Tennis News

ZHUHAI, China – Sunday marks 100 days until the start of the final event on the 2016 tennis calendar, the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai.

This year’s tournament promises to build on the overwhelming success of its inaugural staging, which saw fans flock and former World No.1 Venus Williams walk away with the trophy.

While the line-up for 2016 will not be finalized for several months yet, one bona fide star is already confirmed to be making the trip to southern China. Stefanie Graf – winner of 107 WTA singles titles, 22 Grand Slam singles titles and global ambassador for the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai – will be present this November to greet players and fans at the Hengqin Tennis Center, Zhuhai.

“With a fantastic player field, increased domestic and international coverage, exciting on site entertainment activities, and a special appearance by our global ambassador Stefanie Graf, the 2016 WETZ definitely is not to be missed,” said Tournament Director Peter Johnston.

Once again the event will be organized by Zhuhai Huafa Group and APG, who in addition to the singles and doubles competitions will lay on a variety of off-court entertainment, including the unique opportunity for players and fans to enjoy the taste of famous Michelin restaurants from around the world at the on-site SAVOUR Festival. Last year’s success has also encouraged several well-known domestic and international brands to lend their support, including Peak Sports, USANA, Yonex, Guodao Gold, Liri Tent Technology, Eulong and Rossini.

“We are proud to see the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai making breakthroughs this year,” said Zhong Ming, Chairman of the Organizing Committee & Vice General Manager of Zhuhai Huafa Group. “We are determined to create the most unforgettable event for our fans with the highest level of matches and world-class entertainment activities.”

The 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. The doubles will be comprised of four leading teams, plus two wildcard pairings.

“The inaugural Elite Trophy Zhuhai achieved a remarkable level of success,” added Steve Simon, CEO of the WTA, “As the 2016 event approaches the 100 days out mark, we are confident that WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai will grow to even greater heights in delivering a premier, and compelling global experience that engages our fans around the world.”

Tickets for the tournament will go on sale on July 28, and can be purchased on the official website www.wtaelitetrophy.com.

SHENZHEN, China – One of China’s biggest stars made her return to action at the Shenzhen Open on Monday. Winning her first match in over a year, former World No.14 Peng Shuai took an important step in her comeback from back surgery, winning a first round doubles encounter with partner Liang Chen over wildcads Li Yixuan and Sheng Yuqi, 6-2, 6-1.

Peng was hitting new heights in the summer of 2014 when she reached the US Open semifinals – losing a heartbreaking match to former No.1 Caroline Wozniacki in a retirement – but within a few months, the Chinesewoman was struck by a career-threatening back injury that forced her to end her season at last year’s French Open. Taking the match in under an hour was that much sweeter for a player who wondered if she would ever compete again.

“I thought about giving up many times,” she admitted after the match. “Before the surgery I went to see the doctors in US and Germany; both of them said even I took the surgery, they can’t guarantee that I can be 100% fit again.

“The surgery was very successful, but no one knows how the recover could be. And this injury could happen again.”

That concern has caused her to take extra precaution in reacclimating her body to the grind of professional tennis. Playing only in the doubles event this week in Shenzhen, Peng plays a fuller comeback in February, following the Australian Open.

“I’m going to play in Kaohsiung, then probably in Dubai. I will try my best to play more matches in singles and doubles. It’s been about five months after surgery, and I recovered faster than I expected. But I’m still working on getting my power back.

“I want to take it step by step, not to make it rush, becuase I don’t want to get injured again. Now even though I’m not able to run and jump like what I can do before, I feel I’m getiing better, and at least I can play the match. I’m looking forward the matches in February.”

No.3 seed Irina-Camelia Begu was equally emphatic in her opening round match against Lara Arruabarrena, winning 6-3, 6-2, while Zarina Diyas and Monica Niculescu also reached the second round – the latter in three sets over Anastasjia Sevastova. No.8 seed Annika Beck was the highest ranked player to fall on Monday, losing in three sets to Alison Riske. 

UPDATE: Serena Williams withdrew from the tournament on Sunday citing inflammation in her shoulder, leading to a reshuffling of the draw that caused the following shifts:

– Halep has been drawn into the bottom half of the draw, along with No.2 Angelique Kerber, and No.8 Roberta Vinci, and No.10 Svetlana Kuznetsova. Before Serena’s withdrawal she had a tricky road to the final, but with No.3 Garbiñe Muguruza now moving up to replace Serena in the top half of the draw, Halep’s path is slightly easier. She opens up against either Daria Gavrilova or Annika Beck, with a potential third round match against Karolina Pliskova. Her projected quarterfinal opponent could be either Kuznetsova or Petra Kvitova.

– Muguruza replaced Serena on the top line of the draw and will open against either Monica Puig or a qualifier. She could play Stanford finalist Johanna Konta in the third round with either Dominika Cibulkova or Carla Suárez Navarro looming in the quarterfinals. If the draw holds to form, she could see Venus Williams, Agnieszka Radwanska, or Madison Keys in the semifinals.

Can Simona Halep match her 2015 summer season?

This time last year Simona Halep was down in the dumps. She was still smarting from two bad early losses at the French Open and Wimbledon, and in her mind her season was over. That mentality freed her up to play some of her best tennis of the season, making the final in Toronto, final in Cincinnati, and her first-ever semifinal at the US Open.

Now she has to defend it.

So can Halep, currently ranked No.5, replicate or better that run? One thing is for sure: her decision to skip the Olympics can only help. The Romanian star announced last week that she would opt out of Rio due to concerns over the Zika virus. While missing the Olympics will be disappointing, the decision does free Halep up to focus on a real shot at winning the US Open. In fact with the bulk of the players interrupting their season by heading down to the Olympics, she could be the who takes advantage of an unfocused, fatigued, depleted field this summer.

Can Garbiñe Muguruza get back on track?

It took a month and a half before Angelique Kerber came down from the high of winning her first major title at the Australian Open. But by the end of March she was back to playing high-quality tennis and imposing herself in the draws. Since winning the French Open, Muguruza has gone 1-2, losing to Kirsten Flipkens in Mallorca and Jana Cepelova at Wimbledon. Again, a dip is expected earning your first major title, but when will it turn around for Muguruza?

The summer offers a big opportunity for the young Spaniard. She floundered here last year – again, after making her first Slam final at Wimbledon – winning just one match through the entire Emirates Airlines US Open Series (including the US Open). That opens up a big point grab for her this year, where she can gain some ground on Kerber and Serena in the rankings.

Can Angelique Kerber play healthy?

The World No.2 withdrew from Bastad last week due to an elbow injury and is now in a tough situation of balancing her need to play with her need to rest, especially with the upcoming Olympics.

Can Venus Williams ride that momentum?

Could we see Venus in Singapore for the BNP WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global? She’s currently 18th in the Road to Singapore rankings but she could make a big move if she continues her current form. After making the fourth round of the French Open and the Wimbledon semifinals, she’s into the semifinals of the Bank of the West Classic this weekend. She looks relaxed and calm on court, and when she’s needed it she’s been able to elevate her game to get some tough wins. Another deep run in Montréal could really boost her chances not only to qualify for Singapore but also get her back in the Top 5.

First Round Matches to Watch: Lucie Safarova vs. Eugenie Bouchard, Monica Niculescu vs. Jelena Ostapenko, Yulia Putintseva vs. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Madison Keys vs. Elena Vesnina, Caroline Garcia vs. Barbora Strycova, Alizé Cornet vs. Andrea Petkovic, Misaki Doi vs. Daria Kasatkina.

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.

BRISBANE, Australia – Simona Halep and Maria Sharapova have unfortunately had to withdraw from the Brisbane International due to injury. Sharapova was the defending champion at the Premier event.

Watch live action from Brisbane, Shenzhen & Auckland on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

Sharapova’s announcement came just hours before she was to take the court for her opening match.

“I hurt my forearm in practice a couple of days ago and need to precautionarily withdraw, with the Australian Open starting in just a matter of time,” Sharapova said. “This is such a special event for me, especially being the defending champion. I look forward to seeing all my fans in Brisbane next year.”

Shortly after the No.3-seeded Sharapova withdrew, the tournament’s No.1 seed, Simona Halep, was also forced to pull out, due to a left leg injury. She was going to play her opening match on Wednesday.

“I had problems with my Achilles in August and September, and then I didn’t feel it anymore, but now I’ve already had a couple of weeks again with the pain,” Halep told reporters. “I thought I would be ready to play here, to start the year here in Brisbane, but I don’t think that I can play a full match.

“I think it’s more important to be ready and take a little bit of a break.”

Halep is scheduled to play the Apia International Sydney next week – and she’s hopeful she will.

“Yeah, I’m planning to go to Sydney. Actually tomorrow I’m going there,” the World No.2 said. “It’s nothing dangerous – I did an MRI and it’s nothing dangerous. But it’s still an inflammation.

“I just have to take a few days’ rest.”

Sharapova and Halep were replaced by lucky losers Margarita Gasparyan and Ysaline Bonaventure.

Despite Tuesday’s withdrawals, the Premier event still has a dynamite field, led by 2015 Wimbledon finalist Garbiñe Muguruza. The No.2-seeded Spaniard will kick her campaign off on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, in second round play, No.8 seed Roberta Vinci cruised past Dominika Cibulkova in a battle of Grand Slam finalists, 6-1, 6-1, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova won a see-saw against Alizé Cornet, 6-2, 1-6, 6-4, and No.6 seed Carla Suárez Navarro took on Samantha Stosur in the feature night match.

Ekaterina Makarova beat Gasparyan in the last first round match of the week, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3.

Drama. The 2016 WTA season already has plenty of it.

A day after notching the biggest win of her career, Britain’s Naomi Broady saved two match points and rallied from 5-2 down in the second set and 5-1 down in the final set to beat Jelena Ostapenko, 4-6, 7-6(4), 7-5 to advance to the quarterfinals of the ASB Classic in Auckland.

Powering down 21 aces, No.122 Broady saved a match point in both the second and third sets to make her second WTA quarterfinal (2015 Québec City). The win came less than 24 hours after she scored her first Top 20 win, beating No.2 seed Ana Ivanovic 7-5, 6-4 behind another top-notch serving performance, hitting 14 aces in the match and serving at 68%.

Beyond Broady’s gutsy comeback, which was aided by a nervous attempt to close the match by the 18-year-old Latvian wildcard – she served for the match three times – controversy nearly derailed the match late in the second set.

Ostapenko's controversial racquet throw that hit a ball boy. Broady wanted her disqualified for this. #ASBClassic pic.twitter.com/42cHofe3wM

— Max (@MGLovesTennis) January 6, 2016

At 2-2 in the tiebreaker, Ostapenko ran to chase down a backhand and flung her racket towards the backstop. The racquet bounced off the ground and hit a nearby ballboy. Broady was incensed, believing that Ostapenko should be defaulted from the match for hitting the ballboy. The chair umpire issued a code violation to Ostapenko and the Latvian then pled her case, arguing that the racket slipped out of her hand.

With tempers at a boil, Broady was able to hold onto her lead in the tie-break to force a third but quickly fell behind. Finding some of her best form, Ostapenko settled down and took control from the baseline, running the rangy Brit from side-to-side to open the court and earn errors.

But from 5-1 up, Ostapenko got tight. Her shots began to fall shorter, giving Broady plenty of chances to take big swings with her forehand. Ostapenko’s serve, already shaky for much of the match – she hit 13 double-faults to four aces – increasingly became a liability. From 5-1 down in the final frame, Broady reeled off six straight games to seal the upset.

The two continued to trade verbal volleys after the match, both during the handshake and afterwards. On-court microphones picked up Broady telling Ostapenko after the handshake, “You hit the ballboy with your racket!” before returning to the court to salute the crowd.

Don't mess with a girl from Stockport! https://t.co/LJ9F4T8aGj

— Anne Keothavong (@annekeothavong) January 6, 2016

Broady took to Twitter after the match to clarify her side of things:

1-Just to put the record straight,it was not me causing an argument after the match.I was told how terrible my behaviour was frm my opponent

— Naomi Broady (@NaomiBroady) January 6, 2016

2-Its hard to know when to stick up for yourself and when to keep your mouth shut. I'm human. We live and learn

— Naomi Broady (@NaomiBroady) January 6, 2016

3- thanks to everyone in the WTA community and on social media who support me. #ontothenextone

— Naomi Broady (@NaomiBroady) January 6, 2016

Needless to say, 2016 has not been short of fireworks. Broady plays Sloane Stephens in then quarterfinals after the American needed three sets to beat Carina Witthoeft, 3-6, 6-1, 6-3.

STANFORD, CA, USA – Johanna Konta notched her first WTA title by denying Venus Williams her 50th. On Sunday the British No.1 prevailed in a tough toe-to-toe battle with Venus, winning, 7-5, 5-7, 6-2 to win the Bank of the West Classic.

The win caps off an incredible 12-month span for the 25-year-old Eastbourne resident. Last July, Konta was ranked No.126 after a first round loss at Wimbledon, and went on an absolute tear on the North American hardcourts. She won back-to-back titles on the ITF circuit and would go 16-0 during the summer, including a successful qualifying campaign at the US Open, before losing to Petra Kvitova in the fourth round in New York.

That momentum continued in the fall, where she made the quarterfinals of the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open, beating top seed Simona Halep en route. Then, of course, came the biggest result of her career in January, when she pounded her way to her first major semifinal at the Australian Open.

Through it all, Konta had still yet to make a WTA final, let alone win a title. She rolled into Stanford ranked No.18 and seeded No.3. But after playing two fantastic matches to beat the top two seeds in Dominika Cibulkova and Venus, Konta has now moved into the Top 15, at No.14 and she sits at No.8 in the Road to Singapore.

If the season ended today, Johanna Konta, ranked outside the Top 125 a year ago, would be heading to the WTA Finals. What a climb.

WTA Insider caught up with Konta after her big win in Stanford.

WTA Insider: So how does it feel to accomplish such a big milestone, to win your first WTA title, a Premier title no less?
Konta: It feels pretty exciting, I have to say. It’s everything to do with today. It’s not just a final. I was playing against Venus Williams, such a champion. I was playing in a Premier tournament, as well. It was quite a lot of things. I’m really happy with how I was able to deal with that and really appreciate the situation for what it was and really be grateful and humbled by it. I’m just looking forward to reinvesting this experience that I gained today into future matches in my career.

WTA Insider: You talk a lot about learning from experience. What does this week teach you?
Konta: Specifically, when I’ll be on the match court again, who knows, on Tuesday in Montréal, maybe I’ll be in the a similar situation as I experienced today or I experienced yesterday, just be able to, even if it’s just for a millisecond, reflect on that, keep myself that much calmer. You know what I’ve been there, just stay calm and keep fighting. It’s just a lot of reassurance that whatever happens I can handle it.

WTA Insider: You had a set and a 4-1 lead in the final and let that second set slip away. What did you tell yourself between the second and third set?
Konta: I think it was really important to keep things in perspective. Venus Williams is a champion for reason. Champions raise their game. Champions are not going to give you a match just because they’re 4-1 down in the second. I was really going to have to win it and really have to stay out there and do my time and really simplify things. I think coming back it was really considering every single point a battle and win as many battles as possible.

WTA Insider: What is it about your match-up with Venus that produces such exciting matches? You two had played twice and split those meetings, and now you lead the head-to-head 2-1.
Konta: I think that just happens in tennis. You have certain match-ups and game-styles that create more compelling matches. I consider myself incredibly lucky if that’s how you see it, that I’m able to play such entertaining matches, share the court with Venus Williams, and entertain the people who come watch. That’s incredibly humbling. So thank you, that’s an incredible compliment. I said in my speech after that I really look forward to the many battles that I hope to have against her.

WTA Insider: Reflecting on the last 12 months. How do you put it all perspective? I know you’re a level-headed person but this has been a remarkable career-turnaround.
Konta: I guess from the outside it looks different than how I lived it because I lived every single day of it – also the previous 17 years. I think for me it felt very much like a progression and it continues to feel that way. For me I hope this is not the pinnacle of my career, I really am humbled by the experience to have this, but I’m also really motivated to reinvest this into my career and to keep helping me push forward and keep rising to the top of my sport.

WTA Insider: So what is your motivation? Do you set goals for yourself?
Konta: I don’t set myself any outcome goals. It’s very much a personal development thing. It’s about trying my best to not make the same mistake twice, or dealing better with situations. One match I didn’t do well with it, do my best in the next time in that situation, I’m going to do better. Even on the practice court, being able to deal with situations better and better.

WTA Insider: What’s the last situation you remember where you felt like you did not handle a situation on court well?
Konta: I do try to take the positive out of every experience and also, quite honestly, not beat myself up over it. If I’m too inexperienced in a situation, that’s just the way it is. That’s not something I can control, that’s only something I can learn from. I think my experience in the semifinal of the Australian Open was an unbelievable experience and something I never experienced before. I think whenever you have a first, that’s always going to have the deepest impact. It’s basically being thrown into the deep end and then, ‘Swim!’

WTA Insider: Well you’re swimming ok. So far it seems like you’re keeping your head above water pretty well.
Konta: I’m trying. I’m dog paddling [laughs].

WTA Insider: You’re up to No.8 in the Road To Singapore. I know it’s a long way off, but what would qualifying for the WTA Finals mean to you?
Konta: It’s definitely a far way off but if it’s in the cards for me, if it’s something I am able to achieve that would be unbelievable. For now it’s definitely a result of things that happened this year. Right now it’s about my health. It’s a quick turnaround between here and Montréal so it’s about getting myself prepared to play again on Tuesday and really take it from there.

WTA Insider: So are you going to actually take the time to enjoy this? Or is it just boarding a plane and heading to Canada now?
Konta: I’ve already said I’m planning to go to In n Out. So I’m going to enjoy that. But I mean the more present you keep yourself the more appreciative you are of the moment in time. So I’m just going to my best to not look too far ahead and to just take care of things as best I can in the here and now and just appreciate it for what it is.

WTA Insider: What’s your go-to order at In n Out and are you aware of the secret menu?
Konta: I heard about this secret menu and I’m disappointed in myself I didn’t figure it out earlier! Seriously! I heard about this and I was like what? But I’m a normal cheeseburger kind of person. So maybe… two of them. And fries.

WTA Insider: A strawberry milkshake to wash it down?
Konta: Oh that might be difficult for me because I don’t like strawberry flavor.

WTA Insider: Well there are other options, like chocolate and vanilla.
Konta: I’ve never had a milkshake, so maybe today’s the day!

Here more from Konta in the lastest episode of the WTA Insider Podcast:

All photos courtesy of Getty Images.

SHENZHEN, China – A day after making a winning comeback to the tennis court at the Shenzhen Open, Eugenie Bouchard backed it up to reach her first WTA quarterfinal in almost a year.

Watch live action from Brisbane, Shenzhen & Auckland on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

On Tuesday, Bouchard played her first complete match since suffering her concussion at the US Open, and she was a winner, rallying from 4-2 down in the third set to edge Donna Vekic, 6-4, 1-6, 7-5.

The No.6-seeded Canadian had a much simpler day at the office on Wednesday, dropping serve in the first game of the match but then reeling off 12 of the next 17 games to roll past American qualifier Nicole Gibbs, 6-4, 6-2, breaking serve one last time to win after just 67 minutes on the court.

“It was a solid match from me. I think I was able to improve off of my first round,” Bouchard said.

“But first and foremost I was able to play another whole match healthy, with no pain and no symptoms.”

Bouchard is now through to her first WTA quarterfinal since last year’s Australian Open.

And the Canadian, a former World No.5 and Wimbledon finalist, doesn’t want to stop here.

“Every match that I play gives me a little bit more confidence,” she said. “I know it’s a long road back to recovery and to being back to where I was and even better, so I’m ready for that long journey.

“But, you know, if it’s a little step I can take every day, then I’m happy with that.”

The tournament’s No.1 seed, Agnieszka Radwanska, followed Bouchard onto center court – and into the quarterfinals as well – after a close finish, closing out China’s own Zhang Shuai, 6-1, 7-5.

Radwanska, who’s coming off a fantastic fall season that brought her three WTA titles – including the WTA Finals in Singapore – and took her back to World No.5, has now won 19 of her last 23 matches.

It was a rough day for the other seeds in action, though, with No.3 seed Irina-Camelia Begu retiring down 7-5, 3-2 to Anna-Lena Friedsam due to a right knee injury, No.4 seed Monica Niculescu falling to Timea Babos, 6-1, 6-4, and No.7 seed Zarina Diyas succumbing to Katerina Siniakova, 6-0, 6-4.

First time using a selfie stick ? thank you for staying after the match guys #ilovechina pic.twitter.com/uinuGZruzn

— Genie Bouchard (@geniebouchard) January 6, 2016