Monterrey: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs Angelique Kerber
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova takes on Angelique Kerber in the final of the Abierto GNP Seguros.
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova takes on Angelique Kerber in the final of the Abierto GNP Seguros.
THE WINNERS:
No.2 seed Roberta Vinci won the battle of youth vs. experience at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy, defeating 18-year-old Belinda Bencic 6-4, 6-3 for her 10th career title, and her first on the WTA Premier level. Vinci had previously announced plans to retire after this year but with another title under her belt, the veteran was singing a slightly different tune when asked if she planned to play a few more years.
“No, two, three years, no,” said Vinci. “One more, but maybe. Why not?”
Read the match review and watch highlights.
Taiwan Open top seed Venus Williams defeated the always-dangerous Misaki Doi 6-4, 6-2, to win her 49th career title. Williams didn’t lose a set through five matches in Kaohsiung, and will hold on to her current ranking of No.11 by virtue of winning the title.
“I’ve had so much success in Asia,” Williams said after the match, having won her last two titles at the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open and the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai. “I feel like it’s very lucky to play here.”
Read the match review and watch highlights.
GAME, SET MATCH: WTA Insider
Game: Veterans hold off the youth brigade.
There has been much talk about the 2016 setting up as a year of transition on the WTA, with more and more new and young faces making a splash at the season’s early tournaments. But when it comes trophies, the veterans continue to reign supreme. This week it was Venus Williams putting a winless January behind her to win her first title of the season (and 49th overall) at the Taiwan Open. And she did it without dropping a set.
Over at the inaugural St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy, Roberta Vinci was putting her own retirement announcement in doubt, as she took out Ana Ivanovic and top-seed Belinda Bencic to win her first title in nearly three years. At the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai last year, the 33-year-old Italian told reporters 2016 would be her final season. But as she continues to play the best tennis of her career – she’s up to No.12 and a Top 10 debut is calling her name – she told me the idea of hanging up her racket at the end of the year isn’t on her mind. She just wants to enjoy what she’s doing right now.
Set: Belinda Bencic and Daria Kasatkina lead the teen bump.
At the start of last week, the stories going into the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy and Taiwan Open surrounded the youth on display at both tournaments. For the most part, those stories held up. 18-year-old Belinda Bencic did well in her first tournament as a top seed, advancing to the St. Petersburg final and ensuring a Top 10 debut on Monday. Her junior rival Daria Kasatkina justified her hype as well, making her second WTA semifinal in her last five events. Kasatkina will move up to a career-high No.45 on Monday. Bencic and Kasatkina are the only two teenagers in the Top 50.
Over in Taiwan, 19-year-old Elizaveta Kulichkova has already made five WTA quarterfinals in her short career, after beating No.68 Zarina Diyas to make the quarterfinals in Kaohsiung.
Get to know Kasatkina and Kulichkova in the WTA Insider Podcast.
Match: Hingis and Mirza chasing Novotna and Sukova.
By winning the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy, Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza extended their streaks to 40 consecutive wins and nine straight titles. Their last loss came at the Western & Southern Open in August, where they fell to Chan Hao-Ching and Chan Yung-Chan (who won their first title of the year this weekend at home at the Taiwan Open). Hingis and Mirza are four wins away from catching Jana Novotna and Helena Sukova’s streak of 44 in 1990. What’s additionally impressive about Hingis and Mirza’s streak is that they’ve done it during the super tie-break era of doubles, which make the margins of victory so much smaller. Of their 40 straight wins, six came down to a super-tiebreak
But – and I say it again because we get asked this a lot – the longest doubles streak is still a long ways off. Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver won 109 straight matches between April 1983 to July 1985.
More on the SanTina Streak, which both women admit, they’re very well aware of.
RANKING MOVERS:
Notable singles ranking movers for the week of February 15, 2016.
Daria Kasatkina (RUS), +18 (No.63 to 45): 18-year-old Kasatkina makes the week’s biggest ranking jump – after being named one to watch at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy, she lived up to the hype by making the quarterfinals. She now reached a career-high ranking of No.45, breaking into the Top 50.
Hsieh Su-Wei (TPE), +16 (No.81 to No.65): Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-Wei found inspiration from playing in front of a home crowd at the Taiwan Open, reaching the semifinals to jump up 16 ranking spots.
Misaki Doi (JPN), +9 (No.61 to No.52): Doi’s appearance in the Taiwan Open final boosted her ranking nine spots and puts her within striking distance of the Top 50.
Anastasija Sevastova (LAT), +9 (No.103 to No.95): Playing in the sixth WTA main draw tournament since her return to tennis last January, Sevastova’s run to the quarterfinals at the Taiwan Open sends her ranking back in the Top 100.
Belinda Bencic (SUI), +2 (No.11 to No.9): Bencic was the No.1 at a WTA tournament for the time in her career, and with her run to the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy final she is now into the WTA Top 10.
UPCOMING TOURNAMENTS:
Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Premier | $1,734,900 | Hard, Outdoors
Monday, February 15 – Saturday, February 20, 2016
Rio Open
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
International | $226,750 | Clay
Monday, February 15 – Sunday, February 21, 2016
Qatar Total Open
Doha, Qatar
Premier | $2,517,250 | Hard, Outdoors
Sunday, February 21 – Saturday, February 27, 2016
Abierto Mexicano TELCEL
Acapulco, Mexico
International | $226,750 | Hard, Outdoors
Monday, February 22 – Saturday, February 27, 2016
TOP 20 PLAYER SCHEDULES:
1. Serena Williams – Doha
2. Angelique Kerber – Doha
3. Simona Halep – Dubai, Doha
4. Agnieszka Radwanska – Doha
5. Garbiñe Muguruza – Dubai, Doha
6. Maria Sharapova – Doha
7. Flavia Pennetta – (retired)
8. Petra Kvitova – Dubai, Doha
9. Belinda Bencic – Dubai, Doha
10. Lucie Safarova – Doha
11. Carla Suárez Navarro – Dubai, Doha
12. Venus Williams –
13. Roberta Vinci – Dubai, Doha
14. Karolina Pliskova – Dubai, Doha
15. Victoria Azarenka –
16. Timea Bacsinszky – Doha
17. Ana Ivanovic – Dubai
18. Svetlana Kuznetsova – Dubai, Doha
19. Caroline Wozniacki – Doha
20. Jelena Jankovic – Dubai, Doha
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
Best wishes to those celebrating birthdays this week:
Annika Beck (GER) – February 16, 1994
Carina Witthoeft (GER) – February 16, 1995
Cara Black (ZIM) – February 17, 1979
Madison Keys (USA) – February 17, 1995
Roberta Vinci (ITA) – February 18, 1983
Kateryna Kozlova (UKR) – February 20, 1994
The WTA’s Top 9 stayed the same after a week of action on the green clay of Charleston, where Daria Kasatkina took home her maiden title at the Volvo Car Open, and in Monterrey where Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova powered to a fourth Abierto GNP Seguros title.
The only major change in the Top 10 is the return of Madison Keys, who knocked out Venus Williams and leapfrogged Caroline Wozniacki to rise from No.11 to No.10.
Wozniacki was a win away from returning to the Top 10 for the first time since September 2015, but she was denied the chance by an inspired Jelena Ostapenko in the Charleston quarterfinals.
Here are the biggest ranking movers this week after Charleston and Monterrey:
Jelena Ostapenko +16 (No.66 to No.50): 19-year-old Ostapenko reached the third final of her career – and her first final on clay – at the Volvo Car Open this week. She took down a pair of seeds along the way, knocking out No.5 Caroline Wozniacki and No.11 Mirjana Lucic-Baroni. As a result, she’s earned herself a spot back inside the WTA’s Top 50.
Daria Kasatkina +13 (No.42 to No.29): Not only did 19-year-old Kasatkina reach her first WTA singles final in Charleston, but she also went all the way and took home her maiden WTA after a commanding win over Ostapenko. Her impressive performance sends her rocketing up the rankings, landing inside the Top 30 at No.29.
Shelby Rogers +3 (No.52 to No.49): It was an emotional week for Charleston native Rogers. She entered her home tournament with just one main draw win under her belt and admitted to struggling in front of her home crowd. But all that changed this week, where she put together an inspiring run to the quarterfinals, posting back-to-back wins over top seed Madison Keys and Naomi Osaka along the way. She lands at No.49, just one spot removed from her career-high of No.48.
Carla Suárez Navarro +2 (No.25 to No.23): After spending the last few years inside the WTA’s Top 20, Suárez Navarro’s ranking took a hit when a shoulder injury forced her off the tennis courts at the start of 2017. The Spaniard missed the Australian and Middle Eastern swings, and found herself outside the Top 20 for the first time since 2013. She turned it all around in Monterrey, halting her slide down the rankings with an impressive run to the semifinals.
Click here to check out the updated WTA rankings as of April 10.
Roberta Vinci had Sunday’s shot of the day at the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy.
In the latest roundup of off-court action, Angelique Kerber watches a Champions League quarterfinal – and Lucie Safarova just wants to go home.
An interview with Julia Goerges after her win in the first round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships
Lara Arruabarrena takes on Sara Sorribes Tormo in the semifinals of the Claro Open Colsanitas.
Want to know which hotel has its own private beach, the best spot to grab an Arabic coffee or where you can go ice skating in the middle of the desert? Our guest contributor and defending champion Lucie Safarova gives you the insider guide to Doha and the Qatar Total Open in this edition of the WTA Travel Guide.
WATCH THE MATCHES
Former home of the WTA Finals (previously the WTA Championships) from 2008 – 2010, the Khalifi Tennis and Squash Complex now plays host to the first Premier 5 of the year. Come watch the matches while some of the WTA’s best compete to join the ranks of Justine Henin, Monica Seles and Maria Sharapova as a champion of the Qatar Total Open. Tickets are available here. Main draw begins February 21 and runs through February 27, with qualifying taking place February 19 and February 20.
Qatar Total Open Official Tournament Website
WHERE TO STAY
The Four Seasons Doha is the premier hotel destination for luxury and relaxation. With nine restaurants and lounges, five swimming pools, a three-story spa and its own private beach, this hotel has something for everyone.
WHERE TO EAT
Qatar’s capital city offers an incredible range of cuisines from all over the world. Celebrity Chef Gordon Ramsey’s flagship restaurant, Gordon Ramsey Doha, offers award-winning Mediterranean food to Doha. If you’re looking for a steak, head to Prime, which has been voted best steakhouse in the city by Time Out Doha. In the mood for culture with your meal? Look no further than Jazz at The Lincoln Center Doha where you can enjoy American comfort food and live entertainment programmed by artists from the world-renowned Jazz at The Lincoln Center New York. If you are just looking for something to grab-and-go on your way to the tennis, then stop by Quick Bites for a big selection of pizzas, sandwiches, salads and ice cream.
WHAT TO DO
In between matches, make sure to visit Katara Cultural Village, a celebration and showcase of cultures, theatre, art and architecture. And of course, a trip to Doha would not be complete without a Desert Safari. Whether it’s riding on a camel or driving up the sand dunes in a four-wheel vehicle, there are plenty of adventures to be had in the “land-sea” surrounding the city.
LUCIE SAFAROVA’S FAVORITE SPOTS
“To me, the most interesting place in Doha is the Souk Wagif. It’s a local market where you can find everything from traditional food to coffee to souvenirs to home pets! Just watch out for those little animals because they are so cute you might just want to take them home. It feels like a magical maze of little streets and the air is filled with local spices. Don’t forget to check out the huge selection of peanuts if you love them as much as I do.
If you’re looking for great shopping, I love the Villagio Mall. If you don’t feel like walking, you can take a gondola ride or try ice skating on the indoor ice rink.
And of course, you must go to The Pearl for a nice seaside walk. There are shops and a lot of restaurants, ice cream shops and coffee shops; my favorite is The Art Coffee. Follow my Instagram for all of my favorite coffee spots around the world with #coffeewithLucie.
But the absolute best place to be in Doha is at the tennis center, watching the Qatar Total Open. It is one of the strongest events of the year. See you there!”
Petra Kvitova had some encouraging news for fans and followers on Monday, as the World No.14 penned an update on her road to recovery on Instagram.
Though it is unclear whether she will be ready to compete, steady progress in her recovery has seen the two-time Wimbledon champion enter the French Open.
“My name will appear on the entry list for Roland Garros tomorrow because, as the entry deadline approached, I had made good progress in my recovery process and I want to give myself every last opportunity to be able to compete at one of my favorite events,” Kvitova wrote.
“This unfortunately does not mean necessarily that I will be ready to play in Paris, but that I’m doing everything possible to give myself the chance and keep a positive mindset.”
Kvitova continues on her road back to tennis following a knife attack in her home last December, and her latest update is welcome news to the tennis community which has shown immense love and support for her across the world in the months since.
Great news! Hope this all goes well https://t.co/mfqgZY9iDA
— victoria azarenka (@vika7) April 17, 2017
In Monday’s post, Kvitova added: “There remains a long road ahead but I wanted to share this update with you. Thanks for your continued support and I hope to see you soon.”
First round action from Paris begins on May 28.
An interview with Sara Errani after her win in the quarterfinals at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.