Insider Podcast: Cibulkova, Your WTA Finals Champion
WTA Insider Courtney Nguyen | In the final Daily Dispatch podcast from the WTA Finals, WTA Insider recaps the week in Singapore and Dominika Cibulkova’s incredible win.
WTA Insider Courtney Nguyen | In the final Daily Dispatch podcast from the WTA Finals, WTA Insider recaps the week in Singapore and Dominika Cibulkova’s incredible win.
An interview with Angelique Kerber after her win in the third round of the Volvo Car Open.
MOSCOW, Russia – Five-time BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global winner Serena Williams was forced to withdraw due to a right shoulder injury; having already qualified for the WTA Finals back in August, the former No.1’s absence means one more woman can join the Elite Eight.
“The race now intensifies this week as players fight for the remaining berth,” says WTA CEO Steve Simon.
The stage is set for a battle royale at Moscow’s Kremlin Cup, the final Premier-level tournament of the 2016 season. Johanna Konta currently sits at No.9 on the Road to Singapore leaderboard – No.8 without Serena – but should either Carla Suárez Navarro or Svetlana Kuznetsova – who won the title last year – take home the trophy by week’s end, they will leapfrog the Brit and complete the field in Singapore.
All three women have enjoyed solid fall swings, as Konta finished runner-up at the China Open, her best result at a Premier Mandatory tournament in what has already been a breakthrough year for the first British woman to crack the Top 10 since Jo Durie in 1984. Kuznetsova saved a match point to defeat 2015 WTA Finals champion Agnieszka Radwanska en route to the semifinals of the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open, while Suárez Navarro is coming off a semifinal finish at the Generali Ladies Linz.
Kuznetsova is the top seed in Moscow, and begins her title defense against either Alizé Cornet or Shelby Rogers after receiving a first round bye. Suárez Navarro also has a bye into the round of 16, and will begin her tournament as the No.3 seed against either Lucie Safarova or Daria Gavrilova.
“Fans can expect an exciting WTA Finals this year,” continued Simon, “with reigning champion, Agnieszka Radwanska, defending her title and our World No.1 Angelique Kerber, seeking to consolidate her outstanding season with a victory in Singapore.”
All photos courtesy of Getty Images.
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World No.2 Serena Williams will not take part at BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global after receiving medical advice regarding a troublesome shoulder injury.
The 35-year-old 22-time Grand Slam champion made the announcement late on Sunday after missing all of the Asian Swing due to that same issue; shoulder problems also kept her out of the Rogers Cup and Western & Southern Open earlier in the summer.
“I was looking forward to competing in Singapore this year and playing against the best players in the world,” said Williams.
“However, I have received disappointing news from my doctor that I must undergo a series of medical treatments for my shoulder, and will be off the court for the next several weeks.
“I will miss coming to Singapore for the year-end Finals and playing in front of my fans but truly hope to be back soon.”
Williams has participated in eight tournaments this season, winning two titles at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia and Wimbledon, where she tied Stefanie Graf for the Open Era record of Grand Slam titles. She also reached the finals of the Australian Open and French Open, and tied Graf for the all-time record of most consecutive weeks at World No.1, at 186 straight weeks.
“We’re as disappointed as the fans not to see Serena finish her season in Singapore,” says WTA CEO Steve Simon. “We wish her a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing her back competing, fit and healthy.”
Angelique Kerber, Simona Halep, Agnieszka Radwanska, Karolina Pliskova and Garbiñe Muguruza, Madison Keys and Dominika Cibulkova have already qualified for the tournament, which starts on October 23 and ends on October 30.
Women’s tennis is in full bloom in Zhuhai, China for the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai!
Elina Svitolina was ready to get going! She arrived first in Zhuhai, where she reached the semifinals last year.
She’s already got a huge fan club in Zhuhai too!
Also popular with the Chinese fans, Petra Kvitova and Zhang Shuai were on hand for the official draw ceremony.
Following the flowers theme, Kvitova and Zhang drew the players into four groups: Rose, Camellia, Peony and Azalea.
The court is ready at custom-designed and state-of-the-art Zhuhai Hengqin International Tennis Centre!
Timea Bacsinszky took the court against Zhang for the first match of the tournament!
Despite her best effort, Bacsinszky suffered a straights sets drubbing against China’s No.1.
Meanwhile, Svitolina had to mount an epic comeback, but after two Rose Group victories she’s through to the semifinals.
It wasn’t a good day in the office for singles alternate Timea Babos though. She bowed out after two straight sets losses.
Zhang delighted Chinese fans as she booked the first semifinal spot, winning the Camellia Group with a pair of dominating performances.
Despite falling in the group stage, Bacsinszky gave us the most memorable press conference moment when she donned a Chinese opera mask she received as a gift.
Will we see more of Roberta Vinci in 2017? The Italian veteran left her future up in the air after leaving Zhuhai with two group stage losses.
But the tournament continues, and there are still two semifinal spots up for grabs! The Azalea Group spot could go to Johanna Konta…
…unless her opponent Caroline Garcia defeats her and snatches it away.
In the Peony Group, Barbora Strycova hits the court looking for a semifinal berth…
…but she faces stiff competition from Kvitova, whose tennis has flourished in recent weeks during the Asian Swing.
ZHUHAI, China – Johanna Konta guaranteed that she will end the year ranked inside the Top 10 following Wednesday’s victory over Samantha Stosur at the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai.
Four weeks ago, Konta became the fourth Briton in WTA history to reach the Top 10 when she finished runner-up at the China Open, in Beijing. By winning her opening round-robin match in Zhuhai, she will remain among the elite until the year’s end, becoming the first British player to do so for 33 years.
Jo Durie was the last to achieve the feat, when she finished 1983 ranked No.6, following in the footsteps of Grand Slam champions Virginia Wade (1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979) and Sue Barker (1976, 1977, 1979).
Impressive! ??? https://t.co/aFXNFWKQd3
— Jo Durie (@Jodurie) November 2, 2016
For Konta, it is the latest accomplishment of a memorable campaign that has already seen her lift a maiden WTA title, in Stanford, and reach the semifinals of the Australian Open.
Last summer, a 16-match winning run, which began at a lowly ITF Circuit event in Granby, Canada, and ended in the second week of the US Open, sent Konta skyrocketing up the rankings and, more importantly, imbued her with a sense of belonging. Since then she has been a regular at the business end of tennis’ showpiece events, runs at Stanford, Beijing, Montréal, Eastbourne, Miami and the Australian and US Opens cementing her place at the WTA’s top table.
The 25-year-old has a work ethic rivalled by few on tour and unsurprisingly is now concentrating on taking the next step.
“I think [being in the Top 3] is what I dreamt of as a little girl. I dreamt of being No.1 in the world, being the best player out there,” Konta said after her win over Stosur. “I think you got to put also dreams aside a little bit separate just because you got to focus on the work and you got to focus on things that you can control. That’s the effort and attitude that I approach my job, what I do.”
As we’re approaching the end of the season, tennis apparel launches are few and far between. Still, in the month of October we did have some tennis fashion releases, while some older designs reminded us just how good they are. Marija Zivlak of Women’s Tennis Blog will give us an overview of the best clothes that graced the courts during the month highlighted by the $7,000,000 BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
It’s been a while since Lacoste has launched a truly different design, but Dominika Cibulkova’s powerful and inspiring title run at the WTA Finals helped us better notice just how good the blue dress with orange built-in racerback sports bra suits the courageous Slovak. Every inch of the Lacoste Fall Racer Dress fits Cibulkova just right, so much that I thoroughly enjoyed watching the determined 27-year-old work the design that we’ve been seeing around the courts, in one form or another, through most of the year.
The sporty mini skirt and thick straps complemented Cibulkova’s 5’3″ frame perfectly, the peeking mango tree bra and 3D Lacoste script at mid-back reflect her drive and energy, while the mesh racerback overlay and white zipper create an absolutely winning look. What’s more, Cibulkova paired the dress with a classic white head tie, for an overall perfect blend of sporty, modern, retro and functional.
Before being stopped by inspired Cibulkova, Angelique Kerber confidently marched through the WTA Finals, wearing winter colors (white and light green), brightened by the vibrant coral contrast. The World No.1 opted for the white version of the adidas Fall Pro Tank, whose flash red racerback provides just the right amount of warm contrast, and the adidas Fall Pro Skirt, whose print is one of the best prints this season, and you know how tough the competition is.
The impression wouldn’t have been complete without the beautiful Adizero Ubersonic 2 shoes that offer confidence and stability even in ultra fast on-court movements.
Karolina Pliskova made her first appearance at the WTA Finals in style, wearing classic black and white hues from Fila’s Court Couture line characterized by feminine ruching, fashion-forward draping, and elegant, gold finishing touches. The Czech No.1 showcased the Court Couture Halter Tank, featuring a built-in bra and 30+ UV protection for the perfect melding of fashion and function, and the Court Couture Skirt, another timeless piece with classic contrasting colors.
Another player rocking the classic black and whites this October was Venus Williams, but the queen of prints used them to create a busy floral pattern, pairing it with solid colorblocks.
During her short campaign at the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open, Williams presented the EleVen Casablanca Glide Back Tank, a sleek black top featuring printed contrast elastic binding that enhances a feminine silhouette, and the EleVen Casablanca Triple Threat Skirt, equipped with EleVen Pro-Dri for moisture-wicking performance and superior breathability.
World No. 87 Carina Witthoeft lost in the first round of the Generali Ladies Linz as a qualifier, but in the fashion battle the German would have progressed much further at the tournament. Her purple Nike outfit consisted of the NikeCourt Maria Tank in color plum fog and the NikeCourt Maria Skort. The tank is made of stretch mesh fabric that provides stylish and breathable coverage. Carina decided to tuck the top in, not exposing split hems that offer a different, yet just as stylish look.