Tennis News

MOSCOW, Russia – No.8 seed Daria Kasatkina gave fans at the Kremlin Cup a lot to cheer about after her straight sets victory over Belinda Bencic.

Watch live action from Moscow this week at WTA Live Powered By TennisTV!

Russian players have always thrived at the year’s last Premier-level event in Moscow, with at least one Russian reaching the semifinals or better at nine of the last 10 editions of the tournament. Kasatkina looked set to add her name to that list as she needed just 61 minutes to dispatch Bencic 6-4, 6-1.

“It was a great win, especially in front of the home fans here,” Kasatkina said after the match. “Belinda is a tough opponent, a former Top 10 player, so it’s nice to get the victory and start the week here in Moscow playing well.

“I just want to keep putting in performances like this and finish the season strongly.”

Bencic got off to a roaring start early in the match, dragging Kasatkina from alley to alley and ripping a 150 kph overhead winner to bring up the first break for a 4-2 lead in the opening set. But Kasatkina clawed her way back as the unforced errors began to fly from Bencic’s raquet, with a wild forehand drifting wide to hand the break back to the Russian and level the match.

Kasatkina reeled off seven straight games to take the opening set and go up a break in the second. A double fault from Bencic – her fifth of the match – gave Kasatkina the final break and the Russian player closed out the match 6-4, 6-1.

No.9 seed Timea Babos will join Kasatkina in the second round after she took out 2014 finalist Irina-Camelia Begu in a two-and-a-half hour battle to advance 6-2, 6-7(2), 7-5.

Also in action today, Kremlin Cup qualifying wrapped up with Lesia Tsurenko, Katerina Siniakova, Anna Blinkova and Nicole Gibbs earning main draw berths.

BUDAPEST, Hungary – Timea Babos and Lucie Safarova, the top two seeds at the Hungarian Ladies Open, moved past their semifinal opponents in straight sets to book a clash in the Budapest final.

No.2 seed Safarova needed almost an hour and thirty minutes against Germany’s Carina Witthoeft before battling through 6-4, 6-3 and reach her first WTA final since April 2016 in Prague.

“I knew Carina was playing very well, I knew I had to be tough out there and that is what I did,” Safarova told wtatennis.com after the match. “Probably experience helps, I was called a veteran on the WTA, I don´t feel like that but it was a good match.

“I am very pleased with being in a final after a long time.”

She’ll face a tough challenge in the final against Hungarian No.1 Babos, whom she teamed up with for doubles this week, reaching the quarterfinals together before Safarova was forced to withdraw with a right thigh injury.

Under the watchful eye of former World No.1 Monica Seles, top seed Babos overcame a tense opening set against Julia Goerges, the No.3 seed – she was unable to convert on three break point chances – including a set point – before finally edging through 7-5.

“Julia is a very very good player, a very experienced player on tour, so I knew it was going to be a tough one,” Babos said after the match.

“Honestly, I was a bit afraid in this match, and you could tell in the first set that I didn’t take all my opportunities. But after this, I got a little bit more into it, you could say I got mad at myself, and tried to play really aggressive and it worked out pretty well.”

Goerges was all business in the second, going up a double break to close out the 7-5, 6-1 victory in an hour and twenty minutes to reach a WTA final in her home country for the first time.

“I had a tough beginning of the year, and was just really trying to stay positive and keep my head up. Being at home, in front of this crowd and showing my emotions – this is what I was waiting for. Budapest has really turned around my season.”

Months that follow Grand Slams typically don’t feature new tennis fashion releases, but that doesn’t prevent the WTA courts from being stylish.

This February we’ve enjoyed a range of outstanding outfits that had been launched at the Australian Open, but got the true attention they deserve at the tournaments following it.

Marija Zivlak of Women’s Tennis Blog gives us an overview of the best outfits in February (photos courtesy of Getty Images):

Kristina Mladenovic enjoyed the comfort of the extra light and breathable adidas Melbourne Dress en route to her maiden singles title at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy. The slit on the side of the magnificent blue design helped the Frenchwoman move freely during her astonishing 62 winners in the final.

The dress comes paired with coordinating print compression shorts, which match the sun-bleached print insets at the sides of the top, while pops of color are provided by sleek orange spaghetti straps and accessories.

The adidas Adizero Ubersonic 2 shoes supported Mladenovic’s feet as she eliminated Australian Open finalist Venus Williams and defending champion Roberta Vinci from the Premier-level tournament in Russia.

Elina Svitolina rocked both her tennis and her fashion game in the month of February! Wearing this striking black and white Nike outfit, the 22-year-old won two WTA titles and became the first Ukrainian to crack the Top 10.

The performance-packed Nike Spring Print Power Spin Skirt beats the competition with its graphic inspired by the shadows cast on a court. Elastic in Nike Power fabric stretched as Svitolina covered the court and then got back to its original shape to keep the new World No.10 supported, Dri-FIT Technology helped keep her dry and comfortable by wicking sweat away, while inner shorts confidently provided coverage.

A classic white Nike Spring Premier Slam Tank perfectly balanced out the look. Although the design is very simple, the top is made from a well-thought-out engineered mesh with a more open knit pattern in high heat areas.

With designer Stella McCartney keeping her style strong, Caroline Wozniacki could focus on her tennis, playing eleven matches in eleven days and making two WTA Premier finals in a row. The Dane’s adidas Spring Stella McCartney Tank in bold blue offers moisture-wicking performance and super soft feel. The form-fitting top nicely goes with an A-line adidas Spring Stella McCartney Skirt, equipped with Climalite technology, built-in compression shorts and laser-cut hem for increased breathability.

With top-level matches day in and day out, Wozniacki’s feet were helped by the revolutionary foam of the adidas by Stella McCartney Barricade Boost shoes that stored and unleashed energy every time the Dane’s foot hit the ground. With the weather in the desert being anything but favorable this year, Wozniacki also made good use of her aviator-style adidas Spring Stella McCartney Jacket.

Timea Babos came to the inaugural Hungarian Ladies Open without even one singles match win in 2017, but that all changed at her home tournament as the 23-year-old went all the way to the title, sporting Fila’s Sleek Streak collection designed for the urban-chic player.

The Hungarian made her way to the champion’s trophy in style, wearing the Fila Sleek Racerback Tank and the Fila Sleek Insert Skirt, unique for their black/white/ruby rose tie-dye print and color-blocking.

Even though Mona Barthel didn’t go far at February’s tournaments, her Bidi Badu Avril Tech Dress managed to steal my attention with its wonderfully refreshing yellow and pink hues. The ombre effect is executed beautifully, just as the feminine silhouette of the dress.

Vote for your favorite outfit in the poll below!

Keys answered both questions decisively in 2016: Yes, she can.

My story began in Rock Island where I dreamed of playing on the big stage. Now I want to win it all @Nike #justdoit pic.twitter.com/PlaXuSIm1j

— Madison Keys (@Madison_Keys) July 21, 2016

Keys capped off an achievement-laden season by becoming the seventh player to qualify for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. While her two breakout results last year, where she made the Australian Open semifinals and Wimbledon quarterfinals, grabbed bigger headlines, Keys’ 2016 campaign was a truer encapsulation of her talent and potential. Starting the season at No.18, Keys proceeded to make the second week of all four Slams, becoming one of just four women to pull off the feat this season. Outside of the Slams she made the quarterfinals or better at eight of 12 events, highlighted by finals at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome and the Rogers Cup in Montréal. By comparison, Keys made just two quarterfinals last year.

Keys also picked up another title on grass by winning the Aegon Classic. With the Birmingham title, Keys became the first American woman to make her Top 10 debut since Serena Williams in 1999. When the dust settled, Keys finished the regular season with a 46-15 record, an impressive improvement over her 31-18 tally in 2015 and 27-22 in 2014.

“Sometimes it just takes a little bit of time for things to click and sink in,” Keys said. “Sometimes it’s just how someone words something one time, then it just makes sense to you. I definitely think working with Thomas [Hogstedt] has been a huge benefit for me.” Keys hired Hogstedt, who previously coached the likes of Li Na, Maria Sharapova, and Caroline Wozniacki, earlier this spring.

“But I also think it’s a process. It’s being ready to handle the situation has been a big thing for me. I think I’m putting myself in those positions and handling them a lot better. That just gives me more confidence. The more I’m in those tough situations, the better I feel about them.”

Indeed, her ability to come through in tough matches has been the biggest improvement in her season. Keys is 17-5 in three-set matches this season, compared to a sub-.500 mark of 6-10 last year. She still struggles with her rhythm and decision-making in matches, but this year she’s been able to limit the dips to brief spells.

“You look at my scores and there’s lulls and stuff but I feel like before it would spiral really quickly,” Keys said. “Now I’m stopping it and getting better at that. I think it’s that confidence of knowing ‘Don’t panic, you can do this.’ I think the biggest thing is knowing that those thoughts of panic are probably going to go into your brain and just accepting it. So that’s been the biggest thing. Not fighting it and trying to think I’m going to have the perfect mentality the entire time. That’s not going to happen. So just knowing it and accepting it has been a huge thing for me.”

After starting the season with a left forearm injury, Keys has seen the hard work in the gym and on the practice court pay off. She is stronger and faster than she’s ever been and the body that would let her down has stood tall throughout the season. The ability to trust her body has freed her up to focus on her game, which continues to improve as she matures. There’s a self-assuredness about Keys this season, a swagger that wasn’t there before. Winning matches and winning them on a consistent clip breeds belief.

.@Madison_Keys joins @FearlesslyGirl as their new ambassador–> https://t.co/aJdHCUVWgv #IAmFearlesslyGIRL pic.twitter.com/x07qQZ0QUJ

— WTA (@WTA) August 24, 2016

“I feel like I’ve definitely gained confidence in myself,” Keys said. “I think especially that I’ve had a lot of matches this year where I wasn’t playing my best tennis, and I was in some bad spots, but being able to figure that out. I think that’s given me just a lot of personal confidence.”

MOSCOW, Russia – Svetlana Kuznetsova survived a mid-match wobble to defeat Timea Babos in the Kremlin Cup quarterfinals and move one step closer to a return to the WTA Finals.

In a contest that ebbed and flowed throughout, top seed and defending champion Kuznetsova harnessed the home crowd support to eventually triumph, 7-5, 6-7(2), 6-2, after a fraction over two and half hours on court.

The result keeps alive the 31-year-old’s hopes of appearing at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. The Russian, who was a fixture at the season-ending showpiece for much of her early 20s, has not qualified since 2009, but will return should she lift the title in Moscow. If she fails in her quest, Johanna Konta will take the final spot in the eight-player draw.

Babos’ battling performance ensured that the outcome remained in the balance until the last. In the second set, she displayed particular character to break twice with her opponent serving for the match. A flawless tie-break ensured the match went the distance, and despite falling behind in the decider, another comeback looked on the cards when she reduced her arrears to 3-2.

However, a thigh injury halted this revival – and the match – allowing Kuznetsova to regroup during a length injury timeout. On the resumption, the Russian took control rattling off the final three games to set up a semifinal with No.4 seed Elina Svitolina.  

“Where to start? My coach and Nastia [Myskina] said in the locker room that the points were very short, from one to three rallies. I didn’t run much. I think I was good for me that I had a third set even when I felt a little bit tired,” Kuznetsova told the Russian press. “In the third set I let the situation go and played better.

“It has prepared me a base for tomorrow’s match because the way I played during last two matches, the last four sets: yesterday’s and the first two from today…It won’t get me far.”

Earlier in the day, Svitolina delivered a clinical display to swat aside lucky loser Ana Konjuh, 6-1, 6-1. Svitolina has been in terrific form during the second half of the season, reaching the semifinals or better in three of her past five tournaments.

“It was a good match for me, I was serving well and seeing the ball good. This was a good game and I’m really happy that it’s another semifinal for me,” Svitolina told wtatennis.com.

“After Beijing I had one week off and I was at home, just trying to recover fast. These last two tournaments – here and in Zhuhai – are very important and I’m just trying to stay focused.”