Doha: Ostapenko vs. Zheng
Jelena Ostapenko takes on Zheng Saisai in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Total Open.
Jelena Ostapenko takes on Zheng Saisai in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Total Open.
MONTERREY, Mexico – Francesca Schiavone and Johanna Konta – two of the Abierto Monterrey Afirme’s top seeds – went to downtown Monterrey to play street tennis right outside the Palacio Municipal. They put on an exhibition match for the crowd and gave the fans a taste what’s to come this week in Monterey.
See the best photos – including some trick shots from Schiavone – right here, courtesy of the Abierto Monterrey Afirme.
LOS ANGELES, CA, USA – Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova are legends on the court and megastars off of it and on Sunday night they took a break from their Indian Wells preparations, stepping out for the star-studded 2016 Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Los Angeles.
On the tennis court, white dresses are typically reserved for the lawns of Wimbledon, but the players changed things up for the world-famous after-party. Sharapova turned heads in her Preen By Thornton Bregazzi dress and Williams sported a dramatic Galia Lahav lace gown, along with a sleek new haircut.
Check out the night’s best pictures as Sharapova and Williams rubbed elbows with Caitlyn Jenner, Kate Upton, Kerry Washington and more, courtesy of Getty Images and Vanity Fair:
The Oscars also played out on social media, too, with everyone weighing in and showing plenty of love for the night’s biggest winners.
Check out what WTA players had to say about Leonardo DiCaprio, who took home his first Academy Award for Best Actor:
Congrats @LeoDiCaprio for your Oscar last night! #Oscars2016 #deserved
— Angelique Kerber (@AngeliqueKerber) February 29, 2016
So happy for @LeoDiCaprio !!? After waiting this long, he can speak for as long as he wants! #celebritycrush
— Caroline Wozniacki (@CaroWozniacki) February 29, 2016
Life made. @LeoDiCaprio has won an Oscar and gives the speech of the evening. Good night.
— Johanna Konta (@JoKonta91) February 29, 2016
Leo with that speech. Drop the mic!!! Yes
— victoria azarenka (@vika7) February 29, 2016
What a great #Oscar acceptance speach from @LeoDiCaprio! ????#SpreadAwareness #climatechange #startwithonething
— Tsvetana Pironkova (@TPironkova) February 29, 2016
The best speech from the whole night Leonardo Dicaprio well-deserved!!! #oscars2016
— Varvara Lepchenko (@Varunchik1) February 29, 2016
Congratulations to @LeoDiCaprio for his Oscar last night! Well deserved and well overdue! #Oscars2016
— Ana Ivanovic (@AnaIvanovic) February 29, 2016
? pic.twitter.com/WBXC5O11qC
— Daria Gavrilova (@Daria_gav) February 29, 2016
No more photoshop memes for #LeonardoDiCaprio #Oscars2016 pic.twitter.com/oxLkeqsqFg
— Elina Svitolina (@ElinaSvitolina) February 29, 2016
Leo FINALLY got it… I don't think there would have a better moment to literally drop the mike… #LeonardoDiCaprio #Oscars
— Bethanie MattekSands (@BMATTEK) February 29, 2016
NEW YORK, NY, USA – A journey which began waiting around at the tournament supervisor’s office ended with Laura Siegemund and Mate Pavic hoisting aloft their first Grand Slam trophy on tennis’ grandest stage.
In front of an unashamedly partisan Arthur Ashe crowd, Siegemund and Pavic spoiled the party by upsetting No.7 seeds CoCo Vandeweghe and Rajeev Ram, 6-4, 6-4.
“I’m just stunned a little bit at this point. I’m very happy. I think we played a great match today, Siegemund said. “We did play a great tournament. All the other matches were, yeah, very solid also in the important situations, although we never played together.
“So it’s just amazing that even in the finals we could just play the same, you know, stay focused and stick to the system that was working the whole week. He was, as the British say, cool as a cucumber. He was cooler than me maybe at times. I was very glad about that.”
Despite both teams carving out several chances, the first set went on serve until 4-4, before a mistake at the net from Vandeweghe leading to the ultimately decisive break. The unseeded duo continued to exert the pressure in the second set breaking Vandeweghe to secure a milestone victory.
“In all the matches that we played, we broke the guy’s serve a lot of times,” Pavic said. “Like even today Rajeev was serving big and we broke his serve twice.
“We were putting the balls back, returning good, makes the them feel pressure and then it’s not easy to make the point. So I think that make a huge difference in all the matches that we played so far.”
They had never met before.
They didn't know who one another was.
But now Siegemund-Pavic are in Mixed Dubs Final. pic.twitter.com/Kw6W3yjXCp— ESPNTennis (@ESPNTennis) September 9, 2016
More to follow…
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – World No.153 Chang Kai-Chen provided further evidence of the current strength in depth on tour by knocking out Roberta Vinci in the first round of the BMW Malaysian Open.
Watch live action from Monterrey & Kuala Lumpur this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
Following a succession of surprise results during the WTA’s recent double-header in Dubai and Doha, Chang became the latest underdog to have her day, producing a rousing early evening comeback to defeat top seed Vinci, 5-7, 6-2, 6-1.
The result, though, is by no means an isolated one. In fact, Chang has made a habit of defeating Top 10 players, Vinci joining a list that also includes Dinara Safina, Marion Bartoli and Samantha Stosur.
“It’s always an honor to play a Top 10 player and I really enjoyed the whole match,” Chang said. “I told myself after the first set to be more patient, so I slowed everything down, kept more balls in and just played with her. The result came out well!
“She’s very difficult to play because she slices and spins it, and I’m very happy I could win this match.”
No.2 seed Elina Svitolina fared better rather better in her first-round outing, requiring only 47 minutes to defeat qualifier Miyu Kato.
There were mixed fortunes for Svitolina in the Middle East, as a semifinal in Dubai was followed by a surprise first-round loss to Denisa Allertova in Doha. And Svitolina took out her frustration on qualifier Kato, breaking five times, whilst giving up just seven points on her own serve, en route to a 6-1, 6-1 victory.
Equally impressive was Svitolina’s next opponent, Risa Ozaki, who defeated Elizaveta Kulichkova, 6-0, 6-2.
“I’ll try and do the same thing – play the ball and not the opponent, which is the most important thing to me,” Svitolina said. “I think she’s playing well. She had a good win today and it’s always tough to play a qualifier, because they’ve had a couple of matches and it’s completely different conditions here than to Doha and Dubai.”
A fixture inside the Top 20 for the best part of a year now, Svitolina is flying the flag for Ukrainian tennis and this summer will have the opportunity to represent her motherland on the greatest sporting stage of all.
“The Olympics is a big event. It’s the first time for me so it’s going to be a really different experience and it’s amazing that I’m going to represent my country and play for Ukraine. It’s just a great thing.”
After last year’s French Open, Svitolina overtook Alona Bondarenko as Ukraine’s highest-ranked player of all time, a status that is a source of great pride: “It feels really great since I am the highest ever Ukrainian woman. So for me it was a big thing after Roland Garros when I became one of the highest.”
Elsewhere there were wins for Naomi Broady, Zarina Diyas and Yang Zhaoxuan.
Diyas caused the day’s biggest upset, knocking out No.4 seed Annika Beck, 7-5, 6-3. Broady, meanwhile, fired down 17 aces to win a see-saw encounter with Klara Koukalova, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, and Zhaoxuan fought back to defeat No.8 seed Zheng Saisai, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
STRASBOURG, France – For the Czech Republic’s top players, reuniting for Fed Cup finals has almost become an end-of-the-season tradition. The two-time defending champions are back in action this weekend in Strasbourg, where they’re seeking their fifth title in six years.
Karolina Pliskova, Petra Kvitova, Barbora Strycova and Lucie Hradecka will take on the underdogs France in the Fed Cup final – here’s everything you need to know about the team and the tie, right here on wtatennis.com!
Fast Facts:
Tie: Fed Cup Final, France vs Czech Republic
Dates: Nov 12 & Nov 13, 2016
Venue: Rhenus Sport – Strasbourg, France (indoor hardcourts)
Czech Captain: Petr Pala
– The Czech Republic’s last three ties have been decided in the final doubles rubber
– All of the ties in their 2016 campaign have been away, including the final
Meet the team:
Karolina Pliskova
The new Czech No.1 Pliskova earned her career-high ranking of No.5 after the best season of her career saw her lift two titles, including the Premier-level Western & Southern Open – defeating Angelique Kerber in the final – and reach the US Open final, defeating Serena Williams in the semifinals.
After such a banner season, Pliskova is looking to continue her rise with her second Fed Cup crown. Dangerous both in singles and in doubles with partners Barbora Strycova or Lucie Hradecka, the versatile 24-year-old is valuable asset for the Czech team.
Fed Cup debut: 2015
Ties played: 4
Fed Cup win-loss record: 9-2 (singles 6-2, doubles 3-0)
Fed Cup indoor record: 9-2
Petra Kvitova
Fresh from her win at the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai, a rejuvenated Kvitova dons the white, blue and red Czech national colors with a renewed sense of purpose. She always shines while playing for her country, and this year she was able to use her impressive run to the Olympic bronze medal as a catalyst to put behind her a disappointing start to the season.
Though her last appearance for the Czech Republic ended in two disappointing defeats, suffering a straight sets loss against Monica Niculescu and a three-set heartbreaker to Simona Halep in the World Group quarterfinal against Romania, Kvitova has been a crucial component to the team for years, competing in all five of their most recent finals.
Kvitova said: “I think the tennis in Czech Republic has a huge [tennis] history. When Navratilova played, all of them, we always kind of been strong for tennis, but the women’s side a little bit stronger right now, and that’s why we playing final again probably.
“Of course we should be confident to get the title for us again. I think we have a great team, and we’re going to do everything what we can. We always love playing. It will be great week for sure, and the weekend will be more special.”
Fed Cup debut: 2007
Ties played: 19
Fed Cup win-loss record: 26-10 (singles 26-9, doubles 0-1)
Fed Cup indoor record: 24-6
Barbora Strycova
The Czech No.3 Strycova sits at No.20 on the WTA rankings after reaching two finals this year, at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and the Aegon Classic Birmingham. She’s added three doubles titles to her impressive haul, too, including a win at Birmingham with her countrywoman Pliskova.
As a result, Strycova is one of the Czechs’ go-to doubles players, though she’s also been showing off more of her singles game lately. She defeated Timea Bacsinszky in straight sets in the World Group semifinal against Switzerland before falling to Viktorija Golubic in three sets.
Strycova said: “All the Czech players, we know how to be a teammates in the week where is Fed Cup. Tennis is individual sport, so we know how to separate it.Most of the time of the year you play for yourself.
“But three weeks in a year we are so close together and we are like really – I can’t describe it, because it’s like a routine for us that we are really doing everything together in the week where we play Fed Cup.”
Fed Cup debut: 2002
Ties played: 15
Fed Cup win-loss record: 16-9 (singles 7-6, doubles 9-3)
Fed Cup indoor record: 5-5
Lucie Hradecka
As one half of the “Silent Hs” along with partner Andrea Hlavackova, Hradecka’s season in doubles has been a success. The pair started the year with an appearance in the Australian Open final, continued on to reach the quarterfinals or better at Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid and Rome, then capped it off by lifting two titles, the Coupe Banque Nationale and Kremlin Cup as well as competing at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
As the Czech Republic’s longtime doubles specialist, Hradecka’s role could prove even more crucial this weekend – the team’s last three ties have been decided in the final doubles rubber.
Fed Cup debut: 2010
Ties played: 12
Fed Cup win-loss record: 7-5 (singles 1-3, doubles 6-2)
Fed Cup indoor record: 6-1
– Photos courtesy of Getty Images
MONTERREY, México – Heather Watson produced her best tennis of the season to defeat Caroline Wozniacki and take a place in the semifinals of the Abierto Monterrey Afirme.
Watch live action from Monterrey & Kuala Lumpur this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
A battle between two of the WTA’s sprightliest movers produced no shortage of entertaining exchanges, yet it was Watson, not the former No.1 on the other side of the net, setting the tone.
In a sparkling display, Watson took the game to Wozniacki from the off, eventually getting her reward with a break in the penultimate game of the opening set. Even a slow start to the second failed to discourage the Briton as she came roaring back, a couple of heavy-duty forehands kick-starting a run of four straight games.
Wozniacki, as ever, battled gamely to end, but she had no answer to her opponent’s inspired tennis, spraying a forehand wide to slip to a 7-5, 6-4 defeat.
“I’m very happy with how I played today. I thought I played very well – I needed to against Caroline because she’s a great player – and I had to fight to the end because I knew she would,” Watson said during her on-court interview. “I just took it point by point and didn’t look too far ahead.
“I think one of her main traits is that she is such a fighter. She makes a lot of balls and makes you really win it. I knew I was going to have to finish a lot of points today, come to net and not be too passive.”
Meeting Watson for a place in the final will be either Caroline Garcia or Pauline Parmentier.
On the other side of the draw, hopes for an all-British final were dashed when Kirsten Flipkens upset No.4 seed Johanna Konta, 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-1. Her reward is a meeting with another unseeded player, Anett Kontaveit, a 6-1, 6-4 winner over Nicole Gibbs.
It’s time to crown August’s WTA Shot Of The Month. There were some incredible shots to choose from this month, and we narrowed it down to the five best – have a look at the nominees in the above video and cast your vote for your favorite shot before voting ends Thursday at 11:59pm ET!
The winner will be announced Friday, September 16.
How it works: five shots are selected by wtatennis.com, and the winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com.
Peng Shuai was a few months removed from a US Open semifinal appearance when a back injury took her out of the game for almost a year.
“For me, two years ago, I was at a peak level,” Peng said at the China Open. “I could choose whether I would like to play or not. Actually, my friends and family did not agree with my surgery, because it’s too risky. Now I’m near 30 years old.”
The former Chinese No.1 agreed to have surgery, and was determined to get back to playing her best tennis.
“After the surgery, no one could guarantee I could come back to the court. What if I have more injuries if I come back to the court? I’d like to thank them for their support and care. I was a little bit stubborn to have the surgery. My friends and family supported me to undergo this surgery. It was quite a challenge for me.”
Peng began showing flashes of brilliance at home, upsetting former World No.1 Venus Williams in Beijing before finally adding a WTA title to her illustrious resume, winning the Tianjin Open.
Just shy of the Top 100 heading into 2017 (from a low of No.768), Peng is your Breakthrough Player of the Month!
Final Results for October’s WTA Breakthrough Performance Of The Month
1. Peng Shuai (70%)
2. Johanna Konta (23%)
3. Daria Gavrilova (8%)
2016 Breakthrough Performance Of The Month Winners
January: Zhang Shuai
February: Jelena Ostapenko
March: Nicole Gibbs
April: Cagla Buyukakcay
May: Kiki Bertens
June: Elena Vesnina
July: Kristina Kucova
August: Karolina Pliskova
September: Naomi Osaka
How it works:
Finalists are selected by wtatennis.com
Winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com