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Bellis Announces Plans To Turn Pro

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Fresh off her run to the third round of the US Open, Catherine Bellis announced plans to turn professional. The former junior No.1 tweeted the news on Tuesday after her first round win over Amandine Hesse at the Coupe Banque Nationale.

“I think it was really just my whole summer, the WTA tournaments I played in, and obviously the US Open was a big thing for me,” Bellis told WTA Insider. “I just think I’m really confident in my tennis and confident that I’m able to compete at the WTA level consistently now.

Bellis had previously announced her committment to play college tennis at Stanford University, but has been tagged as one to watch since she was 14 years old.

“I think I can always go to college after my tennis I think I can still go to college afterwards, so it wasn’t a big deal for me giving it up now because I can always go later. Also I love tennis so much. I want to be doing it for a really long time and I think my game and my body is ready for it now.”

She first broke onto the scene in 2014 when she became the youngest woman to win a match at the US Open since 1996, upsetting Dominika Cibulkova to reach the second round. The 17-year-old has since played the likes of Serena Williams at the Miami Open and Venus Williams at the Bank of the West Classic. Check out an interview with Bellis during that Stanford run on the WTA Insider Podcast:

“A couple of years ago when I had that US Open run, even in the last couple of years I’ve worked on my fitness and my strength so much, just for that reason, so I could compete consistently. I’m not getting tired in these tournaments anymore, I’m not getting tired during matches, so it’s great.

“I think I’m pretty much done growing and the huge fitness kick has helped me a lot.”

At this year’s US Open, Bellis qualified for the main draw and reached the third round at a major tournament for the first time in her career. After defeating Vikotrija Golubic and Shelby Rogers en route, she fell to eventual champion Angelique Kerber under the lights on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“I think next year it will really start to change the most because the age restriction rule will be gone for me. That will be the biggest change. But I think the next couple of months, depending on how Québec City goes, I’ll probably go back to Boca and train a little bit and then play a couple of Pro Cicuits, though I’m not sure about that yet, and then I’m playing a 125K in Hawaii in November.”

Signing with IMG, Bellis is ranked just outside the Top 100 and will play qualifier Danielle Lao for a spot in the quarterfinals in Québec on Wednesday.

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Kudryavtseva Quells Bouchard In Québec

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

QUÉBEC CITY, Canada – Alla Kudryavtseva took out top seed and hometown favorite Eugenie Bouchard, 6-2, 6-3, to advance into her second WTA quarterfinal of 2016 at the Coupe Banque Nationale.

“The crowd was amazing; it was a sold out match today, and it was very nice to play singles in a full stadium,” she told WTA Insider after the match. “We started with some good points. I was in trouble in the second game, but I was able to come up with good shots on break points.

“From then on, I kind of rolled – talk about being in the zone! – I was hitting my shots very well, and it was just working. It was just electric and I love how engaged the crowd was – though sadly, they were engaged against me! But it was still nice to have the full house atmosphere, and by the end I really felt like they appreciated the level of tennis I was playing.”

Kudryavtseva has been ranked as high as No.56 in singles, and the doubles star has shown signs of possibly improving upon that career with a run to the quarterfinals at the Internationaux de Strasbourg and a quality week of wins at the Rogers Cup. But it all came together for the Russian as she headlined the night session in Québec City as she saved three early break points to roar out to a set and double break lead, clinching the match two games later – setting up match point with a screaming forehand winner – in just over an hour.

“I don’t get to play indoors as much anymore now that I don’t train as much in Russia. But I put some good hours in, playing two doubles matches, and I think that helped me get used to the surface, the Center Court, and being in the groove of the tournament – not having too much of a break between my first and second round singles matches.

“Things kind of worked, and isn’t it nice when things just work out?”

Up next for the Russian is American nemesis Lauren Davis, a qualifier who has won each of their previous three meetings – a stat about which Kudryavtseva is keenly aware.

“Horrible match-up for me! Horrible! She beats me every time! But every week is different, and every match is different, different surface – although, we have actually played indoors before.

“But I’m just enjoying my time on the singles court right now, coming off a big win. I just hope to bring a good level tomorrow, and I’m sure things will work out if I do that.”

Earlier in the day, France’s Oceane Dodin reached her first WTA quarterfinal with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Sachia Vickery, while Alison Van Uytvanck ended lucky loser Barbora Stefkova’s run in the second round, 6-4, 6-3. Finally, Jessica Pegula completed the quarterfinal line-up by defeating young Canadian hope Francoise Abanda, 7-6(2), 7-5.

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Wozniacki & Cibulkova Host Kid's Clinic At Toray Pan Pacific Open

Wozniacki & Cibulkova Host Kid's Clinic At Toray Pan Pacific Open

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

TOKYO, Japan – Japan is a special place for longtime friends and rivals Caroline Wozniacki and Dominika Cibulkova. The two played their first junior match against one another in this very country all the way back in 2004.

Both have become mega-stars on the WTA tour since, but both have found time to give back on days like Monday, when the pair participated in a kid’s clinic at the Toray Pan Pacific Open.

Wozniacki and Cibulkova hit with a lucky group of children before posing for a group photo.

Cibulkova is the No.6 seed in Tokyo and plays her first match against Lucie Safarova; former No.1 Wozniacki opens against 2015 Tokyo finalist Belinda Bencic. Both play on Center Court on Tuesday.

Caroline Wozniacki, Dominika Cibulkova

Caroline Wozniacki, Dominika Cibulkova

Caroline Wozniacki, Dominika Cibulkova

All photos courtesy of the Toray Pan Pacific Open.

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Wozniacki Prevails In Tokyo Marathon

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

TOKYO, Japan – Former champion Caroline Wozniacki required nearly three hours to see off No.4 seed Carla Suárez Navarro in the second round of the Toray Pan Pacific Open on Wednesday.

Watch live action from Tokyo this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

For the first hour and a half of an absorbing contest, Wozniacki seemed on course for a relatively straightforward victory. However, just as she had 24 hours earlier against Belinda Bencic, the Dane was forced to overcome a mid-match hiccup before eventually triumphing 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-4.

“This was such a tough match, we played for such a long time and we really both deserve to be here as winners as the standard was very high,” Wozniacki said. “Luckily I’m the one here and I’m happy to get through.”

Suárez Navarro looked to have turned the match in her favor when she reeled off four straight games to pinch the second set. However, the match took another twist at the start of the third set, a sudden rain delay stopping the Spaniard in her tracks.

On the resumption, Wozniacki reasserted her dominance to build an ultimately decisive lead. “I won the next three games after the rain and managed to regroup. She was on a bit of a roll so it came at a good time.”

Wozniacki, who went all the way to the title in 2010, will meet either Yulia Putintseva or Magda Linette in the quarterfinals.

More to follow…

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WTA Independence Day: Rebellion & Independence

WTA Independence Day: Rebellion & Independence

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

The introduction of Open Tennis in 1968 meant amateur and professional players could compete on the same stages – bringing an end to the hypocrisy of ‘shamateurism’ – but it didn’t do much for the women who played the sport. In fact, in the first couple of years the gulf in prize money offered to men and women only grew. Adding insult to injury, there were few opportunities for the women to shine on their own terms. Tournaments were joint but far from equal.

Matters came to a head in the summer of 1970, when Jack Kramer’s prestigious Pacific Southwest event proposed paying the men more than eight times as much as the so-called ‘fairer sex’ – even though the intended women’s field was packed with stars.

Enter Gladys Heldman, the savvy founder and publisher of World Tennis magazine. Devoted to the sport and a passionate advocate of the women who played it, Heldman counseled Billie Jean King, the powerbroker among the players, against a boycott of Kramer’s event. Instead, when Kramer would not budge on prize money, Heldman arranged for the Houston Racquet Club to host a women-only tournament.

Riding the winds of societal change, the initial $5,000 purse was to come from ticket sales to women’s groups associated with tennis in the city. Heldman also persuaded her friend Joseph Cullman III, an avid tennis fan and chairman of tobacco giant Philip Morris, to provide an additional $2,500 in return for naming rights for his Virginia Slims brand.

For the new Virginia Slims Invitational, Heldman set about recruiting players who signed weeklong $1 contracts with her company. More than just a symbolic act, this approach protected the tennis club from any lawsuit that might be launched by the tennis establishment.

Despite threats from the United States Lawn Tennis Association (USLTA) that they would be banned from competing at Grand Slams and lose their national rankings, nine women signed up: King, Rosie Casals, Nancy Richey, Judy Dalton, Kerry Melville Reid, Julie Heldman, Kristy Pigeon, Peaches Bartkowicz and Valerie Ziegenfuss.

They became known as the Original 9.

“I felt a sense of both fear and exhilaration,” recalled King, four decades on. “We knew we were making history and we had such a strong sense of purpose. I just kept thinking about the vision we had for the future of our sport. We wanted to ensure that any girl in the world that was good enough would have a place to go and make a living playing tennis.”

Any fears were not unfounded, for the rebels did suffer consequences: The two Australians in the group, Dalton and Melville Reid, were forced out of their national championships, for instance. Dalton – who would finish runner-up to Casals at Houston – was even prevented from using her Slazenger racquet for two years.

Still, so pleased was Virginia Slims with the Houston spectacle that its sponsorship skyrocketed; the resulting 21-event World Tennis Women’s Pro Tour offered a total prize purse of some $336,100 in 1971. It was a politically fraught time for the sport as a whole, with the USLTA mounting a rival circuit that relied heavily on the talents of the young Chris Evert and foreign stars such as Margaret Court, Evonne Goolagong and Virginia Wade.

Ultimately, though, the marketing savvy of Virginia Slims and the determined promotional efforts of the players saw the Slims roadshow win the PR battle. In 1973 the sport’s rival factions cast aside differences and the WTA was formed. For the first time, all of the top women would present a united front and the tour hasn’t looked back since: the 2016 edition of the WTA’s Road to Singapore will travel through 33 countries with 56 events, plus the four Grand Slam tournaments, players competing for more than $137 million in prize money.

“Today’s players are living our vision,” King said. “In 1970, and even a few years after we signed the $1 contract with Gladys, people never believed women’s tennis would be a global sport and that players would be making the money they make today. But it is a reality and I know today’s players will continue our dreams for future generations in tennis and inspire other women’s sports as well.”

— Adam Lincoln

The Original 9

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Tsurenko Upsets Defending Champion Jankovic For Guangzhou Title

Tsurenko Upsets Defending Champion Jankovic For Guangzhou Title

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

GUANGZHOU, China – Lesia Tsurenko edged past defending champion and No.2 seed Jelena Jankovic 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to claim the title at the Guangzhou International Women’s Open.

Playing Guangzhou for the second time in her career, Tsurenko capped off her trip to the sprawling Chinese port city by taking home her second career title after a nearly two-hour-and-thirty-minute clash against Jankovic.

“I think today I played really good tennis, except maybe in the second set when I felt a little bit tired,” Tsurenko said in her post-match press conference. “But I said to myself that I have to give it all in the final set, and I was fighting for each point. I had to give 100 percent to win this title.”

The Tashkent Open is up next for the Ukrainian, who is coming off a career-best week at the Grand Slams with a fourth round appearance at the US Open. She plans to forgo Wuhan and heads to the Uzbekistani capital build on the recent success.

“I’ll go to Tashkent and I think I’ll be more relaxed there,” Tsurenko explained. “I will try to play good tennis, not losing too much energy and I will see maybe I will come back to China and play Beijing. But for now I am focusing on Tashkent.”

It was a taxing week for Jankovic, who also reached the semifinals in doubles with former No.1 Martina Hingis.

“It’s tough, because this tournament took a lot of energy out of me,” said the Serb, who has been struggling with shoulder issues throughout the season. “It’s so hot and humid here, and also when you take into consideration that it’s only my second tournament on hardcourt because I’m coming back from an injury.”  

On the doubles side, No.4 seeds Asia Muhammad and Peng Shuai took home the title with a 6-2, 7-6(3) victory over Olga Govortsova and Vera Lapko. Guangzhou was the pair’s first tournament together, and they didn’t drop a set en route to the title.

“Not many times when you play with someone for the first time, you get to win the whole tournament,” Muhammad said. “I’m really excited that we were able to do that. Our games mesh really well, and I really mean it when I say this but it doesn’t feel like it’s the first time we’ve played together. That’s something very positive that we have.”

WTA Finals: Get Your Tickets!

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