Stanford: Shot Of The Day (Thursday)
Dominika Cibulkova had Thursday’s shot of the day at the Bank of the West Classic.
Dominika Cibulkova had Thursday’s shot of the day at the Bank of the West Classic.
STANFORD, CA, USA – Former No.1 Venus Williams put on a vintage performance to dismiss 17-year-old wildcard Catherine Bellis, 6-4, 6-1, to reach the semifinals of the Bank of the West Classic.
Watch live action from Bastad, Stanford and Washington DC this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
Bellis was playing in her first-ever WTA quarterfinal, and her quest to become the sixth youngest woman to defeat the five-time Wimbledon winner (at 17 years, 105 days old) was boosted by an opening service break.
The top seed quickly took the break back, however, and remained in the driver’s seat throughout the 61 minute masterclass. Breaking serve once more with a thunderous backhand winner down the line, Williams clinched the opening set and lost just one more game to guarantee the Top 3 seeds advanced into the semifinals.
Into her eighth career Stanford semi, Venus next faces fellow American Alison Riske, who was up a set on No.4 seed CoCo Vandeweghe when her higher ranked opponent turned her ankle and was forced to retire one game into the second.
More to come…
You’ve probably heard their voices during a match, but how much do you know about the WTA commentators that call all the action?
In this episode of WTA’s Behind The Tour, go inside the booth with Mikey Perera and Pete Odgers, the men behind the mic at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
“It’s a pretty special and privileged position to be in, to be watching sport for a living,” Odgers said. “But not only watching sport, but to be watching it with legends and people you’ve looked up to as a child.”
Perera added, “I just like to have fun, because after all, it’s sport. It’s entertainment; it’s supposed to be fun and that’s what I try to get into my commentaries.”
Want to hear more from WTA World Feed commentator Mikey Perera?
Check out our exclusive WTA Insider Q&A right here!
STANFORD, CA, USA – Dominika Cibulkova defeated Misaki Doi at the Bank of the West Classic on Friday to tick off another major accomplishment in an already highly successful summer.
Watch live action from Bastad, Stanford and Washington DC this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
The past few months have already brought Cibulkova significant moments on and off the court, and her 7-5, 6-0 victory over Doi confirmed that on Monday morning she will return to the Top 10 for the first time in over 18 months.
Cibulkova first broke into the Top 10 shortly after her run to the Australian Open final in 2014, staying there until Achilles surgery laid her low at the start of the following year. This star quality has been evident for much of 2016, a WTA-leading 37 wins, two titles and a Wimbledon quarterfinal appearance prompting a charge up the rankings.
Against Doi, it took a while for her class to shine through. But when the Slovak eventually acclimatized to her opponent’s frantic pace – and the sweltering conditions – she did so emphatically: a run of 11 straight games setting up a semifinal meeting with No.3 seed Johanna Konta.
“Today was really, really tough. She was playing fast from the first ball, but once I found out what I needed to do to win I was doing the right thing all the way through the match,” Cibulkova, who lifted the Stanford title three years ago, said. “I know the court, I know the balls, I know what I have to do to go all the way here.”
Like Cibulkova, Konta was forced to ride out some rocky moments against Zheng Saisai, recovering from a break down in the final set to win, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.
“I think the level of tennis really took its toll on me – she made it incredibly tough to play the way I wanted to play – so I was very glad I was able to string some points together in the third set,” Konta said.
The WTA season is over but the Mannequin Challenge is here to stay – at least for now. Simona Halep, Nicole Gibbs, Daria Kasatkina and more stars gave the social media craze a try – whose do you like best?
Nicole Gibbs, CiCi Bellis and squad:
Before her run to the Hawaii Open title, CiCi Bellis joined up with Nicole Gibbs and a whole cast of American rising stars – including Sachia Vickery, Samantha Crawford, Jamie Loeb and Asia Muhammad – for their video.
Squad uppp ?? #mannequinchallenge @SachiaVick @Gibbsyyyy @samcrawford18 @jloeb308 @asiamuhammad @AnibalAranda pic.twitter.com/rJqPxQpfKt
— CiCi Bellis (@cicibellis99) November 21, 2016
The Chan Sisters and the whole Taipei 125K Challenger:
Chan Hao-Ching and Chan Yung-Jan enlisted everyone at the OEC Taipei WTA Challenger – from ball kids to photographers to umpires – in their epic Mannequin Challenge.
Simona Halep… and half of Romania’s athletes
Maybe not half, but there’s a lot: Simona Halep joined over 20 of Romania’s top athletes and trainers for a cameo in the Stejarii Country Club’s Mannequin Challenge. Check it out below – they saved the best for last!
Daria Kasatkina & Ons Jabeur:
Daria Kasatkina and Ons Jabeur and more took a break from practice to freeze for their Mannequin Challenge. Kasatkina was caught mid-racquet smash, much to the dismay of her coach.
What's going on @EMPIRETennis?@DKasatkina, @Ons_Jabeur & @platno76 are doing #MannequinChallenge! #tennis #girls #MannequinChallenges @WTA pic.twitter.com/aeyEuThzYm
— TopFive (@TopFiveMgmt) November 18, 2016
WASHINGTON, DC, USA – Yanina Wickmayer made light of another sweltering day at the Citi Open to outplay Yulia Putintseva and reach her first final of 2016.
Watch live action from Washington DC, Bastad and Stanford this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
On an afternoon when temperatures in the US capital reached as high as 97°F, No.7 seed Wickmayer was intent on keeping her time on court to a minimum. Bristling with positive intent from the outset, the Belgian rode a fast start all the way to a 6-4, 6-2 victory.
“It was very hot but its been like that every day so far. I knew she was going to make me work for every single point and it would be tough out there,” Wickmayer said in her on-court interview. “I just tried to stay positive, stay implemented focused, go for my shots and stay aggressive.”
Wickmayer’s intentions were clear from the off, a couple of big forehands helping her break in the opening game. This lead was soon stretched to 4-0 and while Putintseva managed to pull back one of the breaks it was not enough to rescue the set.
The second followed a similar pattern, Wickmayer bossing the majority of exchanges to confidently advance to the 11th final of her career. There she will face Lauren Davis after she ended wildcard Jessica Pegula’s run with a 6-2, 6-3 win in the night session..
Before that, though, Wickmayer was back on court alongside Monica Niculescu, defeating Shuko Aoyama and Risa Ozaki, 6-4, 6-3 to book a place in the doubles final. “That’s what I work for, playing finals and holding the trophy at the end of the week,” she added. “It just feels great to be in the final here I’ve done really well in the singles and doubles so I’m really enjoying my time here.”
An interview with Maria Sharapova ahead of the Brisbane International.
MONTREAL, Canada – Tennis Canada announced that Serena Williams is withdrawing from Rogers Cup due to shoulder inflammation.
Winner of three Rogers Cup titles, Serena reached the semifinals at the last two editions of the event.
“Due to inflammation in my shoulder, I unfortunately must withdraw from the Rogers Cup,” she said in a statement. “I was looking forward to competing in Montreal and I look forward to returning soon.”
“Of course, we are disappointed that Serena will not play in the tournament this year. The fans really enjoyed the time she spent in the city in 2014,” said Eugène Lapierre, tournament director of Rogers Cup presented by National Bank.
“Because this is an Olympic year, the players have very full schedules. Sometimes your body needs rest. We hope that Serena will recover quickly and wish her much success for the rest of the season.”
Serena Williams is forced to withdraw from #CoupeRogers due to inflammation in her shoulder. pic.twitter.com/J7vPz2Mzgv
— Coupe Rogers (@CoupeRogers) July 24, 2016
The season behind us offered everything — from tennis fashion extravagance to classic sporty designs, from retro pieces to experiments with modern trends, from neutral colors to vibrant tones. Let’s give the word to our fashion contributor Marija Zivlak of Women’s Tennis Blog and see which outfits are the most memorable from 2016.
1. Serena’s Nike crop tops
In the last two decades, Serena Williams has made a profound mark on tennis fashion with her daring outfits and in her 21st pro season the American continued to push the boundaries.
Williams made a style bang at the first Grand Slam of the season, rocking a vibrant yellow Nike crop top, functionally and aesthetically enhanced by an open hole mesh at back and rounded side vents, and a super lightweight skirt, whose Breathe material gave an additional twist to the all-around pleats.
In Indian Wells and Miami, Williams showcased an omega blue version of the mind-blowing outfit, continuing to show how well crop tops work in tennis fashion.
2. adidas’ zebra print
One of the most memorable collection of the season is definitely Adidas’ Roland Garros “zebra”. Designed by Japanese Yohji Yamamoto, who found inspiration in dazzle painting used for ship camouflage in World War I and World War II, the Y-3 collection was the talk of Roland Garros with its eye-catching black and white print bringing a sense of movement and fluidity.
The fearless designer went for the bold print all the way, so not even the shoes from the collection calmed down the look.
3. Serena’s Wimbledon whites
Brands usually make their designs stand out with busy patterns, but Wimbledon’s all-white clothing rule always forces tennis apparel companies to find ways to create outstanding designs that don’t rely on the power of color and Serena Williams’ Nike dress for the grass-court Grand Slam is a perfect example of how a few well thought-out details can make a simple clothing piece outstanding.
The American’s Wimbledon dress stole our hearts with its elegant half turtleneck, flirty tiered pleated skirt and classic sporty racerback.
4. Venus’ EleVen Prism collection
Venus Williams likes to challenge her competition with prints and her Prism collection for the US Open was the most beautiful colorful design of the year. Introducing fall, the EleVen Prism Chela Dress features the season’s cool tones, but vibrant colors of summer are also there to lift our spirits for a tough match or training.
5. adidas’ US Open geometric prints
Adidas closed the season with what is in my opinion an overall best collection of 2016, inspired by the New York City skyscrapers. The collection’s main features include the triangular print, a perfect ratio of bright colors to cooler tones, and specific racerback design. What adidas did with absolute success here is offer a lot of variety, with the collection’s leitmotifs present in every clothing item.
Angelique Kerber climbed to the world number one ranking at the US Open wearing the adidas Fall Pro Tank in flash red and the adidas Fall Pro Skirt, whose geometric print represents the world’s most famous cityscape.
Simona Halep paired a tech steel version of the adidas Fall Pro Tank with the adidas Fall Pro Short, whose white mesh layer makes it the most spectacular tennis shorts we’ve had in recent years.
Ana Ivanovic rocked this gorgeous adidas Fall Pro Dress, which stands out with the way its colorblock racerback design is executed.
6. Stella McCartney’s soft color palette
The season’s best tennis clothes in pale colors were from Stella McCartney’s summer collection. Soft yellow and lilac, subtle floral print and hexagon-shaped laser-cut details characterize the separates sported by Andrea Petkovic, Caroline Wozniacki and Garbine Muguruza. Another lovely item from the collection is the adidas Summer Stella McCartney Tour Dress promoted by Wozniacki.
7. New Balance’s vibrant sportiness
The best youthful sporty look of the season included the New Balance Spring Tournament Tank, unique for its spaghetti straps with an Y-back, matched with the New Balance Spring Reversible Skirt or the New Balance Spring Tournament Skirt. Heather Watson and Nicole Gibbs energized the courts with their juicy orange combined with azalea.
8. Fila’s Heritage collection
Fila was very prolific in 2016 and they even launched a colorful collaboration with Marion Bartoli, but their best collection happened late in the season, at the US Open, featuring Jelena Jankovic’s and Yaroslava Shvedova’s Fila Heritage Stripe Dress, a harmonious marriage between modern blurred stripes and retro feel brought by the simple cut and red head tie.
Karolina Pliskova made her first Grand Slam final in the basic Fila Heritage Racerback Tank and the Fila Heritage Skirt.
Which style is your 2016 top choice?
Yanina Wickmayer has Sunday’s shot of the day at the Brisbane International.