Birmingham: Bencic Interview
An interview with Belinda Bencic before the start of the Aegon Classic Birmingham.
An interview with Belinda Bencic before the start of the Aegon Classic Birmingham.
The story of the tournament from the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Highlights from first round action at the Aegon International Birmingham.
The Abierto Mexicano Telcel is one of the players’ favorite WTA tournaments, and it’s easy to see why at beach paradise Acapulco.
Eugenie Bouchard & Monica Puig took to the beach with ATP’s Marin Cilic for a quick snap on the tournament hashtag sign.
Christina McHale and ATP’s David Goffin were on hand at the draw ceremony and trophy presentation.
Meanwhile, Andrea Petkovic joined Feliciano Lopez for an unforgettable experience.
The pair took in a hair-raising cliff diving show at La Quebrada, where divers jump more than 35 meters into the water below.
Check out that stunning view!
Bouchard and ATP star Juan Martín del Potro took a helicopter to another scenic location.
They visited Pie de la Cuesta, a picturesque beach a few miles away from Acapulco.
Bouchard and del Potro played a bit of beach tennis…
Looks like fun!
But it didn’t go too well for Bouchard!
Kristina Mladenovic and Heather Watson took to the Princess Golf Course with Robert Farah and Juan Sebastián Cabal for a different challenge.
They played a few holes of futgolf, hybrid of a golf and football.
Check out Watson’s skill with the football!
Mladenovic, the No.2 seed in Acapulco, is definitely enjoying the outing.
Afterwards, the players challenged each other to a bit of keepy-uppy!
Angelique Kerber has Tuesday’s shot of the day at the Aegon International Birmingham.
Irina-Camelia Begu takes on Belinda Bencic in the first round of the Aegon Classic.
Watch Kristina Mladenovic and Heather Watson try a few rounds of footgolf in Acapulco!
Johanna Konta and Petra Kvitova took one of Birmingham’s canals by storm during one of the Aegon Classic’s many rain delays.
Kvitova takes to one end of the Birmingham canal to engage in a light-hearted rally with the Brit on the other side.
Kvitova and Konta learned a net isn’t necessary after all when playing canal tennis.
Meanwhile, doubles starlet Andrea Hlavackova took a tour of Cadbury World to learn the ins and outs of chocolate production.
Lucie Safarova shows off one of her delicious creations.
Hometown favorite Heather Watson tried her hand at sweet fashion by making a chocolate shoe.
The WTA stars showing off their finished products.
Hlavackova, Safarova, and Watson got to leave Cadbury World with quite the souvenir they helped make themselves.
Tara Moore and Andrea Petkovic took a trip to Villa Park, the local football stadium in Aston.
Petkovic showed off some of her fancy footwork with a powerful kick.
Not to be outdone, recent Nottingham quarterfinalist Moore tried her own kick of the ball.
Later on, Moore and Petkovic received signature jerseys in the colors of the Aston Villa Football Club.
The three-time Internazionali BNL D’Italia champion Maria Sharapova has received a wildcard entry into the main draw of the tournament in Rome this year.
The 29-year-old will attempt to reclaim the title she last won in 2015 as she continues her return to the WTA circuit. The tournament, which takes place from May 15-21, will be her third this year after she picked up wildcards for Stuttgart and Madrid this spring.
We officially announce the Wild Card for the 3 times Rome's Champion @MariaSharapova into the main draw of #ibi17! #tennis #WTA #Sharapova pic.twitter.com/bxrPrjI6fJ
— Internazionali Bnl (@InteBNLdItalia) March 1, 2017
Sharapova beat Spain’s Carla Suárez Navarro, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1, in the final on her last appearance two years ago, to win her most recent WTA title.
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…