Google Play App Download

Tennis News

From around the world

#ThankYouAna: WTA Fans Share Favorite Ivanovic Memories

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Few have engaged tennis fans quite like Ana Ivanovic; the former No.1 and 2008 French Open champion has a combined 4.5 million followers on Facebook and Twitter.

Those fans took to social media to express their gratitude for their favorite player with the hashtag #ThankYouAna. Check out some of the best fan tweets below:

Source link

Serena Claims Milestone Win Over Diyas

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

MIAMI, FL, USA – Eight-time Miami Open champion Serena Williams extended her dominant run in Key Biscayne with a win over Zarina Diyas, 7-5, 6-3.

Watch live action from Miami this fortnight on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

Last time these two met, Diyas only took two games off of Williams in her 54-minute loss at Indian Wells last year. The Kazakh wasn’t keen to repeat the experience, and gave the American plenty of trouble throughout the match.

Diyas had Williams on the ropes early on, her pace and quickness around the court troubling the World No.1’s normally reliable game. But Williams hasn’t lost a match in Miami since 2012, and she wasn’t about to do it today. She punished any short serve that came her way with her powerful game and let the crowd fire her up to take the first set.

With a set under her belt Williams played more freely, finding her all-court game to get ahead 4-0. But Diyas had a second wind late in the match, playing more aggressively to rattle off three straight games and erode the lead to 4-3. The eight-time Miami champion remained unbothered, though, closing out the match in just over an hour and a half.

But beyond reaching the Miami Open fourth round for a whopping fifteenth time and extending her tournament win-loss record to 75-7, the win is a major milestone in Williams’ decorated career.

Williams now owns 750 career match wins across all levels, a 750-125 lifetime record. She currently sits seventh on the all-time list for match wins, closing in on Lindsay Davenport’s record of 753 wins. Martina Navratilova holds the all-time record with 1442 wins.

WTA All-Time Match Win Leaders
Martina Navratilova – 1442
Chris Evert – 1,309
Steffi Graf – 902
Virginia Wade – 839
Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario – 759
Lindsay Davenport – 753
Serena Williams – 750

Source link

Muguruza Moves On In Miami

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

MIAMI, FL, USA – No.4 seed Garbiñe Muguruza needed less than an hour to defeat American wildcard Nicole Gibbs, 6-1, 6-0, to reach the fourth round of the Miami Open.

Watch live action from Miami this fortnight on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

The 2015 Wimbledon finalist, Muguruza has struggled to find consistency thus far this season – narrowly edging past Dominika Cibulkova on Friday – but the young Spaniard had none of those problems on Sunday night, hitting four aces and 20 winners – to only eight from the fast-rising Stanford All-American – and dropping just one game in the 57 minute match.

“I’m so happy about my match today; I felt great on court, so that’s amazing,” she told Andrew Krasny during her on-court interview.

“I tried to be very aggressive, but be very concentrated and just play my game.”

Muguruza first attracted notice when, as a wildcard, she burst onto the scene in 2012 when she upset then-World No.9 Vera Zvonareva, following up the upset with another big win over Flavia Pennetta en route to the fourth round. The Spaniard has since become a mainstay in the Top 10, pushing World No.1 Serena Williams through a high-octane Wimbledon final last summer and winning all three of her round robin matches at her BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global debut last fall.

“I have great memories. The Miami Open was my breakthrough and this is my second home with this amazing crowd that supports me. I don’t know what to say, it all feels great!”

Up next for Muguruza is former World No.1 Victoria Azarenka, whose hot streak continued against Magda Linette earlier in the day.

Also into the fourth round is No.26 seed Johanna Konta. The Brit became the highest ranked from her country since 1987 (Jo Durie) by cracking the Top 25 last week, and showed off all the grit and determination that has taken her so far, so fast with a 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(3) win over qualifier Elena Vesnina.

“I am very happy to be able to come back tomorrow to compete again,” Konta said after winning a match in which she hit a stunning 12 aces – six in the second set alone. “I knew going into the match that she was playing at a very good level so I knew there’d be very little in it, whichever way the match at the end. I’m very happy to be sitting here with a chance to play tomorrow.”

Vesnina was coming off of a big win over former No.1 Venus Williams, and though she fought hard throughout, Konta continued to play her best tennis when it matters most over the last 10 months.

“I really tried to play the same as I had throughout the whole match. There’s obviously ebbs and flows in a match – I was playing better in parts and not so good in parts – but I really just tried to stay offensive and have things end on my terms as much as possible, but also being humble enough to know that she was playing at a good level so not to get too disheartened or down on myself if she plays well too.”

Standing between Konta and a possible quarterfinal encounter with either Muguruza or Azarenka is No.32 seed Monica Niculescu, who eased past CoCo Vandeweghe, 6-4, 6-1.

“We’ve only played once before and that was last year in Nottingham. It was a very tough match there, and I know she’s one of the trickiest players on tour and one of the best competitors as well.

“At the end I think it’ll be a match where there’ll be very little in it and I’m just going to my best to fight every single point and hopefully be able to leave the court knowing that I did my best.”

Source link

Gasparyan, Niculescu Send Off SanTina

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Margarita Gasparyan and Monica Niculescu dealt Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis, the World No.1 doubles team, their most comprehensive loss of the year to advance to the quarterfinals in Miami.

Source link

Kvitova Cruises Past Defending Champion Muguruza, Still In Singapore Contention

Kvitova Cruises Past Defending Champion Muguruza, Still In Singapore Contention

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

BEIJING, China – Petra Kvitova put on a stunning performance to close out Wednesday’s night session at the China Open, decisively dispatching defending champion Garbiñe Muguruza, 6-1, 6-4, to not only reach the quarterfinals in Beijing, but also preserve her hopes of earning a late berth to the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.

Watch live action from Beijing on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

Kvitova came into the match on a seven-match winning streak, having won the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open for the second time in three years. Playing emphatic tennis throughout the 72 minute encounter, the Olympic Bronze medalist struck 27 winners to just 15 unforced errors against Muguruza, the 2015 winner, who hit only five winners of her own.

“I’ve played eight matches in 10 or 11 days, and I’m still going!” Kvitova joked with WTA Insider. “For sure, I’m feeling it; I do feel a few spots, but when I’m standing on the court, the adrenaline is there. I’m feeling very mentally tough right now, and that’s my strength, for sure.

“I know my game is there, which helps a lot with confidence; I just have to hit it how I can, and that’s most important.”

Breaking serve three times, the former World No.2 saved the only break point she faced to book a rematch with No.8 seed Madison Keys, whom she defeated for the bronze medal in Rio.

“That was a great match, for sure. It was a great battle, and both of us had a great level of game last time. I think it’ll be the same when we play again. I know she’s serving well, so that’ll probably be key for me to stay on my serve and wait for my chances and return – somehow!

“I think she’s similar to Garbiñe, or even me, so that helps.”

A WTA Finals champion in 2011, Kvitova was looking like a longshot to make her sixth career appearance at the year-end championships before catching fire after the Olympics, making the second week of the US Open – where she fell to eventual champion and future World No.1 Angelique Kerber – and blitzing the field in Wuhan, avenging the loss to Kerber and dropping a combined five games against Simona Halep and Dominika Cibulkova to win the title.

Should she win a second title in two weeks, the two-time Wimbledon winner would enter the Top 8 on the Road to Singapore leaderboard, but rest and recovery will be the main priority during a well-deserved day off.

“I’ll probably just go to the gym tomorrow; I’ve had a lot of hours of play, and even my racquets and shoes are tired. They need a rest!”

WTA Finals: Get Your Tickets!

Source link

Cibulkova Hosts Youth Q&A As WTA Charities Launches In Brisbane

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

BRISBANE, Australia – Dominika Cibulkova starts the 2017 season at a career-high ranking following her year-end triumph at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. Still, the Slovak found time to assist the efforts of the newly formed WTA Charities before kicking off her campaign at the Brisbane International.

Partnering with the Ronald McDonald House South East Queensland and the Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital, Cibulkova met a group of sick children who came prepared to ask the World No.5 questions about her life and career in Brisbane.

“They were really nice kids, asking good questions,” Cibulkova said after the event. “It was nice to meet them and I’m happy I can do this kind of thing.”

Asked what other sports she played, the former Australian Open finalist talked about the gymnastics she did as a child, but now enjoys skiing when she’s not on the tennis court. She also issued a challenge to Andre Agassi when asked which player she’d like to play.

“It’s cool that kids can get to know us a bit more, and I think they’ll follow tennis more intensely now, because when you know one of the players, you get more involved and more emotional. I think that’s really nice.”

Launched at the start of 2017, the mission of WTA Charities is to be a social responsibility vehicle built on the WTA’s values to empower and provide for a better future. WTA Charities is dedicated to combining, strengthening and enhancing the community and charitable efforts of the WTA through its members (players, alumnae and tournaments), along with its partners.

Cibulkova is the No.2 seed in Brisbane and will play her opening round match against Zhang Shuai.

Source link