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Konta, Suárez Navarro & Kvitova Headline 2016 Elite Trophy Zhuhai Field

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

ZHUHAI, China – Following their season-long success and resurgent Asian Swing performances, Johanna Konta, Carla Suárez Navarro and Petra Kvitova are set to lead a world-class field at the 2016 Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai.

Joining them at the season-ending event are Elina Svitolina, Roberta Vinci, Timea Bacsinszky, Elena Vesnina, Samantha Stosur, Barbora Strycova, Kiki Bertens, Caroline Garcia and wildcard Zhang Shuai. Timea Babos will be an alternate. Between all qualified competitors, they represent nine WTA singles titles won in 2016.

Here is a more in-depth look at the singles players competing in the 2016 Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai:

WTA Ranking

(as of 10/23)

Player

2016 Best Results

10

Konta (GBR)

Won – Stanford

F – Beijing

SF – Australian Open, Eastbourne

QF – Monterrey, Miami, Montréal, Olympics, Wuhan

12

Suarez Navarro (ESP)

Won – Doha

SF – Linz , Birmingham, Brisbane

QF – Cincinnati, Stuttgart, Australian Open

13

Kvitova (CZE)

Won – Wuhan

F – Luxembourg

SF – New Haven, Olympics, Stuttgart

QF – Beijing, Indian Wells

15

Svitolina (UKR)

Won – Kuala Lumpur

F – New Haven

SF – Moscow, Beijing, Tokyo, Dubai

QF – Olympics

17

Vinci (ITA)

Won – St. Petersburg

QF – US Open, New Haven, Stuttgart, Doha, Brisbane

18

Bacsinszky (SUI)

Won – Rabat

SF – Gstaad, Miami

QF – Roland Garros, Rome

19

Vesnina (RUS)

F – Charleston

SF – Wimbledon

QF -New Haven, Eastbourne, Strasbourg, Doha

20

Stosur (AUS)

F – Prague

SF -Roland Garros, Madrid

QF – Washington DC, Strasbourg, Sydney

21

Strycova ( CZE)

F – Birmingham, Dubai

QF – Wuhan, Rome, Prague

23

Bertens (NED)

Won – Nurnberg

F – Gstaad

SF – Luxembourg, Roland Garros, Rabat

26

Garcia (FRA)

Won – Mallorca, Strasbourg

SF – Monterrey, Dubai

28 (WC)

Zhang (CHN)

SF – Seoul, Tokyo International

QF – Beijing, Australian Open

 

“We are looking forward to the second edition of the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai, showcasing some of the top athletes on the WTA,” said WTA CEO Steve Simon. “This event features many of our top stars who have accomplished much success during the 2016 season and now have the opportunity to compete against each other for the Zhuhai title.”

The 2016 WTA Elite Trophy will run from November 1-6, 2016 at the custom-designed and state-of-the-art Zhuhai Hengqin International Tennis Centre. The event features both singles and doubles and will be staged in the southern Chinese coastal city of Zhuhai with a total prize money of over $2.2 million on the line.

The players will compete in four round-robin groups of three, with the winners of each group advancing to the semifinals. The six doubles teams will be split into two round-robin groups, with the winner of each advancing to the final.

The doubles field consists of Zheng Saisai and Xu Yifan, Arantxa Parra Santoja and Andrea Klepac, Olga Savchuk and Anastasia Rodionova, and Tatjana Maria and Oksana Kalashnikova, as well as the two wildcard teams of Wang Yafan and Liang Chen and You Xiaodi and Yang Zhaoxuan.

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Singapore Wednesday: Radwanska & Muguruza On The Brink

Singapore Wednesday: Radwanska & Muguruza On The Brink

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

SINGAPORE – Semifinal spots are on the line as the White Group takes center stage on Wednesday at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. We preview the action.

Wednesday, White Group, Round Robin

[4] Karolina Pliskova (CZE #5) vs [8] Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS #9)
Head-to-Head: Pliskova leads 1-0

Key Stat: Pliskova, the WTA aces leader, hit 14 aces in her opening win over Muguruza. She is the first player to record consecutive seasons with 500+ aces.

Svetlana Kuznetsova’s magical run continued in full force on Monday in Singapore as she saved a match point to defeat Agnieszka Radwanska in a two-hour and 48-minute cliffhanger. Kuznetsova heads into her second career meeting with Karolina Pliskova with brimming confidence after taking the Kremlin Cup title to complete an eleventh-hour qualification for Singapore. Now that she’s here, the Russian is playing with house money and loving every minute of it.

“Sometimes it’s not easy, and sometimes you’re pulling through,” Kuznetsova said on Monday after defeating Radwanska for the 13th time in 17 career matches. “I put aside that I’m tired, put aside the emotions, the jet lag – I didn’t want to think about it. We came here to fight, let’s put everything else to one side.”

There was plenty of fight coming from Pliskova on Monday as well. The Czech also fought off a match point as she battled past Garbiñe Muguruza to earn her first WTA Finals victory in dramatic
fashion. Pliskova’s big-match composure has been a recurring theme in the second half of the season, and she has made a habit out of delivering her best tennis in the clutch. But she’ll have to be on song once again on Wednesday if she is to get past the scorching-hot Kuznetsova. There’s much on the line in this the second ​career meeting between these two – the winner has a good chance of securing safe passage into the semifinals.

Pick: Kuznetsova in three

[2] Agnieszka Radwanska (POL #3) vs. [5] Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP #6)
Head-to-Head: Muguruza leads 4-3

Key Stat: On six occasions, a player has lost a match in the round-robin stage and gone on to win the WTA Finals title.

Two players eager for a shot of redemption and facing possible elimination will meet for the eighth time on Wednesday when Agnieszka Radwanska and Garbiñe Muguruza lock horns in the nightcap at Singapore Indoor Stadium. Both squandered match points in heartbreaking fashion on Monday, as Muguruza blew a double-break lead in the third set against her long-time nemesis Karolina Pliskova while Radwanska failed to convert a match point late in the third set against Svetlana Kuznetsova. The pair have not met since last year’s WTA Finals, when defending champion
Radwanska snapped a four-match losing streak against the Spaniard en route to the biggest title of her career. The Pole will seek to replicate the magic against a player that can be as formidable as they come when she is on her game. Will Radwanska be able to keep the powerful Muguruza at bay again in Singapore, or will the Spaniard rebound from a disappointing opening loss to earn a much-needed victory?

Pick: Muguruza in three

White Group Semifinal Qualification Scenarios…
1. If Kuznetsova and Radwanska win, Kuznetsova qualifies for semifinals, Muguruza is eliminated.

2. If Pliskova and Muguruza win, Pliskova qualifies for semifinals, Radwanska is eliminated.

3. Any other combination of results will mean White Group semifinal qualification comes down to Friday’s matches.

By the Numbers…
14 – Pliskova hammered 14 aces in 16 service games in her win over Muguruza on Monday.

8 – Radwanska is bidding to become the eighth player to successfully defend a WTA Finals title.

3 – No. of Czech players that have claimed a WTA Finals title (Navratilova, Novotna, Kvitova).

0 – Muguruza is bidding to become the first Spaniard to win the title at the WTA Finals.

Official WTA Finals Mobile App, Created by SAP

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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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Insider Reacts: Three Things From Cibulkova's Upset Win Over Halep In Singapore

Insider Reacts: Three Things From Cibulkova's Upset Win Over Halep In Singapore

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

SINGAPORE – Out of the 16 semifinal scenarios that could have come to fore in the Red Group, only one involved No.7 seed Dominika Cibulkova reaching the semifinals of the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global in her debut appearance. By knocking out No.3 seed Simona Halep, 6-3, 7-6(5), she did all she could do to make that lone scenario happen on Thursday, outlasting the Romanian and playing her best tennis of the week to keep herself in semifinal contention.

With Angelique Kerber’s straight-set win over Madison Keys, Cibulkova advances into her first Singapore semifinal after a statement victory from the Slovak.

Read how the match unfolded in the WTA Insider Live Blog.

– Cibulkova shows off her refined mental toughness.

The second set was crucial for both women. Win it, and remain in contention for the semifinals; lose it, and book your first ticket home.

Cibulkova admitted she very nearly did that before taking the court on Thursday.

“I was like, ‘Okay if I lose today, tomorrow we fly for holidays.’ So we booked…well, no, we didn’t book the flight, but it was like, ‘Okay, if I lose today we fly tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. to holidays.’

“So I just give everything into this match today. I knew it could be possibly the last. All the circumstances made me play really well today.”

Perhaps the mind game helped her stay focused through the tensest set of the week, but even that is a symptom of a successful tenure with a sports psychologist, whom she began working with last year.

“I was playing such good rallies, and then somehow she’d put the ball back again. There were few situations I was like, ‘Okay, I want to leave the court. This is unreal.’

“That’s what made me so strong, the mental toughness, that I knew I cannot lose even one point. I had to just think about what I want to do on the next point. That’s what made me win the second set. It was extremely tough mentally and physically, but tennis-wise, it was such a high level.”

Out of challenges late in the second set, Cibulkova refused to be rattled, and gamely won the last three points of the second set’s sudden death.

“The pressure of me winning in two sets, that’s what made me like, ‘Okay, breathe and just forget it.’ Because I saw the ball was in. I think I have a good eye. I knew it was in.

“Maybe in a different match, different time, it would make me go crazy and I could lose two, three points likes this and the set would be over. I knew I cannot do this right now. I just had to refocus. This is what I’m talking about, the mental strength I had today.”

– Halep ends the season how she started.

Injuries and illness plagued the start of Simona Halep’s 2016, to the point where she hardly thought it possible to return to Singapore in the spring. Sporting a left knee strapping against Cibulkova, there were some clear movement issues for most of the match, which, while it made her fight all the more impressive, it kept her from taking the aggressive stance necessary to take the second set.

“I think she saw that backhand is not very strong because of the leg,” Halep said in press. “It was not easy for me to push.”

Not wanting to talk too much about the injury, Halep heads into the off-season with plenty of positives: another Premier Mandatory title at the Mutua Madrid Open, a return to the Top 3 after dropping as low as No.7, all under the umbrella of a successful tenure with coach Darren Cahill.

“This tournament was a bonus for me. At the middle of the year I said that I cannot qualify because I was very far after four months, tough four months.

“But once I qualified I say that it’s a bonus, and I have just to give everything I have. I didn’t have enough to qualify in the semis, but it was a good experience again, third year in a row, so it’s a good thing.”

Heading back to Romania to visit her newborn niece, Halep plans to revamp her pre-season with a trip to Australia with Cahill.

“The plan is to go to Australia in December. Before he is coming to Romania, so we will mix. I wanted to change something and get used to that time, weather before Shenzhen and before Australia.”

– Core team key to Cibulkova’s success.

A tennis player is often only as good as his or her team, and Cibulkova has spent years bonding with hers, headed by longtime fiance – now husband – Michal Navara.

“He’s really important. He’s there for me. Sometimes when there are tough, tough times he can make me see the other side. You know, he always says, ‘Okay, the life is not that bad, you know.’

“He can make me sometimes be more relaxed. Even if I lose a match, he can make me see different things. That’s what really helps me. There are so many things that he’s helping me with, but this is one of them.

“He’s really one of the biggest positive energy in our team.”

Accenting her team this week in Singapore is the addition of both parents – Cibulkova typically travels with just one or the other to any given tournament – and it’s clear the Slovak’s passion and determination is genetic.

“My father, after my win today, he jumped down and again the security took him away. He’s a little bit emotional. You can see me on the court. I get emotions. Maybe probably it’s from him I get these emotions.

“Do you remember Stanford when he jumped down on the court? Yeah, today he didn’t get on the court but he jumped down from the stands.

“Mostly I’m looking in my box. My coach, they are more calm. But I’m happy my parents are here with me and they can see me playing a great tennis at the WTA Finals in Singapore. When I was starting playing tennis it was never, never in our dreams to be here.”

Official WTA Finals Mobile App, Created by SAP

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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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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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