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Stefanie Graf Bridges WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai With World

Stefanie Graf Bridges WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai With World

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

ZHUHAI, China – Tennis legend Stefanie Graf, the ambassador for the second edition of the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai, paid a visit to the one of the city’s most impressive landmarks to promote the tournament and the host city, aiming at further connecting Zhuhai with the world.

Click here for a photo gallery of all of Steffi’s activities in Zhuhai!

In her first pubic activity ever in mainland China, Graf visited the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, a Y-shaped bridge which connects Hong Kong, Macao and mainland China, and, when completed, will be the longest sea-crossing bridge in the world.

The former No.1 was joined by Caroline Garcia, one of the 12 single players at the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai, to play tennis at a mini court temporarily established on the landmark bridge.

Check out the best photos from the event right here, courtesy of the WTA Elite Trophy!

WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai - Stefanie Graf Visit

WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai - Stefanie Graf Visit

WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai - Stefanie Graf Visit

WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai - Stefanie Graf Visit

WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai - Stefanie Graf Visit

WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai - Stefanie Graf Visit

WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai - Stefanie Graf Visit

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Graf Hosts Charity Clinic At WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai

Graf Hosts Charity Clinic At WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

ZHUHAI, China – After visiting one of the city’s most impressive landmarks, tennis legend and WTA Elite Trophy ambassador Steffi Graf continued her whirlwind tour of Zhuhai at the Huafa Tennis Center for a charity clinic.

Click here for a photo gallery of all of Steffi’s activities in Zhuhai!

Graf was joined by over thirty talented youngsters from primary and junior high schools in the area, including 19 from Macao as well as from Huajin Securities, tournament ball kids, selected staff and one lucky iQYI SuperFan.

Yang Yanling, who was selected from the iQIYI iSuperFan campaign, got an extra treat; he enjoyed a special one-on-one conversation up close with the former World No.1. Yang was thrilled by Graf’s encouragement to continue playing tennis, and more importantly, to enjoy what tennis will bring to his life and future.

Check out all the best photos from the event right here, courtesy of the WTA Elite Trophy!

Steffi Graf

Steffi Graf

Steffi Graf

Steffi Graf

Steffi Graf

Steffi Graf

Steffi Graf

 

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WTA Finals Shot Of The Tournament: Halep

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

There was no shortage of amazing exchanges across the net in Singapore. In the end, though, it was Simona Halep’s improvised squash shot against eventual champion Dominika Cibulkova that was the runaway winner among the public vote.

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Zhuhai Saturday: Konta Renews Svitolina Rivalry, Kvitova Takes On Chinese No.1

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

ZHUHAI, China – All four semifinalists at the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai boasted perfect round-robin records, but someone’s 0 has to go on Saturday. Top seed Johanna Konta takes on the in-form Elina Svitolina, while Petra Kvitova meets home favorite Zhang Shuai.

Saturday, Semifinals

Stadium
[1] Johanna Konta (GBR #10) vs. [4] Elina Svitolina (UKR #14)
Head-to-head:
Svitolina leads 1-0
Stat: Svitolina was the only semifinalist to drop a set during the round robin  
Nearly four years ago, Elina Svitolina met Johanna Konta in the quarterfinals of an ITF Circuit event in Israel. Both players were ranked outside the Top 100, but on that day it was the teenage Svitolina that comfortably prevailed, going on to collect the trophy a few days later. She would lift more significant silverware that year, announcing herself as one of the game’s brightest prospects by triumphing at the WTA event in Baku.

She has made good on this promise, developing her game under the watchful eye of coach Iain Hughes to the extent that she is knocking ever louder on the door of the Top 10. Last year the Ukrainian reached the semifinals in Zhuhai and after strong showings at recent outings in Moscow, Beijing and Tokyo it would be no surprise to see her go at least one step further this time around.

To do so she will need to get the better of Konta once more. However, this version of the Briton is a very different proposition to the one that stood across the net from her in their ITF days. Imbued with an on-court maturity and steely competitiveness matched by few of her peers, Konta has flown up the rankings over the past 18 months. Her round-robin victory over Samantha Stosur guaranteed she would finish the year in the Top 10, and judging by the way she dispatched Caroline Garcia to reach the semifinals her ambitions do not end there.

[2] Petra Kvitova (CZE #13) vs [WC/12] Zhang Shuai (CHN #28)
Head-to-head:
tied 1-1
Stat: Zhang owns a 7-6 win-loss record against Top 20 players in 2016

Petra Kvitova can lay claim to being the WTA’s most impressive performer over the last few months of the season. Casting aside the inconsistency that blighted the first half of the season, Kvitova, who eased past Roberta Vinci and Barbora Strycova in her two round-robin outings, has now won 26 of her past 32 matches.

The highlight of this run was a second title in Zhuhai, and should she continue this rich vein of form on Chinese soil it will take a super-human effort to stop the Czech. Her next opponent, Zhang Shuai, will have a little extra help though, in the shape of an unashamedly partisan home crowd.

Desperate for a successor to Li Na, Chinese tennis has seen Zhang emerge as its unlikely standard bearer in 2016. Little more than 12 months ago, Zhang was contemplating retirement on the back of a dispiriting spell on tour. Sam Stosur talked her out of it and she has been on an upward trajectory ever since. In January she ended her long-running Grand Slam hoodoo by making it all the way through qualifying and into the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, building on this platform with credible showings in Tokyo, Seoul and Beijing to leave herself on the verge of the Top 20.

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Konta Races Into Zhuhai Semifinals, Kvitova Also Advances

Konta Races Into Zhuhai Semifinals, Kvitova Also Advances

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

ZHUHAI, China – Top seed Johanna Konta produced a clinical display to brush aside Caroline Garcia and take her place in the knockout stage of the Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai.

Watch live action from Zhuhai this week at WTA Live Powered By TennisTV!

One hour was all it took for Konta to wrap up a 6-2, 6-2 victory and set up a semifinal against Elina Svitolina. Earlier in the day, No.2 seed Petra Kvitova also advanced, topping her round-robin group after a 6-1, 6-4 win over Barbora Strycova.

Konta confirmed she would finish the year ranked inside the Top 10 following an impressive win against Samantha Stosur in her opening match, and she underlined her status with an even more dominant display second time out.

It did not take long for the Briton to get her nose in front, hooking a passing shot beyond Garcia’s reach to break in the third game. A few games later it was the backhand doing the damage, the World No.10 finding the line to stretch her lead further, before wrapping up the set soon after.

Konta handily won the pair’s previous meeting, at this summer’s Rio Olympics and a run of five straight games in the second set sent her hurtling past the finishing post.

“I really felt I played a very consistent match. I didn’t give he many windows [of opportunity] and I’m very happy I managed to do that today,” Konta said during her on-court interview. ” She has such a big game so I really needed to apply myself on every point.”

“Right now, it’s just one more match tomorrow. I’m not looking any further than that. I’m going to have a very tough one and looking to compete as best I can.”

Petra Kvitova

While Konta takes on Svitolina, in the other semifinal Kvitova meets Chinese No.1 Zhang Shuai.

Kvitova made a flying start against fellow Czech Strycova before encountering some late resistance. However, just as she has so often in her recent resurgence, she found her best tennis when it mattered most, withstanding some late service jitters – and a couple of break points – to take the final three games of the match.

“The second set was a little bit tight. It was really important to serve well in that game, 4-3. I was facing two break points and it was really the key point,” Kvitova said in her press conference.

“And I think that from the time that I started to play more aggressive than I did before, the beginning of the second set, so it helped me actually, to face the two break points to get back on the track and play little bit better and to return better as well. But, I mean, overall it was a good match. I think it was – the serve was really good today; helped me a lot as well. I’m happy that I’m in the semifinal for sure.”

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