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Led By Captain Mauresmo, Garcia & Mladenovic Look Ahead To Fed Cup Final

Led By Captain Mauresmo, Garcia & Mladenovic Look Ahead To Fed Cup Final

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

The stage is set in Strasbourg as the French headline their first Fed Cup final since 2005, when Amélie Mauresmo narrowly missed out on a hat trick of titles to team Russia. Mauresmo is back at the helm over a decade later, captaining a next generation squad that includes Roland Garros doubles winners Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic.

“I’m lucky it brings out their best tennis,” the 2016 International Tennis Hall of Fame Inductee told WTA Insider in July. “They feel so good playing on the team, and are able to express their best during this competition, I’m very fortunate with that. It’s not only Caroline and Kiki, but also Alizé Cornet and Pauline Parmentier; I hope they can all rise to the occasion in November.”

That occasion puts them head-to-head against defending champions in the Czech Republic, who have taken home the trophy in four of the last five years and took out the French in last April’s semifinal.

“We have a very difficult team ahead of us. There’s nothing to lose, being the underdogs. We’ll give it a good fight.”

Garcia will be ready for a good fight against the likes of Karolina Pliskova and Petra Kvitova. The French No.1 won in Strasbourg earlier in the season, taking home the first of two titles in 2016.

Caroline Garcia, Amelie Mauresmo

“I’m really looking forward to it, but I’d rather be facing a team other than the Czechs!” she joked at the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai. “They have so many great players, that they could even make two teams from all the players they have in the Top 50.

“But we’ve done well this year; not long ago, we were almost out of World Group, and we were fighting just to stay in World Group II. Everything’s come very fast for us. We are a very young team, and have nothing to lose; we will be in France, and we will give everything we have like we always do.”

Mladenovic echoed her partner’s sentiments after winning the Mutua Madrid Open doubles crown.

“We are all aware how tough it is to give all of yourself in Fed Cup every single year. Personally, I give a lot. You try to do your best, find a balance, and just be positive, work hard and keep going.”

She and Garcia duo rode a 15-match winning streak through the start of the clay court season, ultimately becoming the first all-French duo to triumph on the terre battue since 1971. Mauresmo took over coaching duties back in 2012, and admitted a need to adapt her strategies to a new set of national stars.

Kristina Mladenovic, Caroline Garcia

“It’s another learning experience for me, how to adjust to people, how to adjust to different personalities, different structures as well. They don’t operate the same way I did at all. You have to find different words, and it’s a challenge each time. But I love it. I love to adjust, listen to people, and decide from there what is the best course of action.”

Born in the same city as the two-time Grand Slam champion, Garcia earned the Fed Cup Heart Award following a heroic effort in the semifinals, where she and Mladenovic won a decisive doubles rubber to advance into the championship tie.

“I think it’s been a great opportunity to work with her. She really likes this competition. She gives a lot of herself, a lot of energy on the court. She’s had a lot of experience from her career in Fed Cup. She was No.1, won Grand Slams.

“She knows how tennis works, obviously. She trusts us and us on the court, that we can give everything. She wants us to win this Fed Cup; it was one of our goals, and now we’re so close!”

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.

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Notes & Netcords: June 6, 2016

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

THE WINNERS

Garbiñe Muguruza played the best tennis of her career to stun defending champion Serena Williams and claim her maiden Grand Slam title at Roland Garros.

With the win Muguruza also adds her name to Spain’s storied history at Roland Garros: she’s the first Spanish woman to win the title since Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario accomplished the feat in 1998.

Muguruza also climbs two spots in the rankings to World No.2, matching another one of Sanchez-Vicario’s feats by becoming the first Spaniard to hold that ranking since 1996. She sits behind Williams, who retains her No.1 ranking.

Read the full match recap here. | WTA Insider: Game-By-Game Analysis

But Muguruza isn’t the only one who took home some silverware in Paris: No.5 seeds Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic earned the biggest win of their young careers to win the French Open over former champions and No.7 seeds Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, becomng the first all-French pair to capture their home Slam since 1971.

“It’s never logical to win a Grand Slam,” Mladenovic said in their post-match press conference. “It’s never obvious. You know, you don’t win a Grand Slam every single day. Two young French women players who win Roland Garros. So there are the big tournaments that we have already won, which is a good success in itself, but, you know, winning a Grand Slam, and here in Roland Garros, it’s ten steps above what is logical or normal.”

Read the full match recap here.

GAME, SET, MATCH: WTA Insider

Game: Garbiñe Muguruza makes her mark in Paris.

Spaniards and Roland Garros go together like crepes and Nutella. At 22 years old, Muguruza became the youngest Slam champion since two-time major champion Victoria Azarenka won the 2012 Australian Open, and the second woman born in the 1990s to win a major, joining another two-time champion, Petra Kvitova. By every metric, Muguruza dominated her two weeks in Paris. She dropped just one set and defeated three Slam champions en route to her maiden title, defeating No.1 Serena Williams 7-5, 6-4 in the final.

Despite her youth, Muguruza played throughout the fortnight like a veteran. Less than a year ago, she looked the nervous ingénue in her first Slam final, losing to Serena 6-4, 6-4 at Wimbledon. This time there was a methodical, steely resolve to how Muguruza plowed through the field. In Saturday’s final, she fended off Serena’s repeated attempts to mount one of her famous comebacks, snuffing out any hope a well-timed ace, gutsy backhand winner, or, as it was on match point, an impossibly good lob to secure the win.

On Monday, Muguruza became the first Spaniard since 1996 to hold the No.2 ranking and she vaulted up to No.4 on the Road to Singapore Leaderboard. And her story does not end here. She’ll be one of the favorites at Wimbledon in a few weeks time and look to add her name to the list of seven women in the Open Era to complete the Channel Slam.

Read more about Muguruza’s evolution from young upstart to Slam champion here.

Set: Serena Williams’ quest for No.22 continues.

You have to scroll back to 2004 to find the last time Serena Williams lost three finals in a single season. This year she has played five tournaments, made the final at four, and lost in three, upended by Angelique Kerber at the Australian Open, Victoria Azarenka at the BNP Paribas Open, and now Muguruza. Her quest to match Stefanie Graf’s Open Era record of 22 major titles now shifts to Wimbledon, the site of her last major title. To add even more intrigue to the upcoming grass season, Serena’s No.1 ranking, which she has held since February 2013, will be in play at the All England Club.

Read more about the shrinking the gap between Serena and the field, here.

Match: On to the grass.

There’s no time to kick the clay from our shoes. The five-week grass court season gets underway this week at the Aegon Open Nottingham and Ricoh Open in the Netherlands. Karolina Pliskova and Johanna Konta are the top seeds in Nottingham, which also sees the return of Caroline Wozniacki. The Dane, who fell out of the Top 30 for the first time since 2008, is back in action after an ankle injury force her out of the clay season.

Over in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, No.8 Belinda Bencic is also back in competition after a lower back injury kept her on the sidelines during the clay season. She’s the top seed along with Jelena Jankovic, Roland Garros doubles champion Kristina Mladenovic, and Jelena Ostapenko.

RANKING MOVERS:
Notable singles ranking movers for the week of June 6, 2016.

Shelby Rogers (USA), +48 (No.108 to 60): The biggest ranking mover of the week is Rogers, the 23-year-old American whose dream run to the French Open quarterfinals turned heads in a major way. She breaks the Top 100 and now sits at No.60, her career highest ranking.

Kiki Bertens (NED), +31 (No.58 to 27): Shelby had some completion in the French Open Cinderella story department, though, in the form of Bertens’ surprise run to the French Open semifinals. It was the culmination of a season of great results: Bertens’ impressive clay win-loss record is 19-3, a figure dating back to Fed Cup in April. No.27 is the Dutch phenom’s highest ranking ever.

Yulia Putintseva (KAZ), +25 (No.60 to 35): Putintseva has also reached her own career highest ranking this week, following her appearance in the French Open quarterfinals.

Sam Stosur (AUS), +10 (No.24 to 14): Stosur’s run to the French Open semifinals boosts her ranking up 10 spots to No.14, making her now the highest ranked Australian, male or female.

Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP), +2 (No.4 to 2): Last but certainly not least, Muguruza claimed her first Grand Slam at Roland Garros this past week and along with the trophy she also claims the World No.2 ranking, her career highest. She is the first Spaniard to hold the ranking since Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario in 1996.

UPCOMING TOURNAMENTS

Aegon Open Nottingham
Nottingham, Great Britain
International | $226,750 | Grass
Monday, June 6 – Sunday, June 12

Ricoh Open
‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands
International | $226,750 | Grass
Monday, June 6 – Sunday, June 12

Aegon Classic Birmingham
Birmingham, Great Britain
Premier | $780,900 | Grass
Monday, June 13 – Sunday, June 19

Mallorca Open
Mallorca, Spain
International | $226,750 | Grass
Monday, June 13 – Sunday, June 19

TOP 20 PLAYER SCHEDULES
1. Serena Williams
2. Garbiñe Muguruza
3. Agnieszka Radwanska – Birmingham
4. Angelique Kerber -Birmingham
5. Simona Halep – Birmingham
6. Victoria Azarenka
7. Roberta Vinci
8. Belinda Bencic – ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Birmingham
9. Venus Williams
10. Timea Bacsinszky
11. Petra Kvitova – Birmingham
12. Svetlana Kuznetsova
13. Flavia Pennetta
14. Samantha Stosur
15. Carla Suárez Navarro – Birmingham
16. Madison Keys – Birmingham
17. Karolina Pliskova – Nottingham, Birmingham
18. Johanna Konta – Nottingham, Birmingham
19. Elina Svitolina – Birmingham
20. Sloane Stephens

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
Best wishes to those celebrating birthdays this week:

Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) – June 7, 1988
Olivia Rogowska (AUS) – June 7, 1991
Timea Bacsinszky (SUI) – June 8, 1989
Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) – June 8, 1997
Kaia Kanepi (EST) – June 10, 1985

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Bencic Back In Business At Ricoh Open

Bencic Back In Business At Ricoh Open

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

‘S-HERTOGENBOSCH, Netherlands – Last year’s finalist Belinda Bencic was made to work in her first match back from a two month injury layoff, but the No.1 seed edged into the second round of the Ricoh Open in a thriller over Alison Van Uytvanck, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(3).

Watch live action from ‘s-Hertogenbosch this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

Bencic, the 19-year-old World No.8, was playing in her first match since April in Charleston when a back injury kept her off the court for over two months. Her opponent, Van Uytvanck, knows that feeling all too well: the Belgian was also on the comeback trail and competing for the first time since she sustained a foot injury in Miami.

“I’m just very happy to be back on the court again, without pain,” Bencic said after the match. “I missed the competition and playing matches like this. I was very happy today: nothing hurt, and even if I lose this match, I’m just really happy to be back on the court and fight for every point.

“I think it was a very tough way to come back, but I just want to go like this match by match.”

Van Uytvanck didn’t give Bencic any favors in their ‘s-Hertogenbosch opener, despite Bencic’s clinical start to the match breaking twice to run away with the first set 6-2. The Belgian’s slice and topspin gave Bencic trouble throughout the second half of the match, building up a 5-1 lead in the second set. Van Uytvanck was serving for the set – she even held a set point – when Bencic broke to start mounting her comeback. She rattled off the next three games and was just two points away from leveling the score before the Belgian could finally close the set 6-4.

The pair stayed toe-to-toe in the deciding set, sending their long standoff into a tiebreaker. They were even at 2-2 before Van Uytvanck blinked and Bencic ran away to a 6-2 lead.

A timely ace from Bencic on her second match point ended their two hour and two minute battle.

“We always have tough battles,” Bencic said of her No.132-ranked opponent. “She plays very different. It’s hard for me to play her, and I think it’s hard for her to play me. Of course, she likes grass, her game suits grass and she played very good today as well.

“But the important thing is I am very healthy, and no pain on the court. Just happy to win first round.”

Joining Bencic in the second round is No.2 seed Jelena Jankovic, who overcame a slow start to put away Katerina Siniakova, 6-4, 6-2.

Jankovic found herself down a 0-3 deficit in the opening set before she was able to find her footing on the new surface, rattling off three straight games to get back on par and breaking Siniakova for the set.

“I’m very happy to be through in my first match on grass,” Jankovic said. “It’s my first tournament on this surface so I did not start very well.

“I tried to fight a little more and tried to stay low and hit every point as much as I could because it’s completely different. I’m happy that I was able to stay strong and win in straight sets.”

No.3 seed Kristina Mladenovic, half of the French Open doubles title-winning duo, had no problem transitioning from clay to grass against Yaroslava Shvedova, advancing 6-4, 6-3. No.4 seed Jelena Ostapenko similarly cruised into the second round, easing past Serbian qualifier Jovana Jaksic 6-1, 6-0.

Also through are Viktorija Golubic, who downed No.8 seed Anna-Lena Friedsam 6-3, 7-5; Japanese qualifier Risa Ozaki, who beat Kirsten Flipkens 6-4, 6-2; Aleksandra Krunic, who beat Mirjana Lucic-Baroni 7-6(0), 6-1; and Dutch wildcard Richel Hogenkamp, who defeated Japanese qualifier Eri Hozumi 6-2, 6-2.

Jelena Jankovic

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Vote Now: 2016 WTA Shot Of The Year – Group B

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

It’s time to crown the 2016 WTA Shot Of The Year!

Each WTA Shot Of The Month winner has been placed into one of two groups:

• Voting for Group A and Group B will close Sunday, November 20 at 11:59pm ET
• The two shots from each group that receive the most votes will then be placed into a final group
• Final Group voting opens Monday, November 21 and ends Monday, November 28 at 11:59pm ET
• The 2016 WTA Shot of the Year winner will be announced Tuesday, November 29

Group B

June: Agnieszka Radwanska
July: Simona Halep
August: Agnieszka Radwanska
September: Kirsten Flipkens
October: Angelique Kerber

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Cibulkova, Bencic Shine In Bratislava Exhibition

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia – Dominika Cibulkova took the court for the first time since capturing the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global to play the Tennis Championships Slovakia, a one night exhibition event featuring fellow WTA star Belinda Bencic, Yannick Noah, Dominik Hrbaty, Radek Stepanek, and Monsour Barami.

Cibulkova and Bencic met the press and participated in a kid’s clinic sponsored by Tennis Arena before the main event began. The WTA Finals champion even got to sit on a throne to commemorate a career-best season, one that saw her reach a career-high ranking of No.5 and win a tour-leading four WTA titles.

Check out the best tweets from the night:

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Australian Open Field Announced

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

MELBOURNE, Australia – The field for the Australian Open is starting to take shape after the initial acceptance list was unveiled earlier this week.

Monday marked the entry deadline for 2017’s first major, with Tennis Australia confirming the identity of 110 of the 128-strong draw. The remaining 18 will be made up of qualifiers and wildcards.

Defending champion Angelique Kerber will be joined by all her principal title rivals, including Serena Williams, Agnieszka Radwanska, Simona Halep and Dominika Cibulkova. The cut-off this year was No.107, with Patricia Maria Tig claiming the last berth.

Also Melbourne-bound will be Luksika Kumkhum and Lizette Cabrera, who have been awarded the first two wildcards.

Australian teenager Cabrera, who will be making her Grand Slam debut, made great strides in 2016, winning two ITF Circuit titles and rising nearly 800 places in the rankings. “It’s amazing news and a pretty surreal feeling. To be honest I’m probably still in a bit of shock, but I’m super excited to start playing,” Cabrera said.  “I think if I’m playing my best tennis you can always match it with any girls inside the top 100, so I want to try and win as many matches as I can which will hopefully help me play in more WTA tournaments in the future.”

Kumkhum, meanwhile, earned her spot by triumphing over Chang Kai-Chen in the final of the Asia-Pacific Wildcard Play-off. An ever-present at the Australian Open since 2013, Kumkhum, who upset Petra Kvitova several years back, is eagerly anticipating her return.

“I actually have played in the Australian Open since juniors,” she said. “And I don’t know why, I really like playing there in Melbourne, and had some good results too.

“I feel like at home every time being there, not far from Bangkok, the weather and everything, I think if someone gets used to hot weather, they will like Melbourne too.”

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Konta Adds Famed Coach Wim Fissette Ahead Of 2017 Season

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

In one of the most significant coaching hires of the off-season, World No.10 Johanna Konta has brought on Wim Fissette as her coach to begin the 2017 season. Fissette was the long-time coach to Kim Clijsters and has recently worked with Simona Halep, Madison Keys, and Victoria Azarenka until her pregnancy leave last summer.

Konta is coming off a breakthrough 2015 season, which saw her win her first WTA title at the Bank of the West Classic, advance to her first major semifinal at the Australian Open, and surge from No.47 at the start of the season to become the first British woman to finish the season inside the Top 10 since Jo Durie in 1983. Her decision to split with coach Estaban Carrill was met with surprise, but Konta has landed one of the best coaches on tour in Fissette.

Known for his tennis acumen and amiable demeanor, Konta cited their positive chemistry in her decision to bring the Belgian on.

“He was the first coach I trialled and things are going well,” Konta told The Independent. “I guess he’s been on the Tour for quite some time, so I’m definitely looking forward to being a sponge and absorbing as much of his experience and knowledge through the years.”

Speaking to The Independent, Konta reflected on her sudden but mutual decision to part ways with Carrill, who had coached her through her meteoric rise over the last 18 months.

“But like with every relationship, I think there comes a point where changes need to be made, Konta said. “For both of us to keep evolving and keep getting better, it was definitely the right time. It gave me the opportunity to go into my pre-season with a new set-up so that I can then start my next season already in the swing of things.”

It has been an emotionally tough off-season for Konta after the death of her mental coach Juan Coto. Throughout her surge up the rankings, Konta, once a hot-headed, nervy player who struggled to close out matches, cited her work with Coto for her more grounded, simple approach to her game and career. Coto passed away suddenly in November.

“I know that Juan would be supportive of me continuously improving that area because it’s more than just tennis, it’s about my life,” Konta said. “He’s still very much a part of everything that I do, everything that I will continue to do in this sport and this career, and most likely beyond that as well. He has gifted me with an incredible amount of tools and habits that I still to this day am looking to improve, every single day.”

Konta begins her 2017 season at the Shenzhen Open, which begins on January 1st, and is scheduled to play the Apia International in Sydney as well to prepare for the first major of the season at the Australian Open.

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