Google Play App Download

Tennis News

From around the world

Han Survives Nanchang Scare

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

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.

Source link

Notes & Netcords: August 1, 2016

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

THE WINNERS

Simona Halep won her third title of 2016 with a decisive 7-6(2), 6-3 victory at the Rogers Cup over No.10 seed Madison Keys, moving up to No.3 in the world and increasing her winning streak to 10 straight matches.

“I like being here in Montréal a lot. It feels like being in Europe, like I’ve said many times,” Halep said. “With all the Romanians, I felt like I was at home. Many people were coming every day, not just today. It was an amazing atmosphere down there.

“The man that announced us on the court today said two words in Romanian, so that motivated me a lot. I said that I have to win.”

WTA Insider Live Blog: point-by-point analysis. | Watch highlights here.

Two-time Grand Slam champions Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina reunited after nearly a year apart at the start of the European clay court season, winning their first title of the season at the Rogers Cup, knocking out singles champion Simona Halep and Monica Niculescu, 6-3, 7-6(5).

The Russians, who are a part of the delegation competing at the Olympic tennis event in Rio, are using Montréal as a testing ground for their renewed partnership. The duo has combined for two Grand Slam titles in the past, and now have their sights set on Olympic gold.

“Hopefully it’s going to help us in Rio for sure,” Vesnina said. “We’re playing here in Montréal because everyone wants to get match rhythm, get some wins and some confidence. Doubles is always tricky so it’s good to have some big wins ahead of Rio.”

Read the match recap here.

RANKING MOVERS:
Notable singles ranking movers for the week of August 1, 2016.

Simona Halep (ROU) +2 (No.5 to 3): With her win at the Rogers Cup, Halep inches up two ranking spots to No.3. She started out the year at No.2 and dipped as low as No.7 following a string of disappointing midseason results.

Daria Kasatkina (RUS) +6 (No.33 to 27): The 19-year-old’s breakthrough continued in Montréal last week, where she reached the quarterfinal to climb to a career high ranking of No.27.

Camila Giorgi (ITA) +9 (No.77 to 68): Italian qualifier Giorgi reached the second round at Montreal, bumping her up to No.68.

Kristina Kucova (SVK) +44 (121 to 77): Kucova’s Cinderella run from qualifying to her first WTA Premier-level semifinal in Montréal earned her the week’s biggest ranking jump to a career high spot at No.77.  

UPCOMING TOURNAMENTS

Brasil Tennis Cup
Florianopolis, Brazil
International | $226,750 | Hard, Outdoor
Sunday, July 31 – Friday, August 5

Jiangxi Women’s Tennis Open
Nanchang, China
International | $226,750 | Hard, Outdoor
Monday, August 1 – Sunday, August 7

Olympic Tennis Event
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
– | $0 | Hard, Outdoor
Saturday, August 6 – Sunday, August 14

Western & Southern Open
Cincinnati, USA
Premier | $2,503,250 | Hard, Outdoor
Monday, August 15 – Sunday, August 21

TOP 20 PLAYER SCHEDULES
1. Serena Williams – Olympics
2. Angelique Kerber – Olympics, Cincinnati
3. Simona Halep – Cincinnati
4. Garbiñe Muguruza – Olympics, Cincinnati
5. Agnieszka Radwanska – Olympics, Cincinnati
6. Venus Williams – Olympics
7. Victoria Azarenka
8. Roberta Vinci – Olympics, Cincinnati
9. Madison Keys – Olympics
10. Svetlana Kuznetsova – Olympics, Cincinnati
11. Dominika Cibulkova – Cincinnati
12. Carla Suárez Navarro – Olympics, Cincinnati
13. Johanna Konta – Olympics, Cincinnati
14. Petra Kvitova – Olympics, Cincinnati
15. Timea Bacsinszky – Olympics, Cincinnati
16. Belinda Bencic – Cincinnati
17. Karolina Pliskova – Cincinnati
18. Samantha Stosur – Olympics, Cincinnati
19. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova – Olympics, Cincinnati
20. Elina Svitolina – Olympics, Cincinnati

Source link

Jankovic, Puig Kick Off In Florianopolis

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

FLORIANOPOLIS, Brazil – While many of their WTA peers are already en route to Rio de Janeiro for the Olympic tennis event kicking off later this week, Jelena Jankovic and Monica Puig have already scored their first wins on Brazilian soil at the Brasil Tennis Cup in Florianopolis.

Watch live action from Florianopolis this week on WTA Live powered by TennisTV!

Located over a thousand kilometers southwest of Rio, Florianopolis is the last stop for many players ahead of the Olympics. In fact, 12 players out of the 32 in the tournament’s main draw are also Olympians looking to squeeze in a few more matches before the big event.

Among them was No.1 seed Jelena Jankovic, who made her Florianopolis debut against Russian qualifier Valeriya Solovyeva. The 23-year-old wasted no time in trading breaks with the former No.1. Solovyeva brought up five more break point chances, but the Serbian dodged them all before grabbing the late break to take the first set 7-5.

Jankovic broke twice more to start off the second set with a 4-0 lead, but Solovyeva showed her grit once more by digging in her heels and reeling off three games in a row to cut into the Serbian’s advantage. It wasn’t enough to take back the momentum, as Jankovic powered on to close out the match 7-5, 6-4 after an hour and forty minutes.

“The conditions changed a lot after the first set to the end of the match,” Jankovic said. “I was really just trying my best to play smart and focus to just finish the match. I’m happy with how I played.”

Fellow Olympian Monica Puig had a smoother road to the second round of the Brasil Tennis Cup, storming past Anastasia Pivovarova 6-2, 6-3. Puig, the No.3 seed, only dropped serve once during the 70 minute encounter.

The Puerto Rican opened the match by breaking twice and racing ahead to a 4-0. Pivovarova broke back and consolidated to get her name on the scoreboard and stop the bleeding, but Puig went on to rattle off the next five games to grab the set and a break. She held on to that lead and closed out her comfortable passage into the second round.

Unfortunately for the Brazilian crowd, defending champion Teliana Pereira was denied her shot at a Florianopolis double after being knocked out of the tournament by lucky loser Lyudmyla Kichenok.

“Today it wasn’t my best day,” she said. “I love playing here in Florianopolis, last year I had such a big experience winning the tournament here.”

Despite the disappointing 6-3, 6-2 scoreline, Pereira was able to find the positive side of defeat.

“The good thing is now I’m going early to Rio de Janeiro to play my first Olympics – I’m very happy and just want to enjoy Rio and play my best tennis.”

Source link

Vote: July's WTA Shot Of The Month

Vote: July's WTA Shot Of The Month

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

It’s time to crown July’s WTA Shot Of The Month. There were some incredible shots to choose from this month, and we narrowed it down to the five best – have a look at the nominees in the above video and cast your vote for your favorite shot before voting ends Thursday at 11:59pm ET!

The winner will be announced Friday, August 5.

How it works: five shots are selected by wtatennis.com, and the winner is then determined by a fan vote on wtatennis.com.

SOTM

Source link

10 Things To Know: Halep Vs Keys

10 Things To Know: Halep Vs Keys

  • Posted: Jan 01, 1970

MONTRÉAL, Canada – Following vastly contrasting semifinals, Simona Halep and Madison Keys will renew their burgeoning rivalry at the Stade Uniprix on Sunday afternoon. Here are 10 of SAP’s finest facts ahead of their showdown in Canada.

(5) Simona Halep (ROU #5) vs (10) Madison Keys (USA #12)
Head-To-Head: Halep leads, 2-1

1) An epic rivalry in the making?
Halep and Keys could well be contesting major finals for years to come. However, all three of their previous meetings have occurred with the silverware still some way off. Keys won in straight sets in the first round of Sydney in 2014, before Halep gained revenge at the same stage in Rome the following year. They most recently crossed paths earlier this summer in the last 16 of Wimbledon, where Halep fought back to win in three sets.

2) On top of their game.
Both Halep and Keys can stake a claim to be this summer’s form player. Since a surprise loss to Laura Siegemund in Stuttgart, Halep has won 22 of 25 matches, triumphing in Madrid and Bucharest along the way, Keys, meanwhile, has been every bit as impressive, winning 21 of her past 24, reaching a final in Rome and lifting the title in Birmingham during that time.

3) Halep holds a decided edge in big-match experience.
Keys is becoming an increasingly familiar presence at the business end of tennis’ flagship events. All four of her previous final appearances came at Premier or Premier 5 tournaments, picking up the title at two of these (Eastbourne (2014), and Birmingham (2016)). Halep, however, holds the upper hand in terms of big-match experience, having taken home a couple of Premier Mandatory titles in the past few years, at Madrid and Indian Wells, while also finishing runner-up at Roland Garros and the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global in 2014.

4) Back-to-back finals no longer a regular occurrence in Canada.
Simona Halep is the first player to reach back-to-back Rogers Cup finals since Jennifer Capriati in 2001 and 2002. Interestingly, every final between 1996 and 2002 featured one player that reached the same stage 12 months earlier.

5) Keys is going for the biggest title of her career and first on hard.
Despite being raised on the hardcourts of the Chris Evert Academy in Boca Raton, Florida, this is the first time Keys has reached a WTA final on the surface. Her best showings prior to this week were semifinal runs at the Australian Open (2015), Sydney (2014) and Osaka (2013). 

6) No stranger to big name upsets.
Keys will be facing off against a Top 5 player for the 16th time in her career on Sunday. Three of her previous encounters have ended in victory, against Li Na (2013 Madrid), Petra Kvitova (2015 Australian Open) and Garbiñe Muguruza (2016 Rome)

7) Keys could break new ground.
Earlier this summer Keys became the 118th player to break into the Top 10. She slipped out following Wimbledon but will return by virtue of reaching the final. Should the American lift the title, she will rise to a career best No.7 in the rankings. Halep will climb to No.3 should she leave with the title and No.4 without.

8) Montréal will have a significant impact on the Road To Singapore leaderboard.
Keys, who has never previously qualified for the WTA Finals, came into the Rogers Cup at No.9 on the Road To Singapore leaderboard but – regardless of the result – will leave no lower than No.6. Halep is guaranteed to rise to No.3.

9) Keys serving notice.
Keys’ imperious serve has been flowing this week, firing down 40 aces in five matches. Against Kristina Kucova in the semifinals, it was particularly dominant; she won 33 of 42 service points and did not face a single break point. 

10) Doubles delight?
In a rare doubles outing, Halep has made it all the way to the final alongside compatriot Monica Niculescu. Should she lift both titles she will be the first player to achieve the feat at the Rogers Cup since Martina Hingis in 2000.

SAP Insights

Source link