Tennis News

It is hard to recall a tennis season in recent memory that has thrown up quite so many surprises as the opening few months to 2016.

Showcasing the unprecedented strength and depth of the women’s game, 14 tournaments have witnessed 13 different players lifting silverware. The result has been a Road To Singapore leaderboard featuring a pleasing mix of youth and experience.

Angelique Kerber still leads the way in the fledgling leaderboard thanks to her magnificent January, when she reached the final in Brisbane before an unforgettable triumph at the Australian Open.

Hot on her heels is Carla Suárez Navarro, whose title in Doha, backed up by semi and quarterfinal runs in Brisbane and Melbourne, sees her occupy the No.2 spot.

Reigning WTA Finals champion Agnieszka Radwanska has been as consistent as ever, reaching the semifinals or better on all three outings thus far – a title in Shenzhen followed by deep runs at the Australian Open and Doha. Since the US Open last year, no player has won more matches than Radwanska, who has accumulated a 32-7 record.

Most Match Wins Since 2015 US Open
Agnieszka Radwanska 32-7
Angelique Kerber 27-10
Venus Williams 24-5
Roberta Vinci 22-11
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 21-11

Current WTA world No.1 Serena Williams holds the No.4 spot on the leaderboard with her finals appearance at the Australian Open. Jostling for position below the early pacesetters are Victoria Azarenka, Roberta Vinci, Johanna Konta and Belinda Bencic, while Sara Errani and Jelena Ostapenko are among those just outside the qualification places.

In doubles, Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza cemented their place atop the leaderboard with titles at Brisbane, Sydney, Australian Open and St. Petersburg before their remarkable winning streak was finally snapped in Doha. Profiting from their slip-up were the Chan sisters, Chan Hao-Ching and Chan Yung-Jan, who left Doha with the title and the No.2 position on the leaderboard.

Click here to see the singles and doubles leaderboards heading into the BNP Paribas Open.

QUÉBEC CITY, Canada – No.8 seed Samantha Crawford survived a spirited challenge from Belgium’s Ysaline Bonaventure, edging through to advance 7-6(5), 6-7(4), 6-4 in the opening round of the Coupe Banque Nationale.

“I don’t know how many match points I had in that second set, but I know I had a few,” Crawford said after the match. “After losing the second set, I just wanted to not think about that. I was just trying to stay calm and stay in the present.”

After narrowly escaping with a tight first set – Crawford and Bonaventure traded breaks and wrestled with the momentum in the tiebreak – the American found herself holding match points after a couple of loose serves from Bonaventure. The Belgian fought her off twice to hold serve and send the match to another tiebreaker, where this time Bonaventure came out on top to even the scoreline. Some strong serving in the third set gave Crawford the edge, and the American took her third match point to advance to the second round.

Earlier this year, Crawford turned heads when she made it through qualifying at the Brisbane International to reach the semifinals, upsetting Belinda Bencic and Andrea Petkovic along the way. But it was in Québec City that the American announced her presence to the WTA, reaching the quarterfinals of the event last year after making it out of the qualifying rounds.

Also in action in Québec City, Catherine Bellis shined in her first match at the Coupe Banque Nationale, notching a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Amandine Hesse.

“We never played each other before, so I think it took a while for both of us to get used to each other’s game, and I just stayed more consistent.”

Aside from a tough opponent, Bellis also had to contend with the surface: being an indoor tournament staged on carpet, Québec is home to some of the fastest hardcourts anywhere on the tour.

“I had never played on this surface before,” Bellis said. “I think maybe a long time ago, but I liked it. I think it’s different, but I liked it a lot.”

More to come…

HOBART, Australia – There have been plenty of hints over the past year, but on Monday Francesca Schiavone finally revealed her retirement date.

Following her 6-3, 6-2 defeat to Jana Fett at the Hobart International, Schiavone announced that this year would be her last as a professional tennis player.

“I made too many mistakes, it was not easy for me to find a good rhythm,” Schiavone said following the match.

The 2010 Roland Garros champion has been one of the most charismatic players on tour for the best past of two decades, but waning motivation and a battle-weary body have convinced her to finally call it a day at the end of the current season. “This is my last year of tennis, that’s why I’m upset I didn’t give the best here,” Schiavone said.

“This year I want to give everything that I’ve learned in the last 19 years. In life I think I’ve arrived at the time to take the decision. This sport is a drug for me, I love to play this sport.”

The 36-year-old, who is still in the doubles draw in Hobart alongside Pauline Permentier, will now turn her attention to the Australian Open.

“I go to Melbourne hoping, working to find my feeling [before the Australian Open],” she added.

“This is my last year of tennis. I've arrived at the time to take the decision” – @Schiavone_Fra @HobartTennis. Via: https://t.co/EZmYQ6b6Ju

— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) January 9, 2017

ZHUHAI, China – With the dust settled after an action-packed fortnight at the US Open, there were major shifts on the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai leaderboard. Some of the WTA’s biggest stars – including defending champion Venus Williams, Roberta Vinci, Madison Keys and Johanna Konta – moving up in contention.

The year’s final tournament will run from November 1 to 6, and like last year the singles draw will feature 11 of the top ranked players and one wildcard, with the winner collecting 700 rankings points.

Here’s the latest leaderboard update for the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai as of September 12, 2016: