Tennis News

Tennis clothing companies typically make their product launches at Grand Slams, but some brands decided to release new designs at the Miami Open, and together with outfits from previous months that got in the spotlight this fortnight, we’re enjoying a fashionable tennis period.

Marija Zivlak of Women’s Tennis Blog will give us a quick overview of who’s been rocking the WTA courts in Miami:

Caroline Wozniacki debuted the red version of the adidas Summer Stella McCartney Sleeveless Polo and the adidas Summer Stella McCartney Pleated Skirt, which we had first seen in black and white on Garbiñe Muguruza during the BNP Paribas Open.

The slim-fit top offers high-end performance climalite® fabric that wicks sweat away and keeps players cool during long matches, while vintage charm is provided by ribbed details and polo collar. Adjustable front zipper in orange and generous side slits on the hem bring added flair and functionality.

The smooth jersey skirt and its crisp traditional pleats perfectly complement the polo’s retro feel. Ultimate comfort is provided by soft elastic waistband and inner tights that offer full coverage.

Just as in Indian Wells, Angelique Kerber rocked the mystery blue version of her lightweight Australian Open tank. The German World No.1 paired the airy top with the orange adidas Melbourne Skirt, whose discreet wrap design nicely matches the ocean-inspired layers of the tank. The sun bleached print of the integrated compression shorts brings an edge to this feminine look.

Simona Halep also looked amazing in adidas’ spaghetti-strap top and knit skirt, while during warmup we could see the stylish adidas Spring Advantage 3/4 Sleeve Top with one print sleeve and one solid color sleeve.

Venus Williams and EleVen have a new collection for practically every event, and while the tennis legend debuted the Intrepid collection in Indian Wells, at the very next tournament, in Miami, the Datura collection hits the courts. The EleVen Datura In Bloom Dress has an A-line fit, square neckline and contrast boomerang-shaped waistband.

Romania’s Patricia Maria Tig showcased several Tonic outfits during her Miami Open run which included wins over Heather Watson and seed No.22 Kristina Mladenovic, while my favorite was the colorful one we saw in the third round against Venus Williams.

The World No.95 energized the atmosphere with the Tonic Spring Statik Tank whose pinhole mesh print side panels match the print layer of the red Tonic Spring Ambition Skirt, which can be exposed more or less, depending on how tightly you tie the front ties. What’s also amazing is that both products offer UV protection and are made in Canada.

Tell us your favorites in the poll below!

MONTRÉAL, Canada – Madison Keys bounced back from her All England Club disappointment with a confident win over Elena Vesnina in the first round of the Rogers Cup.

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

Going into Wimbledon, Keys was tipped as a dark horse for the title, but saw her hopes dashed in the fourth round by Simona Halep. If the disappointment has lingered, the American hid it well against Vesnina, rattling off the final nine games of the match to complete a 6-4, 6-0 victory.

While Keys’ memories of Wimbledon 2016 will be tinged with disappointment, for Vesnina it was the best fortnight of her career. The Russian defeated a number of higher-ranked players to become the first unseeded semifinalist for five years.

Against Keys, she started brightly enough, confidently holding her opening four service games. However, her opponent’s booming delivery was equally dominant and when she wavered in the ninth game, tugging a couple of forehands into the tramlines, it triggered a sea-change in fortune.

Keys closed out the first set before breaking again in a marathon opening game of the second. As Vesnina’s head dropped, the No.10 seed ruthlessly pounced to book a second-round meeting against Madison Brengle.

Konta Too Good For Rogers

Less than 48 hours on from upsetting Venus Williams to lift her maiden WTA title, Johanna Konta was back on court facing another American, Shelby Rogers.

While the performance this time was less spectacular, the result was the same, Konta’s 6-4, 6-2 win setting up a second-round meeting against either Vania King or Timea Babos.

The Briton started strongly and while unable to secure an insurance break she successfully kept Rogers at arm’s length to take the opening set. In the second both players struggled to hold serve, but once again it was Konta coming out on top at the crucial moments.

This time last year, Konta – then ranked well outside the Top 100 – was competing in the less salubrious surroundings of nearby Granby. She ended up leaving with the trophy, a feat she repeated at another ITF Circuit event the following week in Vancouver before really announcing herself by reaching the fourth round of the US Open.

Now the Top 10 beckons. Only three other British players – Virginia Wade, Sue Barker and Jo Durie – have achieved this feat, and should Konta keep this latest winning run alive – and other results go in her favor – she could join the club in Montréal.

Russians March On

Another player with an outside chance of reaching the Top 10 in the not-too-distant future is Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. At Wimbledon, the gifted Russian reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinal since 2011, falling in two tight sets to eventual champion Serena Williams.

At the Stade Uniprix, Pavlyuchenkova was given a real scare, conjuring up a miraculous drop volley to save match point in the final set of her 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 win over Yulia Putintseva. Also taken the distance in their opening round outings were compatriots Alla Kudryavtseva and Daria Kasatkina.

Kudryavtseva, who came through qualifying, upset Kristina Mladenovic, 7-6(5), 1-6, 6-3, while Kastakina shook off a slow start to defeat the in-form Misaki Doi, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1.

Simona Halep neutralized Karolina Pliskova’s big serve in her 6-3, 6-3 win Thursday to reach the Rogers Cup quarterfinals.

During the match, Halep won 51% of return points that were put in play against Pliskova, the WTA ace leader, who has won 62% of her service points this season.

SAP Coaches View shows Halep moved in when facing Pliskova’s second serve, playing 48% of them from inside the baseline. She won 62% of second serve points in the match, including 22% of points which she returned from inside the baseline.

Halep took advantage of her opportunities to break Pliskova. She won 57% of the games in which she held a break chance, breaking four times in seven games.

This performance is in keeping with how Halep has played all season. She stands second on the WTA for return points won in 2016 at 49%.

The SAP Coaches View combines scoring information direct from the chair umpire with tracking data from HawkEye to allow for an in depth look at five different aspects of a match. Each tracking option can be filtered to narrow the focus to specific situations within a match, such as break points. This information is available directly to coaches in real-time during a match on their SAP tablet and also available to them online after matches.

“Return of serve” tracking shows where each service return was struck, differentiating between first and second serves, with an emphasis on how many serves are returned from inside the baseline. This data can be filtered by a particular score.

Halep returned to a second straight Rogers Cup quarterfinal thanks to her return game.

BRISBANE, Australia – Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza won their 10th WTA doubles title together in Brisbane and have now won 26 matches in a row – the longest doubles winning streak in 22 years.

Saturday’s final was a tight affair early on, as Hingis and Mirza’s opponents in the final, Angelique Kerber and Andrea Petkovic, rebounded from a 2-0 deficit with four games of their own to build a 4-2 lead. But the No.1-seeded Swiss-Indian combo flipped the script completely from there, rattling off 11 of the last 13 games of the match to get by the German wildcard pairing in straight sets, 7-5, 6-1.

“They’re obviously very good players, so we knew we had to come out and play our best,” Mirza said. “We let the lead go a little bit after 2-0, and we were both trying to find our form again on the court. It was big we broke on the deuce point at 6-5, and after that the tide really changed in our favor.”

Though she came out on the losing end, Kerber still made history – she’s the first player in the tournament’s history to reach both the singles and doubles finals. She was runner-up in singles too.

“It wasn’t my night tonight. I lost two finals,” she said at the trophy ceremony. “But it was still a great week, and congratulations to Sania and Martina – you are the best, good luck in Melbourne!”

And so, Hingis and Mirza’s winning streak lives on – at 26 matches in a row it’s the longest doubles winning streak since Gigi Fernández and Natasha Zvereva won 28 matches in a row together in 1994.

Hingis and Mirza also hit double digit WTA doubles titles together – Indian Wells, Miami, Charleston, Wimbledon, US Open, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Beijing and WTA Finals in 2015, and now Brisbane.

Even more impressive? Hingis and Mirza are actually 10-1 in WTA doubles finals together.

They’re playing again this week coming up, at the Apia International Sydney – again as top seeds.

“Every match at the beginning of the season is a good match, just trying to get that confidence going,” Hingis said. “It’s great we already have this Brisbane title in our pockets, and we’re really looking forward to Sydney. We’ll get a couple days off before we play and then we will start again.

“I always have such great support in Australia so I really look forward to the next tournaments.”

#Hingis/#Mirza with their hardware! Their 10th tournament title together ?????????? #BrisbaneTennis pic.twitter.com/eRsqqDOod8

— Brisbane Intl (@BrisbaneTennis) January 9, 2016