Tennis News

Carla Suárez Navarro

2016 Quick Hits
Week 1 Ranking: No.13
Year-End Ranking: No.12 (Career-High No.6, 2/29/2016)
Season Highlights: Title at Doha
Best Major Result: QF (Australian Open)

12 Days left until the 2017 #WTA season! pic.twitter.com/4HCCfhp92B

— WTA (@WTA) December 20, 2016

2017 Outlook

Having earned herself a place on tennis’ top table last year, 2016 saw Carla Suárez Navarro consolidate her place among the game’s elite. The Spaniard set the tone for a campaign characterized by its consistency in January, following up a semifinal in Brisbane by returning to the last eight of the Australian Open where her run was halted by an inspired Agnieszka Radwanska.

This good form continued as the tour moved to the Middle East, where she made the latest breakthrough of her career, lifting the prestigious Premier 5 Qatar Open. This result lifted her to a new high ranking of No.6 and while she was unable to scale her usual heights on the European clay, appearances in the second week at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open maintained this Top 10 status.

Suárez Navarro looked well-placed to cap off the year with a singles debut at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, but – just as 12 months earlier – it was not to be, injury ultimately curtailing her chances. 

“The season is from January to October. There were a lot of good things in the middle of the year,” coach Marc Casabó said following her withdrawal from the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai. “Going again to Asia being eight and with options to get into Singapore is a good note. And we should value the whole year as a whole. The blow is great because we all thought it would be there. But it’s been a growing season. “

A refreshed Suárez Navarro will begin 2017 in Brisbane, once more, lining up alongside eight other members of the Top 20.

Eugenie Bouchard got a cold welcome in The Netherlands, where she is set to play the Ricoh Open next week in ‘s-Hertogenbosch.

Maybe they were basking in the glow of having their first Roland Garros semifinalist since 1971 in Kiki Bertens. Maybe they were unaware the festivities in Paris are winding down, as the tournament enters its final stage. Or maybe, just maybe, the Dutch are incredibly adept at constructing the perfect burn.

Whatever the reason, this exchange between Bouchard and a Dutch border control agent escalated quickly:

Immigration entering Holland:
Him: Purpose of trip?
Me: Tennis tournament
Him: Oh, shouldn't you still be in Paris then?
Me: …

— Genie Bouchard (@geniebouchard) June 3, 2016

Bouchard lost in the second round of the French Open last week to Timea Bacsinszky. The Dutch immigration officers must not follow Genie on Twitter. She’s been training and relaxing in London since leaving Paris.

A bit windy London pic.twitter.com/W4rwioiDIz

— Genie Bouchard (@geniebouchard) May 31, 2016

The Ricoh Open begins on June 6th. Jelena Jankovic, CoCo Vandweghe, and Jelena Ostapenko are in the draw, along with Belinda Bencic, who is scheduled to make her return after a lower back injury.

A Wimbledon finalist in 2014, Bouchard is scheduled to play a full grass court schedule over the upcoming weeks. After the Ricoh Open she will head to the WTA’s new grass court event at the Mallorca Open, then to the Aegon International in Eastbourne, England before heading to Wimbledon.

Johanna Konta

2016 Quick Hits
Week 1 Ranking: No.47
Year-End Ranking: No.10 (Career-High No.9, 10/10/2016)
Season Highlights: Title at Stanford
Best Major Result: SF (Australian Open)

10 Days left until the 2017 #WTA season! pic.twitter.com/BLzBZliR05

— WTA (@WTA) December 22, 2016

2017 Outlook

Johanna Konta’s first off-season as a member of the Top 10 has been nothing if not eventful. Following the conclusion of a year that brought 46 wins, one title and a jump of 37 places up the rankings, Konta was rocked by the death of mental coach Juan Coto, a significant figure in her spectacular rise.

Soon after, the Brit split from long-term coach Esteban Carril, before teaming up with the well-respected Wim Fissette for a trial period at the National Tennis Centre at Roehampton. Fissette has an excellent record, having taken three of his previous charges to a Grand Slam final.

Konta will hope the new arrangement will elevate her game to the next level. “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,” she said in an interview with The Independent. “He’s been with Kim and some of the players I’m currently playing against. Again, it’s early days. I think there’s only so much that you can feel out in the training block, and then the year starts. That’s when you really feel how you get along.”

“I am a firm believer – and this applies to every single team member – that I’m looking for a partner. I like working together harmoniously. I like being involved in my own development, having my input. It’s basically about a partnership more than anything.”

The pair will begin this partnership at the season-opening Shenzhen Open, before rounding off preparations for the Australian Open at the Apia International Sydney.

Madison Keys

2016 Quick Hits
Week 1 Ranking: No.18
Year-End Ranking: No.8 (Career-High No.7, 10/10/2016)
Season Highlights: Title at Birmingham
Best Major Result: Fourth Round (Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, US Open)

2017 Outlook

Earlier this week, Madison Keys announced via social media that she would be missing 2017’s first showpiece event, the Australian Open, following off-season surgery to her wrist.

And while there will be inevitable frustration when she is kicking her heels back home in January, the American is certainly not in the doldrums. The reason for her upbeat mood is her other big piece of festive season news: the decision to reunite with former World No.1 Lindsay Davenport.

In 2015, under Davenport’s tutelage, Keys made her breakthrough on tour, reaching the semifinals at the Australian Open and quarterfinals of Wimbledon. These showings, and her athletic game and potent serve, earned plenty of rave reviews, as well as some favorable comparisons with Davenport and the Williams sisters.

Since then, she has done nothing to discourage these parallels with her illustrious compatriots, making regular forays into the second week of the majors. The 22-year-old’s recovery will prevent her from doing so again in Melbourne – a short-term setback which could well pay dividends down the line.   

“Three days after the year-end WTA Championships, I had minor arthroscopic surgery on my left wrist,” Keys said on Twitter. “The procedure was very short, did not involve any tendon issues and went very well.

“I just don’t want to rush back and need to take my time to be fully ready to perform my best on the court.”

The extra time training under Davenport’s watchful eye stateside is sure to help fine-tune her game. And such are the standards at the top of the game, she will need to scale new heights if she is to take the next step, namely, a place in the Top 5 and lifting some major silverware.

“I am very excited to be working with Lindsay again as she’s helped me reach great results in the past and we make an excellent team,” Keys added.

“While I’ve been training with Lindsay and at USTA in Orlando for a few weeks, I don’t want to rush back and need to take my time to be fully able to perform at my best on court.”

Serena Williams

2016 Quick Hits
Week 1 Ranking: No.1
Year-End Ranking: No.2
Season Highlights: Title at Rome, Wimbledon
Best Major Result: Winner (Wimbledon), RU (Australian Open, Roland Garros)

2 Days left until the 2017 #WTA season! pic.twitter.com/rDUVjeUZHg

— WTA (@WTA) December 30, 2016

2017 Outlook

Serena Williams ended 2016 by reaching a major milestone. Will happiness off the court help the 35-year-old achieve more records on it?

On Wimbledon’s hallowed lawns, Serena drew level with Steffi Graf’s long-standing Open Era record of 22 Grand Slam victories. It was an emotional occasion and one that proved to be the highlight of an injury-affected campaign. “Wimbledon was good for me,” she told BeIN Sports during the off-season. “Obviously, I was really excited to win that this year. I had a lot of tough matches, but I went in there and played the best I could.”

At two of the season’s other showpiece events, Williams found herself in the unusual position of giving runner-up speeches, after losing out to Angelique Kerber and Garbiñe Muguruza at the Australian and French Opens.

The competitive fire still burns brightly, though, and despite the toll on her body, few would back against the American creating more history in 2017. And while she is hesitant to talk of numbers, there can be no doubting their significance.

“30 [major titles] is a lot, but my goal is just to go out there, do the best I can and be happy,” she said to BeIN. “The only way for me to do that is to win every single match; that doesn’t always happen and that’s something you have to understand and learn to deal with over the course of your career.”

The quest for the next begins in Auckland, where Williams will make her first appearance since a shock US Open semifinal defeat to Pliskova. After that, Melbourne, where history could well await.

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.

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