Tennis News

NEW YORK, NY, USA – No.5 seed Simona Halep survived a gutsy upset bid from No.31 seed Timea Babos, who kept her on the ropes for much of the second half of the match before Halep scraped through, 6-1, 2-6, 6-4.

“Today I had in my head just that I can win the match, and I have just to take point by point,” Halep reflected in her post-match press conference. “So it was a good thing, and I want also to improve more in this. I feel safe when I’m on court. That’s why I refuse to lose.

“I’m stronger mentally and I don’t give up any more during the matches, even if I’m down.”

Halep looked set to cruise to a quick victory after she snapped up the first set in just 24 minutes. She made only four unforced errors to Babos’ nine, and despite the Hungarian entering the tournament ranked third on the WTA for most aces, Halep was able to contain that big serve and break three her three times.

But after being thoroughly outplayed in the opening set, Babos settled into her game and began to read Halep’s shots better. Babos suddenly began to outlast Halep at the baseline – the Romanian’s stronghold – and seemed to be one step ahead of her in the rallies.

With Babos firing off winner after winner, Halep began to play the kind of nervous, fast game that betrayed her mounting frustration. Babos rattled off six unanswered games to grab the second set and carry that momentum into the third, yanking Halep from line to line to draw out the errors and earn an early break.

The momentum shifted once as Halep refused to wilt and kept her cool to stay within touching distance. The Romanian eventually broke back at 3-3 to put them on even ground for the first time in over an hour.

Point of the match? #Halep gets the break she needs to lead her to a three set win over #Babos. #usopen @Chase https://t.co/eywEXaKjsJ

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 3, 2016

After a tense couple of games, with Babos serving at 5-4, 40-15 for a chance to extend her stay in the match, the Hungarian sprayed a string of nervous errors to gift Halep match point, before surrendering the match on a double fault.

“It feels good that I could win the match,” Halep said afterwards. “It was really tough. She played unbelievable second and third set. She didn’t miss at all. She was hitting very strong, so it was a good challenge for me and it was a good match.”

“I’m really proud that I could win it and come back from 3-1 down in the third set.”

Next up for the Romanian is the No.11 seed Carla Suárez Navarro, who has been quietly making her way through the draw with her usual consistency. The Spaniard celebrated her 28th birthday with a 6-4, 6-3 victory against No.19 seed Elena Vesnina earlier in the day, and she’s yet to drop a set at the US Open.

A year ago, Suárez Navarro bowed out of the US Open in the first round, one of three first-round exits she suffered at Grand Slams. This year, she’s one of a handful of women to reach the fourth round at every Grand Slam.

“Last year in the Grand Slam I didn’t make the results,” she explained. “So I tried to be more focused, more relaxed. [Now] I play good in the Grand Slams but, you know, I want more.”

“I don’t want to lose in quarterfinals or the round before. I mean, if I’m staying in the second week I want more. I want to be in the final round.”

NEW YORK, NY, USA – Two-time US Open finalist Caroline Wozniacki has tapped into some New York magic once more, taking out No.8 seed Madison Keys, 6-3, 6-4, to reach her first Grand Slam quarterfinal in exactly two years.

“It’s been a good week,” Wozniacki said after the match. “I’m really happy about the way I played. Obviously Madison is a strong player. She hits the ball really hard.

“But I managed to really play well, get a lot of returns in. I served well, which I was pleased with.”

Dealing with injuries throughout the 2016 season, the former No.1 had tumbled all the way down to No.74 in the rankings, but is set to begin her climb back in earnest thanks another big win in Flushing. Playing Keys for the first time, the Dane relied on her signature consistency to frustrate the young American, winning 80% of her first serve points and hitting just three unforced errors in the one hour and 18 minute match.

“Everybody wants to beat you. No matter what my ranking is at this current moment , I always feel like I’m a target. I have to keep improving to beat everybody. I feel like I have been serving well this week, especially today, and returning well and really having good court coverage.”

Two-time #usopen finalist #Wozniacki off to a hot start against Madison #Keys, taking the opener 6-3. @chase https://t.co/CTc5svPzwB

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 4, 2016

Keys had come off a hard-fought third round win against fellow young gun Naomi Osaka, and despite hitting 30 winners against Wozniacki, 33 unforced errors proved critical on Sunday, engineering just one break point all day.

“I definitely felt like I got off to a bad start, and then I felt like I was trying to catch up from there,” Keys said in her post-match press conference.

“I definitely don’t think I was playing my best. I mean, I think she played really, really well today. I think it was just a combination of me not playing my best and not playing super smart and her playing really well.

“I feel like the match just got away from me.”

Up next for Wozniacki is comeback kid Anastasija Sevastova, who continued her own Cinderella run into the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 7-5 win over No.13 seed, Johanna Konta.

“I had some tough matches against her in the past,” Wozniacki said. “I think we played Fed Cup a couple of times, but also we played the Australian Open.

“She’s a tough player. She’s a tough opponent. She has a lot of grit and good hands. It’s not going to be an easy one, but I’m excited just to have another shot.”

Calm and relaxed throughout the fortnight, Wozniacki even took in some of Saturday night’s match between Stan Wawrinka and Dan Evans, trying her hand at providing match analysis on Twitter:

What a match happening on Armstrong now!! Will be interesting to see how Evans will bounce back for the 5th set after having had match point

— Caroline Wozniacki (@CaroWozniacki) September 4, 2016

Victoria Azarenka

2016 Quick Hits
Week 1 Ranking: No.22
Year-End Ranking: No.13
Season Highlights: Titles at Brisbane, Indian Wells & Miami
Best Major Result: QF (Australian Open)

13 Days left until the 2017 #WTA season! pic.twitter.com/8SEKBlJltK

— WTA (@WTA) 19 de diciembre de 2016

2017 Outlook

Two-time Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka tore off the blocks in 2016, winning the first title of the year at the Brisbane International in emphatic style. She was just as ruthless in Indian Wells and Miami, where she became the first woman in over a decade to clinch the elusive “Sunshine Double.” 

And the 2016 SAP Match Stats reflect her torrid form: she dropped just 17 games en route to lifting the trophy in Brisbane – the fewest games lost in winning a WTA title in the entire year.

But after the clay season, the former No.1 announced that she was putting an end to her season in order to take on her biggest challenge yet: motherhood.

Looking ahead to 2017, Azarenka has plans to return to the sport but admits she won’t put a date on her comeback.

“I don’t put any time frame on myself,” Azarenka said in an interview with Tennis Channel. “I would love to make it as soon as possible, but give myself a reasonable time to fully recover and be ready. I’m not going to rush anything, and it’s hard to tell before the birth actually happens.

“So, we’ll see, but I’m confident that I’ll be able to play tennis again pretty soon.”

NEW YORK, NY, USA – Simona Halep became the first player in the top half of the draw to reach the US Open quarterfinals after a straight set win over Carla Suárez Navarro.

Some late service jitters turned a stroll across the line into an altogether tenser conclusion, but Halep recomposed herself to close out a 6-2, 7-5 victory.

The Romanian signaled her positive intent from the off, some sparkling attacking tennis helping her to a 4-0 lead. While Suárez Navarro eventually managed to get on the board it was far too late to rescue the set.

This pattern continued into the second. Halep, despite a slight dip, continuing to control much of the action and building a 5-2 lead. Yet with the end in sight, Suárez Navarro finally loosened up, displaying some terrific shotmaking to draw level.

Fueled by her opponent’s brilliance, Halep unleashed a couple of winners of her own to break once more. Serving for the match a second time she did not waver, recovering from 0-30 to set up a quarterfinal showdown with top seed Serena Williams.

Halep, a semifinalist 12 months ago, has enjoyed a productive summer, winning titles in Bucharest and Montréal, and now feels ready to take the next step. “My game now I feel is the best that I had ever, because I feel strong on my body. I feel that I can control every tactic during the match. I can change. I’m able to the change the tactic when I need.

“It’s tough to talk about the winning a Grand Slam because I never won one, so I don’t know the feeling. But I’m working hard to reach that title, to make that dream come true. So I’m just working, dreaming about it, and if one day it happens I will be very happy!”

.@Simona_Halep easily advances against #Navarro to the quarterfinals! #usopen @MBUSA https://t.co/GkA3WzDMHw

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 5, 2016

ORLANDO, FL, USA – On-the-rise American Christina McHale took a break from her off-season preparations to take WTA fans on an exclusive tour of the new USTA National Campus in Orlando, set to open in early 2017.

“It’s just a really great environment to be in,” said McHale, who was in town for a practice session on the Team USA Player Development courts.

Dubbed “the new Home Of American Tennis,” the National Campus will serve as the home base of USTA’s Player Development and USTA’s Community Tennis divisions as well as host USTA Pro Circuit events. Formerly in New York at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, which hosts the US Open, the new Orlando facility is one of the largest tennis facilities in the world.

Check out the video above to follow McHale on a first look at the brand new facility!

Fast Facts About The USTA National Campus:
· With 64-plus acres and 100 lighted tennis courts, the National Campus is one of the largest tennis facilities in the world.
· The USTA National Campus will open January 2, 2017 with the first tournament scheduled for January 6^th.
· The Campus will host over 80 tournaments and events in 2017 with approximately 30,000 participants.
· An expected 80,000-100,000 attendees will visit the Campus in 2017.
· The USTA’s Community Tennis and Player Development divisions will be headquartered at the National Campus. It will also be home to the national training center for USTA-certified officials.

WUHAN, China – Former No.1 Caroline Wozniacki is set to continue her US Open resurgence into the WTA’s Asian swing, joining Serena Williams, Angelique Kerber, Simone Halep, Petra Kvitova and defending champion Venus Williams at the 2016 Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open.

“I’m so excited to be coming back to Wuhan and seeing all my amazing Chinese fans again,” Wozniacki said. “Playing in China, where the crowds have such a passion for tennis, is always really special. There is a really strong line-up of players this year in Wuhan and it’s going to be fantastic to be part of it.”

The 2016 Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open announced today a star-studded field, with all of the WTA’s Top 10 active players entered and Wozniacki receiving a wildcard into the 56-player main draw.

The WTA Premier 5 tournament, now entering its third year, has become one of the cornerstones of tennis’s autumn Asian swing. The tournament takes place between 23 September and 01 October 2016, and tickets are already available. Visit the tournament’s website, www.wuhanopen.org, or www.4008702014.com for more details.

Doubles World No.1 Sania Mirza is closing in on 90 weeks at the top of the rankings, but she’s still got unfinished business to take care of in 2017.

The Indian star ended the season as the world’s top doubles player for the second straight year, capping off a stellar run which saw her win three Grand Slams in a row, go on a 41-match winning streak and rack up an incredible 15 titles with four different partners.

But despite the impressive trophy haul, there’s still one title missing from her resume, and in 2017 Mirza intends to make things right on the red clay of Paris.

“In 2017, I would love to win a Grand Slam,” Mirza said, speaking at a promotional event in India. “If that [winning the French Open] does happen, it would be amazing. I won’t kill myself, if I don’t [win the French Open].

“It would be amazing for me to have three back-to-back years with at least one Grand Slam. So, that would be my goal really and everything else follows.”

Mirza came close to lifting the French Open doubles trophy in 2011 when she reached the final with then-partner Elena Vesnina, but six years down the road the World No.1 is heading to Paris in search of her first Coupe Simone-Mathieu and the Career Slam.