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Kerber, Radwanska Lead Red & White Groups In WTA Finals Round Robin Draw

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

SINGAPORE – The Elite Eight were placed into a pair of round robin groups at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global. Top two seeds Angelique Kerber and Agnieszka Radwanska headline the Red and White Groups, named for the colors in the Singapore flag.

Check out all the need-to-know information on where the Top 8 were placed:

Red Group

(1) Angelique Kerber (GER #1)
~ 2016 Titles: 3 (Australian Open, Stuttgart, US Open)
~ 2016 Record: 59-17
~ Best Grand Slam result in 2016: Won Australian Open and US Open
~ WTA Finals history: 4th appearance in five years (2-7 record)
~ H2H vs Red Group: 12-9 (4-4 vs Cibulkova, 3-4 vs Halep, 5-1 vs Keys)

(3) Simona Halep (ROU #4)
~ 2016 Titles: 3 (Madrid, Bucharest, Montreal)
~ 2016 Record: 44-16
~ Best Grand Slam result in 2016: Quarterfinalist Wimbledon, US Open
~ WTA Finals history: 3rd consecutive appearance (4-4 record – 2014 finalist)
~ H2H vs rest of Red Group: 10-7 (2-3 vs Cibulkova, 4-3 vs Kerber, 4-1 vs Keys)

(6) Madison Keys (USA #7)
~ 2016 Titles: 1 (Birmingham)
~ 2016 Record: 46-15
~ Best Grand Slam result in 2016: R16 Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, US Open
~ WTA Finals history: Making debut in 2016
~ H2H vs rest of Red Group: 5-9 (3-0 vs Cibulkova, 1-4 vs Halep, 1-5 vs Kerber)
~ Thoughts on her draw: “Everyone here has been playing really well and has had a great year. So, no matter who you’re playing, it’s going to be a tough match. We’re all looking to end the year on a high note.”

(7) Dominika Cibulkova (SVK #8)
~ 2016 Titles: 3 (Katowice, Eastbourne, Linz)
~ 2016 Record: 50-19
~ Best Grand Slam result in 2016: QF Wimbledon
~ WTA Finals history: Making debut in 2016
~ H2H vs rest of Red Group: 17-20 (3-2 vs Halep, 4-4 vs Kerber, 0-3 vs Keys)
~ Thoughts on her draw: “It’s a tough group, but both groups are, and so it’s hard to choose one or the other! But it’s my first time here, and so I hope to have a good start, and we’ll see what happens.”

White Group

(2) Agnieszka Radwanska (POL #3)
~ 2016 Titles: 3 (Shenzhen, New Haven, Beijing)
~ 2016 Record: 51-16
~ Best Grand Slam result in 2016: Semifinalist Australian Open
~ WTA Finals history: 6th consecutive appearance, 8th overall (9-12 record – 2015 champion)
~ H2H vs rest of White Group [with Konta]: 11-4 (2-0 vs Konta, 3-4 vs Muguruza, 6-0 vs Pliskova)
~ H2H vs rest of White Group [with Kuznetsova]: 13-16 (4-12 vs Kuznetsova, 3-4 vs Muguruza, 6-0 vs Pliskova)

(4) Karolina Pliskova (CZE #5)
~ 2016 Titles: 2 (Nottingham, Cincinnati)
~ 2016 Record: 42-20
~ Best Grand Slam result in 2016: Finalist US Open
~ WTA Finals history: Making debut in 2016
~ H2H vs rest of White Group [with Konta]: 8-8 (5-1 vs Konta, 3-1 vs Muguruza, 0-6 vs Radwanska)
~ H2H vs rest of White Group [with Kuznetsova]: 4-7 (1-0 vs Kuznetsova, 3-1 vs Muguruza, 0-6 vs Radwanska)

(5) Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP #6)
~ 2016 Titles: 1 (Roland Garros)
~ 2016 Record:34-18
~ Best Grand Slam result in 2016:Won Roland Garros
~ WTA Finals history: 2nd consecutive appearance (3-1 record – 2015 semifinalist)
~ H2H vs rest of White Group [with Konta]: 6-8 (1-2 vs Konta, 1-3 vs Pliskova, 4-3 vs Radwanska)
~ H2H vs rest of Greatest Eight [with Kuznetsova]: 6-7 (1-1 vs Kuznetsova, 1-3 vs Pliskova, 4-3 vs Radwanska)
~ Thoughts on her draw: “Basically, I don’t really care who’s in my group, because all matches here are tough and a battle. I’ll just be prepared to fight.”

The eighth and final spot in the White Group will be filled by Johanna Konta or Svetlana Kuznetsova, if the latter wins the Kremlin Cup

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(8) Johanna Konta (GBR #9)
~ 2016 Titles: 1 (Stanford)
~ 2016 Record: 44-21
~ Best Grand Slam result in 2016: Semifinalist Australian Open
~ WTA Finals history: Making debut in 2016
~ H2H vs rest of White Group: 8-14 (2-1 vs Muguruza, 2-8 vs Pliskova, 4-5 vs Radwanska)

(8) Svetlana Kuznetsova (#9)
~ 2016 Titles: 1 (Sydney)
~ 2016 Record: 41-20 (entering Moscow SF)
~ Best Grand Slam result in 2016: R16 Roland Garros, Wimbledon
~ WTA Finals history: 6th appearance in singles (3-12 record – would be first appearance since 2009)
~ H2H vs rest of White Group: 13-5 (1-1 vs Muguruza, 0-1 vs Pliskova, 12-4 vs Radwanska)

Click here to relive an exiciting draw ceremony, broadcast on Facebook Live:

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Kerber & Halep Drawn Together In WTA Finals

Kerber & Halep Drawn Together In WTA Finals

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

Angelique Kerber and Simona Halep have been drawn in the same group for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, which starts on Sunday.

The German, who will finish the year as World No.1, is seeded top for the tournament and she has avoided an early meeting with defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska.

Kerber, who is bidding to qualify from the round robin stage of the WTA Finals for the first time, has been drawn in the Red Group, alongside Halep, the winner of three titles in 2016, Dominika Cibulkova, whose late-season from carried her into the tournament and Madison Keys, who has reached a career high of World No.7 this year.

The Red Group

Radwanksa, who defeated Petra Kvitova in last year’s final, leads the White Group, which also features Garbiñe Muguruza, who won her first-ever Grand Slam at the French Open in June. Karolina Pliskova, who was defeated by Kerber in the final of the US Open, is the final known player in the group, with one place yet to be determined.

That spot will be filled by the Brit Johanna Konta unless Svetlana Kuznetsova wins the Kremlin Cup. The Russian plays Elina Svitolina in the semi-final in Moscow later on Friday.

Read: Kerber, Radwanska Lead Red & White Groups In WTA Finals Round Robin Draw

The White Group

Official WTA Finals Mobile App, Created by SAP

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Kuznetsova One Win Away From Singapore, Into Kremlin Cup Final

Kuznetsova One Win Away From Singapore, Into Kremlin Cup Final

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

MOSCOW, Russia – Svetlana Kuznetsova kept up her chances of qualifying for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global by beating Elina Svitolina, 6-1, 6-7(2), 6-4, in Friday’s Kremlin Cup semifinals.

Watch live action from Moscow & Luxembourg this week at WTA Live Powered By TennisTV!

The Russian must win the tournament to overtake WTA Most Improved Player of the Year Johanna Konta and secure a spot in Singapore.

After Svitolina started the match with a routine hold, the Ukrainian squandered three chances to move a break ahead and the Russian never looked back in the first set.

In the second set, however, the World No.15 provided much sterner opposition, breaking to love in the fifth game. Kuznetsova broke back immediately but once again fell behind a break in the very next game, despite saving two break points.

Svitolina tightened up when serving for the set, falling 0-40 behind in flash. She saved all three but succumbed to the pressure on the fourth.

Elina Svitolina

However, she was not left to rue her profligacy and she claimed a highly attritional tie-break convincingly after producing a series of excellent groundstrokes, with Kuznetsova making some untimely unforced errors.

Kuznetsova appeared to be tiring but soon stopped Svitolina’s march. After a lengthy break before the decider, the top seed returned with renewed vigour, sending down a series of vicious shots to break in the opening game.

The 31-year-old saved two break points in the following game to consolidate her advantage but from there she was well on top and Svitolina was unable to get back in the match as Kuznetsova got her WTA-leading 20th three-set match win of 2016.

“I knew what I had to do but in the second set I stopped playing the ‘right’ tennis. I realized what was going on, I understood it was wrong but couldn’t do anything about it. And I had to play three sets,” Kuznetsova said in her post-match press conference.

Kuznetsova will face Daria Gavrilova in the final after she overcame Julia Goerges, 7-5, 6-1. Gavrilova, who was born in Moscow, received plenty of support from the Russian crowd, helping her through a rollercoaster first set and into the first final of her career.

“When I arrived in Hong Kong a few weeks ago, I didn’t expect to be finishing the season so well,” Gavrilova told wtatennis.com. “Playing here in Moscow I’m getting a lot of support – I have a lot of friends and family in the crowd – and even though I’m very tired this helped me come through the difficult moments in the match today.

“In the final I know Sveta will get a lot of support, but this is normal. It has been a great week and I am playing with no pressure so I will go out and play my game and see what happens.”

Official WTA Finals Mobile App, Created by SAP

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Garcia & Mladenovic: WTA Doubles Team Of The Year

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

SINGAPORE – Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic have been named 2016 WTA Doubles Team Of The Year.

The pair won their first-ever Grand Slam title in 2016 at Roland Garros, the first all-French team to reach the French Open doubles final since 1971. They also reached the final of the US Open and the Wimbledon quarterfinal.

They duo enjoyed success on clay all year, winning the Volvo Cars Open in Charleston, Porsche Tennis Grand Prix and Mutua Madrid Open. Garcia and Mladenovic were also four-time finalists on hard courts as they finished as runners-up at Apia International Sydney, Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, US Open, and China Open.

The French doubles pair will be the top seed in the doubles competition at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, where they will have a chance to claim the 2016 Year-End World No.1 Doubles Ranking, presented by Dubai Duty Free.

In a tight field, they finished with 20 points ahead of Lucie Safarova and Bethanie Mattek-Sands, who got 17, Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza on eight, while Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina got four.

WTA Doubles Team Of The Year Winners
2016: Caroline Garcia / Kristina Mladenovic
2015: Martina Hingis / Sania Mirza
2014: Sara Errani / Roberta Vinci
2013: Sara Errani / Roberta Vinci
2012:
Sara Errani / Roberta Vinci
2011:
Kveta Peschke / Katarina Srebotnik
2010:
Gisela Dulko / Flavia Pennetta
2009:
Serena Williams / Venus Williams
2008:
Cara Black / Liezel Huber
2007:
Cara Black / Liezel Huber
2006:
Lisa Raymond / Sam Stosur
2005:
Lisa Raymond / Sam Stosur

Complete listing of the historical WTA Awards.

 

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Cibulkova: WTA Comeback Player Of The Year

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

SINGAPORE – Dominika Cibulkova has been named the 2016 WTA Comeback Player Of The Year.

The Slovak was one of the brightest players on the tour in 2014 as she reached three finals, including the Australian Open, her first Grand Slam final appearance. Cibulkova, however, narrowly missed out on qualifying for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global in 2014, and endured a frustrating start to the 2015 season. She elected to undergo surgery on her Achilles in February forcing her to miss three months of action. During her absence, her ranking dropped outside the Top 50.

But she didn’t stay there long, and in 2016 Cibulkova has rediscovered her form, returning to the Top 10 and qualifying for the WTA Finals in Singapore for the first time in her career thanks to tournament wins at the Katowice Open, the Aegon International Eastbourne and the Generali Ladies Linz.

Her achievements have been recognized as she received 26 votes for WTA Comeback Player Of The Year award, ahead of Anastasija Sevastova (12), Elena Vesnina (11) and Vania King (1).

WTA Comeback Player Of The Year Winners
2016: Dominika Cibulkova
2015: Venus Williams
2014: Mirjana Lucic-Baroni
2013: Alisa Kleybanova
2012: Yaroslava Shvedova
2011: Sabine Lisicki
2010: Justine Henin
2009: Kim Clijsters
2008: Zheng Jie
2007: Lindsay Davenport
2006: Martina Hingis
2005: Kim Clijsters
2004:
Serena Williams

Complete listing of the historical WTA Awards.

 

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