WTA Stars Give Back In Zhuhai
Watch as WTA stars at the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai took a break from the competition to give back to the Zhuhai community with a number of fan-friendly activities!
Watch as WTA stars at the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai took a break from the competition to give back to the Zhuhai community with a number of fan-friendly activities!
MALLORCA, Spain – Former World No.1 Ana Ivanovic enjoyed one of her most emphatic wins of the season, dismantling Sara Sorribes Tormo, 6-1, 6-0, to reach the quarterfinals of the Mallorca Open.
Watch live action from Birmingham and Mallorca this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
Playing against her childhood idol, the 19 year old was overawed on the Center Court in Mallorca, lasting just 51 minutes against the 2008 French Open champion, who was hoping to turn around a disappointing season with a second WTA quarterfinal appearance.
“Honestly, grass is not my favorite surface,” the Serb said in her post-match press-conference, “but I’ve loved playing in Mallorca. I really hope I can keep playing well to stay long. The courts and crowd are really nice, so it’s a good feeling.
“I remember the first time I played the Williams sisters; you’re a little bit overwhelmed playing someone you used to look up to. But she’s very young still, and had some good strokes. Hopefully she can get better and move into the top of the game.”
Dropping just seven points behind her first serve, Ivanovic convered five of nine break point opportunities to set up a match against No.6 seed Caroline Garcia.
“I think we’ve been lucky to have perfect weather here; I know they’ve been struggling in Birmingham. I’ve actually had fun playing here. Yesterday, we had fun in doubles too, with Kirsten Flipkens.
“Garcia won the last three times we played, but it’s a different surface, and I’ll have to be extra focused and low on my shots. I have to go into the match knowing it’s going to be close, and look for my opportunities.”
.@AnaIvanovic impone su ley en el #MallorcaOpen. ¡Sólida victoria ante @sara_sorribes 6-1, 6-0. ?? pic.twitter.com/IOP61qYPYQ
— MallorcaOpen (@MallorcaOpen) June 16, 2016
Garcia played earlier in the day and survived a nail-biter of a second set tie-break against unseeded German Anna-Lena Friedsam, advancing, 6-4, 7-6(4).
“It’s good weather and I like when it’s hot. It was two tight sets, but you need a lot of energy on grass and a lot of focus. So every point is very important; I’m happy to be through in two sets.
“Maybe I played the important points better, but it was very tight. That’s grass also, and why you have to stay focused on every point. It’s a very different game, but good to have it for a month – just a month though!”
The Frenchwoman has won her last three matches against Ivanovic – all of which occurred in the spring of 2015 – but the pair have never met on a grass court.
“It’s not very natural for me,” she told press of the surface. “I have to say that the grass here is drier than it usually is in England, so it’s a little bit more comfortable for me. I feel safer on the court and the ball is bouncing higher, especially on my second serve. For your first tournament on grass, you don’t expect much, but I hope to keep going.”
Playing in the inaugural Mallorca Open meant opting out of the Aegon Classic in Birmingham, a tournament plagued by rain delays and poor weather.
“I’ve seen all the news on twitter about interruptions and suspensions. It’s frustrating because you can’t practice; you have to go indoors or the gym. When you want to go on grass, you want to at least be practicing. There’s a chance to do this here. Even when you’re done with a match, you can still practice. So I’m very happy with my choice!”
¡Accede a los cuartos de final del #MallorcaOpen @CaroGarcia! Victoria 6-4, 7-6 ante Friedsam. ?? pic.twitter.com/ZYtsnulUdt
— MallorcaOpen (@MallorcaOpen) June 16, 2016
More to come…
WTA Insider David Kane | Fresh off her first win in Zhuhai, Caroline Garcia laughed through a harrowing experience that kept her grounded at the Doha airport for 14 hours earlier this year.
MALLORCA, Spain – Caroline Garcia continued her domination of No.3 seed Ana Ivanovic, dispatching the Serb in a titanic affair in the quarterfinals of the Mallorca Open, 7-6(9), 5-7, 6-3.
Watch live action from Birmingham and Mallorca this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
Playing in her first-ever grass court quarterfinal, Garcia had plenty of momentum against Ivanovic, having won their last three matches in 2015. But Ivanovic had played some solid tennis of her own in Mallorca, and recovered from an early break to force a first set tie-break against her French nemesis.
“I had so many opportunities, but I stayed positive even when I’d lose my advantage,” Garcia said in her post-match press conference. “It’s good to win matches like this against a big player.
“I was down in the tie-break and had no choice but to go for it and take the opportunity before she could.”
Garcia saved a whopping five set points in the ensuing sudden death – three in a row from 3-6 down – and snuck off with the opening set on her second opportunity. Undaunted, Ivanovic fought back hard in the second set, winning three games in a row to level the contest after being two points from elimination.
“On grass, it’s more mental with so many short points. I was feeling good on the court, and would stay aggressive on the return to put pressure on Ana.
“I think movement is most difficult for me, especially when it’s humid and slippery.”
The Frenchwoman indeed maintained the pressure in the third, racing out to a 3-0 lead and weathering one last Serbian serge to serve out her spot in the semifinals, where she’ll play none other than Kirsten Flipkens, 2013 Wimbledon semifinalist and Ivanovic’s doubles partner.
“It’s a good test for me because she loves grass. I played her a couple weeks ago on clay, so it’ll be much different. She has the shots to play on this surface, so I will have to be aggressive and put the pressure on her.”
.@FlipperKF: “Me he sentido muy bien en la pista”. Congratulations Kirsten! ???? pic.twitter.com/OD1ALyexah
— MallorcaOpen (@MallorcaOpen) June 17, 2016
Flipkens edged past Paraguayan qualifier Veronica Cepede Royg, 7-5, 6-3, to reach her second WTA semifinal of 2016, and her first since finishing runner-up in Monterrey.
“It was warm today but I had a good match today,” the Belgian said in her post-match press conference. “I think she started off really well and at the beginning it was really tough to play my game. But I got into the match better and better, serving well.
“For sure, she was in good shape coming out of qualifying, so I needed to see how her game was. She got an early break, so it was important for me to break her back when she was serving for the set. I was always winning the first point on her serve, but it was a matter of getting into those second and third points.
“Once I broke back to 5-5, I felt like I was back in the match.”
With half the season left to go, Flipkens admitted she already achieved her main goal for 2016 – representing her country in the upcoming Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
“I’ve never played there before, so I’m very happy about that.”
No.2 seed Jelena Jankovic and Anastasija Sevastova snapped up the final two semifinal spots of the day; the former No.1 dispatched the resurgent Sorana Cirstea, 6-3, 6-3, while Sevastova recovered from a second set wobble to defeat Mariana Duque-Mariño, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
.@CaroGarcia is happy! ? ¡Ya está en las semifinales del #MallorcaOpen! pic.twitter.com/oF5VfzHjXc
— MallorcaOpen (@MallorcaOpen) June 17, 2016
Elina Svitolina takes on Johanna Konta in the semifinals at the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai.
MALLORCA, Spain – No.6 seed Caroline Garcia overcame a mid-match wobble against Kirsten Flipkens to make her way to the inaugural Mallorca Open final where she’s set to face Anastasija Sevastova for the title.
Watch live action from Birmingham and Mallorca this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
It’s been an incredible few weeks for the on-the-rise Frenchwoman; she grabbed her first title of the year at Strasbourg, win the French Open doubles title with Kristina Mladenovic, and now here on the Spanish grass she’s into her second final of the year.
“When I arrived here I wasn’t expecting much because it’s normally very hard to reach the final in your first grass tournament of the year,” Garcia said. “I’ve just taken it match by match and slowly getting more confidence on the grass, even though still there’s things in the game that I want to improve.”
Garcia started out the match digging herself out of a 2-4 hole against Flipkens, whose game favors the faster surfaces. The Frenchwoman fired off four games in a row to snatch the first set away from the Belgian.
Despite Flipkens coming back to win the second 6-4, Garcia was in nearly impeccable form in the third. She rattled off five games in a row to take the match and advance 6-4, 4-6, 6-1.
“Every final is a new experience, but definitely the results give me more confidence,” Garcia said. “There is always tension and emotion but with experience I can manage it better and do my best tomorrow.”
Garcia’s opponent in the final had a dicy road to the inaugural Mallorca Open final. AnastasijaSevastova spent the night after her first-round win waylaid in the hospital after suffering a health scare.
“I had a stomach virus and after my first round, I started cramping and became dehydrated,” Sevastova told press ahead of her semifinal match. “I was fine during my match and for a little bit afterward. Then suddenly I started cramping and couldn’t stop.”
Sevastova spent the night in the hospital and was cleared to play the next day; she went on to beat Eugenie Bouchard and set up her semifinal clash with No.2 seed Jelena Jankovic.
Fully recovered from her opening round scare, Sevastova survived another one against Jankovic, who put her in a one-set deficit after 35 minutes. She settled her nerves and unleashed her flat groundstrokes and drop shots – aided in part by Jankovic’s own injury woes – to overturn the deficit and seal her comeback 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.
With the win, Sevastova makes her way into her first WTA final since 2010 at Oeiras.
“I don’t know really how to feel, I’m quite tired but I’m very happy,” Sevastova said. “It’s sinking in right now, but we’ll see how it goes. Tomorrow is another match – you can’t stop, you have to go on.”
Petra Kvitova powered her way to the final of the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai with the help of her dominating first serve – SAP Coaches View shows how she got it done.
BIRMINGHAM, England – Madison Keys won a rollercoaster encounter with Carla Suárez Navarro on Saturday to reach the Aegon Classic Birmingham final and also break into the Top 10 for the first time.
Watch live action from Birmingham and Mallorca this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
On a chilly day Keys took a while to warm to the task at hand, Suárez Navarro making light of her arduous path to the semifinals to wrap up the first set. But as the contest wore on, Keys found her rhythm, leveling the match up before eventually triumphing, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(3).
“The first set was definitely a slow start for me. I felt like my energy was really low and not very positive,” Keys said. “So it was a big thing for me just to come out and really be a lot more positive and have a high level of intensity and energy. If I was able to do that, and she beat me anyways, then too good from her.
“I would have been really disappointed in myself had I not been able to kind of at least change what I could on my side of the net.”
After withstanding Suárez Navarro’s early onslaught, Keys looked to be coasting into the final when she broke for a 3-2 lead midway through the decider. With the final beckoning, though, Keys tightened, netting a backhand to surrender the advantage and take the contest into a tie-break.
The previous evening, Suárez Navarro elevated her game to another level to end defending champion Angelique Kerber’s reign in a third set tie-break. Against Keys she was unable to repeat the feat, sending a tired backhand into the net to finally succumb.
Keys’ reward for the turnaround is a place in the final, where she will meet either Barbora Strycova or CoCo Vandeweghe, and also a Top 10 debut. On Monday morning she will join compatriots Serena and Venus Williams in the Top 10 – it is the first time since 2005 that three Americans have been in the Top 10 simultaneously.
Click here for more stats on Keys’ rankings breakthrough.
“I’m really excited right now, but I’m also trying to stay focused on the final,” Keys said. “I haven’t even really put a ton of thought of being in the Top 10. That will definitely sink in after the tournament. I’m happy with it, but more focused on wanting to win the final tomorrow.”
ZHUHAI, China – Huanjin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai Ambassador and 22-time Grand Slam champion Stefanie Graf had a front row seat to the rise of World No.1 Angelique Kerber.
“She would take little breaks in the year and come to Las Vegas to train and prepare herself,” she told WTA Insider during a media Q&A on Sunday. “I had a chance to watch and help a little but, but she’s the one doing the hard work. She’s the one showing that determination and commitment.
“I felt she always had the talent and the strengths; she’s been working hard. She just needed that one win to get her mindset changed to where she could start believing in herself. She was really able to do that in the last year or two, where she started realizing that she can beat top players. That belief really changed her game around; she’s been playing with a lot more confidence, and you can see that she’s a different player on the court. With each victory, it seemed like she got stronger and more comfortable with herself on the court.”
With Kerber leading a strong German contingent – one that already includes Julia Goerges, Andrea Petkovic, Sabine Lisicki, and Laura Siegemund – Graf is hopeful for a surge in national interest in the sport she once dominated.
“I think we’ve had such strong talent in Germany over the past few years; we had a lot of great players pushing each other. For her to push through has been really important for German tennis because where we’ve seen a lot of growth here, we’ve seen fewer tournaments in Germany where we used to be really strong.
“For her to have that success, and a lot of the other players being strong behind her, that should hopefully strengthen tennis in Germany and Europe again.”
Graf wouldn’t count out former No.1 Serena Williams, who matched her Grand Slam total this year at Wimbledon, as Kerber’s biggest challenge in 2017.
“With Serena, she’s definitely had a little bit of a harder year; she wasn’t able to play as many tournaments as she might have wished to be ready for the Grand Slams. But she’s too incredible of a player to be underestimated in the coming year.
“Consistency is what we’re all striving for on the court; it’s difficult with different surfaces, different time zones and different climates. It’s a long year in tennis.”
Serving as WTA Elite Trophy Ambassador at the end of the season proved to be an easy decision for Graf; the German had never before traveled to China and has thoroughly enjoyed taking in the sights throughout the region. She arrived late Friday night and was greeted by a throng of fans at her hotel, and has since participated in several clinics with junior players, a trip to the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge with Caroline Garcia, and the coin toss for the final between Petra Kvitova and Elina Svitolina.
“The desire has always been there to come visit China. I can say I’ve traveled the world, but there’s a few places I haven’t been but have the wish to go. I love to travel and experience different cultures. Tennis is such a great and growing sport in China; to be part of it, and hopefully help just a little bit bring the sport to our young talents, it’s a great opportunity.
“I do enjoy a coastline, and even having the possibility to drive around and get the chance yesterday to be playing a little bit of tennis on the longest bridge in the world. That was an incredible sight. The city has a lot of beautiful parts I’ve seen just by driving along, but also looking at little mountains and hills. We’ve enjoyed taking walks in the morning, jogging along the water and seeing people on early strolls of their own.
“You have so many possibilities here, so it seems like a vibrant city everyone can enjoy.”
Check out more quick hits from Graf on what she makes of the tournament, how tennis can continue growing in China, and even what she makes of new ATP World No.1 Andy Murray.
What an honor to meet & play with the Legend, Steffi Graff! And why not do it on the longest cross sea bridge in the World! #WTAEliteTrophy pic.twitter.com/LzFOGlqGtN
— Caroline Garcia (@CaroGarcia) November 6, 2016
On the Zhuhai venue…
I’m looking at an incredible facility right now. The center court couldn’t be nicer; I got a chance to play a little bit on the outside courts yesterday, and they play beautifully. In terms of the environment – from locker rooms, to physiotherapy to massages – I thought the organization has been exceptional. I feel there’s a strong passion for tennis here, and you can feel a high level excitement from everyone on the grounds. Everyone has been so accommodating and able to help whenever you have questions. There’s a really cute conversation card in the tournament transportation vehicle, where if a driver doesn’t completely understand you, there’s a list of different questions you could have in different languages. It’s all extremely well thought through. I’m sure all the other players will agree that the organization has been top notch.
On the city’s plan to further integrate tennis into the Zhuhai landscape…
I just learned quite a bit last night and this afternoon, sitting down with some of the CTA members, as well as the mayor and vice-mayor. Just from those discussions, it seems that there’s a lot of vision already in hand, where they’re already in the second and third stages of development. They’re talking about developing a tennis academy as well as increasing the amount of tennis played in schools. It seems that there’s a lot of planning going on. With the interest and passion that I’ve seen around this tournament, I believe that there’s going to be fast growth.
It seems that everyone is very enthusiastic about it. I think from what I hear, it’s still a very new sport, because for long periods, China couldn’t watch a lot of tennis on TV. The enthusiasm is there, and just seeing the growing tournaments over the last few years has been great. During my career, we didn’t have a big women’s tournament here, so the growth in this sector is clearly immense. So the industry and fans are here; I believe that from what has already been done that we all need to be on the lookout for even more growth.
On Andy Murray ascending to World No.1…
I didn’t even know until you told me just now! It happened last night, so I hadn’t caught the news. It’s the result of some incredible tennis that he’s been playing over the last few years, and so it’s well deserved. When you look at men’s tennis, the level has been so phenomenal for such a long time; it’s still a tight race with Djokovic, players like Federer and Nadal. It’s fascinating to watch men’s tennis with how close it is. How long will he be able to hold on? I don’t know, but I’ll be looking forward to seeing what next year will bring.
On the importance of consistency throughout a long season…
Consistency is what you strive for. It’s pretty difficult to achieve in the world of tennis. There are very few sports played all year long. In my career, it was an 11-11.5 month long season; now it’s gotten a little short, more like 10 months. But it’s really difficult to hold the highest level throughout the year. Ideally, you try to pace yourself through it, meaning you pick and choose your tournaments, and take time in between. With Angie, she did a fantastic job peaking at the big tournaments this year, with strong showings at the Grand Slam tournaments.
On the next generation of players…
I think it’s important for everyone to find their individual way, their presence, and their style. I think in terms of my style of play, it’s not around so much anymore with one-handed backhand slice, and keeping the ball low. That’s a very unusual thing; I think tennis has changed quite a bit through the last few generations. But the good thing is that everyone finds their own way to become who they are.
.@WTAEliteTrophy Ambassador Stefanie Graf was on hand for a fan activity and Media Q&A in Zhuhai pic.twitter.com/ndblZTBc5y
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) November 6, 2016
All photos courtesy of WTA Elite Trophy.
Celebrate dear old dad alongside some of your favorite WTA stars and look back on some of the most memorable father/daughter pairings right here on wtatennis.com.