Montréal: Strycova vs. Garcia
Barbora Strycova takes on Caroline Garcia in the first round of the Rogers Cup.
Barbora Strycova takes on Caroline Garcia in the first round of the Rogers Cup.
MONTRÉAL, Canada – Daria Gavrilova overcame the rain and Annika Beck to become the first winner at this year’s Rogers Cup.
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On a wet opening day, Gavrilova returned from a lengthy first set rain delay to complete a 6-4, 6-3 win and book a second-round meeting with No.5 seed Simona Halep.
Both players struggled to stamp their authority on the contest early on, trading four breaks of serve before the heavens opened. When they returned more than an hour later, Gavrilova came out firing, a pair of fine forehand winners bringing her the set.
The Australian carried this momentum into the start of the second set, taking the first three games. While Beck managed to reduce her arrears to 4-3, Gavrilova responded by rattling off the final eight points of the match to secure her date with Halep.
Gavrilova has met Halep twice before, winning the most recent of these this spring in Rome. Following a slow start, Halep has grown in confidence as the year has progressed and is now looking to ramp up her preparations ahead of next month’s US Open.
“The more matches I play it helps me get confidence and get used to the pressure,” Halep told wtatennis.com. “I have this tournament, I have Cincinnati, so I think I have enough – I’m also playing doubles here – time to be ready for US Open.”
The only other player to advance before Monday’s latest intervention from the weather was Madison Brengle, who scored a minor upset by defeating Ekaterina Makarova, 6-4, 1-6, 6-4.
An interview with Simona Halep before her opening round match at the Rogers Cup.
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.
An interview with Eugenie Bouchard before her opening round match at the Rogers Cup.
Newly minted Hall of Famer and former World No.1 Justine Henin returns to the Montréal wing of the Rogers Cup – twice a winner in Toronto – for the first time in 14 years.
But the Belgian has no time for nostalgia; there’s work to be done with Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina, the third youngest woman in the Top 20.
Henin has been a part of Svitolina’s coaching team since February, eight months after the 21-year-old first reached the quarterfinals at the French Open – a tournament Henin won four times.
Work at eponymous tennis club, academy, and “Justine For Kids” foundation precludes her from traveling full-time with the Ukrainian, but the seven-time major champion’s presence has been felt throughout the season.
For her part, Svitolina showed the effects of the partnership right away, reaching the semifinals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and winning the BMW Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur – where she defeated former Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard in three grueling sets.
It has been an up and down season since then, but Henin hardly expected perfection from one so young.
“It’s a year of transition for her,” she said before her induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. “She got to the Top 20 at the end of last year. It was a big goal for her, and now she wants to take the next step.”
Justine Henin @CoupeRogers in her consulting role w/ Svitolina. Definitely not a passive role. Instructing after every point in practice.
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) July 24, 2016
Svitolina’s second year in the big leagues still has plenty of firsts ahead of her, including a debut appearance at the Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janiero. Ranked just outside the Top 30 on the Road to Singapore leaderboard, the Ukrainian youngster heads into what was a successful part of the season last summer, finishing in the final four of both the Bank of the West Classic and the Western & Southern Open.
Henin believed Svitolina still has big goals for the end of the season, but ultimately preached patience at the sport’s pinnacle in Newport.
“She has a lot of talent and potential, but she needs some time to organize a lot things, and not put too much pressure on the ranking. But I feel lucky to be with a good girl who has a lot of values, respect for the game and for the others on the team. I wish and hope for her that she’ll do well in the second part of the season and maybe qualify for Singapore.
“It’s important, but as I always try to say to the other players, if you look a little bit further and have a big picture of your career, you don’t plan everything for six months or a year, but have a vision for many years. You start to build differently.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen in the second part of the season, but it will be exciting for sure. We always hope for some surprises, and hopefully good tennis in the next few months.”
My story began in Odessa, where I dreamed by the sea. Now I cross that sea, to follow my dream. @Nike #justdoit pic.twitter.com/ZUxLauaY05
— Elina Svitolina (@ElinaSvitolina) July 22, 2016
At 5’9″ tall, her charge isn’t among the tallest on tour, something to which the 5’6″ Henin can relate, having already blazed a trail for the likes of Svitolina, Simona Halep and Dominika Cibulkova to succeed in the modern game.
“I hope I could inspire them in a certain way, or that they realize, that you can’t compete just because you’re not that tall, because you can find other things.”
Looking back on her own experiences, the Belgian cited the importance of shorter players emphasizing their strengths, rather than worrying about their weaknesses.
“We had to choose some direction with my longtime coach, Carlos Rodriguez; do you try to work on your weaknesses, which is important, or do you try to use your strengths and make them even stronger or better? My qualities were my speed, technique, and vision of the game, and we tried to level that up a little bit more. I think with my technique and speed, I could compensate the power of the other players.”
That compensation may come at a cost, but it’s the kind of price Henin believes all champions must be willing to pay.
“Some girls can do it today; you don’t have to be so strong or so tall, you can just use your qualities. It’s harder to have a long career if you are not that tall or strong, because you have to push your body 200% all the time to compete because you have to be physically good. It’s maybe tough to stay on the tour for so many years, which happened to me. That’s the toughest part.
“But if you want to compete at a good level, there’s no reason why you can’t do it.”
Back on the tour for the first time since retiring for the final time in 2011, Henin believes the game is more exciting than ever, with just the right mix of veterans and newcomers coming together to create compelling match-ups.
“Serena winning her 22nd Grand Slam was an amazing accomplishment, one that is just very hard to imagine someone doing in 2016. But she did, so I’m very happy for her.
“At the same time, you see other names like Kerber at the Australian Open and Muguruza in Paris. It’s good because now you feel there’s another generation coming on pretty strongly, and that’s what the game needs, for sure. I like to see these girls competing at a good level, but also pushing Serena to still improve – which is amazing to think that she can still improve – at almost 35 years old.”
An interview with Garbiñe Muguruza before her opening round match at the Rogers Cup.
ZHUHAI, China – Sunday marked 100 days until the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai, and the tournament rang in the start of an exciting countdown with the help of former World No.1 and Tournament Ambassador, Stefani Graf.
Graf took the role back in May, and couldn’t be more ready to help the WTA stars “Shine in Zhuhai” in what will be the final event of the 2016 season.
Check out the best photos from the event, which feature Tournament Director Peter Johnson unveiling Graf’s video announcement:
Photos courtesy of the WTA.
An interview with Roberta Vinci before her opening round match at the Rogers Cup.
Twelve months ago, Johanna Konta took the first steps on a journey up the tennis ladder that shows no sign of ending any time soon. A 16-match winning run, which began at a lowly ITF Circuit event in Granby, Canada, sent the Briton skyrocketing up the rankings and, more importantly, imbued her with a sense of belonging.
This past weekend, Konta proved once more that her place at tennis’ top table is very much warranted, outplaying Venus Williams in the final of the Bank of the West Classic to take home her maiden career title.
The result bumps Konta several quite significant places up the rankings from No.18 to 14. Not only is Konta now highly likely to be among the leading 16 seeds for the US Open, she is also the first British player since Jo Durie in October 1984 to be ranked inside the Top 15.
While her plentiful points haul from last summer means a further rise is no foregone conclusion, on current form few would put deep runs in Montréal, Cincinnati or the US Open beyond the 25-year-old. Konta currently lies 176 points behind 10th-ranked Dominika Cibulkova and a good showing at any of the summer hardcourt events could well see her become the fourth Brit (after Virginia Wade, Sue Barker and Durie) to crack the Top 10.
Konta, though, is not player to make a significant move last week.
Dominika Cibulkova (+2, No.12 to No.10): One of Konta’s victims in Stanford was the in-form and newlywed Cibulkova. The semifinal defeat, though, failed to end her summer honeymoon – the 185 points gained confirming a return to the Top 10 for the first time since January 2015.
Laura Siegemund (+8, No.40 to No.32): Not so long ago Laura Siegemund and her fellow German Angelique Kerber existed in very different worlds on tour. Now, following a title run in Bastad that pushed her up to No.32 in the rankings, Siegemund could very well be seeded alongside her compatriot at the upcoming US Open.
Yanina Wickmayer (+8, No.44 to No.36): Yanina Wickmayer was hot in Washington DC. Literally. It was hard not to be with temperatures in the capital threatening 100°F. However, Wickmayer wisely kept her time on court to a minimum, dropping just one set en route to her fifth career title. She is now at her highest ranking since April 2013.
Alison Riske (+20, No.78 to No.58): While Riske was unable to complete her rousing comeback to defeat Venus in the Stanford semifinals, victories over seeds Varvara Lepchenko and CoCo Vandeweghe ensured the tournament remained a highly encouraging one. She is now closing in on returning to the Top 50 for the first time since last September.
Katerina Siniakova (+13, No.92 to No.79): Former junior No.2 Katerina Siniakova’s progress up the senior ranks has come in fits and starts. In Bastad, the Czech took a significant step in the shape of a maiden WTA final, a result that edged her 13 places closer to a Top 50 debut.