Svetlana Kuznetsova's Luna Park Adventure
Watch Svetlana Kuznetsova ride a rollercoaster at Melbourne’s historic amusement park, Luna Park!
Watch Svetlana Kuznetsova ride a rollercoaster at Melbourne’s historic amusement park, Luna Park!
HOBART, Australia – Eugenie Bouchard battled past fellow former Top 10 player Dominika Cibulkova on Friday to reach the final of the Hobart International, her first WTA final since Wuhan in 2014.
The unseeded Bouchard, who had already taken out No.8 seed Alison Van Uytvanck and No.2 seed Camila Giorgi in the last two rounds, won the first set in just 22 minutes and was up a break four times in the second but ended up having to go to a third to edge the No.3-seeded Cibulkova, 6-1, 4-6, 6-4.
“I’m just happy I got through today,” Bouchard said. “The first set was a great level for me – I can’t remember the last time I played that well. Now the important thing is to keep that consistency. It was hard to keep it up – it’s another lesson I’ve learned, to control my emotions a little bit better.
“I don’t think I held serve in the second set, which is absolutely disgusting – I’m so disappointed in myself for that. But she was really putting pressure on me with her returns out there today.”
The 2014 Wimbledon finalist and former World No.5 has now won six of seven matches to start 2016.
She knew she was feeling good coming into Hobart – she spoke about it in her pre-tournament presser.
“I’m feeling pretty good. I wouldn’t want to play if I was somewhat prepared, so I worked really hard in the off-season to catch up a little bit,” Bouchard said. “I’m just so happy to be back on the court. That’s the most important thing – I’m so grateful and excited to be back playing on the tour again.
“I just love the feeling of playing tennis,” she added. “When you’re forced not to do something you really love, you realize you truly love it, and, for me, I realized how much I truly missed it.”
The other semifinal took place later in the afternoon and lasted 53 minutes, as No.7 seed Alizé Cornet held all seven of her service games and broke five times to beat Johanna Larsson, 6-1, 6-1.
Though Cornet is the higher-ranked of the two, No.42 to No.47, Bouchard leads the Frenchwoman in their head-to-head series, 2-1, winning their last two meetings in a row in straight sets, as well.
Cornet does have more experience in WTA finals though, going 4-5, while Bouchard is 1-3 lifetime.
Simona Halep completed her best month of the 2016 season with a second title in three weeks at the Rogers Cup – knocking out the likes of Svetlana Kuznetsova, Angelique Kerber, and Madison Keys en route to her third title of the season.
“I mean, I’m tired. It’s normal,” she told press after the final. “I had so many matches here, tough matches, also emotional. Was not easy.”
Coming to Montréal after a winning week at home in Bucharest, Halep did double duty in Canada, playing singles and doubles with partner Monica Niculescu – reaching the final of both events with a win over reigning French Open champions Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic in the latter.
“I had a lot of confidence coming here that I won five matches in a row in Bucharest.
“It was tough to come from the clay court to the hardcourt. But if I have confidence, I can play my game easy and I can win matches.
“Here I won matches with top players. That makes me more, like, happy and relaxed that I have a good level of tennis in this moment.”
Here more from Halep in the latest WTA Insider Podcast:
A good level might be an understatement for the young Romanian, who will ride a 10-match winning streak into the Western & Southern Open, a tournament where she reached the final in 2015. By her side will be coach Darren Cahill, whom she credits with her steady return to the form that took her as high as No.2 in the world.
“It helps me when he’s more relaxed than me; he just shows me that I have a good game and it’s good if I practice everything for the future, not just for the tournament.”
Back into the Top 3 for the first time since February, Halep did more than enough to earn her the mantle of July’s WTA Player of the Month!
Final Results for July’s WTA Player Of The Month
1. Simona Halep (84%)
2. Venus Williams (9%)
3. Johanna Konta (5%)
4. Madison Keys (2%)
2016 WTA Player of the Month Winners
January: Angelique Kerber
February: Carla Suárez Navarro
March: Victoria Azarenka
April: Angelique Kerber
May: Garbiñe Muguruza
June: Serena Williams
How it works:
Finalists are selected by wtatennis.com
Winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com
CoCo Vandeweghe discusses her support system and former mentor Vic Braden in her post-match press conference at the Australian Open.
MELBOURNE, Australia – On Friday, USANA & the WTA “celebrated” in Melbourne to a crowd of over 1,100 Associates – up a few hundred Associates from last year – at USANA Australia Celebration. Hometown favorite and 2011 US Open champion Samantha Stosur was joined by fellow USANA players Sloane Stephens and Zheng Saisai.
As part of a three-day event taking place at the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre, Stosur participated in an autograph session with the Associates, while Stephens and Zheng were on stage to speak about their career, motivations, and how USANA supplements have aided them in their athletic endeavors.
USANA is the Official Vitamin & Supplement Supplier of the WTA, and over 170 Athletes – including 8 out of the Top 10 and 15 out of the Top 20 use USANA products. Former No.1 Caroline Wozniacki, Genie Bouchard, and Madison Keys are among several USANA ambassadors, and 2016 marks the 10th Anniversary of the USANA-WTA partnership.
Check out some photos from the celebratory event:
All photos courtesy of USANA.
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – Kirsten Flipkens saved her best tennis for the end of the day, taking out four-time Olympic gold medalist Venus Williams in a three hour marathon, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(5) to close out the opening day of the Olympic tennis event in Rio.
“My dream was to come to Rio, but to beat one of the greatest champions, that’s a second dream coming true,” Flipkens said after the match.
The unseeded Belgian, a first-time Olympian, split sets with Williams as the American took the opening set by imposing her powerful baseline game, but Flipkens battled back aggressive on the return and broke Williams’ serve four times to take the second.
In the deciding set, Flipkens surrendered the first break in the fourth game as Williams built up a 4-2 lead. But just as Williams was serving for the match at 5-3, weariness began to take its toll as the match neared the three-hour mark. Flipkens fought back and the match went to a tiebreak, where Williams’ errors at the net ended up costing her the match.
“I was already thinking in the third set that it was one of the most epic matches I’ve ever played,” Flipkens said. “I said to myself before the match that I would just enjoy the match and give 200% on each point.”
“I felt like I could win the match but at the same time I was enjoying it so much it was hard to keep focused. You’re playing Venus Williams, not some junior.”
Earlier in the day, another American was knocked out of the competition as Eugenie Bouchard defeated Sloane Stephens 6-3, 6-3.
“I felt good out there, I was just trying to be very solid and I think I did that well,” Bouchard said. “I don’t think I gave her too many chances. I was there on every one of the return games. I was pushing her and I was close to breaking her a couple of times, so I am happy mentally. I was very focused.”
Bouchard grabbed the decisive break early on in both sets, and backed them up with aggressive play to book her spot in round two after an hour and fifteen minutes.
MELBOURNE, Australia – 2016 semifinalist Johanna Konta raced through a much-anticipated collision with former World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki, 6-3, 6-1, to return to the second week at the Australian Open.
“Against someone like Caroline, she’s not going to give it to you,” she said in her post-match press conference. “You really do have to earn it and win it till the very last point. I’m just very happy I was able to keep that pressure on.”
Konta rode a seven-match winning streak into the third round in Melbourne, having captured her second career WTA title at the Apia International Sydney last week.
“I think I had a longer streak a couple years ago. Still got awhile to go till then,” she said, referring to a 16 match winning streak she compiled in the summer of 2015 between the ITF and WTA circuits. “But I’m very pleased with how I’ve just been able to problem solve in the last matches that I’ve played, really play myself into matches where I felt I started slowly, and, like today, maintain the level.
“I’ve played against some very good players. To be able to come through that, I’m very pleased.”
Contrasted against the Brit’s meteoric rise was Wozniacki across the net; the Dane had been the model of consistency for much of the last decade before an injury-addled 2016 took her as low as No.74 in the WTA rankings.
A run to the US Open semifinal served as a springboard for the No.17 seed, who returned to the Top 20 by year’s end and was looking to interrupt Konta’s run with a big win to start the season.
The first six games were hotly contested, but each went with serve before the Brit broke through on her third break point of the opening set, winning eight straight games to take a set and 5-0 lead.
“I know this may sound like a broken record, but I do try very hard to always make sure I really take the good and the things I can improve on from every match that I play and reinvest it into the next match. Whenever a similar situation arises, I make sure that’s in my bank and I can use my experience from that.
“I think hopefully I’m getting a little wiser.”
Undaunted, Wozniacki got on the board and pushed Konta through a tense final game before the No.9 seed clinched victory in one hour and 17 minutes.
“She played really well. She served really well, returned deep. She was going for the lines. It was going in. You could see she had the confidence,” the Dane said after the match.
“I’m looking forward to the season. It’s a better start than last year. We just have to go from here, go back and grind and then come back and play again.
“There’s lots of tournaments ahead. That’s what I’m looking forward to.”
Up next for the top-ranked Brit is 2015 Australian Open semifinalist Ekaterina Makarova; the No.30 seed survived a titanic ecounter with reigning BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global champion and No.6 seed Dominika Cibulkova, 6-2, 6-7(3), 6-3.
“Every time we play, we have a battle,” Konta said of her Russian rival. “I think last year was 8-6 in the third. I remember that was a high-level match from both of us. That was really a great match to be a part of.
“She had a great match against Dominika Cibulkova. Dominika is not an easy player to beat, and she was able to do that. She’s playing obviously great tennis.
“I think she really enjoys playing here. She always seems to do well on these courts. I’m looking forward to it. We’ll deal with whatever challenges come up the next day.”
Johanna #Konta to play Ekaterina #Makarova in 4R #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/Vo0kVY08pP
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 21, 2017
Marija Zivlak of Women’s Tennis Blog will show us the collections that major tennis clothing companies created for the Australian Open to ensure that the WTA stars look stylish, embody the uplifting spirit of the sunny sky above the courts and the glamorous Grand Slam status of the tournament, while at the same time cooling the players down with cutting-edge fabrics in scorching temperatures Down Under.
With Nike creating a crop top for Serena Williams’ Australian Open campaign, we can say that this shirt style is entering the world of women’s tennis fashion in a big way. The 21-time Grand Slam winner, defending champion in Melbourne, will wear this bold yellow NikeCourt Premier Crop Top, equipped with mesh sections for increased breathability, and the mesh NikeCourt Victory Premier Skirt with all-around pleats.
The queen will be clad in yellow from head to toe, completing the bold look with these Nike Flare Shoes, which keep the feet locked in, ensuring that aggressive movers feel comfortable during intense matches.
Maria Sharapova is launching 2016 in a very sporty look, a fresh silhouette for the super glamorous Russian. The orange NikeCourt Maria Premier Dress features a higher cut neckline, mesh racerback with contrast zipper and skirt with inverted pleats for better movement. Tennis fans are excited to see how Masha will pull off this classic athletic design and, judging by the promotional image, all sports fashion enthusiasts will be more than pleased.
Eugenie Bouchard will wear this ultra lightweight NikeCourt Premier Slam Dress, made of perforated Dri-Fit mesh fabric focused on keeping players cool during grueling matches. The gradient stripes add to the dress’ summery and youthful feel, while dropped skirt back ensures that players do not have to worry about their behinds being exposed in demanding rallies.
Ana Ivanovic’s adidas Spring adizero Dress is part of a collection inspired by German Bauhaus art style, displaying unique stacked graphic, with letters subliminally spelling ‘TENNIS’. The 3-in-1 dress comes together with sports bra and shorts.
Simona Halep will debut the alternative pleated skirt and tank outfit.
Caroline Wozniacki’s adidas Spring Stella McCartney Tour Dress combines coral pink and power rose pink in figure-flattering colorblocks celebrating female curves. At closer look you would see mesh at the neckline, racerback and sides, which are not only functional in terms of breathability, but they also give a nice visual touch as textural elements.
Garbiñe Muguruza’s Australian Open separates remind of a sunset with their orange, red and pink tones, especially because of the quarter-circle colorblock at the adidas Spring Stella McCartney Tour Tank. The ventilated climacool® design and its open mesh inserts in crucial heat zones help wick sweat away and channel cool air in.
Ellesse also introduced touches of orange in their design, nicely matching the company’s logo and flirting with sunny colors just enough to add a vibrant pop of color on the light background perfect for summer days. Monica Puig will have the pleasure of rocking this look at Melbourne Park.
Venus Williams will wear the printed EleVen Brushstrokes NYC Inspire Dress, featuring a V-neck, raglan sleeves, thin vertical keyhole cutout at upper back and contrast double criss-crossed stripes at bodice for a slimming effect.
Agnieszka Radwanska will be a lady in pink. The Lotto Spring Nixia Dress looks cute with its dropped waist and pleated skirt, while the back gives the edge, with dominant mesh that makes the back bold and attractive, whilst providing increased ventilation.
Jelena Jankovic will wear the Fila Platinum Dress, from the brand’s luxe Platinum collection that includes black, white and safety yellow hues, bold colorblocking and a print that echoes the energy of a tennis ball in motion. The item is made of body-temperature-regulating THERMOCOOL™ fabric, so that players can stay comfortable and focused on the game.
Tennis fashion enthusiasts have many reasons to look forward to the upcoming fortnight in Melbourne!
“It’s a tournament everyone wants to play, but it’s all about the medal,” says two-time Wimbledon winner and 2012 Olympian Petra Kvitova.
What are her fellow players looking forward to most ahead of the Olympic tennis event in Rio de Janeiro? Watch the video above to find out!
With World No.1 Angelique Kerber out of Oz, can No.2 Serena Williams reclaim the top spot at the Australia? Find out how right here on wtatennis.com.