Tokyo: Wozniacki vs. Osaka
Caroline Wozniacki takes on Naomi Osaka in the final of the Toray Pan Pacific Open.
Caroline Wozniacki takes on Naomi Osaka in the final of the Toray Pan Pacific Open.
Watch even more great moments from WTA All Access in 2016, from Simona Halep showing off her footie skills and Timea Bacsinszky’s love for the Spice Girls, to the WTA Spelling Quiz!
Karolina Pliskova takes on Lucie Safarova in the second round of the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open.
Highlights from first and second round action at the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open.
After an incredible 14 years on the tour – which saw her rise to WTA World No.1 and claim a Grand Slam title – Ana Ivanovic has announced her retirement from tennis.
The Serbian player made her announcement on her Facebook page, but afterwards she had a special message for her fans.
“We shared victories, losses, smiles, and tears together,” she wrote in a statement. “Thank you for standing by my side no matter the results and believing in me for all these years.”
Check it out in full right here:
Angelique Kerber takes on Kristina Mladneovic in the second round of the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open.
BEIJING, China – Friday’s China Open draw placed Agnieszka Radwanska on a last 16 collision course with former World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki.
Over the past fortnight, Radwanska and Wozniacki have crossed paths in Tokyo and Wuhan, and should both clear the opening couple of hurdles in the Chinese capital another showdown awaits. Wozniacki came back from the brink to win in Tokyo – where she went on to lift the title – before the Pole gained revenge this week in Wuhan to reduce her arrears in the career head-to-head to 5-9.
Radwanska, the No.3 seed, begins the calendar’s final Premier Mandatory event against Wang Qiang, with the winner of Elena Vesnina and Ekaterina Makarova lying in wait in the second round. Wozniacki, the 2010 champion, is unseeded and was paired alongside CoCo Vandeweghe first up. Victory over the big-serving American could see her meet No.13 seed Roberta Vinci.
New Word No.1 Angelique Kerber begins her challenge against a qualifier, while No.2 seed and defending champion Garbiñe Muguruza faces Irina-Camelia Begu.
Muguruza has endured a disappointing second half of the season and is in need of a good run in Beijing to confirm her return to the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. Her hopes of doing so were done no favors by the draw, which placed Petra Kvitova, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Madison Keys in her quarter.
The prospect of meeting Kvitova in the third round will be particularly daunting, given her spectacular form in Wuhan, while Kuznetsova and Keys are both looking to secure a place in Singapore. Whoever is left standing after running this gauntlet is likely to face No.4 seed Simona Halep for a place in the final.
In the top half, Kerber finds herself in a section that also includes Barbora Strycova, Elina Svitolina and No.6 seed Venus Williams.
Draw @ChinaOpen is out. 1R highlights: Wozniacki-Vandeweghe, Pliskova-Safarova, Stosur-Zhang, Mladenovic-Jankovic. pic.twitter.com/Rsz6DFuCbl
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) 30 September 2016
An interview with Petra Kvitova after her win in the final of the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open.
An interview with Madison Keys before her first round match at the China Open.
BRISBANE, Australia – World No.1 Angelique Kerber came through a testing opening outing of 2017, seeing off Ashleigh Barty in three sets to reach the quarterfinals of the Brisbane International.
While the home crowd gave reigning Australian Open champion Kerber’s a warm welcome, World No.271 Barty did not follow suit, making a mockery of her lowly ranking to push Kerber all the way. In the end, though, Kerber’s class shone through, closing out a 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 victory to set up a quarterfinal showdown with Elina Svitolina.
“I'm so happy to be back in Australia – it was my breakthrough last year” – @AngeliqueKerber pic.twitter.com/Eqr7DO4P3r
— WTA (@WTA) January 4, 2017
“It’s always tough to play a match after such a long break, and Ashleigh was playing very well from the first point,” Kerber said. “It’s always different starting the year, and the first matches are always tough.
“You have to get again into the rhythm and play a lot of matches to feel your game.”
Barty, who will not turn 21 until April, is already embarking on her second ascent of the tennis ladder. After a glittering junior career, she enjoyed instant success in the senior ranks, reaching three major doubles finals alongside fellow Australian Casey Dellacqua.
However, the stresses of life on tour soon took its toll on her teenage mind and body, prompting a 17-month hiatus. She has played sparingly since returning but reveled in the atmosphere created by another packed Pat Rafter Arena, playing some sparkling tennis to extend her esteemed opponent. Ultimately, her lack of match sharpness told, Kerber praying on the rising number of unforced errors to establish a decisive third set lead.
#SAPStatOfTheDay: @AngeliqueKerber saved an impressive 70% of break points in three-set win over Barty! #BrisbaneTennis pic.twitter.com/r2JKVDCZQv
— WTA (@WTA) January 4, 2017
“I’m really, really pleased with the form, a bit disappointed we didn’t win but very good things came out of it,” Barty said. “It’s the start of good things to come hopefully. I’m a more developed player this time around.”
Kerber was full of praise for her opponent, whom she expects to only improve: “Working hard and playing like she did tonight I’m sure she will have great results.
“She played so well straight from the first point tonight.”