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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

CHARLESTON, SC, USA – The unseeded Jelena Ostapenko put together a dominating performance to oust 2011 champion Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets and move into the Volvo Car Open semifinals.

At 19 years old and ranked No.66, Charleston-debutante Ostapenko was the youngest and lowest-ranked player left in the draw. But she backed up her results to reach the second Premier-level semifinal of her career with the 6-2, 6-4 victory.

“It feels amazing to be in the semis here,” Ostapenko told press after the match. “First time I’m in Charleston, and today was a tough match because Caroline is such a great player.

“I just tried, and I think it was not bad.”

Ostapenko was dictating from the start against the former World No.1, fearlessly changing the direction of the ball and firing off winners from every angle. After an edgy few opening games as both players acclimated to the tricky, windy conditions, it was the Latvian who kicked into gear, breaking three times to reel off six games in a row and snatch up the opening set and start the second with a break to the good.

Wozniacki earned the break straight back with some rock-solid returning, but found herself down again a couple of games later as Ostapenko outpaced her to bring up a 3-2 lead. Wozniacki saved three match points as the teenager served for the match – she was even a point away from making it 5-5 – but Ostapenko wouldn’t be denied. She kept up the pressure and broke through Wozniacki’s defense, booking her spot into the Charleston semifinals after an hour and twenty-six minutes.

“I just knew before the match that I have to stay aggressive all the time and still be consistent,” Ostapenko explained. “And I tried not to step back, just to be like play in the court all the shots.And I think that’s helped me today.”

Despite winning just 51% of her first serve points, the Latvian backed it up by firing 40 winners against Wozniacki’s 14, outweighing her 26 unforced errors to Wozniacki’s six. And the Dane will surely rue her missed opportunities – she only converted one of the five break chances she created, while Ostapenko converted four of eight.

“I really tried my best out there,” Wozniacki reflected in post-match press. “I was trying to grind everything down. I tried to change the pace when I had the opportunity, but I mean if she played like this every day, then she would be No.1 in the world.

“She really played well. She went for her shots. Everything was going in. She was hitting the lines. Everything that could go her way today was going her way.

“All I could do today was try my best, try my hardest to fight and try and get somewhat of a grip on it, but you know, it is what it is sometimes.”

The loss also denies Wozniacki a return to the upper echelon of the WTA rankings – she needed to reach at least the Charleston semifinals to guarantee herself a spot inside the Top 10.

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

MONTERREY, Mexico – World No.1 Angelique Kerber battled past Carla Suárez Navarro in two sets to return to the Abierto GNP Seguros final for the second time, 7-6(6), 6-1.

Kerber will face three-time champion Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the final, a rematch of the pair’s 2013 final here in Monterrey which saw the Russian defeat Kerber to claim her third title.

“It’s a completely new year, so I will not think about my last final here,” Kerber joked in her post-match press conference. “It was three years ago, and anything is possible. I’m going out there tomorrow to try to play my best tennis and try to win the match.”

Playing in her first Monterrey day session match of the tournament, Kerber had to contend with the different conditions as well as the determined Suárez Navarro.

The Spaniard came into Monterrey with just one victory all season long after shoulder injury kept her off the courts for much of 2017, but she brought her best tennis against the World No.1 in the opening set.

She stayed calm despite Kerber opening up a double break lead, climbing back from 1-4 down to 4-4. They traded breaks once more and sent the match to a tiebreak, where Kerber finally emerged victorious after a string of marathon rallies.

It was more comprehensive for the World No.1 in the second set, though, as she raised her level to outhit Suárez Navarro and find winners from every angle. She started the set with another double break lead to go up 5-0.

Despite the Spaniard managing to get on board late, she couldn’t stem the tide as Kerber powered through to her second Monterrey final – and her first final of 2017.

“I think we both played on a really high level today,” she said. “It was a really tough match. It’s always tough to play against her, I know this because I’ve played her in a lot of tough battles in the past.

“I tried to stay focused, especially in the beginning of the second set, and I’m happy to be in the second final here.”

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News | WTA Tennis English

News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

CHARLESTON, SC, USA — It was a whirlwind week for Daria Kasatkina in Charleston, as the teenager claimed her first career WTA title at the Volvo Car Open on Sunday – but the weekend of firsts wasn’t over for the Russian until she participated in the annual champion’s photo shoot.

Telling WTA Insider that clay has given her “all the best emotions [she] ever had,” the 2014 junior French Open champion set out on the town with her new trophy and coach Vlado Platenik for some celebratory photos in downtown Charleston after claiming the green clay crown.

Check out all of Kasatkina’s off-court trophy shots, courtesy of the Volvo Car Open:

Daria Kasatkina

Daria Kasatkina

Daria Kasatkina

Daria Kasatkina

Daria Kasatkina

Daria Kasatkina

Daria Kasatkina

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Sasnovich Derails Pliskova's Tokyo Challenge

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

TOKYO, Japan – World No.107 Aliaksandra Sasnovich caused the first major shock of this year’s Toray Pan Pacific Open, knocking out No.3 seed Karolina Pliskova in straight sets.

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

Less than a fortnight after contesting the US Open final, Pliskova was brought down to earth with a bump, slipping to a 6-4, 6-2 defeat in little over an hour.

“I was expecting now to be going to Wuhan for the next tournament because I know Karolina is a really good player and I didn’t expect to win today,” Sasnovich said. “But you know it’s life and it’s tennis, the ball is round!”

Sasnovich’s reward for her maiden Top 10 win is a meeting with home favorite Naomi Osaka in the quarterfinals.

“I have a lot of emotion. It was my first win over a Top 10 player, I’m really happy with it and looking forward to the next round,” she added.

Joining her there will be fellow qualifier Magda Linette, who saved two match points to defeat Yulia Putintseva, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5.

More to follow…

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970
16-year-old Destanee Aiava joins the Australian Fed Cup team for their upcoming clash with Serbia.

Captain Alicia Molik has called up the teenager for the World Group II playoff in the absence of Samantha Stosur.

Aiava lines up alongside Daria Gavrilova, Ashleigh Barty and Casey Dellacqua for next week’s tie.

The Czech squad for their semifinal tie against the USA is not quite so youthful but very inexperienced – Katerina Siniakova and Denisa Allertova have played Fed Cup doubles before, while Kristyna Pliskova and Marketa Vondrousova will be making their debuts.

Johanna Konta leads the lineup for Great Britain as captain Anne Keothavong names an unchanged side after their win against Estonia in February.

Heather Watson, Jocelyn Rae and Laura Robson make up the rest of the quartet as they face Romania in what will be a very difficult World Group II playoff.

They will face Ilie Nastase’s team of Simona Halep, Irina-Camelia Begu, Monica Niculescu and Sorana Cirstea. World No.1 Angelique Kerber joins Julia Goerges, Laura Siegemund and Carina Witthoeft in the Germany squad to take on Elina Svitolina, Lesia Tsurenko, Olga Savchuk and Nadiia Kichenok of Ukraine in the World Group playoff.

Yannick Noah has selected Caroline Garcia, Kristina Mladenovic, Alizé Cornet and Pauline Parmentier to face Spain’s Sara Sorribes, Silvia Soler Espinosa, Olga Saez Larra and María José Martínez Sánchez.

Elise Mertens, Maryna Zanevska, Alison van Uytvanck and An-Sophie Mestach are the Belgium team for the World Group playoff against Elena Vesnina, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Daria Kasatkina and Anna Blinkova of Russia.

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Kerber Set For Wuhan Return, Year-End No.1 On The Line

Kerber Set For Wuhan Return, Year-End No.1 On The Line

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Angelique Kerber was assured of the No.1 ranking by reaching the US Open semifinal, but the German has been off the tour in the two weeks since officially ascending to the top of the WTA rankings.

“I’m feeling much more comfortable in my skin, how I am, and how to work,” Kerber said in the latest WTA Insider Podcast. “It’s because of the experience; I now know how to deal with the pressure, with things I have to do off-court.”

Kerber got to celebrate her No.1 breakthrough alongside her US Open victory, taking part in a pair of photoshoots with each trophy commemorating her dual achievements. 

“This gives me a lot of confidence to dress up, come out, speaking, working, being how I am! It took a little while to get there, but it was great work getting there.”

Angelique Kerber

The first of two women to qualify for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global – alongside 22-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams – Kerber kicks off her Asian Swing as the top seed at the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open. The World No.1 has played Wuhan since its inaugural event in 2014, reaching the semiifnals last year.

Kerber leads the field with 54 match wins this year, and will be in search of her fourth title of the season. Taking home three titles thus far, two have been on the game’s biggest stages at the Australian Open and US Open, while the third came at home at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart.

Success at the Grand Slams and consistency elsewhere is what helped Kerber end Serena’s 186 straight weeks at No.1; the first German No.1 since Stefanie Graf – and the first lefty since WTA Finals Tournament Ambassador Monica Seles – Kerber has reached the quarterfinals or better in six of her last seven tournaments, finishing runner-up at Wimbledon, the Western & Southern Open, and the Olympic tennis event (earning no ranking points at the latter).

Now that she’s earned the No.1 ranking, the question becomes how long Kerber can keep it. Williams announced her withdrawal from Wuhan and Beijing, meaning her rival needs to earn 1500 points to assure herself of the Year-End No.1. 

“My motivation is still really high, especially after this title in New York. I will still try to improve my game because I know I could still improve my serve and a few other things in my game. It’s what I plan to do in the next in the next few weeks and in my pre-season for next year. There are still a few things where I know I can be better, and that gives me confidence too, to know I can still play better, more aggressively, or move better.

With a total of 900 points awarded to the winner at Wuhan and another 1,000 next week in Beijing, she could go a long way towards accomplishing that goal before even heading to Singapore – potentially locking down the Year-End No.1 ranking with a good two weeks on Chinese soil.

Angelique Kerber

“Angie won’t stop wanting to get better,” said Torben Beltz, Kerber’s longtime coach who reunited with her just before her rise towards the top of the game last spring. “She doesn’t just want to practice for an hour and that’s it’ she wants to get better, and even have some input in the practice. She wants to get better, hit harder; these are things she wants to do, and we’ll work on that together.”

Kerber would join a select group of 11 women to have finished the year as No.1, and become the 12th to do so. Serena has earned the distinction five times (2002, 2009, 2013-2015), the third-most in WTA history behind Graf at eight (1987-1990, 1993-1996), and Martina Navratilova at seven (1978-1979, 1982-1986). Kerber would be the first woman not named Serena to finish the year No.1 since Victoria Azarenka, who ended her only season as leader of the pack in 2012.

It’s already been a year to remember for Angelique Kerber, but it’s not over yet, and the sky seems to remain the limit for the new No.1.

“Of course, I’m playing the best tennis of my career, but I’m still trying to be better and better,” Kerber said. “That’s what motivates me during my practices and matches. I still hope to play my best tennis over the next few months.”

 WTA Finals: Get Your Tickets!

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.

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News | WTA Tennis English

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

BOGOTA, Colombia – Italian veteran Francesca Schiavone has booked a spot into the Claro Open Colsanitas final without dropping a set, continuing her run to oust No.3 seed Johanna Larsson, 7-5, 6-4.

After taking a wildcard into the tournament Schiavone – who is playing in her last season of professional tennis after announcing her plans to retire earlier in the year – has shown the best of her vintage form to see off the competition and return to her first final in 14 months.

The former French Open champion stayed consistent to weather Larsson’s highs and lows as the No.3 seed showed flashes of dominance but couldn’t keep Schiavone out of contention for too long. After trading breaks towards the start of the match, the pair stayed toe-to-toe until Larsson was broken to give Schiavone the opening set.

It was a much closer affair in the second as Larsson broke to earn a 4-2 lead, looking ready to take the match into a decider. But Schiavone raised her level considerably, covering every inch of the court and attacking with renewed aggression to finally break to love as Larsson double faulted under the pressure.

Schiavone powered through to make her way into the final, her first final of the year and the first she’s reached since taking home the title at the Rio Open in February of 2016.

More to follow…

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