Montréal: Sunday Highlights
Highlights from final round action at the Rogers Cup.
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – The tennis Olympians are making their way to Rio for next week’s Summer Olympic Games. While first ball won’t be hit until Saturday, the WTA stars are arriving early to acclimate to their new and exciting surroundings and have the chance to explore the city.
Check out what some of your favorite players have to say about their Rio arrival on Twitter:
On my way to #Rio2016 ! ?? Happy national day Switzerland ?? ! #proud #hoppsuisse #riocalling #Olympics2016 pic.twitter.com/iydIg3iXCK
— Timea Bacsinszky (@TimeaOfficial) August 1, 2016
So proud to be part of #czechteam in Rio ?? Go to my Facebook Fanpage for daily info #riofotodenik #riophotodiary pic.twitter.com/UOuSAcNdVA
— Andrea Hlavackova (@AndreaHlavackov) August 1, 2016
Off to Rio!!!! ✈️??☀️????? pic.twitter.com/fqH7B8bCJt
— Heather Watson (@HeatherWatson92) August 1, 2016
This feeling ???? Rio bound .. #TeamIndia #Olympics https://t.co/wEzJ5CsWHc
— Sania Mirza (@MirzaSania) July 31, 2016
.@anabelmedina cumple años en la Villa Olímpica en vísperas de competir en sus cuartos Juegos. ¡Muchas felicidades! pic.twitter.com/IWtRFguaic
— COE (@COE_es) July 31, 2016
Crece el equipo en @rio2016_es @CarlaSuarezNava @MedinaParraRio @conchitamartinz pic.twitter.com/drPUsOXvSl
— Pedro Hernandez (@PedroRFET) August 1, 2016
Le trio débarque bientôt à Rio ??????? @alizecornet @CaroGarcia @FranceOlympique #RoadToRio pic.twitter.com/o4YTfO0FQl
— Kristina Mladenovic (@KikiMladenovic) July 31, 2016
The village? the shuttle ? the ball? in Rio! ? pic.twitter.com/r9o4ksuXz0
— Zheng Saisai (@Zheng_Saisai) July 31, 2016
Hello Rio! So honored and happy to be here.. #TeamBelgium #Rio2016 pic.twitter.com/r9XngTTyDQ
— Yanina Wickmayer (@wickytennis) July 31, 2016
Kiki Bertens earned her spot onto her country’s Olympic team after her inspiring run to the French Open semifinals, but the Dutch powerhouse still has some packing to do…
Packing for a trip for 6 weeks… What should I bring??? #rio #Usa #myhouseisamess pic.twitter.com/JDw7JxGgG7
— Kiki Bertens (@kikibertens) July 30, 2016
Galina Voskoboeva will headline the Kazakh team in both singles and doubles, and is giving fans an in-depth – and bilingual! – look into the Rio experience on her official Facebook page:
The Olympics won’t be complete without Svetlana Kuznetsova, but the Russian admitted to having some difficulty securing a flight from the Rogers Cup – where the two-time Grand Slam champion reached the quarterfinals – but appears to have sorted out her travel issues after a short stay in New York City:
Deammm please one seat to Rio from NY for meeeee????????
— Svetlana Kuznetsova (@SvetlanaK27) July 31, 2016
UPDATE: Kuznetsova is on the ground with Team Russia in Rio!
Simona Halep had Sunday’s shot of the day at the Rogers Cup.
Simona Halep was ranked as low as No.7 after lingering Achilles and nasal issues hijacked the first three months of the season, but the Romanian is back to her best ranking in nearly six months, up to No.3 on both the WTA rankings and the Road to Singapore leaderboard thanks to her Rogers Cup victory.
“Here I won matches with top players,” Halep said after winning her 10th straight match, having come to the Rogers Cup with a title in Bucharest. “That makes me more happy and relaxed that I have a good level of tennis in this moment.”
One off from a career-high ranking of No.2 Halep aims for a strong second half of the season, one that will help her qualify for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global for a third straight season.
“It’s a goal to go to Singapore every year,” she told WTA Insider in the latest Champions Corner. “I have great memories from [reaching the final] in 2014. I like the court there, and the atmosphere. I just have to do my job until Singapore.”
Madison Keys also made a big leap thanks to her runner-up finish in Montréal, returning to the Top 10 at No.9 and moving back into the Top 8 on the Road to Singapore leaderboard.
Who else made gains after a thrilling week up north?
Svetlana Kuznetsova (+1, No.11 to No.10): The Russian veteran moved back into the Top 10 after reaching the quarterfinals of the Rogers Cup, pushing Halep to three sets.
Johanna Konta (+1, No.14 to No.13): Konta fell one match shy of making her Top 10 debut, but still had a solid week in Montréal before falling to Cinderella story Kristina Kucova.
Kristina Kucova (+44, No.121 to No.77): Speaking of Kucova, the former junior US Open champion made her long-awaited Top 100 debut, knocking out Carla Suárez Navarro, Eugenie Bouchard, and Konta before the qualifier ran out of gas against Keys in the semifinals. Kucova became the first qualifier to make it that far at the Rogers Cup since surprise semifinalist Zi Yan in 2007.
Daria Kasatkina (+6, No.33 to No.27): The teenaged phenom continued her meteoric rise in Montréal, reaching the last eight and hitting a new career-high ranking.
Check out the latest Top 8 line-up on the Road to Singapore leaderboard:
Simona Halep takes on Madison Keys in the final of the Rogers Cup.
MONTRÉAL, Canada – For the players taking part in the 2016 Rogers Cup, it was more than just ranking points and prize money at stake in the competition: there was an extra prize up for grabs for the tournament winners.
Extra motivation for @roberta_vinci @CoupeRogers: If you make the final you get tickets to @celinedion. She wants them.
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) July 24, 2016
Though Roberta Vinci didn’t reach the final (and we didn’t get to hear her sing), plenty of WTA players were in attendance on to see Celine Dion’s triumphant return to Montréal, where she was kicking off the first of 10 concerts in the city.
Elena Vesnina and Ekaterina Makarova, who teamed up to win the Rogers Cup trophy in doubles, didn’t miss the chance to see the singer live, making sure to record every moment.
Amazing show #CelineDionMTL Thank you @CoupeRogers for the tickets?She is so real!!!❤️?#ofcoursetitanicsong pic.twitter.com/oOiI4KmhZq
— Elena Vesnina (@EVesnina001) August 1, 2016
#CelineDionMTL ??? pic.twitter.com/gzFftMzycd
— Elena Vesnina (@EVesnina001) August 1, 2016
Концерт #celindion Спасибо большое турниру rogers_cup за билеты! Это было очень круто, она такая… https://t.co/KR2gsgGofk
— Kate Makarova (@katemakarova1) August 1, 2016
The tournament’s other champion, Simona Halep, who featured in both the singles and doubles finals, was too exhausted to make the show. She wasn’t too cut up about it though, having already seen the Queen of Pop live a few months ago.
Q. If you make the final, you get tickets to a concert tonight.
SIMONA HALEP: You think I’m able to go? I have one more match. I saw Celine in March when I was in Vegas. I will see her soon, but not tonight.
Meanwhile, Canada’s No.1 Eugenie Bouchard was at the concert, too, and she nabbed the ultimate selfie with her iconic countrywoman before the show began.
QUEEN pic.twitter.com/jnOTErpKhR
— Genie Bouchard (@geniebouchard) July 31, 2016
Celine's voice makes me feel emotions I didn't know I had ??? pic.twitter.com/OJniYVmGpd
— Genie Bouchard (@geniebouchard) August 1, 2016
An interview with Simona Halep after her win in the final of the Rogers Cup.
Following last week’s withdrawals, the International Tennis Federation has updated entry lists for the upcoming Olympic Games, adding Magda Linette and Polona Hercog to the singles competition.
NANCHANG, China – No.8 seed Han Xinyun avoided an early exit at the Jiangxi Open with a battling win over qualifier Junri Namigata on a sweltering opening day.
Watch live action from Nanchang this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!
Success has proved hard to find this summer for Han, who arrived in Nanchang with only one win in her past five tournaments. And it looked like more disappointment was on the cards when Namigata raced through the opening set.
However, Han had other ideas, pinching a tight second set to ensure a tense finale. She continued to sail close to the wind in the decider, coming within a couple of points of defeat before eventually prevailing, 2-6, 6-4, 7-5.
“I’ve been trying to get used to the weather,” Han said. “I didn’t feel in good form in the very beginning and was just trying to hang in there at the end. It wasn’t my best tennis today but I won and now I can look forward to the next round.”
There she will face compatriot Duan Ying-Ying, who eased past Marina Melnikova, 6-2, 6-2. Also advancing was Risa Ozaki, who wisely kept her time on court to a minimum, swatting aside lucky loser Han Na-Lae, 6-3, 6-1. The No.7 seed’s reward is a meeting with Nicha Lertpitaksinchai, after she defeated fellow Thai qualifier Peangtarn Plipuech, 6-2, 6-4.