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50 Most Popular Players Of 2016: 30-21

50 Most Popular Players Of 2016: 30-21

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

The WTA’s all-star cast battle it out for wins, titles and ranking points all year long – but who is getting the most clicks? This week, wtatennis.com will count down the Top 50 Most Popular Players Of 2016.

Next up on the list will be No.30 to No.21! Find out who made the cut…

30. Naomi Osaka (JPN)
Osaka is big in Japan – where she reached her first WTA final at the Toray Pan Pacific Open this year – but the teenager is quite popular on wtatennis.com, too!

Naomi Osaka

29. Daria Gavrilova (AUS)
The Russian-born Aussie started the year by winning the Hopman Cup for Australia and ended it by reaching her first WTA final at the Kremlin Cup in Moscow.

Daria Gavrilova

28. Barbora Strycova (CZE)
The always-energetic Czech earned her career high ranking of No.16 this year on the back of two finals appearances this year, at Dubai and Birmingham.

Barbora Strycova

27. Laura Siegemund (GER)
Siegemund burst onto the scene this year in Stuttgart, where she reached her first WTA final in front of her home crowd, then went on to win the title in Bastad.

Laura Siegemund

26. Carla Suárez Navarro (ESP)
The famously consistent Suárez Navarro stayed true to form in 2016, finishing inside the Top 20 for the fourth year in a row after capturing her second career title in Doha.

Carla Suárez Navarro

25. Daria Kasatkina (RUS)
Russian teenager Kasatkina continued her meteoric rise in 2016; she finished the year at No.26, 45 spots higher than how she started, and reached a career high of No.24.

Daria Kasatkina

24. Elina Svitolina (UKR)
Defeating two reigning World No.1s, a career high ranking of No.14 and a fourth WTA title at Kuala Lumpur are the highlights of the ascendant Svitolina’s best season to date.

Elina Svitolina

23. Timea Bacsinszky (SUI)
A busy spring saw the charismatic Swiss reach a career high ranking of No.9 after reaching the semifinals in Miami and capturing a title in Rabat.

Timea Bacsinszky

22. Kiki Bertens (NED)
The young Dutch player capped off a career-best season with a title in Nurnberg and a run to the Gstaad final, finishing just outside of the Top 20.

Kiki Bertens

21. Roberta Vinci (ITA)
The Italian veteran – who won the St Petersburg Ladies Trophy title this year – remains as popular as ever and her decision to play on in 2017 has delighted her many fans.

Roberta Vinci

Come back to wtatennis.com on Wednesday for No.20 to No.11 on the list…
No.50 to No.41
No.40 to No.31

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Jaksic Shakes Off "Rollercoaster" Struggles In Blog Post

Jaksic Shakes Off "Rollercoaster" Struggles In Blog Post

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Jovana Jaksic was on the precipice of a Top 100 debut at 21 years old; two years later, the big-hitting Serb has set out to make the 2017 season one in which she rebuilds a ranking beset by injuries and inconsistency.

“A lot of matches did not go my way in 2016,” she confesses in a blog entry posted on her official website. “My confidence went missing, I didn’t pick up the ranking points I needed; in truth I lost my way.”

Jaksic peaked at World No.102 in the spring of 2014, not long after reaching her first WTA final at the Abierto Monterrey Afirme – falling to friend and countrywoman, Ana Ivanovic. She later made a pair of Grand Slam main draw debuts at the French Open and Wimbledon, only to see much of that progress undone at the start of the next season.

Jovana Jaksic

“I got injured for seven months with my back, and I made the huge mistake of trying to play tournaments hurt, which was not helping me at all,” she explained to WTA Insider at the US Open in August. “I’d also started with a new coach, which made a new injury of my shoulder I ended up struggling with for six months. Still, I was trying to play.

“When you don’t defend your points and you drop, that’s when the mental part comes in, and you start overthinking because you’re nervous wanting to push for something. It never works when you try to force it, so I changed everything, my whole team, to clear out all that negative energy from my life.

“Now I can say I’m out from under. I feel like a bird that had a broken wing, but now I’m all better and pumped to play matches. I can do it, just have to keep practicing and working, it’s going to come.”

At the still-young age of 23, Jaksic strives to see her struggles as learning experiences, things she might grow from as her career continues.

“I learned that I need to listen to myself more and I need to trust myself,” she continues in her blog. “I learned that I need to find happiness in myself so that I can enjoy everything else in life. I learned that I need to have more rest in between practices so my body can recover better. I learned to listen to my body.”

Jovana Jaksic

Now coached by her mother, the Serb returns from a relaxing off-season ready to take control of her life and the game she’s loved since she was eight years old.

“I’ve really missed being on the court and hitting that little yellow thing. I miss the clarity of mind that I have on the court, where I am in control of everything. I miss creating those irreplaceable emotions of winning or losing. I can’t see myself doing anything other than playing tennis. It’s in my blood. It’s where I ‘feel’ the most, it makes me sad sometimes, sure, but it also brings me the greatest joy.

“So you know what? I can’t wait to be back in 2017. I am excited to work hard, I have no points to defend and many new lessons to learn. I thank you for staying with me on this crazy journey. Life in tennis is a rollercoaster, but it’s MY rollercoaster and I don’t want to get off.”

Click here to read Jaksic’s full post on jovanajaksic.net.

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Kerber & Cibulkova Face Tricky Start In Brisbane

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

BRISBANE, Australia – The first Premier-level event of the season starts in earnest at the Brisbane International, with five of the WTA Finals’ Elite Eight headlining the field.

The draw is out and here’s a rundown of how Angelique Kerber, Dominika Cibulkova and more are starting the first tournament of the 2017 season.

Click here for the complete Brisbane singles and doubles draws.

POSSIBLE QUARTERFINALS:

[1] Angelique Kerber vs [6] Elina Svitolina
[3] Karolina Pliskova vs [8] Roberta Vinci
[5] Svetlana Kuznetsova vs [4] Garbiñe Muguruza
[7] Elena Vesnina vs [2] Dominika Cibulkova

EARLY MATCHES TO WATCH:

Monica Puig vs [6] Elina Svitolina: Two of the fastest rising stars on the tour will meet in the first round as Olympic gold medalist Puig takes on Zhuhai finalist Svitolina. Their head-to-head record is split at one apiece.

Samantha Stosur vs [4] Garbiñe Muguruza: Brisbane’s own Stosur’s first opponent at her home tournament will be Muguruza. Their head-to-head record is split at one win apiece, with the Spaniard defeating Stosur en route to her French Open title.

As the top two seeds, Kerber and Cibulkova received a bye into the second round. Kerber awaits the winner between Australian wildcard Ashleigh Barty and a qualifier, while Cibulkova will face either Laura Siegemund or Zhang Shuai.

Key information, where to watch and more: everything you need to know about Brisbane.

KERBER AND CIBULKOVA’S ROAD TO THE FINAL:

Should last year’s finalist Kerber advance to the quarterfinals, she could be looking at an early taste of revenge, with a potential encounter against Monica Puig – who defeated her in the final at the Olympic tennis event in Rio – or Elina Svitolina – who ousted her from the China Open.

It doesn’t get any easier from there, with her 2016 nemesis Karolina Pliskova or Roberta Vinci drawn as potential semifinal opponents.

For Cibulkova, a handful of dangerous floaters stand between her and the final. Elena Vesnina, who starts against the tricky Alizé Cornet, is a potential quarterfinal opponent, while the semifinals could hold Garbiñe Muguruza and Svetlana Kuznetsova.

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Cornet Completes Vesnina Upset In Brisbane

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

BRISBANE, Australia – Alizé Cornet scored her first win of 2017 in dramatic fashion, coming back the brink of defeat to upset Elena Vesnina at the Brisbane International.

The No.7 seeded Russian, who enjoyed her first Top 20 season last year, got a rude awakening in the New Year in the form of a determined Cornet, who was two games away from defeat before mounting her comeback to advance 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(5).

“It feels really great to win the first match of 2017, on the first of January, after a thriller match against Elena,” Cornet said after the victory.

“It was the worst scenario ever, 7-6 in the third, almost three hours of match. It was a big fight and I’m happy I’m through. I feel ready for the rest of the tournament.”

Vesnina took advantage of a shaky start from the Frenchwoman to build her momentum early on, quickly taking the opening set and building up a daunting 4-1 lead in the second. But the match turned on a dime as Cornet put the pressure on, drawing out the unforced errors from Vesnina’s racquet and rattling off five straight games to level the match.

With the heat rule in effect, the pair were back on court for a tense final set, staying even blow for blow and heading into a tiebreak. After two hours and thirty-seven minutes, an ill-timed drop shot from Vesnina – on her 65 unforced errors – didn’t make it over the net and gave Cornet match point and sent her into the second round.

Up next for Cornet is Christina McHale, who had a smoother road into the second round after cruising past Sara Errani in straight sets 6-3, 6-3.

“First I have to think about recovering from this match, that’s the most important,” Cornet said. “Then I can think about the second round.

“I play against McHale, who is a very good player and had an easy first round win. I’m expecting a tough battle, but you know, this match really got me in the rhythm! I’m just ready to keep going.”

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Konta Kicks Off 2017 With Win In Shenzhen

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

SHENZHEN, China – Johanna Konta began her first season as a Top 10 player in imperious form, dispatching Caga Buyukakcay, 6-2, 6-0, to advance into the second round of the Shenzhen Open.

“I’m really happy to have started the year again, and I’m really enjoying my time in Shenzhen,” Konta said after the match.

Konta finished 2016 the first British player ranked in the Top 10 in 33 years, when namesake Jo Durie ended the 1983 season ranked No.6.

Joining a trio of Top 10 players that includes defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska and 2015 winner Simona Halep, Konta acquitted herself well as the No.3 seed, needing just 56 minutes to defeat Buyukakcay, herself coming off a career-best season.

Buyukakcay became the first Turkish woman to win a title in WTA history at home last year in Istanbul, but had no answers to Konta’s big serving display, winning just nine points on the Brit’s first serve and losing serve six times in two sets.

“I felt I did a good job of staying present and enjoying every point I got to compete out there today. I’m looking forward to my next match!”

Up next for Konta is American veteran Vania King, who spent 2016 rebuilding her ranking after a back injury. King survived Green youngster Maria Sakkari, 2-6, 6-1, 6-2, on Sunday.

Earlier in the day, No.4 seed Timea Bacsinszky announced her withdrawal from Shenzhen due to an abdominal injury.

“I’m pretty sad about withdrawing today. I was looking forward to playing here again in Shenzhen because I have really good memories at this tournament. But for my own health and the beginning of the year, sometimes you have to be wise and think long term.”

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Konta Rallies Past King In Shenzhen

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

SHENZHEN, China – No.3 seed Johanna Konta recovered from a set and 1-3 down to defeat Vania King, 1-6, 6-3, 6-2, to reach the last eight at the Shenzhen Open.

Konta had dropped just two games in her first match of the season, but endured the slowest of starts on Tuesday against King, who spent last year rebuilding her ranking following a back injury that sidelined her for most of 2015.

“Every match is difficult, regardless of the scoreline,” she said in her post-match press conference. “Yesterday had its own challenges; today had different challenges. I needed to adjust today and that took time, but I’m definitely happy with how I was able to get back into the match.

“I think I fought well and I kept myself very present and grounded, trying to create my own momentum and keep my bubble of focus. From there, it got closer and I was able to raise my level, and perhaps she dropped hers. It was a little bit of both.”

The upset bug that had taken out No.7 seed Monica Niculescu to start the day seemed poised to hit Konta from the start. King broke at love to kick off the opening set and never looked back, breaking once more to put herself one set away from victory.

“I think all credit to Vania. I think she played a very very good first set; throughout the whole match she played quite well, but especially in the first set she came out really strong and didn’t give me much of a chance to get much of a grip on the match. So I had to work incredibly hard, dig deep and really just try to create my own momentum in the second set.

“Once I did that, it became more of a competition.”

From a set and a break down, the British No.1 found herself three games from defeat, but nonetheless rallied, winning five straight games to level the match.

The decider was ultimately a more straightforward affair as Konta broke twice to seal victory in 96 minutes.

Up next for Konta is either Kristyna Pliskova or qualifier Chang Kai-Chen. Pliskova began the week with a thrilling win over No.6 seed Anastasija Sevastova, 1-6, 6-3, 7-6(6), while Chang scored an upset over Viktorija Golubic in straight sets.

“I had a very good season last year with a lot of great memories to take from that,” she said when asked to reflect on her breakthrough 2016. “But most importantly I’m looking to keep myself healthy this year to play a full season as much as I can. Every time I go out on the court, I’m trying to apply the same mentality as last year; I want to leave it all out there, compete every single point and do my best, looking to improve every single day.

“I have no outcome goals. I always do my best to stay process-orientated; I may sound like a broken record, and it may sound boring, but it’s the way I am!”

Earlier in the day, No.7 seed Niculescu lost a tense two-setter to Wang Qiang, 7-6(4), 6-4, and suffered from health issues that required a medical timeout.

“For some reason, I couldn’t breathe so well. I had no air, so I had to call the physio. I felt I gave all I had in the first set, and then it was tough for me. I’m disappointed, but I have to wait for Hobart and Australia.

“I had some problems starting from yesterday, but I don’t know why I didn’t feel my best today. It was important to take that first set, but every time I had to serve, I felt my arms were heavy and I had no power. I still have to play doubles [with Simona Halep] so I hope to play better there.”

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