Singapore: Kuznetsova Vs Radwanska
Svetlana Kuznetsova takes on Agnieszka Radwanska in the round-robin stage of the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
Svetlana Kuznetsova takes on Agnieszka Radwanska in the round-robin stage of the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
Karolina Pliskova takes on Garbiñe Muguruza in the round-robin stage of the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
SINGAPORE – Svetlana Kuznetsova is a woman of many talents. Top 10 tennis player, designer, polyglot, rapper and now hairdresser.
Midway through the final set of her round-robin encounter with Agnieszka Radwanska, Kuznetsova realized something was not quite right: her haircut.
Trailing 2-1, the Russian took out her frustration with scissors, lopping off her ponytail during the changeover. The change had the desired effect, too, inspiring Kuznetsova to break back in the following game and go on to win the match.
Kuznetsova is not the first player to get an impromptu trim in the heat of battle. At last year’s ATP World Tour Finals, Andy Murray famously took a pair of scissors to his unruly mane…
An interview with Karolina Pliskova after her round-robin win at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
SINGAPORE – World No.4 Simona Halep always preaches the need to be “strong in the legs”. Turns out she’s not just talking about tennis.
A day after notching scoring a strong 6-2, 6-4 win over Madison Keys in her opening match at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, a relaxed Halep was back on the practice courts at Singapore Indoor Stadium. In addition to a more relaxed attitude, it seems the Romanian is picking up a few more Australian habits from coach Darren Cahill.
New recruit for @afl Women's League with @Adelaide_FC? Great outside speed ?? @Simona_Halep will be in Adelaide for December training ? pic.twitter.com/VTGH0v9rLU
— Darren Cahill (@darren_cahill) October 24, 2016
Did that land on the roof of the Marina Bay Sands? Not bad.
Interestingly, Cahill also confirmed Halep’s pre-season plan to train in Adelaide ahead of the start of the 2017 season. That’s a notable change to her past preferences, which have favored staying home in Romania. Halep has floated the idea of doing her pre-season outside of Europe and it’s a smart decision to opt for Australia. Not only is Cahill based there, but training in the Aussie heat can only help her chances at the Australian Open in January.
But meanwhile, there’s still work to be done. Halep faces World No.1 Angelique Kerber in the second round of group play on Tuesday. Halep can secure her spot in the quarterfinals if she can score a straight-set win.
An interview with Svetlana Kuznetsova after her round-robin win at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
Svetlana Kuznetsova clenched the final spot for the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global after a straightforward victory against Daria Gavrilova in the Kremlin Cup.
The Russian powerhouse’s last WTA Finals appearance was seven seasons ago (2009), but this time around she’s feeling the energy. “I’m playing my best tennis for like five seasons, and it shows because now I’m in Singapore,” she said after her win in Moscow. “I’m really pleased with the win and making it to the Finals again after such a long time.”
Kuznetsova will be the first to admit that her journey has not been easy. When asked how she defended her title, she responded, “I don’t know. I fought in every match. I tried to win. I had very tough matches because I didn’t [feel] comfortable with the tennis I played.” She added, “But I understood I could win even with bad tennis. I leveled up my tennis.”
This level up didn’t come in physical form either. The 31-year-old defending champ improved her psychological state. She’s thinking more, playing more stable. She said, “I used to think: What do I have to do to achieve this or that…And I understand that ‘that’ level is already in the past. Every day I am working to get on a different level.”
The next level starts in Singapore and the 17-time title winner finds peace with herself for making it this far. “I didn’t even think I’d get there. I just wanted to play my tennis.” she says “And whatever happens. It’s a bonus.”
Kuznetsova plays her first match in Singapore against Agnieszka Radwańska at 7:30 p.m. on Monday. “It will be a tough match” Kuznetsova says. “I don’t expect anything else.”
An interview with Agnieszka Radwanska ahead of her participation in the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
The order of play for the second day of action at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.
An interview with Angelique Kerber ahead of her participation in the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global.