Tennis News

NEW YORK, NY, USA – Samantha Stosur is widely regarded as one of the most popular players on tour. And it is easy to understand why; magnanimous in defeat, honest to the press and generous with her time for other players, Stosur is not one for airs and graces.

One player who will testify to the above is Zhang Shuai. A regular practice partner of the Australian, Zhang sought her counsel at a particularly low ebb. In fact it was Stosur that talked the Chinese player out of hanging up the racquets for good, during a meal in Beijing last year.

The sisterly pep talk seemed to do the trick as just a few months later Zhang ended her long-running Grand Slam hoodoo by making it all the way through qualifying and into the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.

The 27-year-old looks capable of replicating this success at the US Open where she is through to the third round following a bittersweet upset of Stosur.

“She helped me a lot last year when I thought about retiring. She told me to keep going and not give up. She tried to help me by playing doubles,” Zhang said.

“It’s a tough feeling playing her and I feel sad for Sam. She always tries her best, she loves the game. I hope that next time we will meet later in the tournament.”

Zhang had lost her only previous meeting with Stosur, at Roland Garros this May, and admitted afterwards that it was a result she believed beyond her: “Before the match I didn’t think I could beat her because she was a champion of the US Open and she has very good serve and very good spinning forehand. It’s very tough to play her. She beat me in the French Open so this gives me a lot of confidence.”

Next up is another fearsome ball-striker, Yaroslava Shvedova, as Zhang attempts to follow in the footsteps of compatriots Peng Shuai and Li Na by reaching the second week in New York.

“I am very excited. I love New York. Now I want to focus on my tennis and not on the fact that I am the last Chinese woman left in the competition.”

Zhang Shuai floored to be in the 3R @usopen. “Usually when other people start the tournament I’m already in China,” referring to 1R history.

— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) 2 September 2016

ZHUHAI, China – Top seeds Petra Kvitova and Johanna Konta are making their debuts at the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai as group-stage action continues at the season-ending event. We preview all the singles action right here.

Wednesday

Camellia Group
[13/Alt] Timea Babos (HUN #25) vs [6] Timea Bacsinszky (SUI #18)
Head-to-head: Bacsinszky leads 2-0
Stat: Babos owns a 4-14 record against the Top 20.

After being stunned 6-1, 6-1 by Zhang Shuai in her first match at Zhuhai, Timea Bacsinszky is looking to get back on track against an unexpected opponent, singles alternate Timea Babos. Babos is set to make her debut appearance in Zhuhai after No.2 seed Carla Suárez Navarro saw herself forced to withdraw from the tournament and Bacsinszky will have to put their friendship aside – as well as their bond over a shared first name – in order to stay perfect against an opponent she’s never lost against.

“With Timea Babos, we do speak Hungarian together. Well, we’re friends, and we know each other quite well. It’s going to be a tough one definitely,” Bacsinszky explained in her post-match press conference. “We played twice against each other but it was only on clay. You know, here the surface is quite different. I mean, you have to be aggressive as well.So probably it’s going to be something totally different.”

Azalea Group
[1] Johanna Konta (GBR #10) vs [8] Samantha Stosur (AUS #20)
Head-to-head: First meeting
Stat: Konta has a 5-4 record against Aussies.

The Ashes is normally a fixture in cricket, but today it hits Zhuhai as Britain’s No.1 takes on Australia’s No.1 for the first time. Johanna Konta, the WTA’s Most Improved Player of the year, is making her Zhuhai debut as the No.1 seed and riding on the back of career-best accomplishments that she achieved during the Asian Swing. After reaching her first Premier Mandatory final at the China Open and shortly afterwards rising to her highest ranking of No.9, the Brit seems right at home in China.

“What can I say? I like China!” she joked with WTA Insider. “We get treated very well here; every hotel is always really beautiful, as is every venue. They really put a lot of effort into the immediate things that surround us as tennis players, the things we experience at every event. They definitely make us feel quite comfortable.”

It’s been quite the opposite story for her first opponent in Zhuhai, Sam Stosur. The Australian has looked decidedly uncomfortable in Asia, posting back-to-back first round exits at Wuhan, Beijing and Hong Kong. But with a new coach on board, Stosur feels the pieces are clicking together, and she’s not phased about drawing the tournament’s top seed. “Jo has been constantly playing and had a great year,” Stosur acknowledged. “[It’s] going to be a difficult first match, but I’m ready to go. It’s a good test to test yourself against I guess the highest-ranked player here.”

Peony Group
[3] Petra Kvitova (CZE #13) vs [5] Roberta Vinci (ITA #17)
Head-to-head: Tied at 3-3
Stat: Vinci holds a 3-5 record against the Top 20.

Petra Kvitova takes the court in her debut appearance at Zhuhai with all the wind behind her sails; she turned her season around during the Asian Swing, winning her first title of the year in Wuhan and going on to reach the quarterfinals of Beijing and the final at Luxembourg. Her first opponent at the WTA Elite Trophy will be the always-tricky Roberta Vinci, who is looking for a victory to keep her semifinal hopes alive after suffering a disappointing straight sets defeat against Barbora Strycova. She faces a familiar opponent in Kvitova, who she’ll be playing for a seventh time, and she already knows what the game plan entails.

“Just my game: play aggressive,” Vinci explained in her post-match press conference. “Petra is an unbelievable player; left-handed. Have to be aggressive. A lot of slice of course. I have to play a good game tomorrow to win against Petra.”

NEW YORK, NY, USA – Sunday saw the identity of the first four quarterfinalists at this year’s US Open revealed. Among their number is the evergreen Roberta Vinci, her victory over Lesia Tsurenko ensuring Italy has a representative at this stage for the ninth year in succession.

Joining the WTA Insider team on the latest podcast is Italian journalist Luca Baldissera to discuss his compatriot’s chances against World No.2 Angelique Kerber in the last eight.

In the latest Daily Dispatch hear from Anastasija Sevastova’s entertaining and insightful press conference, Madison Keys, Petra Kvitova and a preview of the remaining fourth-round clashes:

Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn or on any podcast app of your choice to ensure you never miss an episode when they go live. 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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