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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia – Yulia Putintseva made another thrilling comeback at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy, shocking BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global champion and No.2 seed Dominika Cibulkova, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. The Kazakh’s first Top 5 win helps reach her first WTA final where she’ll face Kristina Mladenovic, who also triumphed in three sets against Russia’s Natalia Vikhlyantseva, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.

“It’s unbelievable,” Putintseva said after the match. “I’m very happy that the crowd was behind me this time around. Yesterday they supported more Svetlana and today they cheered for me. I want to thank them from the bottom of my heart.”

Putintseva was playing her first Premier-level semifinal and coming off her third career Top 10 win over No.3 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, giving the more experienced Cibulkova the upper hand from the start. The Slovak worked through a few tense opening games to edge ahead by a break and take the opening set with the help of nine winners.

Cibulkova fell behind a break to start the second, but after winning three straight games to level the set, a first final of 2017, a career-high ranking of No.4, and a 399th career win all appeared on the cards for the reigning WTA Finals champion.

But the unseeded 22-year-old had other ideas, holding and breaking serve in quick succession to level the match, cleaning up her side of the stat sheet with 12 winners to only eight unforced errors; Cibulkova maintained an almost exact inverse, hitting eight winners to 13 errors.

The final set was reminiscent of Friday’s quarterfinal between Putintseva and Kuznetsova, as the World No.5 twice led by a break, getting within two points of a 5-3 lead.

“I never give up and always try to dictate my game no matter what. And this is what I was trying to do throughout this match.

But Putintseva continued to play her best tennis when her back was up against the wall, winning four straight games to book her first-ever WTA final in two hours and 19 minutes.

By match’s end, it was clear that consistency had gotten the job done for Putintseva, who matched Cibulkova in winners (27 each), but hit 11 fewer errors (43 to 32).

“It’s my first WTA final, but actually I don’t feel any pressure here. I am enjoying every moment I spend on the court.”

Waiting for her in the championship match will be Mladenovic, herself enjoying a career-best run that began with an emphatic win over Australian Open runner-up Venus Williams. The Frenchwoman back up the upset by dethroning defending champion Roberta Vinci and remained composed after losing the first set to Vikhlyantseva, a rising Russian set to make her Top 100 debut after reaching her first semifinal at a WTA Premier event.

“She’s really powerful, and all credit to her in the first set,” Mladenovic said after the match. “I was like, ‘Geez, this is going very fast.’ She was playing very heavy with her groundstrokes, and hitting a lot of winners.

“I just dug really deep and I was trying to stay positive. I said to myself that if she managed to maintain this high energy and intensity for the whole match, good job. But I’m very happy to have stayed in the match long enough to turn it around.”

An unfamiliar opponent to many, Vikhlyantseva had previously pushed Mladenovic to three sets in ‘s-Hertogenbosch last summer, helping the unseeded Frenchwoman prepare for what became a three set battle.

“I think it was a very good match, high intensity from both of us. I think the difference today was my ability to maintain that intensity from first point to last. I felt that way mentally the whole match, but I could sense her start to drop her level physically, be it with footwork, and the legs. She became less precise, and because she takes so many risks from the baseline, she started to make more unforced errors.

Mladenovic and Putintseva have played four times before, splitting their head-to-head at two wins apiece; Putintseva won their most recent meeting last year at the BNP Paribas Open in straight sets.

“She’s in great form, playing really well. She’s a big fighter, who runs down a lot of balls. I’ll have to keep playing the same way I have all week, being aggressive, coming forward, and trying to dictate play with my forehand. I’ll try to find angles and try to find my game towards the net.”

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The Numbers Behind Azarenka's Renaissance

The Numbers Behind Azarenka's Renaissance

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Victoria Azarenka’s resurgence has been one of the top storylines of the 2016 season. Having started the season at No.22, Azarenka is back up to No.5 after compiling a 24-1 record and winning three of the biggest titles of the season, the BNP Paribas Open, Miami Open, and Brisbane International.

The sole blemish on her record came at the Australian Open, where she lost to eventual champion Angelique Kerber. Through the first four months of the season she sits at No.2 on the Road to Singapore leaderboard. In every way it’s been a near-flawless season so far for Vika.

But why and how? What’s changed aside from the general sense that she’s just playing better tennis this year?

With the help of SAP, we took a closer look at Azarenka’s key stats so far in 2016 and compared them with her historical year-over-year performance since 2008. As the numbers show, her efficiency has been off the charts.

Azarenka leads the tour in return games won
On its face, this is no surprise. Azarenka is one of the best returners in the game and so far in 2016 she has broken her opponent’s serve 54.3% of the time. In her peak years of 2012 and 2013, when she rose to No.1 and won back-to-back Australian Open titles, she finished each season as the tour leader in breaks. In 2012 she broke at a rate of 52.5% and she bettered that mark in 2013, breaking 54.8% of the time.

“I felt that I got stronger than I was before,” Azarenka said of her improved return game. “Definitely on my forehand side I’m able to create more angles, able to create more winners, and put a lot more pressure with that. I think that was one of the more visible improvements of my return.”

Since the WTA began tracking the stat in 2008, only two players have finished the season breaking in more than half of their return games. Azarenka did it twice in 2012 and 2013 and Sara Errani finished 2015 at 51.9%.

Azarenka’s serve has been the most effective on tour
The more interesting story comes after a closer look at Azarenka’s serving numbers. She has never been known for a particularly powerful serve but it’s clear the work she and her team have put into her serve has paid off, especially on second serve. Historically that has been a weaker shot for Azarenka, with her opponents aware that they would have their chances to break.

That hasn’t been the case in 2016. Azarenka leads the tour in service holds at 82.4%, outpacing the No.2 player on the list, Serena Williams, who has held 79.4% of the time. Azarenka’s current hold rate outpaces her previous career-best by over 7%. Her previous best came in 2012 when she held 75% of the time.

SAP

To be clear: Azarenka hasn’t morphed into an ace machine. In 23 matches she has hit 60 aces. By comparison, Serena Williams, Karolina Pliskova, Kristyna Pliskova, and Timea Babos have already eclipsed 100 aces on the season so far. But Azarenka has been going for more on her serve in general and taking more risk on her second serve. She already has 95 double faults (74 at WTA Tournaments), the second-most on tour. But her reaction to the rash of double faults has not been to pull back and go for less.

“I worked a lot on my serve to be able to create easier serving games and going for my shots, developing power speed, and now need to work a little bit more on accuracy,” she said earlier in the year.

“I think the serve percentage – I always had a pretty high first serve percentage,” Azarenka said at the Miami Open. “I think the difference is the way I’m using my serve. I’m going for a lot more; I take a lot more risk.”

Azarenka has been taking more risk but her serve has come through during clutch moments. Of her 74 double faults at WTA tournaments, 58 came when she was either ahead or neutral in the scoreline. Four times this year she has double faulted to hand a break away, twice at 30-40, once at 15-40, and once on her opponent’s advantage. Compare that to 2015, when during the same timespan she double-faulted 16 times.

“It’s been more rewarding in terms of winning percentage as opposed to making percentage of serves in,” she said. “If you compare to Australia it’s a big difference from Indian Wells and here. Really trying to work on it and make adjustments to use it more as a weapon. I think that’s been missing for a long, long time to really take my game to next level. I’m glad I have team around me to push me, to learn to trust myself, and really take that and improve it.”

SAP

The big question is whether Azarenka can hold these numbers on clay, where breaking serve is easier and holding serve is at a premium. Of her 20 career titles only one has come on clay. But that statistic may be misleading with respect to Azarenka’s prowess on the surface. Her last five losses on the red dirt have come to either Serena Williams or Maria Sharapova, the two best clay-court players of the last four years.

Azarenka returns to action at the Mutua Madrid Open, where she is a two-time finalist. Her French Open preparation continues at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, where she made the final in 2013.

SAP Insights

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Insider Podcast: German Glory

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

WTA Insider Senior Writer Courtney Nguyen recaps the emotional weekends in Stuttgart and Istanbul, which saw Angelique Kerber successfully defend her title at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, beating surprise finalist Laura Siegemund in the first All-German final ever in Stuttgart. Over in Istanbul it was Cagla Buyukakcay who lifted the trophy at the Istanbul Cup to become the first woman from Turkey to win a WTA Title.

Hear from Kerber and Siegemund as they discuss their successful weeks in Stuttgart and what they expect for the rest of the clay season.

Kerber on transitioning to clay courts: Yes that’s for sure. A few years ago clay was not my favorite surface. But right now I had a great clay court season last year and now, I played well in Charleston and here to win on clay, it gives me confidence that my game is also good for the clay court. That’s why I’m looking forward to Madrid, Rome and of course Paris, where I can play good tennis and play well there.

On adjusting to the increased media attention: I’m trying to enjoy it. It’s nice to do something different. To get to know new people, to see something different, not always my day is practice. I can change a little bit my day plan. So I try to enjoy it. So it’s both of it. I enjoy it but I’m also getting used to it.

Siegemund on what she’s changed to her preparation: I always say it’s not one thing that I can name; it would be too easy to say that. I’ve changed a lot of things over the last years. You probably know I took my time off at the end of 2012 and through 2013; I was studying and really done with tennis, and I never thought I’d be back at this point. It just helped me gain a new perspective on professional sports in general. That was one thing that was important for me. I also earned a coaching license and I learned things there that I used for my own training. I changed things in my physical training, my nutrition. When I decided to stop, I felt the freedom to try new things, and I found things that really work for me and I think the combination of changes is what’s bringing the success now.

Siegemund on enjoying her victories: We took the time to celebrate each success I’ve had this year. It’s one of the things I really want to take time for, because that’s what you work for. If you have success, you should take a moment, enjoy it and then move on to the next task. For me, it’s maybe not as surprising as it is for other people, but things are starting to come together for me.

Siegemund on her new perspective: It’s not that I press a button and everything’s fine; you can never have that. So, there are moments when I really get tight and really want to win. But I manage much better now than before the break to play freely and to just enjoy the moment – whatever it brings, win or lose – and enjoy the game.

Siegemund on being the No.4 German and the Olympics: I wasn’t seeing myself on that list; I was always hoping for doubles, that I’d have a chance. But the criteria is so high, and the German criteria made it as if there was no way for me unless I won four Grand Slams in half a year – which is not possible! I have to admit that the Olympic Games would be a huge dream; I would feel very honored. I played the student’s Olympics during my time off in 2013; it was such an amazing experience, and so knowing the student’s Olympics, I would love to go to the Rio Olympics. I really have to have some more good results and really try to focus on that and keep the way I play up to really make it.  

Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or on any podcast app of your choice and reviews are always helpful, so if you like what you’ve heard so far, leave us one. You can also get new episode alerts by following us on Twitter @WTA_Insider.

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Stephens, Cornet Survive Madrid Openers

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

MADRID, Spain – America’s Sloane Stephens won her first Premier Mandatory match of 2016 at the Mutua Madrid Open, recovering from a set down to defeat Brazilian No.1 Teliana Pereira, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

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

“It was a good match,” she said after the win. “She has a difficult game style, so she’s tough to play against. But I was happy to start playing better to get the win.”

Stephens has been one of the most impressive players of the season – capturing three titles in Auckland, Acapulco, and Charleston – but had stumbled in the opening hurdles of the Australian Open, BNP Paribas Open, and Miami Open. That dubious pattern was in danger of repeating for the 2013 Australian Open semifinalist, who dropped six straight games to lose the opening set from a double break advantage.

Undaunted, the American raced ahead by another double break in the second, and though Pereira clawed one back, Stephens duly served out the see-sawing second set, eventually engineering the win in just over two hours.

“I was just trying to make more balls than she was and just run around a lot,” she said with a laugh. “I needed to be really patient.”

Ranked just outside the Top 20, Stephens has gone on to win the title at every tournament in which she has won a match, but should face equally stiff opposition in the second round, as she next plays the winner of qualifier Patricia Maria Tig and Daria Kasatkina. The young Russian played Stephens in the quarterfinals of the Volvo Car Open, where she held a match point before falling in three sets.

“I still really haven’t fully adjusted to the time difference, so I’m ok. It’s like a 3 o’clock match for me right now!”

Earlier in the evening, French star Alizé Cornet outlasted a stirring challenge from Spain’s own Paula Badosa Gibert, who won the opening set before succumbing to a bilateral leg cramp early in the third, 2-6, 6-2, 2-2, ret. Born in Manhattan, Badosa Gibert moved back to Spain at the age of seven and won last year’s junior French Open title. For Cornet, the victory marks her first win on red clay this season, an important start towards defending the fourth round points she earned at Roland Garros nearly 12 months ago.

Of the other two seeds in action on Saturday, No.12 seed Elina Svitolina battled back to defeat Yanina Wickmayer, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. No.15 seed Sara Errani wasn’t able to pull off the same Houdini act against the always dangerous Camila Giorgi, losing, 7-5, 7-5, to her countrywoman in one hour and 37 minutes. Ekaterina Makarova reunited with former doubles partner Elena Vesnina for the first time since Wimbledon, and put down a comprehensive 6-3, 6-4 singles win over Annika Beck; Christina McHale was equally emphatic over Anna-Lena Friedsam, 6-0, 6-4.

In doubles, No.5 seeds Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic won a 10th straight match in their first round over Anna-Lena Groenefeld and CoCo Vandeweghe, winning, 6-4, 7-5. Including their decisive Fed Cup win over the Netherlands, Garcia and Mladenovic haven’t lost a match since Miami, taking home titles in Charleston and Stuttgart – where they took out top seeds and Co-No.1s Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza – in back to back weeks. No.7 seeds Carla Suárez Navarro and Garbiñe Muguruza thrilled the home crowd with a 6-4, 7-6(4) win over Gabriela Dabrowski and Anastasia Rodionova, while Xu Yi-Fan and Zheng Saisai were three games into their first rounder with Kasatkina and Laura Siegemund when the Stuttgart runner-up was forced to retire due to dizziness.

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

TALLINN, Estonia: Heather Watson soared to a straight-sets win to give Great Britain the best possible start in the Fed Cup opener against Portugal.

Under the watchful eye of new captain Anne Keothavong, Watson made an impressive start to her country’s campaign, beating Ines Murta 6-1, 6-1.

The 2016 Wimbledon mixed doubles champion then assumed her role as “chief supporter”, ready to cheer on her teammates – first Johanna Konta in the singles, then Jocelyn Rae and Laura Robson in the doubles. “I’ll get the pom-poms, and the tambourines!” she joked.

Her cheerleading obviously worked – Konta cruised through her singles rubber 6-2, 6-4 against Michelle Larcher de Brito, giving Great Britain an unassailable 2-0 lead in the tie. It was good preparation for the British No.1, who will be seen in WTA Tour action next in Dubai from February 19.

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News | WTA Tennis English

News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Victories from Ekaterina Makarova, Elina Svitolina and Francesca Schiavone headlined a dizzying opening day of Fed Cup action in World Group II.

Here’s how the ties stand after day one:

Ekaterina Makarova

Russia 1 – 1 Chinese Taipei

Ekaterina Makarova found herself leading a group of young talented Russians this weekend, with two of her teammates making their Fed Cup debut and the average team age just 20 years old.

“It’s a totally different situation because every time I was playing I was one of the young players, even when I had a good ranking. But it was someone like Elena Vesnina in the team every time teaching me,” Makarova told FedCup.com before the tie.

“Now there are two girls who are debutants and it’s a good experience for me. We have a great atmosphere the girls are very nice. We’re looking forward to this weekend.”

The 28-year-old survived a scare to defeat Lee Ya-Hsuan 6-3, 5-7, 6-1 and put Russia ahead in front of a delighted Moscow crowd.

But Chang Kai-Chen put Chinese Taipei back on track, brushing away Fed Cup debutant Anna Blinkova, 6-3, 7-5.

Kirsten Flipkens

Romania 0 – 2 Belgium

Hosts Romania were stunned on day one as Yanina Wickmayer and Kirsten Flipkens’ brace of victories put Belgium firmly in control of the tie.

Without Simona Halep and Irina-Camelia Begu, Romania struggled in singles as Flipkens dominated the opening rubber against Monica Niculescu, 6-3, 6-4.

“I knew I had to be patient and wait for the right moment to move forward,” Flipkens told press after the victory.

“It would have been a lot more difficult against Simona Halep as she is a top five player. Against Monica, I was confident going forward as I created my chances and took them when they came.”

Cirstea had a golden opportunity to rescue a point for her side, leading 5-2 in the opening set but Wickmayer came roaring back to edge through in a tight battle, 7-6(4), 5-7, 7-5.

Elina Svitolina

Ukraine 2 – 0 Australia

The hosts Ukraine are in full control over Australia after Elina Svitolina and Lesia Tsurenko notched wins on day one.

Tsurenko opened proceedings with a comfortable win against Daria Gavrilova, easing past the Australian 6-2, 6-3.

“I’m very pleased with my game today,” Tsurenko explained to FedCup.com. “After the first games, the captain asked me to play deep. Don’t try to hit flat. That was the key. To play deep and wait for the right moment, and stay focused in the point whatever happened.”

Svitolina had a harder time against Barty, whose game made a mockery of her No.156 ranking as the Australian quickly took the opening set. Svitolina hit back just as strong, and finally tamped down the resistance to win 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.

“I’m happy about today, although not about the score,” Barty said afterwards. “Elina is a tough player, with a lot of experience. She raised her level. The score of the second and third set doesn’t reflect how close the games where.”

Francesca Schiavone

Italy 1 -1 Slovakia

Fed Cup veteran Francesca Schiavone and Slovakian debutante Rebecca Sramkova left their countries level in Italy to close out day one.

At home and on clay, Schiavone fought past Anna-Karolina Schmiedlova 6-3, 6-1 to give Italy an early lead.

“I have to speak with my body, it’s not easy to handle three hours like before – but today I enjoyed my one hour and a half and I’m happy to bring the point to my national team. It’s my last Fed Cup so there are some big emotions,” said Schiavone, who will retire from professional tennis at the end of this season.

No.116 Sramkova took on Sara Errani, and came back from a set down to win 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.

“I was nervous in that first set but I just said to myself ‘I’m going to win it’. I just changed my thinking,” Sramkova told FedCup.com after the victory.

Photos courtesy of FedCup.com

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