St. Petersburg: Shot Of The Day (Tuesday)
Yanina Wickmayer had Tuesday’s shot of the day at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy.
Yanina Wickmayer had Tuesday’s shot of the day at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy.
PHOENIX, AZ, USA – A whirlwind homecoming for Olympic Gold medalist Bethanie Mattek-Sands took her out to the ball game and out to the crowd on Wednesday, throwing the first pitch for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Treated to a night of peanuts and crackerjacks, there’s no telling whether the American Olympian cares if she’ll ever get back as she spent the game rooting for the home team, who beat the New York Mets, 13-5.
Check out Mattek-Sands at the old ball game on the Diamondbacks’ official Facebook page and right here on wtatennis.com!
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Barbora Strycova
2016 Quick Hits
Week 1 Ranking: No.42
Year-End Ranking: No.20 (Career-High No.19, 8/22/2016)
Titles Won: 0 (Dubai, Birmingham RU)
Best Major Result: 4R (Australian Open)
The countdown is on! ?
Only 20 Days left until the 2017 #WTA season! ? pic.twitter.com/1dpjHU6fYz
— WTA (@WTA) December 12, 2016
2017 Outlook
Barbora Strycova bounced back from a middling 2015 from the first week of the season, upsetting eventual French Open champion Garbiñe Muguruza en route to the second week of the Australian Open. She followed that up with a run to the biggest final of her career, knocking out former No.1 Ana Ivanovic and Caroline Garcia at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
“It’s been the best year of my career because I learned so many things, and also because my ranking improved,” Strycova told WTA Insider at the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai. “I was very consistent throughout the whole season, which was, for me, the most important thing.”
The Czech veteran brought her best tennis all all surfaces, pushing Agnieszka Radwanska in a thrilling third round encounter in Roland Garros, and making her second WTA final of the season on grass at the Aegon Classic in Birmingham. Her brightest moments came in national competitions, earning a Bronze medal at the Olympic tennis event with Lucie Safarova, and later leading the Czech Republic to its fifth championship in six years.
“The Olympics was something I dreamed about. When we found out we were playing together, Lucie told me on the flight to the Rogers Cup, ‘Ok, we’re going to get a medal!’ I told her, ‘You’re joking; we’ve played together once, what are you saying?’ But then we did it; it was something incredible.”
Looking ahead of 2017, Strycova plans to prioritize fitness over the off-season so she may continue to balance her heavy schedules in singles and doubles (with new partner, World No.1 Sania Mirza).
Saint Petersburg is a city known for its arts and culture, so it’s no surprise that doubles co-No.1s Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis made a stop to take it all in at the State Russian Museum.
WTA Insider | In the latest WTA Insider Live Blog, keep up with the action as Simona Halep, Angelique Kerber, and Agnieszka Radwanska all fight for quarterfinal spots in Cincinnati.
KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan – Venus Williams continued her serene progress at the Taiwan Open with a straight set win over Urszula Radwanska on Thursday.
Watch live action from St. Petersburg & Kaohsiung this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
On a blustery afternoon, Williams struggled early on, slipping a break behind. However, once into her rhythm it was one-way traffic, the top seed completing a 6-4, 6-2 victory in an hour and 27 minutes.
“My opponent started so strong – she went 4-1, but I was hoping to still win that set. After that things went almost perfectly for me, so I’m really happy with that and to be playing again tomorrow,” Williams said.
“The wind is also the opponent, too! So you’re then playing yourself, and the ball, and the opponent, and the wind. So it changes everything – it’s not easy. Hopefully tomorrow will be a lot easier.”
Meeting Williams for a place in the semifinals will be Anastasija Sevastova. “Honestly, I’ve never seen her play, so it’ll be a new experience and I’ll just try to play my best,” Williams added.
Also advancing in the top half of the draw was Stefanie Voegele, who dealt with the tricky conditions to upset No.5 seed Zheng Saisai, 6-4, 6-4.
“I’m happy that I won but it probably wasn’t the nicest match we’ve both played,” Voegele said. “It was difficult with the strong winds but I tried to do my best.”
There was better news for the other seeds in action, with Misaki Doi and Hsieh Su-Wei taking their place in the last eight. No.2 seed Doi was untroubled during a 6-2, 6-3 win over Magda Linette, while Hsieh, the No.6 seed, delighted the home crowd by battling past Mandy Minella, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.
Ahead of the quarterfinal matches at the Western & Southern Open, WTA Insider caught up with two of the most in-form players through the Emirates Airlines US Open Series.
Simona Halep takes a 12-match winning streak into a last eight clash with Angieszka Radwanska, whom she trails 3-4 in their head-to-head, but has otherwise played spectacular tennis all summer with wins in Bucharest and the Rogers Cup, reaching the quarterfinals in Cincinnati without dropping a set.
“I’m playing smart and aggressive,” Halep said after her win over Daria Gavrilova. “I feel much stronger and more confident on court when I play now. I’ve won a few matches in a row, so it gives me confidence. It’s been building since Indian Wells, but I’m feeling great on court.”
Up next is World No.2 Angelique Kerber, who is three matches from ending Serena Williams’ 183 straight weeks atop the WTA rankings. Kerber battled past Barbora Strycova in two tough sets to renew her rivalry with Carla Suárez Navarro.
“I go out on court with a lot of confidence that I can be ready even in different conditions, or if I only have a few days to prepare,” Kerber said. “This is what I took into the two matches I won here, that I’m a player who can transfer to surface and conditions very quickly. This gives me a lot of confidence.”
Hear more from Halep in Kerber in the latest Daily Dispatch:
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Laura Siegemund takes on Kristina Mladenovic in the first round of the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy.
WTA Insider | The latest live blog takes you inside the semifinals of the Western & Southen Open as three of the Top 4 seeds face off for spots in the final.
Angelique Kerber and the doubles team of Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic were named 2016’s ITF World Champions following Grand Slam-winning seasons.