WTA Net Dash: Elena Vesnina
Elena Vesnina makes her attempt at the WTA Net Dash. Check out her personal best right here.
Elena Vesnina makes her attempt at the WTA Net Dash. Check out her personal best right here.
At the eighth time of asking, Elina Svitolina finally got the better of Ana Ivanovic, winning their third-round encounter at Roland Garros in straight sets.
Agnieszka Radwanska takes on Barbora Strycova in the third round of Roland Garros.
When younger sister Serena beat her in the final of the Australian Open, Venus Williams was quick to praise her.
“Your win has always been my win and I think you know that, and all the times I couldn’t be there, wouldn’t be there or didn’t get there, you were there,” the 36-year-old said. “I’m enormously proud of you – you mean the world to me.”
Now in a new interview she’s emphasised that – saying that Serena is one of her heroes.
Asked by Citizens of Humanity about the people she most admires, Venus answered: “Definitely my mom and my dad, and Serena is a huge hero for me. I think all my heroes are close to home, because those are the ones that motivated me through the tough times.”
She added: “The best advice [Serena] ever gave me in terms of tennis or even life is, you have to show up, so why not compete? You have to be there. You can’t run away from it, so why not compete? That was the best advice ever. I try to apply that daily.”
On her legacy, the seven-time Slam winner said: “I’m definitely a very in-the-moment person, so I would just like to be remembered as a person who loved the game and gave back to the game and gave back to life.”
The World Group II play-off draw has thrown out a potential heavyweight clash between Johanna Konta and Simona Halep, after Great Britain was drawn against Romania in the Federation Cup play-offs. The matches will be played in Romania on 22-23 April.
Britain kept alive its hopes of reaching the World Group stage for the first time since 1993 in dramatic fashion. Konta and team-mate Heather Watson won their doubles match against Croatia’s Ana Konjuh and Darija Jurak in Tallinn on Saturday, after the 19-year-old Konjuh had stunned the WTA World No.10 in their singles rubber, 6-4 6-3.
Aegon GB @FedCup Team will face Romania away in the World Group II Play-Offs! #BackTheBrits pic.twitter.com/3RIcEH7E3C
— British Tennis (@BritishTennis) February 14, 2017
Romania is arguably the toughest draw available however, with WTA World No.4 Halep in the team. The 25-year-old missed her team’s surprise defeat to Belgium in their World Group II opener but will prove a formidable challenge when she returns.
Serbia, who came through alongside Britain, have drawn Australia while Chinese Taipei will host Italy and Kazakhstan travel to Canada.
In the World Group play-offs draw, Dominika Cibulkova and her Slovakia team will host Netherlands. 2016 finalist France will face Spain in the first meeting between the teams for six years. Russia will meet Belgium – the latter goes into the play-offs on the back of six consecutive Fed Cup tie wins. Elsewhere Germany will play at home to Ukraine.
The full draw is as follows:>
World Group play-offs
France v Spain
Russia v Belgium
Germany v Ukraine
Slovakia v The Netherlands
World Group II play-offs
Chinese Taipei v Italy
Romania v Great Britain
Serbia v Australia
Canada v Kazakhstan
PARIS, France – WTA Insider Senior Writer Courtney Nguyen and Web Editor David Kane reconvene on a rainy second Monday at the French Open to assess a first week free of the dramatic upsets and draw-changing results to which fans have become accustomed.
How has World No.1 Serena Williams fared as she began her quest for her record-tying 22nd Grand Slam title?
Plus, an analysis of the noteworthy but ultimately unsurprising early exits of No.3 seed Angelique Kerber and No.5 seed Victoria Azarenka, No.8 seed Timea Bacsinszky’s continued consistency on clay, unseeded Shelby Rogers’ role as the fortnight’s Cinderella story, and who will be most affected by the postponed round of 16 encounters involving No.2 seed Agnieszka Radwanska and No.6 seed Simona Halep.
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.
WTA World No.8 Svetlana Kuznetsova, Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard and Italian Sara Errani have all been forced to withdraw from next week’s Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships through injury.
Kuznetsova, who recently pulled out of the Qatar Total Open, citing an abdominal injury, issued a statement confirming that the injury would take longer than expected to heal.
“The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships is one of the best tournaments in the world,” said the 2009 Dubai runner-up. “I am therefore sad to announce that I will have to miss this event this year. My doctors advised me that I need at least another week to rest my abdominal injury in order for a full recovery. I look forward to competing on the court very soon. I extend my best wishes to the organizers.”
Bouchard is also suffering from an abdominal injury and Errani, the reigning champion in Dubai, has withdrawn with a right adductor issue.
Take a look inside the glamorous Doha Player Gala with Angelique Kerber, Dominika Cibulkova, Agnieszka Radwanska and more WTA stars at the Qatar Total Open!
Zhang Shuai pulled off two tough wins in one day to reach the quarterfinals of the Qatar Total Open.
An interview with Caroline Wozniacki after her victory in the second round of the Qatar Total Open.