 6-3, and Dalila Jakupovic, a 7-6(4), 6-1, winner over wildcard Lee Ya-Hsuan. 

The first round continues on Tuesday, with Maria Sakkari, Marina Erakovic and 2013 winner Alison Van Uytvanck among those in action.

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Cibulkova Survives In Stanford

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

STANFORD, CA, USA – No.2 seed Dominika Cibulkova was among the last of the big names to kick off her Stanford campaign, but survived a late surge in the first set from Urszula Radwanska to advance into the last eight at the Bank of the West Classic, 7-6(3), 6-3.

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

Cibulkova was playing her first match since reaching the quarterfinals of Wimbledon – where she upset former finalist and Agnieszka Radwanska, Urszula’s elder sister, en route – and marrying her longtime fiance during finals weekend.

“I have to admit, I was just on the other side of the planet a few days ago and I’m playing on a different surface, so it’s very very tough,” she said after the match. 

The Slovak showed few signs of that rust from the outset as she raced ahead 5-2 in the opening set, but Radwanska, a former Top 30 player, undid the deficit with speedy efficiency to force a tie-break. Speaking with Andrew Krasny during her on-court interview, Cibulkova took the momentum shifts in stride.

“But tennis life is tough because you’re here one day, there the next and you have to adapt. But I was trying my best even though I wasn’t feeling great on the court today. But I was mentally tough and I made it through.”

Taking another 5-2 lead – this time in the tie-break – Cibulkova made no mistake and took the first set in a little over an hour. The second set appears more straightforward, but the pair twice exchanged breaks before the former World No.10 was able to close out the match.

“At the right time, I was focused and I didn’t panic though I lost a few games I should have won. My forehand was working and I knew I had to go for that, and I had to play smart today because I knew she was playing really well.”

Set to play Misaki Doi in the next round, Cibulkova is just one match away from returning to the Top 10 for the first time since early 2015, just before she took time off to treat a lingering Achilles injury.

Alison Riske captured another complicated three-setter in Stanford, dismissing qualifier Ana Bogdan, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4. Looking to reach her first-ever WTA quarterfinal, the Romanian saved five match points before Riske clinched a spot in in the last eight for a second straight year.

Catherine Bellis backed up her win over Jelena Ostapenko with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 win over Sachia Vickery to make her own debut in a WTA quarterfinal. The American first burst onto the scene in 2014 when she upset Cibulkova to reach the second round as a 15-year-old, later reaching the third round of Miami, where she played Serena Williams for the first time. Thursday’s win earned her a primetime showdown with top seed Venus Williams.

“I just had to focus really hard on my game plan for the entire match,” Bellis told press after her win. “We’ve played each other so many times; we actually played one another last week. We practice together all the time too, so we know each other’s games pretty well. I had to focus on me, my tennis, and playing my game. That’s what really got me through.

“It’s not going to be easy [playing Venus], but I don’t think anything is impossible. Obviously, it’ll be such an honor playing one of the best players of all time, and she’s done so much in her career and still doing amazing things. It’s going to be fun, and I’m very excited.”

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Angelique Kerber's Best Shots Of The Year

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Angelique Kerber ended the 2016 season with two Grand Slams, a WTA title, the most match wins on the tour, and a lot of hot shots.

So many, in fact, that we’ve compiled a video featuring all of her best shots of the year!

Watch them all right here on wtatennis.com, and stay tuned tomorrow for Simona Halep’s best shots of the year!

Click here to vote for the WTA Shot Of The Year!

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2016 Season Review: Qualifying Race Goes Down To The Wire

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

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.

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