Garcia Downs Kvitova To Level Fed Cup Final
Caroline Garcia downed Petra Kvitova in straight sets to rescue a vital point for France in the second rubber of the Fed Cup final.
Caroline Garcia downed Petra Kvitova in straight sets to rescue a vital point for France in the second rubber of the Fed Cup final.
In this episode of WTA Behind The Tour, take a glimpse into what daily life is like in charge of a big WTA event.
Tournament director Anne Worchester makes sure all the players feel at home at the Connecticut Open. Prior to her current role, Anne was CEO of the WTA, and is the youngest person to hold that role to date.
“A tournament director oversees the show,” Anne said. “So I also oversee marketing and public relations. I do all the player recordings and player relations for the tournament, which is a part of my job that I love.”
Besides keeping the New Haven tournament running smoothly, the most important part of Anne’s job involves forming relationships with the players.
“The best part of being a tournament director is getting to know the players,” she added. “I think the mentoring aspect of this job is the most rewarding.”
Learn more about Anne’s work – and hear her favorite tournament director stories – in the latest episode of WTA Behind The Tour.
Click here to watch all the episodes of WTA Behind The Tour!
Australian qualifier Ashleigh Barty survived a mid-match wobble to knock out the No.3 seed Maria Sakkari 6-4, 0-6, 6-3 at the OEC Taipei WTA Challenger.
QUÉBEC CITY, Canada – Julia Boserup held off a spirited challenge from CiCi Bellis to win their all-American quarterfinal at the Coupe Banque Nationale.
Two years on from her only previous venture this far at a WTA event, World No.125 Boserup displayed great composure to close out a 7-6(0), 6-4 victory, setting up a semifinal showdown against Océane Dodin.
Boserup, who is enrolled in an online degree at Penn State, does not graduate until December, and recent success is providing a welcome distraction from looming deadlines. In July, then ranked outside the Top 200, Boserup came through qualifying to reach the third round at Wimbledon.
Her latest run could well take her into the Top 100. And against Bellis she showed enough to suggest that this may not be her ceiling. After a shaky start, Boserup pinched the first set, then played the more assured tennis at the conclusion to the second, fending off a break point before striking decisively in the following game.
1re demi-finale @WTA en carrière pour Océane Dodin qui bat Van Uytvanck 6-2, 6-4 en quarts de finale. #CoupeBN pic.twitter.com/ewadEglgaS
— CoupeBanqueNationale (@CoupeBN) September 16, 2016
Earlier on, Dodin, appearing in her maiden WTA quarterfinal, made another breakthrough by defeating Alison Van Uytvanck, 6-2, 6-4. While Dodin is entering uncharted waters this week, it should come as no real surprise given her recent form on the ITF Circuit, where she has won 13 of her last 15 matches.
In the top half of the draw, qualifier Lauren Davis withstood a late fightback to defeat Alla Kudryavtseva, 6-3, 7-6(4). Davis had won all three of the pair’s previous meetings and was made to work hard for number four, closing out the contest after spurning three match points and a comfortable second set lead. In the last four Davis will face either Tereza Martincova or Jessica Pegula.
QUÉBEC CITY, Canada – 19-year-old Oceane Dodin capped off a dream week in Québec City by reaching her first WTA-level final at the Coupe Banque Nationale where she’ll face American qualifier Lauren Davis.
“I’m just very, very happy to be in my first final,” the Frenchwoman said. “It’s a pleasure to be here in Québec. It’s like France so it helped me so much!”
Dodin started off the week by winning her first ever WTA match in emphatic style, coming back from a set down to oust the No.5 seed Naomi Broady. She continued her run and romped past Sachia Vickery and Alison Van Uytvanck in straight sets to reach a maiden semifinal, before defeating American Julia Boserup 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 for a spot in her career first WTA-level final.
Her strong serving and aggressive play made the difference against Boserup – Dodin struck 17 aces during the match and won 77 percent of points behind her first serve.
“My dad [coach Frederic Dodin] always tells me that I have to be very aggressive,” Dodin said, explaining how she bounced back after losing the second set. “But sometimes with my nervousness, I’m not. So I look at him and he’s like, ‘Go! Go! Go!’ So it helps me so much and I stay focused.”
Dodin’s opponent in the final, Davis had to survive a two-and-a-half-hour battle against fellow qualifier Tereza Martincova to advance 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-2.
“It was very tough, I feel like we were out there for so long,” Davis said. “And we both already have a lot of matches under our belt, but we competed great.”
With the win Davis is into her second WTA final, having reached the Citi Open final earlier this year.
“I’m really happy with the way I’ve competed this week, I’ve stayed healthy and I’ve really enjoyed myself. That’s the most important thing.”
Angelique Kerber racked up the most prize money of any WTA player during 2016, and she did so in historic fashion. Find out who else made the prize money leaders list, right here!
As the tennis world headed stateside for the summer, an intriguing sub-plot was developing amidst the hunt for trophies.
Serena Williams had reigned supreme atop the rankings since February 2013, however, she faced an unexpected challenge to due to the rapid emergence of Angelique Kerber. At Wimbledon, Williams kept the upstart in check, yet maintaining the status quo over the summer months proved an altogether sterner test.
Golden Girl Puig
This was by no means the only story of the summer. The Rio Olympics produced a tennis tournament befitting the world’s greatest sporting stage and a gold medalist who made waves far beyond the Copacabana.
Monica Puig went into the Games on the back of a quietly impressive year on tour. What followed, though, must have been beyond her wildest dreams. Playing the tennis of her young career, the Puerto Rican swept into the semifinals – taking out Garbiñe Muguruza for the loss off two games along the way – where she produced a rousing finale to see off Petra Kvitova in three rollercoaster sets.
With the most improbable of victories – no Puerto Rican athlete had ever won Olympic gold – now within reach, Puig would not be denied, powering past Kerber, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, to create history.
New Queen In Queens
In Cincinnati, Kerber tasted further disappointment, narrowly missing out on claiming the No.1 ranking after losing to an on-song Karolina Pliskova in the final. If this smarted with the German, she hid it well at the US Open, where she cantered through the early rounds to raise the possibility of a final showdown with Serena for all the marbles.
Surprisingly, it was Serena that faltered, failing to make the date when she was outgunned by Pliskova in the semifinals. This ensured Kerber would rise to the summit of the rankings, regardless of the result in the final. The German marked her coronation in fitting fashion, lifting her second Grand Slam with a thrilling 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory on Arthur Ashe.
“It’s always tough to play against her,” Kerber afterwards. “I was trying to stay in the moment, be aggressive, I was just trying to enjoy the final. It’s an amazing stadium. It means a lot to me. When I was a kid, I was always dreaming to be the number one player in the world and to win Grand Slams, and today’s the day.”
Elsewhere…
Interspersed between Wimbledon and the start of the North American hardcourt stretch was the chance for success at a couple of tennis’ less celebrated venues. Simona Halep, Viktorija Golubic and Laura Siegemund were among those to grasp the opportunity for silverware, triumphing in Bucharest, Gstaad and Badstad, respectively.
As usual, the US Open build-up began in Stanford, where Johanna Konta took home the trophy after defusing Venus Williams in an entertaining final. Over in Washington DC, Yanina Wickmayer delivered a reminder of her potential, before the WTA headed across the border for an entertaining – and unpredictable – Rogers Cup, eventually won by a resurgent Halep.
TOKYO, Japan – The WTA’s biggest stars took a break from their hectic Tokyo preparations to step out for the Toray Pan Pacific Open’s official player party earlier this week.
Agnieszka Radwanska, Garbiñe Muguruza, Karolina Pliskova, Madison Keys, Caroline Wozniacki, Petra Kvitova, Naomi Osaka and more stars shined at the big night.
See all of the best player party photos right here on wtatennis.com, courtesy of the Toray Pan Pacific Open:
It’s time to crown the 2016 WTA Shot Of The Year. It started with all the WTA Shot Of The Month winners and the fans narrowed it down to the four best, two from each group.
• Final Group voting opens Tuesday, November 22 and ends Monday, November 28 at 11:59pm ET
• The 2016 WTA Shot of the Year winner will be announced Tuesday, November 29
Final Group
January: Caroline Wozniacki
March: Agnieszka Radwanska
July: Simona Halep
September: Kirsten Flipkens
Group A Results
1. March: Agnieszka Radwanska (38%)
2. January: Caroline Wozniacki (30%)
3. May: Simona Halep (19%)
4. April: Monica Niculescu (10%)
5. February: Agnieszka Radwanska (4%)
Click here or below to watch Group A shots
Group B Results
1. July: Simona Halep (42%)
2. September: Kirsten Flipkens (27%)
3. June: Agnieszka Radwanska (19%)
4. October: Angelique Kerber (6%)
5. August: Agnieszka Radwanska (6%)
Click here or below to watch Group B shots
How it works:
Each Shot of the Month winner is placed into one of two groups.
The two shots from each group that received the most were placed into a final group.
Winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com.
TOKYO, Japan – Garbiñe Muguruza exacted revenge on her shock US Open loss to Anastasija Sevastova with a straight set win in the second round of the Toray Pan Pacific Open.
Watch live action from Tokyo this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
In her first match since that loss in Flushing Meadows, Muguruza broke five times to run out a 6-3, 6-3 winner. In the quarterfinals the top seed will face either Elina Svitolina or Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
More to follow…